Valentina Shevchenko snapped back at Ronda Rousey after the former bantamweight queen attempted to drag her name through the mud.
While promoting her upcoming return to MMA against Gina Carano on May 16, Rousey attacked her former employer, accusing the UFC of underpaying its fighters to the point that female athletes have taken to OnlyFans to boost their income.
“It’s why so many of their top athletes are leaving to go and find pay elsewhere,” Rousey said on Tuesday at a press event. “It’s why their champions like Valentina [Shevchenko] are selling pictures of their titties on OnlyFans. These people, a lot of them at the ground level, they can’t support their families. They’re living poverty-level fighting full-time.”
Needless to say, Shevchenko didn’t take kindly to being called out by name.
“It’s 2026. Fighters using OnlyFans is just a new way to connect with fans,” Shevchenko wrote on social media in response. “Looks like Ronda slept too long after her last fight in 2016.”
While some UFC athletes, such as rising bantamweight star Ailin Perez, have used the subscription-based platform to show off their wares, Shevchenko’s OnlyFans account primarily features exclusive behind-the-scenes content related to her training, lifestyle, and travel rather than adult material.
Has Valentina Shevchenko Surpassed Ronda Rousey’s UFC Legacy?
Regardless of the approach she takes to promote herself outside of the UFC, Shevchenko has proven to be one of the greatest female fighters the sport has ever seen. During her decade-long run inside the Octagon, she has become a two-time flyweight champion and has already made history as the first UFC fighter to earn all eight rubies on her title belt.
Shevchenko even had a successful run at bantamweight, going toe-to-toe with former champ-champ Amanda Nunes and—in the eyes of many—earning a decision win over ‘The Lioness’ following their clash at UFC 215.
Unfortunately, the judges didn’t see it that way, giving us one of the most hotly debated results in promotional history.
Of course, we all remember how Rousey fared when she faced Nunes back in 2016.
