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“Baddest Woman on the Planet” is back.
After her last fight in mixed martial arts on December 30, 2016, Ronda Rousey is back in the cage on May 16 against Gina Carano.
Rousey, the first woman signed by the UFC to become a Hall of Famer in 2018, retired in 2016 after six successful UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship defenses before entering WWE full-time.
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UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey interacts with the crowd during the UFC Time Is Now press conference at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts on November 17, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The 39-year-old has fought sporadically since, but will now return home on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
“This is for all MMA fans past, present and future. There’s more to come… much more,” Rousey said in a release.
Carano has not fought since 2009 and went into acting.
“Ronda came to me and said there’s only one person she wants to make a comeback for and it’s been her dream to make this fight happen between us,” said Carano, who owned a 7-1 record from 2006 to 2009. “She thanked me for opening doors for her in her career and was respectful when she asked for this fight to happen. It’s an honor. I believe I’ll walk out of this fight with the win, and I expect it won’t be easy, which I welcome. It’s as much for Ronda and me as it is for the fans and the mixed martial arts community. What a time to be alive.”
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey celebrates defeating Alexis Davis after their UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship match at UFC 175 inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 5, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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The fight will be broadcast on Netflix through Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, which also promoted all three Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano fights.
“MVP has always been driven by disruption and delivering the biggest moments in martial arts on a global scale, and today we are officially bringing that energy to MMA for the first time,” said Paul and his business partner, Nakisa Bidarian. “Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are the two most formative figures in women’s MMA history; they are the icons who shattered the glass ceiling and helped build the foundation this sport stands on.
“MVP’s belief in women’s boxing was driven by the success achieved by Ronda Rousey, who was the biggest star in 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. That’s what we do.”
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey beats Alexis Davis in their UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship match at UFC 175 inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 5, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Rousey’s MMA record got off to a 12-0 start before losing her last two fights to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, respectively.
Nine of Rousey’s 12 wins came within the first 70 seconds, and all but one were in the first round.
