Sydney Sweeney naming Ronda Rousey as her favourite UFC fighter certainly wasn’t on MMA’s 2025 bingo card.
Yet, that’s precisely what the 27-year-old American actress did when asked about her pick of the bunch in Dana White‘s promotion.
Incredibly, Sweeney’s comments came during a wild party with YouTube group Nelk and former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor in Dublin, Ireland.
Kyle Forgeard is the leader of the famous Canadian YouTube group, and flew his team to Ireland from their residence in Miami to celebrate with McGregor on St Patrick’s Day.
Forgeard is a friend of UFC CEO White, who has previously gifted the him $250,000 for his birthday, therefore is often spotted with the promotion’s biggest stars and at various events.
The group arrived in Dublin and quickly got down to business, meeting up with thousands of fans, before joining McGregor at his Black Forge Inn pub.
At one point during the evening, Forgeard bumped into a man who happened to be the cousin of Sweeney, best known for her roles as Cassis in Euphoria and Olivia in The White Lotus.
Having not believed the man at first, Forgeard soon finds himself on a FaceTime call with the popular actress.
Star-struck and clearly not knowing where to take the conversation, Forgeard fell back on what he knows best – the UFC.
He said: “Sydney, we want to know who’s your favourite UFC fighter? We’ve seen you’ve been at fights.”
Sweeney stole the headlines with her appearance at UFC 288 in May 2023, when Aljamain Sterling defended his bantamweight title against Henry Cejudo through a split decision win.
Although the actress asserted she needed to attend more UFC fights, ‘Rowdy’ was the first name on her mind.
“I haven’t been to that many fights,” Sweeney responded.
“I need to go to more…I’ve always been a fan of Ronda [Rousey].
“I actually got to hang out with Ronda, and go to lunch with her. It was f***ing crazy.”
Rousey’s stellar MMA career, which saw her hold a UFC title for over two years, marked the beginning of a new era for female fighters in the sport.
The 38-year-old made history back in February 2013 by becoming the first woman to headline a UFC card when she defeated Liz Carmouche on her promotional debut.
She also shattered other records as the UFC’s first women’s bantamweight champion, before going onto defend the belt a further five times.
Her fighting career neared an end when she was shockingly knocked out by Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015 in front of nearly 60,000 Australian fans.
The final nail in the coffin came when Amanda Nunes finished her off in just 48 seconds over a year later.
‘Rowdy’ went on to have success in billionaire wrestling promotion WWE, but has since stepped back from combat sports for personal reasons.
McGregor, meanwhile, hasn’t competed in the UFC since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
He has made several public appearances since, promoting his various business endeavours, including BKFC and his alcohol brand.
UFC fans have been optimistic in the past about the return of ‘The Notorious’, but the likelihood of that happening has never seemed further away.
