UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey stresses the importance of promoting fights: "Make your fights into a story"
Ronda Rousey recently discussed the thought process behind selling a fight and stressed the importance of fight promotion. She noted that fighters need to grasp the concept of promoting themselves rather than relying on the UFC.
'Rowdy' was one of the biggest stars in the UFC during her peak, which was during a time when the promotion introduced their women's bantamweight division. Her initiative in promoting her bouts as well as herself resulted in several opportunities outside of MMA including acting roles and WWE pursuing her for a transition to pro wrestling.
During her appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, the UFC Hall of Famer brought up that she believes fighters have become too reliant on the promotion and expect opportunities. Rousey mentioned that fighters need to make the most of their platform and shed light on the effort that should be put into the promotion side of their bout. She said:
"You have to promote your fight as hard as you train for it. And a lot of people feel secure in their position that they can just show up, fight, and that they should get everything thrown at them...You shouldn't be expecting the company that's spending all this money to promote you. What are they gonna do, make more commericals? You have to go out there and promote yourself...be a character...make your fights into a story." [40:32 - 41:01]
Check out the full interview with Ronda Rousey below:
Ronda Rousey praises Paddy Pimblett for understanding the promotion side of fighting
In addition to stressing the importance of fight promotion, Ronda Rousey heaped praise on Paddy Pimblett for his ability to create opportunities for himself.
During the aforementioned appearance, the UFC Hall of Famer mentioned that Pimblett has made the audience emotionally invested in his fights, which has resulted in him gaining more momentum. She said:
"Paddy 'The Baddy' [Pimblett], he is great at self-promotion, and so before he even got to that pinnacle, he's got all of that momentum behind him. And that's going to open so many more opportunities and things like that. And I just think it has to do with, like, you need to know you're an entertainer and how to entertain." [41:56 - 42:18]
Check out Paddy Pimblett's walkout below: