After spending years away from the cage, both Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are on their way back. The two MMA veterans are set to clash on Saturday, May. 16, 2026, in Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome. The fight is being promoted by Jake Paul's MVP (Most Valuable Promotions) and will be streamed live on Netflix.
Addressing her upcoming MMA fight against Carano, Rousey appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter, where she opened up about once approaching UFC President Dana White for a fight against Carano, which he rejected.
“I reached out to Dana [White] and asked if he would be interested in it. It didn’t exactly work out with the UFC, but it led us to here today,” she said. “It took a long time to get us here. We fought for this. We fought to fight each other. There were a lot of obstacles along the way.”
Rousey, 39, signed with MVP to take on former fighter-turned-actress Carano in the featherweight (145lb) category. The fight will consist of five rounds, which is similar to the length allotted to title fights and main events in the UFC.
Carano, 41, boasts an MMA record of 7-1; 3 KOs, 1 submission. She took a break from fighting in MMA after her last fight against Cris Cyborg. Following this, she switched gears to acting. Whereas Rousey's MMA career began on a 12-0 note before losing her final two bouts against Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. Rousey will take part in her first MMA fight since 2016. While this will mark Carano's return to the cage after almost 17 years, with her last fight taking place in 2009.
