Rousey vs Carano on Netflix
Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will end their retirements to face off in a featherweight bout on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The superfight will be streamed exclusively on Netflix, marking the platform's high-profile entry into live MMA broadcasting. Rousey, a former UFC bantamweight champion, has not fought in a decade, while Carano was a pioneer of women's MMA.
- The fight is being promoted by Jake Paul's company, Most Valuable Promotions, which has previously partnered with Netflix on boxing events. - Gina Carano has not competed in MMA since her first and only professional loss to Cris Cyborg in 2009. That bout was the first time two women headlined a major MMA event. - Ronda Rousey's last two fights before her initial retirement were losses to Holly Holm in 2015 and Amanda Nunes in 2016. Prior to that, she had an undefeated 12-0 record. - Since leaving MMA, Rousey had a multi-year career in WWE, where she became a three-time women's champion and was part of the first-ever women's main event at WrestleMania. - A potential fight between the two was a subject of intense speculation around 2014 while Rousey was the UFC champion, but contract negotiations with Carano at the time never came to fruition. - This event represents a significant expansion of Netflix's live sports programming, which also includes recent deals for NFL Christmas Day games and WWE's flagship show, "Raw". - Before her losses, Rousey was the UFC's inaugural women's bantamweight champion and set a record for most women's title defenses with six, earning her an induction into the UFC Hall of Fame. - The Intuit Dome, which opened in 2024, is the home of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers and is slated to host the 2026 NBA All-Star Game and basketball events during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
