In 1976, nudie magazine magnate Larry Flynt got massive publicity for offering $1,000,000 to a number of celebrities to pose for his magazine. The list included Barbara Walters, Sally Struthers, Mary Tyler Moore, Gloria Steinem, Patty Hearst, and former president daughters Susan Ford and Julie Nixon Eisenhower.
None of them would have agreed in 1,000,000 years, but that was not the point. The goal was publicity, and it worked.
Now Lingerie Fighting Championship, a pro wrestling promotion that stages worked bouts between women in lingerie, ostensibly under MMA rules, has announced an offer to Ronda Rousey “in the event that she retires from the UFC.”
There is a level of MMA show that often uses strippers for ring card girls. Lingerie FC is sort of like using strippers as fighters. There are worse business decisions; using fighters as strippers, for example.
Still, Ronda Rousey is not going to say yes. However, that does not mean it is not good business to very publicly ask:
“Ronda Rousey has long been at the very top of our wish list,” said Shaun Donnelly, LFC’s Chief Executive Officer. “Not only is she one of the top fighters of all time, she is also a very beautiful woman who isn’t afraid to show off her sexy side.”
LFC has never made an offer to any fighter already under contract with another league but recent rumors that Rousey plans to retire if she loses a rematch to Holly Holm has changed the landscape.
“We have reason to believe that Ms. Rousey might seriously consider a role with Lingerie Fighting Championships, either as a competitor or an ambassador,” Donnelly says. “She has been critical in the past at how little female fighters are paid and LFC has always shown a real commitment to paying our fighters very well.”
Previous LFC events have boasted purses in excess of $15,000 and while Donnelly acknowledges this is a very small sum compared to what Rousey earns with the UFC, it is anticipated the publicly traded company might make an offer that combines purse with shares of the company.
“It’s still a long shot at this point,” Donnelly admits. “For one thing, I don’t believe Rousey will lose to Holm a second time. She’s an exceptional fighter and she’s going to have a long time to prepare. I wouldn’t bet against her under those circumstances.”
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Long shot is putting it charitably 😉
