Ronda Rousey has confirmed that her upcoming fight with Gina Carano was initially pitched to the UFC before ultimately landing outside the promotion for a May 16 event at the Intuit Dome.
Speaking on ESPN's SportsCenter this afternoon, the former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion revealed that UFC President Dana White was her first call when she decided to return to competition.
I reached out to Dana and asked him if he would be interested in it, and it didn't exactly work out with the UFC, but it led us to here today," Rousey said.
The comment suggests either the UFC passed on the fight or negotiations failed to produce terms acceptable to both sides. Rousey did not elaborate on why the UFC deal fell through.
Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano: Years in the Making
The fight has been over a year in the making, with Rousey beginning the process while still pregnant.
This has been in the making since I was pregnant, which is over a year ago. It took a long time to get us here. We fought for this. We fought to fight each other, and there were a lot of obstacles along the way," she explained.
Rousey's determination to make the fight happen went beyond typical promotional efforts. She told Carano she would personally train her opponent if necessary to overcome the challenges standing in their way.
I told her, 'If I have to go out there and train you myself to fight me, I will.' We had to work together to overcome every obstacle to get here," Rousey said.
The matchup represents a collision between two pioneers of women's MMA from different eras. Carano was instrumental in bringing mainstream attention to women's MMA before the UFC opened its women's divisions, while Rousey became the promotion's first women's champion and biggest star.
"She Needs This. I Need This"
Rousey explained her motivation for returning centers on helping Carano find purpose again through competition.
She needs this. She needs this fight. And the more I thought about it, I was like, you know what? I need this. I really need this fight," Rousey said.
The fight will take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on May 16, presented by Most Valuable Promotions.
Rousey has not competed in MMA since her knockout loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016. The fight with Carano marks her return to the sport after nearly a decade away from competition.