Ronda Rousey Fighting Hollywood Star in Legendary MMA Comeback

MMA superstar Ronda Rousey will be returning to the sport after almost ten years for a promotional fight with Hollywood star and professional fighter, Gina Carano.

The fight will take place as part of Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on May 16, 2026. The even will be livestreamed on Netflix at no extra cost for existing subscribers.

Ronda Rousey's Historic MMA Comeback

Ronda Rousey was a pioneering figure in female MMA fighting, signing to the UFC in 2013 and immediately dominating the opposition. She still holds the championship record for defending the title six consecutive times, and she was the first female fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Rousey's career began at the Olympics, where she became the first American woman to win a medal in judo. This led to her receiving plenty of media coverage, helping her kickstart a professional fighting career just a few years later.

Following her retirement from MMA in 2016 after two devastating losses, Rousey began a career in profesional wrestling for WWE. "Ronda Rousey is a 1 of 1 athlete," said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. "She transcends combat sports and represents the greatness that every young athlete hopes to achieve." (via ESPN)

Gina Carano was another pioneer of women's fighting who increased visibility of women in combat sports before Rousey's heyday. Since retiring, she has become a Hollywood star, with roles in The Fast & The Furious franchise, as well as Deadpool and The Mandalorian.

The two fighters will meet at a press conference on March 5 at Intuit Dome, with further details about the event coming in upcoming weeks.

"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," the company said in a statement. "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."