Rusty Weiss
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is set to end a nearly decade-long hiatus from mixed martial arts this Saturday, facing trailblazing pioneer Gina Carano in an eagerly awaited bout.
The matchup headlines the first-ever live MMA event on Netflix, promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, and constitutes a milestone moment for two of the sport’s biggest early stars. Rousey, 39, has not competed in MMA since her 2016 loss to Amanda Nunes, while Carano returns after a 17-year layoff.
They might be a little rusty to start.
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Rousey credited Carano with inspiring her comeback. While nine months pregnant, Rousey saw Carano struggling and drew parallels to Mike Tyson’s successful late-career return. She realized a fight between them could deliver massive value for both women and the sport.
Rousey Credits Carano With Sparking Her Joyful Comeback
“I was sitting nine months pregnant, about to pop, in an office chair. I saw her at a low point, losing her bodily identity and being really unhealthy,” Rousey said. “And after seeing Mike Tyson come back at nearly (age) 60 and be the most-viewed combat sports event of all time, I knew there was a huge demand out there and that these showcase fights were the future of combat sports.”
“When I saw where Gina was at, and I looked down at my big belly, where I was at, I was like, ‘You know what? A fight between us would be huge not just for the world, but for each other,'” she added. “And I think this is what combat sports needs. This is what we need.”
“And just like she inspired me to do MMA in the first place, she’s the one who inspired me to come back.”
Rousey also contends that the training for her fight has been an absolutely joyful process. Her camp focuses on fun and presence rather than suffering, leaving her feeling physically and mentally stronger than ever.
“We made joy a priority — actually enjoying the process instead of just hoping enjoyment would come along the way,” Rousey said.
“I used to be very much in that old-school mentality of, you have to suffer and make yourself miserable in order to be the best you can be. And now it’s like, no, I realize it doesn’t have to be that,” she continued. “I can enjoy this as much as possible, and it makes me the best that I can be. Because I already know that I’m a bada–.”
Rousey has repeatedly emphasized that this will be her final fight, promising her husband and family that she will be “completely done” afterward unless an extraordinary trilogy unfolds. She views the bout as a way to repay Carano, the woman she calls the creator of “the monster” she became in the Octagon.
The fight represents a dream matchup for fans who have speculated about Rousey vs. Carano for over a decade, pitting two pioneers of women’s MMA against each other.
Carano, often called the “Face of Women’s MMA” for her early trailblazing (including headlining the first major women’s MMA event in 2009), retired from competition that year to pursue acting roles in films like Haywire, Fast & Furious 6, and The Mandalorian.
Rousey, a former UFC Bantamweight Champion, Olympic judoka, and pioneer who dominated women’s MMA in the 2010s before transitioning to WWE and acting, last fought in 2016.
Rousey controversially claimed in a 2024 interview that “I’m the greatest fighter that has ever lived.”
Prior to her stunning defeat to Holly Holm at UFC 193, and a follow-up first-round TKO at the hands of Amanda Nunes in 2016, Rousey was unstoppable. She fought 6 times in the UFC and won all 6 bouts. All of them were via knockout or submission. Multiple times, she defeated her opponent in under 20 seconds.
Both Rousey and Carano are outside their prime in the fight world, but fans will absolutely be salivating over this for nostalgia’s sake. Much like they did with the Tyson–Paul fight. Let’s hope it’s a much, much better product.
The highly anticipated Rousey vs. Carano clash is this Saturday, May 16th, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The main card is set to begin at 9:00 p.m. ET.
