Ronda Rousey returned to MMA after a decade-long retirement to face Gina Carano on May 16, 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Rousey won by armbar submission in approximately 15-17 seconds, marking her 13th win in a 15-fight career [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
The fight was promoted by Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and streamed live on Netflix, which made its MMA debut with the event [1, 9, 2, 3, 4, 8]. MVP described the card as the most expensive MMA event ever assembled, featuring additional bouts including former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou's victory over Philipe Lins and Mike Perry's win against Nate Diaz [1, 2, 4, 8].
At 39 years old, Rousey weighed in at 142 pounds, while 44-year-old Carano, better known as an actor with her last professional fight 17 years ago, weighed 141.4 pounds [1, 10, 9, 2, 3, 11, 5, 6, 8]. Rousey called Carano the person who inspired her to start MMA and the only one who could bring her back to the sport [2, 3, 6, 7]. Despite the quick finish, Carano said, "I wanted that to last longer. I felt like I was so ready," adding she considered making it back to the cage after 17 years an achievement [2, 4, 5, 6, 7].
Rousey, who reportedly earned $2.2 million for the fight, reiterated her call for better fighter pay, saying, "Pay the fighters better. I wouldn't be here if you paid fighters better" [1, 5]. Carano earned approximately $1.05 million [5]. After the fight, Rousey announced her retirement again, stating, "There's no way I could have ended it better than this. I want to have some more babies, and I got to get cooking" [11, 5, 6, 7].
The week leading up to the fight featured a respectful and friendly build-up with both competitors embracing after the bout [9, 6, 8]. Ahead of the match, Rousey expressed hopes they could leverage its success into film opportunities and use it to challenge UFC's fighter pay practices [1, 10, 12]. She remarked, "Who's to say we can't parlay the success of this to me and her (Carano) making a genre-shattering martial arts film with Netflix after this?" [10].
The event received criticism for being a mismatch between two older fighters, one returning after a long hiatus [8]. On May 14, 2026, Rousey held a press conference in Los Angeles discussing a possible blockbuster movie deal after the fight [10, 12]. They faced off for the final time in a staredown on fight day before Rousey's swift victory [9]. After her post-fight retirement announcement, Rousey said she plans to focus on her family.
