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The “baddest woman on the planet” is back.
After her last mixed martial arts fight on December 30, 2016, Ronda Rousey will return to the cage on May 16 against Gina Carano.
Rousey, the first woman to be signed by the UFC who became a Hall of Famer in 2018, retired in 2016 after six successful defenses of the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship 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 then, 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. More to come… much more,” Rousey said in a statement.
Carano has not fought since 2009 and dedicated herself to acting.
“Ronda came to me and told me that there was only one person she would come back for and that her dream was to make this fight between us a reality,” said Carano, who went 7-1 from 2006 to 2009. “She thanked me for opening doors for her in her career and was respectful in asking for this fight to happen. This is an honor. I believe I will come out of this fight with the victory and I anticipate that it won’t be easy, which I appreciate. “This is 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 following their UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship fight at UFC 175 inside 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 air on Netflix through Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, which also promoted all three fights between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
“MVP has always been driven by disruption and delivering the biggest moments in combat sports 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 the history of women’s MMA; they are the icons who broke the glass ceiling and helped build the foundation on which the sport stands.
“MVP’s belief in women’s boxing was fueled 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 across multiple sports that appeal to fans of all generations. This is what we do.”
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey punches Alexis Davis in their UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship fight at UFC 175 inside 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 bouts to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, respectively.
Nine of Rousey’s 12 wins came within the first 70 seconds, and all but one came in the first round.
