Ronda Rousey (L) lost to Holly Holm (R) and Amanda Nunes (not pictured) in her last two UFC fights, which wee held in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Photo by Julian Smith/EPA
Feb. 17 (UPI) — Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey will end her retirement to battle Gina Carano in a May 16 matchup in Inglewood, Calif., Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix announced Tuesday.
The showdown, which will take place at the Intuit Dome, will be the first-ever live mixed martial arts broadcast to air on Netflix.
“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 news 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.”
A post shared by MVP – Most Valuable Promotions (@mostvaluablepromotions)
Rousey, the first female fighter signed by UFC in 2012, retired in 2016. She was the first female fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. The 39-year-old also won a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Rousey, who later became a professional wrestler, went 12-2-0 during her UFC career, with losses to Holly Holm (2015) and Amanda Nunes (2016) in her final two fights.
Carano, 43, went 7-1-0 in UFC. She owned a 12-1-1 record in Muay Thai before transitioning to MMA. In 2009, Carano joined Cris Cyborg to headline the first major MMA event to feature two women in the main event. She later worked as an actress in Fast & Furious 6 and Deadpool and held roles in other films.
“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.”
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ronda-rousey-return-ufc-netflix-164416194.html
