Rousey and Paul mock UFC White House viewership

Reported viewership for UFC Freedom 250 on the White House grounds fell short of Jake Paul’s MVP Netflix event featuring Ronda Rousey, prompting both Paul and Rousey to publicly mock UFC and Dana White as the figures hit social media.

Just days after UFC Freedom 250 wrapped up on the South Lawn of President Donald Trump’s home, the numbers started circulating—and they did not land well for the UFC.

The much-publicized event averaged 7 million viewers in the U.S., according to a report by Paramount. It was a headline-making stage, too: the White House is not exactly a low-profile venue. Still, the reported average fell 2.3 million short of the 9.3 million U.S. viewers Netflix reported for Ronda Rousey’s MMA comeback last month against Gina Carano.

Rousey’s return bout took place on Netflix under Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions banner, MVP (Most Valuable Promotions). And once the comparison numbers were out, Paul and Rousey both leaned into it with public taunts aimed at UFC and at Dana White.

Jake Paul was the first to press the point, targeting UFC Freedom 250 and posting a pointed message after the reported release of viewership figures. “As a boxing promoter it feels good waking up today being the biggest MMA promoter,” Paul said.

Rousey went after UFC’s business leadership instead of the event location itself. On X, she taunted UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell with a blunt message: “Lmao! Kiss my a** Hunter Campbell.”

While the mockery played out online, Nakisa Bidarian—an MVP co-founder—chose a different tone. In a post dated June 20. 2026. Bidarian offered praise for both sides. writing that UFC 250 was “a tremendous success” and that it was “great for the continued growth of the sport. the fighters and the fans.”.

Bidarian also framed the comparison as a competition of platforms and moments. saying MVP MMA had Netflix. while UFC 250 had the White House and “one of the most recognized global figures in history in President Trump.” He then insisted “Only winners here in all scenarios. ” adding that “UFC 250 was an amazing production. whether you agreed with the location or not.”.

He also stated that UFC remains “by far the most dominant brand / the reference brand for the sport of MMA. ” and then returned to the viewership takeaway. For MVP MMA. he wrote. being “in the same ballpark of viewership for their biggest event ever is damn good. ” while concluding. “Don’t care who was higher. Congrats to all.”.

Bidarian’s post then listed MVPW-03 U.S. stats to back up the comparison. He wrote that over 3 million viewers watched at least 1 minute, contrasting it with UFC Freedom 250’s 17M viewers for 1 minute. He said MVPW-03 averaged 559K average viewership. noting it “went head to head with game 7 of NBA conference finals. ” and listed a peak viewership of 962K. He also wrote that 97% of Top Rank’s 2025 ESPN linear… (the post continues beyond the visible excerpt).

Taken together, the sequence is stark: UFC Freedom 250’s reported U.S. average of 7 million viewers was followed by Netflix’s reported 9.3 million for Rousey’s comeback against Gina Carano, and then by immediate public jabs from the very MMA brand now tied to Rousey’s return.

For UFC, the public-facing issue isn’t just the venue or the star power—it’s the gap in reported viewership numbers that gave Paul, Rousey, and MVP the opening they wanted within days of the event.