Sean Strickland asked for tickets to Saturday’s fight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, and the answer came back through the woman at the center of the card. Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said on Thursday he had to check with Rousey first because Strickland had been “very derogatory” about both women.
Rousey did not hesitate. “Sure, he can come,” she said. “I’m glad it has to go through me now. Come on over. We can convert anyone.”
The exchange gives one more flashpoint to a card that is already drawing attention for reasons beyond the ring. The event is set for Saturday at the Intuit Dome in California, will be broadcast globally on Netflix and marks MVP’s first venture into mixed martial arts. It also comes with a loaded undercard featuring former UFC fighters Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz and Mike Perry.
Bidarian said Strickland’s request could not be treated like a normal ask because of what he had said before. “I got a request from Sean Strickland, but I need to talk to Ronda because he was very derogatory about Ronda and Gina,” he said. He added that Strickland had been “disrespectful and saying inappropriate things” and that “while we would love to have him as a UFC champion, you can’t disrespect the headliners and call for free tickets.”
Strickland’s comments were not limited to this week’s card. In February, he called women “too empowered,” said they should focus on domestic duties and said he had “no interest” in the bout. He also said that even the “softest” man could beat former two-weight UFC champion Amanda Nunes, prompting a sharp reply from Nunes: “We do everything he said, and to top it all off, lol, we’re fighters too. Don’t cry.”
Rousey’s approval carries its own weight. She won an Olympic bronze medal in judo in 2008, retired from competition in 2009 and moved into mixed martial arts in 2011. The UFC signed her in 2012, making her the first woman under contract with the promotion, and she became one of the sport’s biggest stars. Carano, who retired in 2009 and later pursued acting, helped set the wheels in motion for women to compete in MMA.
For Strickland, the timing is awkward. He won the UFC middleweight title for a second time on Sunday by beating Khamzat Chimaev by split decision, a result that should have put the spotlight on his performance. Instead, the week has turned into another reminder that his words can travel as far as his fights, especially after he had also used derogatory and racist language against Chimaev during the build-up.
The result is a strange kind of symmetry: a fighter who built his reputation on provocation asking for access to a historic women’s card, and the headline act deciding he can come only on her terms. Saturday’s event will not just launch MVP into MMA. It will test how much of the old fight-world culture still fits when the biggest names in the room are the ones setting the rules.
