Ronda Rousey returning to MMA for first time since 2016
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“The Baddest Woman on the Planet” is back.
Ronda Rousey will return to the cage against Gina Carano on May 16, following her last fight in mixed martial arts on December 30, 2016.
Rousey, who became the first woman signed by the UFC and became a Hall of Famer in 2018, retired in 2016 after six successful UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship defenses before joining WWE full-time.
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UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey interacts with the crowd during the UFC It’s Now press conference held at Smith Center for the Performing Arts on November 17, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The 39-year-old has wrestled on and off since then, but now returns home May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
“This is for all MMA fans past, present and future. More to come… much more,” Rousey said in a statement.
Carano hasn’t fought since 2009 and is turning to acting.
“Ronda came to me and said there was only one person she could make a comeback with and that it was her dream to make this fight happen between us,” said Carano, who had a 7-1 record from 2006 to 2009. he said. “He thanked me for opening doors for him in his career and was respectful in asking for this fight to happen. It’s an honour. I believe I will come out of this fight with a win and I expect it won’t be easy, which I welcome. This is for Ronda and me as much as it is for the fans and the mixed martial arts community. What a great time to be alive.”
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey celebrates defeating Alexis Davis after their UFC women’s bantamweight title fight at UFC 175 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 5, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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The fight will stream on Netflix through Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, which is promoting all three Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano fights.
“MVP has always been about delivering the biggest moments and disruptors in combat sports on a global scale, and today we are officially bringing that energy to MMA for the first time,” said Paul and his business partner Nakisa Bidarian. “Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are two of the most formative figures in women’s MMA history; they are icons who shattered the glass ceiling and helped build the foundation on which this sport stands.
“MVP’s belief in women’s boxing stemmed from the success of Ronda Rousey, who has been the biggest star in the sport of MMA throughout her career. Following the unprecedented success of our boxing partnership, we are proving that MVP and Netflix can create blockbuster live events across multiple sports that attract generations of fans. That’s what we do.”
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey punches Alexis Davis during their UFC women’s bantamweight championship fight at UFC 175 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 5, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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Rousey’s MMA record got off to a 12-0 start before losing her final two bouts to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, respectively.
Nine of Rousey’s 12 wins came in the first 70 seconds, and all but one were in the first round.
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