Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano Will Come Out of Retirement for Massive MMA Showdown
Two mixed martial arts legends will emerge from retirement as Netflix makes its debut in the world of live MMA broadcasts.
Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will clash on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, according to USA Today. Netflix will broadcast the fight live.
The featherweight class fight will have five rounds of five minutes each. The fighters will use four-ounce gloves.
Rousey, 39, retired in 2016 with a record of 12-2 after losing two straight knockout losses.
“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.
“And we’re partnering with the fighter-first promotion MVP as well as the biggest and baddest streamer on the planet Netflix. This is for all MMA fans past, present and future. More to come… much more,” she said.
Carano, 43, retired in 2019 with a record of 7-1 after her sole defeat. She moved on to an acting career.
“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.
“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 honor. I believe I will walk out of this fight with the win and I anticipate it will not come easy, which I welcome,” she said.
“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,” she said.
A LEGACY SHOWDOWN 🔥 #RouseyCarano
RONDA ROUSEY vs. GINA CARANO
Saturday May 16
LIVE only on Netflix pic.twitter.com/cybtQHNyPT— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) February 17, 2026
Rousey was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018, according to CBS News.
In a 2024 interview, she talked about the toll concussions take as a reason for her departure from the sport.
“If the concussions weren’t an issue, things would’ve happened completely differently,” Rousey told CBS News.
“Accumulative neurological injury is something people don’t talk about in MMA. It’s something that everybody is dealing with at a different pace. I started dealing with it at six-years old. I started getting concussions much earlier on in swimming. Two kids doing a backstroke in the other direction crack heads or hit the wall doing the backstroke,” she said.
“I started doing judo at a young age and kept getting concussions regularly and multiple times a year and not being allowed to speak up or say anything about it. As a fighter, you’re not supposed to show any weakness or talk about things like that or the inevitable neurological decline that comes with taking headshots. A lot of people talk about it as if it’s making excuses or weakness,” she added.
“You see that happen to a lot of fighters as they age. It takes less and less and less to be able to hurt them and for them to get knocked out,” Rousey noted.
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