Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are returning to MMA to headline Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Netflix’s upcoming mixed martial arts event on the streamer.
Rousey, a former UFC Champion and Olympic medalist (12-2, 9 submissions, 3 KOs), returns to MMA for the first time in nearly a decade to fight the controversial former star of The Mandalorian.
Carano (7-1, 1 submission, 3 KOs) was fired following comments she made comparing being a Republican in the U.S. to being a Jew during the Holocaust. However, after arguing that she was wrongly fired, she settled her lawsuit with Disney last year, marking a rare victory for the actress after her career fell apart (relegating her to direct-to-Digital fare and projects produced by Breitbart News, for example).
The fight takes place on May 16, marking Netflix’s first-ever live MMA broadcast and MVP’s inaugural MMA event. This isn’t the UFC, meaning the confrontation will be contested inside a hexagon cage, not the Octagon. Rousey vs. Carano will be contested as a featherweight bout at 145 pounds.
“After the record-breaking success in boxing, we wanted our first MMA event to be truly legendary,” Gabe Spitzer, Netflix VP of Sports, said today. “These are more than just athletes — they are generational stars, and having them headline our MMA debut at the Intuit Dome is a defining moment for us.”
Rousey shared, “Been waiting so long to announce this. Me and Gina Carano are gonna throw down in the biggest superfight in women’s combat sport history, and we’re partnering with the fighter-first promoter, MVP, as well as the baddest streamer on the planet, Netflix. This is for all MMA fans past, present, and future.”
Carano, meanwhile, added, “Ronda came to me and said there is only one person she would make a comeback for, and it’s been her dream to make this fight happen between us.”
While Rousey became an icon in UFC. She later signed with WWE and became one of the first women to headline WrestleMania. Carano’s career largely played out before women were invited to compete in UFC, but she still found great success in the MMA world. Eventually, she transitioned into an acting career, which included roles in Haywire, Fast & Furious 6, and Deadpool.
“[Ronda] thanked me for opening up doors for her career and was respectful in asking for this fight to happen,” Carano recalled. “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 I as it is for the fans and mixed martial arts community. What a time to be alive.”
Before the right, Rousey and Carano meet face-to-face at the Rousey vs. Carano Kickoff Press Conference on Thursday, March 5, at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.