Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is coming back to mixed martial arts for the first time in nearly a decade, and she’s doing it against fellow women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano.
The blockbuster matchup was confirmed Tuesday by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, with the fight set for May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The event will stream live on Netflix and marks MVP’s first professional MMA event.
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Rousey (12-2) and Carano (7-1) will compete at 145 pounds under the Unified Rules of MMA, with the bout sanctioned for five, five-minute rounds using 4-ounce gloves inside a hexagon cage.
“Been waiting so long to announce this: Me and Gina Carano are gonna throw down in the biggest super fight in women’s combat sport history!” Rousey said in a statement to ESPN.
Rousey, 39, last competed in MMA in December 2016, when she lost to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Before that devastating knockout loss, Rousey had been the sport’s biggest star, winning her first 12 professional fights — 11 of them in the first round — and successfully defending the UFC women’s bantamweight title a record six consecutive times. She was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018 and spent four years as a WWE performer, winning three world championships.
Carano, 43, hasn’t fought since her lone career defeat against Cris Cyborg for the inaugural Strikeforce women’s 145-pound title in August 2009 — making this a return from a 17-year layoff. Carano was instrumental in bringing mainstream attention to women’s MMA during her career from 2006 to 2009 and went on to appear in films including Haywire, Fast & Furious 6, Deadpool, and The Mandalorian.
“Ronda came to me and said there is only one person she would make a comeback for and it has been her dream to make this fight happen between us,” Carano said. “This is an honor. I believe I will walk out of this fight with the win, and I anticipate it will not come easy, which I welcome.”
A kickoff press conference is scheduled for March 5 at Intuit Dome, with additional fights for the card to be announced at a later date.
