Inglewood, California: Training sessions intensified behind closed doors this week as anticipation surged across the combat sports world following confirmation that former UFC champion Ronda Rousey will return to mixed martial arts to face pioneer Gina Carano in a blockbuster superfight scheduled for May 16 at the Intuit Dome.
The bout will headline the first professional MMA event promoted by Most Valuable Promotions and will stream globally, bringing together two of the most influential figures in women’s MMA history. The contest is scheduled at 145 pounds under the Unified Rules of MMA and will be contested over five rounds.
“Me and Gina Carano are going to throw down in the biggest superfight in women’s combat sports history,” Rousey said in a statement announcing the matchup, adding that the event is designed to celebrate past, present, and future MMA fans.
Rousey, 39, has not competed in MMA since 2016 but remains one of the sport’s most transformative athletes. The Olympic judo medalist became the inaugural UFC women’s bantamweight champion and defended her title six consecutive times during a dominant run that helped establish women’s divisions as major attractions in the sport. She later transitioned to professional wrestling, where she became a multi-time world champion before stepping away from active competition.
Carano, 43, is widely regarded as one of the earliest global stars of women’s MMA, competing from 2006 to 2009 and helping bring mainstream attention to the sport during its early growth phase. After retiring with a 7-1 professional record, she moved into film and television, appearing in major action franchises while periodically hinting at a potential return to fighting.
“Ronda came to me and said there is only one person she would make a comeback for,” Carano said, calling the matchup “an honor” and expressing confidence that the fight would deliver a competitive spectacle for fans worldwide.
Promoters say the event is expected to draw major global viewership as interest grows around high-profile crossover sporting events and legacy matchups featuring pioneering athletes. Additional fights for the card will be announced in the coming weeks, with an official kickoff press conference scheduled for early March.
The showdown represents a meeting of two athletes who helped define different eras of women’s MMA, a matchup that fans and promoters attempted to organize for more than a decade but never materialized until now.
