Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano pose after the press convention for the Most Worthwhile Promotions MMA card at Palladium Theatre, New York, US, April 15, 2026. — Reuters
Ronda Rousey described subsequent month’s comeback bout towards Gina Carano as the largest combined martial arts struggle of all time and stated it might be a pivotal second for the game.
Rousey, the primary US lady to win an Olympic medal in judo after claiming bronze on the 2008 Beijing Video games, was the primary feminine fighter inducted into the UFC’s Corridor of Fame. She efficiently defended her bantamweight title six instances earlier than being shocked by Holly Holm in 2015.
“This is not just the biggest women’s fight of all time … This is something that’s going to happen once in a lifetime in MMA, is the beginning of something huge,” Rousey advised a press convention on Wednesday.
The 39-year-old stated the struggle was not “nostalgia bait or a cash grab” however pointed to the industrial success of Mike Tyson’s struggle towards Jake Paul as proof that struggle followers are nonetheless enthusiastic about watching large names return to the ring.
The bout between Tyson and former YouTuber Paul in November 2024 drew a worldwide viewers of 108 million viewers, making it the most-watched sporting occasion ever on a streaming platform.
Rousey’s struggle with Carano marks boxing promotion firm MVP’s debut in MMA and can stream dwell on Netflix on Could 16.
Rousey additionally fired again at present UFC girls’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, who referred to as her irrelevant on a podcast.
“Gina is so relevant that she’s the whole reason the 145lb division even exists. I am so relevant that the only reason Kayla has a job at the UFC is because of me,” Rousey stated.
“She has the charisma of a wet towel and will always be in someone else’s shadow. The next time she wants to talk, she should look down at her feet and consider who paved the road she’s walking on.”
On fighter pay, Rousey confirmed the minimal purse for any fighter on the MVP card is $40,000 and that was “something the UFC cannot say”.
For 43-year-old Carano, who has not fought since a 2009 loss to Cris Cyborg, the expertise felt completely different this time.
“I feel real peace and excitement about it. It’s not anxiety, it’s excitement — and that’s new for me.”
Within the co-main occasion, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou faces Philipe Lins, whereas Nate Diaz meets BKFC’s Mike Perry at welterweight.
