Ronda Rousey described next month’s comeback fight against Gina Carano as the biggest mixed martial arts fight of all time and said it would be a pivotal moment for the sport.
Rousey, the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo after taking bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games, was the first fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. She successfully defended her bantamweight title six times before being upset by Holly Holm in 2015.
“This is not just the biggest women’s fight of all time… This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing in MMA, it’s the start of something huge,” Rousey said at a news conference Wednesday.
The 39-year-old said the fight was not “nostalgia bait or a money grab” but pointed to the commercial success of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight as evidence that boxing fans are still interested in seeing the big names return to the ring.
The fight between Tyson and former YouTuber Paul in November 2024 attracted a global audience of 108 million viewers, making it the most-watched sporting event ever on a streaming platform.
Rousey’s fight with Carano marks boxing promotion company MVP’s MMA debut and will air live on Netflix on May 16.
Rousey also responded to current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, who called her irrelevant on a podcast.
“Gina is so relevant that she is the only reason the 145-pound division exists. I am so relevant that the only reason Kayla has a job in the UFC is because of me,” Rousey said.
“He has the charisma of a wet towel and will always be in someone else’s shadow. Next time he wants to talk, he should look at his feet and consider who paved the path he walks on.”
As for fighter pay, Rousey confirmed that the minimum purse for any fighter on the MVP card is $40,000 and that was “something the UFC can’t say.”
For Carano, 43, who hasn’t fought since a 2009 loss to Cris Cyborg, the experience was different this time.
“I feel real peace and excitement about it. It’s not anxiety, it’s excitement, and that’s new for me.”
In the co-main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou faces Philipe Lins, while Nate Diaz takes on BKFC’s Mike Perry at welterweight.
