Ronda Rousey is back, and she’s ready to return to combat sports. Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Netflix announced the mixed martial arts event that will be headlined by the return of former UFC champion and Olympic medalist Ronda Rousey (12-2, 9 submissions, 3 KOs), who’ll compete in her first fight in nearly a decade against fellow women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano (7-1, 1 submission, 3 KOs). The five-round fight will take place on May 16th at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, marking Netflix’s first-ever live MMA broadcast and MVP’s inaugural MMA event. Each round will last five minutes, as is typical in MMA. The bout will be contested with a 145-pound weight limit inside a hexagon cage. It will stream live globally on Netflix at no additional cost to subscribers.
“After the record-breaking success in boxing, we wanted our first MMA event to be truly legendary,” Gabe Spitzer, Netflix VP of Sports, says. “These are more than just athletes — they are generational stars, and having them headline our MMA debut at the Intuit Dome is a defining moment for us.”
Rousey shattered the glass ceiling for women’s MMA during a record-setting run from 2011to 2016. An Olympic medalist in judo, Rousey racked up several submission and TKO/KO victories, many of which came within one minute of start time. After a dominant reign as UFC bantamweight champion, Rousey catapulted the WWE women’s division toward its first WrestleMania main event in history. Her star power is also on display via appearances in both the Fast and the Furious and The Expendables franchises.
“Been waiting so long to announce this,” Rousey tells Netflix. “Me and Gina Carano are gonna throw down in the biggest superfight in women’s combat sport history, and we’re partnering with the fighter-first promoter, MVP, as well as the baddest streamer on the planet, Netflix. This is for all MMA fans past, present, and future.”
It’s no coincidence that Rousey’s return will be against another legend of the sport. Carano says, “Ronda came to me and said there is only one person she would make a comeback for, and it’s been her dream to make this fight happen between us.”
Carano is one of the first combat sports stars to cross over into the entertainment industry after her MMA tear from 2006 to 2009 — a time before women were invited to compete in the UFC. Carano’s marketability and mainstream appeal outside of fighting led to an acting career. She earned major roles in Haywire, Fast & Furious 6, Deadpool, and The Mandalorian. She also headlined the first major MMA main event to feature two women in 2009, a landmark moment for the sport.
Though Rousey and Carano are preparing to come to blows, they share a mutual appreciation and admiration. “She thanked me for opening up doors for her career and was respectful in asking for this fight to happen,” Carano recalls. “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. This is as much for Ronda and I as it is for the fans and mixed martial arts community. What a time to be alive.”
