Sean Strickland Gets Rousey Approval for Ufc Tickets

Sean Strickland asked for ufc tickets to Saturday’s fight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, and the request had to go through Rousey first after his earlier comments about both women. Rousey said yes, turning a simple ticket ask into part of the card’s attention before MVP MMA 1 at the Intuit Dome in California.

Nakisa Bidarian explained why the approval mattered. “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 Thursday. Bidarian added, “He was disrespectful and saying inappropriate things.”

Rousey’s answer was blunt. “Sure, he can come,” she said, then followed with, “I’m glad it has to go through me now. Come on over. We can convert anyone.”

Rousey-Carano at Intuit Dome

The Saturday headliner pairs Rousey with Carano at the Intuit Dome in California, with MVP’s first venture into MMA set to be broadcast globally on Netflix. The card also includes Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz and Mike Perry on the undercard. For Strickland, the ticket request lands against a backdrop that already made him one of the most talked-about names around the event.

Rousey reached this point through a long arc in combat sports. She won an Olympic bronze medal in judo in 2008, retired from MMA in 2009, transitioned into mixed martial arts in 2011 and became the first woman signed by the UFC in 2012. Carano is also central to that history, as an MMA trailblazer who helped set the wheels in motion for women to compete in the sport.

Strickland's comments and title win

The friction started well before the ticket request. In February, Strickland said women were “too empowered” and that he had “no interest” in the bout. He also said “even the ‘softest’ man could beat former two-weight UFC champion Amanda Nunes,” prompting Nunes to reply, “We do everything he said, and to top it all off, lol, we're fighters too. Don't cry.”

Then came Sunday, when Strickland won the UFC middleweight title for a second time by beating Khamzat Chimaev by split decision. That result put his name back at the center of the sport just as the Rousey-Carano card moved closer, and it made his request for seats more visible than a routine guest list ask.

Rousey has already given her answer, and the line she drew was direct: he can come, but the request had to pass through her first. For fans heading to the Intuit Dome, the ticket issue now sits alongside the fight itself as part of the build to Saturday.