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The announcement that Ronda Rousey will step back into the cage has reverberated across combat sports. After a decade away from competitive mixed martial arts, Rousey has signed with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) to face Gina Carano in a featherweight bout at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The event, scheduled for May 16, 2026, will stream live exclusively on Netflix, marking the platform’s first live MMA broadcast and MVP’s inaugural MMA card.
Before this deal took shape, Rousey explored other options. She told media she reached out to Dana White and inquired about staging the fight under the UFC banner; those conversations did not result in a match, so she pursued the MVP-Netflix partnership instead. This confrontation between two of women’s MMA’s most recognizable figures has been described as years in the making.
Why this bout matters
The matchup is framed as more than a single fight: it’s a symbolic reunion of two athletes who helped build modern women’s mixed martial arts. Ronda Rousey, who rose to global prominence with a dominant run—including a 12-0 start and a string of high-profile wins—became the UFC’s first major female star and later transitioned into professional wrestling and entertainment. Gina Carano emerged earlier in the sport, often credited with raising the profile of women’s MMA through mainstream appeal and crossover popularity.
This event is being presented under the Unified Rules of MMA, contested at featherweight (145 lbs), over five five-minute rounds, and will use four-ounce gloves inside a hexagon-shaped cage. Those technical details confirm the bout is being promoted as a professional, fully sanctioned MMA contest rather than an exhibition or spectacle.
Backgrounds and records
Both fighters arrive with storied histories. Rousey holds a professional record of 12-2 with nine submission wins and three knockouts; she last competed in MMA in 2016 after losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, and later became a headline attraction in professional wrestling. Her influence helped open doors for women in major fight promotions and she remains a household name in combat sports.
Carano compiled a 7-1 record in MMA before retiring from active competition in 2010 to pursue an acting career. Her screen work includes roles in high-profile films and television franchises, and she became widely known for appearances in titles such as “Fast & Furious 6,” “Deadpool,” and the series “The Mandalorian.” Carano’s last MMA contest was a 2010 loss to Cris Cyborg under the Strikeforce banner. In 2026 she was dismissed from a major entertainment role following controversial social media posts and later reached a settlement with the studio.
What the promoters say
MVP framed the matchup as a transformational moment for the sport in the streaming era. Co-founders emphasized MVP’s fighter-first philosophy and pointed to their recent success producing high-profile boxing events with Netflix as the template for disrupting combat sports distribution. Netflix executives described the pairing of two generational stars as the ideal way to launch their live-MMA ambitions.
Fan access and event logistics
Tickets for the Intuit Dome event will be sold through Ticketmaster, with presale access promoted via the official event channels. MVP also announced a kickoff press conference slated for March 5 at the Intuit Dome, to be hosted by combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani, where the fighters are expected to meet face to face. Further undercard fights and full event details will be provided in the coming weeks.
Why the deal bypassed the UFC
Rousey’s outreach to UFC President Dana White confirmed there were initial attempts to hold the fight inside the UFC structure, but those talks did not reach an agreement. As a result, Rousey and Carano worked together to find an alternate route, ultimately partnering with MVP and Netflix. The new arrangement underscores how alternative promoters and streaming platforms are reshaping how marquee matchups materialize, especially for legacy names and crossover attractions.
For fans and observers, the contest represents a collision of combat sports history and contemporary media strategy: two pioneering figures returning to competition on a global streaming stage. Whether viewed as a competitive sporting event or a cultural moment, Rousey vs. Carano is being positioned as a major milestone in the evolution of women’s MMA and modern fight promotion.