Ronda Rousey (12-2, 9 KOs) and Gina Carano (7-1, 3 KOs), two of the biggest names in women’s mixed martial arts history, will un-retire and meet on May 16 in Los Angeles for a fight at the Intuit Dome, Most Valuable Promotions announced on Tuesday.
The fight between the 39-year-old Rousey and the 43-year-old Carano will take place in a hexagon cage over the course of five five-minute rounds and will stream live on Netflix.
Rousey’s last MMA fight came in December 2016 when she was knocked out by Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 — her second consecutive knockout loss — and she was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. Carano last fought professionally in August 2009, when she suffered the first and only loss of her career to Cris Cyborg in a Strikeforce event.
Since then, Carano moved over to the movie world, most notably starring in films like Fast & Furious 6 and Deadpool. Rousey likewise tried her hand at acting and became a WWE superstar, where she had a pair of reigns as champion before leaving the promotion in 2023.
“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 in a press release. “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. 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.”
During a recent book tour, Rousey opened up about suffering concussions as a child and questioned if she’d ever fight again due to the effects from those head injuries.
Their MMA careers never overlapped, but the pair were, for a time, the two biggest crossover stars in women’s combat sports and now will meet for the first time in the cage. Given it’s been a decade since Rousey has fought and 17 years since Carano last fought, one would expect some rust, but they’ll be given the full championship distance to shake that off and try to recapture the magic that made them stars inside the cage.
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