Netflix has announced a historic superfight between legends Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, set to stream as the company’s first-ever live MMA broadcast.
Fans will absolutely be salivating over this in regard to nostalgia. Much like they did with the Mike Tyson–Jake Paul fight. Let’s hope it’s a much, much better product.
Speaking of Jake, the featherweight bout (145 pounds) will take place on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, promoted in partnership with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), the fighter-first organization founded by Paul.
The fight will follow Unified Rules of MMA in a hexagon cage, consisting of five 5-minute rounds with 4-ounce gloves, allowing a full range of striking, grappling, and submissions.
A LEGACY SHOWDOWN 🔥 #RouseyCarano
— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) February 17, 2026
RONDA ROUSEY vs. GINA CARANO
Saturday May 16
LIVE only on Netflix pic.twitter.com/cybtQHNyPT
Rousey, a former UFC Bantamweight Champion, Olympic judoka, and pioneer who dominated women’s MMA in the 2010s before transitioning to WWE and acting, last fought in 2016.
“Been waiting so long to announce this: Me and @ginacarano are gonna throw down in the biggest super fight in women’s combat sport history!” Rousey happily announced on X.
Carano, often called the “Face of Women’s MMA” for her early trailblazing (including headlining the first major women’s MMA event in 2009), retired from competition that year to pursue acting roles in films like Haywire, Fast & Furious 6, and The Mandalorian.
“Looking forward to making this walk AGAIN because I choose to and love it,” an equally excited Carano wrote on social media.
This long-rumored “dream matchup” — discussed for over a decade — marks rare comebacks for both icons in this sport.
Rousey has long insisted the only person she would come out of retirement for is Carano.
“I mean, I’ve said it a million times. It’s not like it’s something new. I’d come back for Gina, man, Gina Carano,” Rousey said on The Kurt Angle Show in 2022. “She’s the reason why I got into fighting, she’s the reason why I knew it was a possibility. I will always be forever grateful.”
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Carano showed the same respect, even suggesting she’d like Rousey to star in a movie together.
“I really want to create, I want to direct, I want to produce,” she said. “I want to give Ronda Rousey a job in one of my movies, so maybe there is something we can do there.”
Rousey controversially claimed in an interview in 2024 to know “I’m the greatest fighter that has ever lived”.
She had been reflecting on her mindset at the time of her fight with Holly Holm at UFC 193. That stunning defeat, coupled with a follow-up first-round TKO at the fists of Amanda Nunes in 2016, marked the end of her career.
Rousey has been somewhat less than gracious in offering a retrospective on the Holm fight. She’s offered excuses ranging from a “bad” mouthguard to a fall on the stairs and on to her weight loss at the time.
Before Holms, she was without question spectacular. She fought 6 times in the UFC and won all 6 bouts. All of them were via knockout or submission. Multiple times, she defeated her opponent in under 20 seconds.