The upcoming showdown between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano is already one of the most talked-about fights in combat sports, but Rousey says the bout now represents something bigger than a comeback.
“When it didn’t work out with UFC, we said we don’t need them, we can do it on our own,” Rousey said during the event, per the BBC. “I thought it was just about me finding my love for the sport and her finding the fire in her eyes, but now it’s become much more than that. It’s about changing the landscape of the sport and challenging the monolith that the UFC has become.”
The remarks came during the first official faceoff between Rousey and Carano ahead of their scheduled featherweight bout at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
The fight will headline the first professional MMA event promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and will stream live on Netflix. The bout will be contested at 145 pounds over five five-minute rounds under the Unified Rules of MMA.
Rousey framed the fight as an opportunity to rewrite the final chapter of her fighting career. The 39-year-old has not competed in mixed martial arts in nearly a decade after suffering knockout losses in her final two UFC appearances.
“The way things ended was really heartbreaking for me,” she said. “Gina inspired me to pick myself up and go after the fight I always wanted.”
Carano, now 43, has been out of the sport even longer. Widely viewed as one of the early pioneers of women’s MMA, she stepped away from competition after losing a Strikeforce title bout to Cris Cyborg in 2009. The matchup marks her return after a 17-year absence from the cage.
Despite concerns raised about the long layoffs and the fighters’ ages, both athletes emphasized the significance of the moment. “This isn’t a charity card or nostalgia card,” Rousey said. “This is the biggest fight in the world.”
Carano echoed the sentiment and explained why she agreed to come back for the matchup. “The motivation to fight is Ronda asked me,” she said. “Other opportunities came up before, but nothing is as important as this. To share the moment with her makes me feel alive and grateful.”
Their meeting is years in the making. Rousey rose to international fame as the UFC’s first women’s bantamweight champion, helping bring female fighters into the sport’s mainstream during her dominant run from 2013 to 2016.
Carano, meanwhile, helped build the early foundation for women’s MMA years earlier during her run in Strikeforce.