Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano: Date, venue and where to watch historic MMA comeback fight

Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will make history when they headline Netflix’s first-ever MMA event.

The historic fight between the two women’s fighting legends was announced in February under the banner of Jake Paul‘s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).

MVP

Rousey, a former UFC champion and WWE superstar, hasn’t fought since December 2016, when she was knocked out by Amanda Nunes.

The 39-year-old said the idea to fight Carano came about when she was pregnant with her second child after seeing her soon-to-be opponent look unhealthy in an interview.

Carano, meanwhile, hasn’t fought since August 2009, when she suffered the first and only defeat of her trailblazing career before pursuing an acting career.

Both women will be forced to undergo rigorous medical tests by the California State Athletic Commission to be cleared for the fight.

Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano: Date, venue and how to follow

Rousey vs Carano will take place on Saturday, May 16.

It is being staged at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, USA.

The pair will come eye-to-eye for the first time on Thursday, March 5, at the same venue for a Kickoff press conference hosted by esteemed MMA journalist Ariel Helwani.

Netflix will be broadcasting the event worldwide at no additional cost to its over 300million subscribers.

Memberships start at $7.99 (£5.99 for UK account holders).

talkSPORT and talkSPORT.com will be across all the action and news during fight week, right up until the conclusion of Rousey vs Carano.

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Based on Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua, a lucrative boxing clash staged by Netflix in December, fans could expect Rousey and Carano to make their walks at roughly 9pm PT (12am on Sunday ET, 5am UK).

Rousey vs Carano: Fight card

Subject to change

Main card

MAIN EVENT: Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano

Additional information, including undercard fights, will be announced at a later date.

Rousey vs Carano: What has been said?

Rousey described why she wanted to fight Carano when speaking to ESPN MMA in her first interview since the fight was announced.

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“I was nine months pregnant and I saw a video of Gina Carano giving an interview and she didn’t look good,” Rousey said.

“She gained an unhealthy amount of weight, and my first thought was like, ‘Oh my God, what can I do? What can I do to help?’

“The reason why I had that thought was because she’s the one woman not only in MMA that doesn’t owe me a damn thing, but that I owe immensely. 

“I’m always trying to look out for what I could do for her. Her family owns a Caesars Palace; there’s nothing I could really do for her.

“Except for when I was in a similar spot when I was depressed and gave up in the world and inadvertently gave up on myself. 

“What I needed was a goal and something to reignite my passion again. 

UFC Schedule

For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s full UFC schedule.

“I always said that Gina is the one person I would come back to fight for. And I thought, you know what?

“She needs this. She needs this fight. And the more that I thought about it, I was like, I need this. I really need this fight. 

“I reached out to Dana and asked him if he would be interested in it. And it didn’t exactly work out with the UFC, but it led us to here today.”

Upon the announcement, Carano explained: “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.

“She thanked me for opening up doors for her in her career and was respectful in asking for this fight to happen.

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“This is an honour. 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.”

Co-founders of MVP Paul and Nakisa Bidarian added: “MVP has always been driven by disruption and delivering the biggest moments in combat sports on a global scale, and [in May] we are officially bringing that energy to MMA for the first time.

“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.”

Netflix’s vice president of sports Gabe Spitzer concluded: “After the record-breaking success in boxing, we wanted our first MMA event to be truly legendary.

“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with MVP and bring together Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano to deliver the kind of high-stakes, icon-driven competition that our members crave.

“These are more than just athletes—they are generational stars—and having them headline our MMA debut at the Intuit Dome is a defining moment for us.”