Gina Carano to meet Ronda Rousey in high-stakes May super fight
Ronda Rousey will make her long-awaited return to mixed martial arts to face Gina Carano in a featherweight superfight scheduled for May 16 (ET) at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The bout will be contested at 145 pounds over five, five-minute rounds with four-ounce gloves and will be shown exclusively on a major streaming platform in what the promoter calls a landmark live broadcast.
Fight details and logistics
The matchup is set at the featherweight limit of 145 pounds and will follow a five-round structure commonly reserved for marquee fights. Organizers have specified the use of four-ounce gloves and five five-minute rounds, heightening the physical stakes for both competitors. The venue is the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, and the event is being presented as an unusually high-profile live-streamed card for the streamer involved, marking the company’s first venture into live mixed-martial-arts broadcasting.
Promoters describe the production as a fighter-first presentation and have signaled plans for significant promotional investment. Exact bell times and undercard details have not been released, but the matchup is being billed as a super fight designed to draw attention from mainstream and combat-sport audiences alike.
Career arcs and what’s at stake
Rousey, 39, returns to the cage after a lengthy absence. Once a dominant figure in women’s mixed martial arts, she holds a professional record that includes 12 wins and two losses, with nine victories coming by submission. She stepped away from the sport in 2016 and later pursued opportunities outside of MMA, including a stint in professional wrestling.
Carano, 43, retired with a 7-1 record that features a mix of knockout and submission outcomes. After stepping away from active competition, she transitioned into acting and other entertainment ventures. Her public profile has at times been controversial, and she has engaged in legal action related to a past dismissal from a television role; that matter was resolved settlement.
Both fighters arrive with different recent histories but shared star power. For Rousey, the bout represents a comeback on one of the biggest possible stages; for Carano, it is a return to the sport that made her a household name in combat circles. Promoters and participants frame the fight as a showdown between two of the most recognizable women in the history of the sport.
Reaction, promotion and the fight’s significance
The fight is being promoted as one of the biggest super fights in women’s combat sports history. Rousey issued a statement saying she’d been waiting a long time to announce the matchup and called it the biggest super fight in women’s combat-sport history. Carano said Rousey approached her about making the comeback and expressed gratitude for the doors Carano helped open in the sport. Carano added she believes she will win and welcomed the challenge.
Beyond the immediate competitive storyline, the bout signals a convergence of mainstream entertainment and professional fighting: a high-profile streaming platform is investing in live MMA content, and two crossover stars are using that platform to reach broader audiences. How the crowd and broader MMA community respond to the event—and to each athlete’s performance—will shape the short-term landscape for both fighters.
With undercard and broadcast details still unfolding, attention will turn to fight week for official weigh-ins, medical clearances and promotional activity. For now, the matchup has already generated headlines by pairing two of the most recognizable names in women’s combat sports for what promoters are calling a once-in-a-generation showdown.
