Netflix to stream Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano live Saturday

Netflix is carrying its first live mixed martial arts event on Saturday, with Ronda Rousey facing Gina Carano in the main event of a Most Valuable Promotions card from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Netflix’s Tudum site said the card streams globally at 9 p.m. ET on May 16 and includes Nate Diaz against Mike Perry and Francis Ngannou against Philipe Lins. Friday’s official weigh-ins cleared the featured fights, with Rousey at 142 pounds, Carano at 141.4, Ngannou at 257 and Lins at 220.6. ### When does the card start, and where is it airing? Netflix said the main card begins at 9 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 16. The company said the event streams live globally on Netflix at no additional cost to subscribers. Tudum also said preliminary fights are available earlier through its live prelims stream. (netflix.com) Most Valuable Promotions listed the event as taking place at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, with doors tied to a 5 p.m. local event time. Netflix’s event page also identifies the show as a triple-header topped by Rousey-Carano, Diaz-Perry and Ngannou-Lins. ### Why is Rousey-Carano drawing so much attention? (netflix.com) Ronda Rousey is returning to the cage for the first time in nearly a decade, according to Netflix’s Tudum coverage. Gina Carano is meeting her in what Tudum described as a long-discussed matchup between two early stars of women’s MMA. Friday’s weigh-ins made the bout official after both women came in under the non-title featherweight limit. (mostvaluablepromotions.com) MMA Junkie reported Rousey weighed 142 pounds and Carano 141.4 pounds. Yahoo Sports reported the weigh-in took place in Los Angeles ahead of Saturday’s show. (netflix.com) ### What do the weigh-ins say about the rest of the card? Francis Ngannou’s official weight was 257 pounds, while Philipe Lins came in at 220.6 pounds, according to MMA Junkie’s official results. That put Ngannou 36.4 pounds heavier than Lins entering their heavyweight bout. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) Nate Diaz also made weight at 168.6 pounds for his welterweight fight with Mike Perry, who weighed 169.6 pounds, MMA Junkie reported. Sherdog reported all 22 fighters on the card were cleared to compete after the official weigh-ins. ### How important is this event for Netflix and MVP? (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) Netflix described the show as its first-ever live MMA event. Tudum said the card is being promoted by Most Valuable Promotions, the company co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, and is part of Netflix’s broader push into live combat sports programming. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) Most Valuable Promotions has used its own event pages and fight-week releases to position the card as its first MMA show on Netflix. The promotion scheduled open workouts, a final press conference and weigh-ins across Los Angeles fight week before Saturday’s event. (netflix.com) ### What else is on the card besides the main event? Netflix’s fight-card page lists Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry and Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins among the featured bouts. The same page also lists other fighters including Salahdine Parnasse, Kenneth Cross, Junior dos Santos and Robelis Despaigne. (mostvaluablepromotions.com) USA Today reported on Saturday that each of the 22 fighters on the card is guaranteed at least $40,000 to appear. That figure was one of the clearest new details to emerge on fight day around the economics of the event. ### What happens next once the broadcast begins? (netflix.com) Saturday’s main card begins at 9 p.m. ET, with Rousey and Carano set to headline after the featured undercard bouts. Netflix said viewers can watch the prelims earlier on Tudum and then move to the main broadcast on Netflix for the full card. Most Valuable Promotions’ event page says the show is live on May 16 from Intuit Dome in Inglewood. (usatoday.com) The named participants at the top of the lineup are Rousey, Carano, Diaz, Perry, Ngannou and Lins. (mostvaluablepromotions.com) (netflix.com)