Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will collide in a mixed martial arts bout.
Most Valuable Promotions announced on Tuesday that the two iconic female fighters will compete in an MMA fight on May 16. The event takes place at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, and streams exclusively on Netflix.
The matchup takes place in the women’s featherweight division.
“Been waiting so long to announce this: Me and Gina Carano are gonna throw down in the biggest super fight in women’s combat sport history,” Rousey said in a release. “And we’re partnering with the fighter-first promotion MVP as well as the biggest and baddest streamer on the planet Netflix. This is for all MMA fans past, present and future. More to come… much more.”
“Ronda came to me and said there is only one person she would make a comeback for and it has been her dream to make this fight happen between us,” Carano said. “She thanked me for opening up doors for her in her career and was respectful in asking for this fight to happen. This is an honor. I believe I will walk out of this fight with the win and I anticipate it will not come easy, which I welcome. This is as much for Ronda and me as it is for the fans and mixed martial arts community. What a time to be alive.”
Rousey, a former UFC world champion, is set to compete for the first time since getting stopped in back-to-back fights by Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. “Rowdy” returns after nearly a decade out of action, and a WWE run in-between.
Carano has been out of the cage since her lone pro loss to Cris Cyborg under the Strikeforce banner in August 2009. The 43-year-old stirred up speculation in recent training videos, and it has now come to fruition.
“MVP has always been driven by disruption and delivering the biggest moments in combat sports on a global scale, and today we are officially bringing that energy to MMA for the first time,” MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian said. “Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are the two most formative figures in the history of women’s MMA; they are the icons who shattered the glass ceiling and helped build the foundation this sport stands on. MVP’s conviction in women’s boxing was driven by the success achieved by Ronda Rousey, who was the biggest star of the entire sport of MMA during her career.
“Following the unprecedented success of our boxing partnership, we are proving that MVP and Netflix can create blockbuster live events in multiple sports that engage fans across generations. This is what we do.”
The build to the fight begins March 5 with a press conference in Los Angeles.
