Rousey to face Carano in first MMA bout in 10 years

UFC legend Ronda Rousey will fight Gina Carano in May – a decade after she retired from MMA.

The bout between the two icons will be staged at the 18,000-seat Intuit Dome in California and will be the first MMA fight to be streamed live on Netflix.

Rousey, 39, is considered the biggest female MMA star of all time and was the first woman to sign with the UFC and win a UFC belt.

“Been waiting so long to announce this: me and Gina Carano are going to throw down in the biggest super-fight in women’s combat sport history,” Rousey said.

The bout on 16 May will be over five rounds at 145lb (10st 5lb).

Rousey is a decorated all-round athlete, having also won an Olympic gold medal in judo and competed in the WWE after retiring from MMA at the age of 29.

In 2025, Rousey admitted severe concussion problems led to her retirement from MMA.

For long-time MMA fans, Rousey v Carano is the super-fight that never happened, with the latter retiring a few years before her fellow American made her professional debut.

The UFC tried to make the match-up when Rousey was at the height of her powers, but were unable to reach terms.

Rousey has a 12-2 record while 43-year-old Carano is 7-1, with her only loss against Cris Cyborg in her last bout in 2009.

Carano, who became an actor after retiring, said Rousey approached her about the fight.

“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,” said Carano.

“She thanked me for opening up doors for her in her career and was respectful in asking for this fight to happen.

“This is an honour. 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 me as it is for the fans and mixed martial arts community. What a time to be alive.”

Carano recently settled a lawsuit with Disney after she was dismissed in 2021 from her role in Star Wars franchise spin-off The Mandalorian following comments she made comparing being a Republican in the US to being a Jew during the Holocaust.

Jake Paul’s promotional outfit, Most Valuable Promotions, will organise the event in its first foray into MMA.

“Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are the two most formative figures in the history of women’s MMA; they are the icons who shattered the glass ceiling and helped build the foundation this sport stands on,” said Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in a joint statement.

The fight is certainly past its sell-by date and it is hard to imagine what the quality of the contest will look like considering both women are very far removed from their last competitive fight.

But once upon a time it was a bout every MMA fan wanted to see. Rousey utterly transformed MMA, but fighters like Carano laid the foundation for her.

Rousey’s star quality is still off the charts and she is still one of the biggest MMA fighters out there despite being retired since 2016.

It cannot be overstated how big a star she was in the UFC at her height. Only Jon Jones or Conor McGregor could overshadow her.

She has a hallowed place in the UFC and her WWE run and the fanfare around the release of her autobiography in 2024 show she still has a massive profile.

Netflix’s strategy for fights is quite simple – use the profile of combat sports’ biggest stars to produce one-off, massive events. Jake Paul kicked off that strategy against Mike Tyson. Then came Terence Crawford, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

There will be questions about Rousey’s health. Her concussion problems formed a key part of her autobiography. But this isn’t Paul v Tyson or Paul v Joshua.

There is no concerning age gap or disturbing quality discrepancy and both women will undergo strict pre-fight medical tests.

Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano reached about six million viewers on Netflix. That will be the benchmark for Rousey v Carano.

This will undoubtedly be advertised as a fantasy fight finally delivered.