Subhojeet Mukherjee on February 17, 2026
Ronda Rousey may have said she wasn’t planning an MMA return — but that’s changed since she is officially stepping back into the cage for the first time in 10 years.
According to Deadline, Netflix is entering the MMA space in a major way by staging a professionally sanctioned fight between Rousey and Gina Carano. The bout is set for May 16, 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles and will mark Netflix’s first-ever live MMA broadcast. This marks Rousey’s first MMA fight since 2016.
The fight will be contested under the Unified Rules of MMA, scheduled for five five-minute rounds with 4oz gloves inside a hexagon cage. The event is being promoted in partnership with MVP, the fighter-first promotion, and comes as Netflix continues expanding into live sports programming.
The Baddest Woman on the Planet confirmed the matchup in a statement, calling it a long-awaited moment, adding that this will be a fight for all MMA fans, past, present and future.
“Been waiting so long to announce this: Me and Gina Carano are gonna throw down in the biggest super fight in women’s combat sport history. And we’re partnering with the fighter-first promotion MVP as well as the biggest and baddest streamer on the planet Netflix. This is for all MMA fans past, present and future.”
The announcement is a major shift from Rousey’s October 2025 comments, when she told TMZ Sports she was focused on rebuilding her confidence and enjoying motherhood rather than returning to competition. Now, instead of an Octagon comeback under UFC, Rousey is headlining a global streaming platform’s first MMA event in what’s being billed as one of the biggest fights in women’s combat sports history.
Are you surprised Ronda Rousey is returning to MMA, and who do you have winning this fight? Let us know in the comments!
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