Get ready for a night that will rewrite MMA history! Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are stepping back into the cage for a showdown that's been over two decades in the making. On Saturday, May 16, at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, these two pioneers of women's MMA will headline the very first live MMA event ever broadcast on Netflix. It's a comeback that nobody saw coming, and it promises to be unforgettable.
The action kicks off at 6 p.m. ET with a five-fight preliminary card on Netflix, followed by the six-fight main card at 9 p.m. ET. Rousey vs. Carano is set for five five-minute rounds at 145 pounds, with the standard four-ounce gloves. But the excitement doesn't stop there. The card, promoted by Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, is stacked with MMA royalty. Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (18-3) returns to face ex-UFC contender Philipe Lins (18-5), while fan-favorite Nate Diaz (21-13) takes on BKFC star and fellow UFC veteran Mike Perry (14-8).
Ronda Rousey, now 39, needs no introduction. An Olympic judo medalist who became a global phenomenon, she was the driving force behind Dana White opening the UFC to women. After capturing the Strikeforce bantamweight title in 2012, she defended it six times in the UFC from 2013 to 2015, becoming one of the most famous athletes on the planet. Her reign ended with back-to-back knockout losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes in 2015 and 2016, leading her to retire from MMA and transition to WWE. In 2018, she became the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Gina Carano, now 43, was the face of women's MMA before Rousey took the torch. A former EliteXC star and Muay Thai fighter, she was the sport's original mainstream crossover. Though her fighting career was brief, her impact was immense, paving the way for the generation of fighters that followed. Now, after years away from the cage, she returns to face the woman who built on her foundation. This isn't just a fight; it's a collision of two eras, a testament to how far women's MMA has come, and a reminder that legends never truly fade away.