Ronda Rousey Returning To MMA To Fight Gina Carano

The former UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, is returning to mixed martial arts after a near decade long hiatus from the sport. Rousey is set to face Gina Carano, who is a trailblazer for women’s MMA. The fight was confirmed by Most Valuable Promotions on Tuesday.

The bout is scheduled for May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. This will be the first professional MMA contest promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and will air on Netflix.

Rousey and Cerano will fight at 145 pounds, and it will be professionally sanctioned, with five five-minute rounds and four-ounce gloves in a hexagon cage.

Rousey released a statement to ESPN, saying she has, “been waiting so long to announce this: Gina Carano and I are gonna throw down in the biggest super fight in women’s combat sport history!”

The former UFC champion was the first American to win an Olympic medal in judo back in 2008. She was also the first woman to sign with the UFC.

Rousey, 39, took the world by storm when she arrived on the scene in 2013, dominating her opponents in the octagon on her way to a bantamweight title. Rousey holds the UFC record for successfully defending her title six straight times.

Rousey was most known for her vaunted armbar finish, forcing her opponents to tap out. 11 out of her first 12 fights ended in the first round, and beating three consecutive opponents in under one minute. She holds a record of 12-2, with her losses coming against Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.

Carano is widely known for trailblazing the way for women in mixed martial arts, competing from 2006 to 2009. The last time Carano fought, she lost to Cris Cyborg for the inaugural Strikeforce women’s 145-pound title, via TKO.

Both Carano and Rousey spent some time in Hollywood, as both appeared in the “Fast & Furious” franchise.

Rousey vs. Carano will have a kickoff news conference on March 5 at the Intuit Dome. More fights will be added to the card and announced at a later date.