Rousey-Carano Superfight Set for May
Ronda Rousey (39) and Gina Carano (43) will fight in a 5-round featherweight bout on May 16 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, streaming live on Netflix—marking Netflix's first live MMA broadcast. Both fighters are returning from retirement for the superfight, with faceoff footage going viral across social media.
- Gina Carano’s last professional fight was in August 2009, a loss to Cris Cyborg for the inaugural Strikeforce Women's Championship; she retired from the sport following this first career defeat. - Ronda Rousey’s last MMA bout was a TKO loss to Amanda Nunes in December 2016 at UFC 207. This was her second consecutive knockout loss, following a defeat to Holly Holm in 2015 that ended her reign as bantamweight champion. - The event is being promoted by Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, which also partnered with Netflix for the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing exhibition. - Rousey was the first female fighter ever signed by the UFC and became its inaugural Women's Bantamweight Champion. She was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. - Before Rousey's UFC career, Carano was widely considered the "face of women's MMA." Her 2009 headlining fight against Cris Cyborg was the first time a major MMA event was main-evented by female fighters. - Rousey holds a professional record of 12 wins and 2 losses, with 9 of her wins coming by submission. Carano's professional record is 7 wins and 1 loss. - UFC President Dana White had publicly stated in 2011 that women would "never" fight in the promotion, but Rousey's stardom and talent are credited with changing his mind and leading to the creation of women's divisions in 2013. - Following her MMA career, Rousey had a multi-year run as a professional wrestler with WWE, while Carano pursued an acting career, appearing in films like *Haywire* and *Deadpool*, and the series *The Mandalorian*.
