Get ready for a historic night in mixed martial arts. When UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey steps into the cage against fellow women's MMA pioneer Gina Carano, it could become the most-watched fight in the sport's history. Their five-round featherweight bout headlines MVP MMA 1, taking place Saturday, May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
For Rousey, this marks her return to MMA after nearly a decade away. The former UFC bantamweight champion last competed in 2016, suffering back-to-back losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. Carano's absence is even more staggering—she hasn't fought in MMA in almost 17 years, since her only career loss to Cris Cyborg under the Strikeforce banner. Both women are legends who helped build women's MMA from the ground up, making this comeback clash all the more compelling.
Since the fight was announced in February, the tone has been remarkably respectful. Rousey and Carano have exchanged nothing but praise for each other's contributions to the sport. But with fight night finally here, the gloves come off—literally and figuratively.
The full MVP MMA 1 card features 11 bouts. Prelims kick off at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 9 p.m. ET. As the main event, Rousey and Carano are expected to make their cage walks around midnight ET (9 p.m. PT).
Best of all, the entire event streams live on Netflix—so anyone with a subscription can tune in for free. Whether you're a longtime fan of these pioneers or a newcomer curious about the biggest comeback in MMA history, this is a fight you won't want to miss.
