UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra didn’t hold back when discussing whether female UFC stars like Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes could hold their own against male opponents, directly challenging controversial comments made by Sean Strickland.
“I think Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey could beat up most, a lot of men,” Serra stated during his podcast discussion. “A lot of, I mean, you put him with a linebacker who’s got some wrestling. I mean, listen, come on, man. But my point is they could beat a lot of them. They could break an arm. I truly believe that.”
Serra’s comments came in response to Strickland pointing to a random man in a crowd and suggesting that person could defeat top female fighters. The former welterweight champion strongly disagreed with this assessment, drawing on his personal experience watching high-level female grapplers in action.
“I don’t know, man. I’ve seen my daughter put another kid to sleep. There are strong kids. You know what I mean? I’ve seen it,” Serra explained, referencing his daughter’s own combat abilities.
The conversation then shifted to analyzing Rousey’s technical abilities, with Serra showing deep appreciation for her grappling.
“I enjoy personally the girl matchup. I enjoyed it since Ronda Rousey. We talking about Ronda Rousey. I’ll still go back and I could watch her flipping somebody and taking an arm lock. I mean, her arm lock transitions are some of the best in MMA. Even the way she breaks the grip, the way they just, she had some great great finishes in there.”
When discussing the upcoming potential matchup between Rousey and Gina Carano, Serra made his prediction clear: “First round submission Ronda Rousey or I’m going to say arm lock.” He emphasized that if the match hits the ground, the skill difference would be decisive.
He continued: “Ronda’s number one game plan should be, I feel that it should be a submission fairly quickly. And I think Gina is great. Fan of Gina. She’s a beast. Ron is great on the floor. Not just good.”
Serra also praised Amanda Nunes’s power, citing conversations with coach Din Thomas. “He’s like, ‘Matt, man, you know, I’ll put her with guys her size. She not only hits hard, she’s very accurate.’ Like, if you look at her match, those punches are… they’re landing and they’re landing hard.”
Rousey has also been vocal about the business side of her return, revealing that a historic UFC offer fell apart after the company’s $7.7 billion Paramount deal shifted priorities. Speaking on The Jim Rome Show, she recalled how she first reached out to Dana White about competing against Gina Carano while she was nine months pregnant.
“He sent me this voice memo where I can tell when he’s super excited about something because he stutters and he was stuttering all over the voice memo,” Rousey said. “I’m like, oh, he’s down.”
According to Rousey, White eventually brought her a groundbreaking proposal: “He came back and literally brought me a deal where I would make more per pay-per-view buy than anybody in history… If I hit my historical numbers… I would have made as much as I did in my entire career.”
But once the UFC’s new online viewing-era structure kicked in, the guarantee vanished. “They didn’t want to set a precedent of giving me the guaranteed money that I deserve because once I raise that tide it lifts all the boats,” she explained.
