Ronda Rousey vs. gina carano set for May 16 MMA superfight at Intuit Dome
Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will finally square off in a headline MMA superfight scheduled for May 16, 2026 (ET) at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The bout will be contested at featherweight (145 pounds) over five five-minute rounds and will headline a card promoted by Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions and distributed live on a major global streaming service.
Fight details and logistics
The matchup is billed as a five-round featherweight contest, using the standard professional ruleset and 4-ounce gloves. The Intuit Dome will host the event, marking one of the rare occasions the venue has been used for a mixed-martial-arts card of this profile. Promoters have already framed the pairing as a landmark moment for women’s combat sports, with the card expected to include additional fights to round out a pay-per-view-style presentation for a global audience.
Both Rousey and Carano are veterans who transformed the sport in different eras. Rousey, now 39, rose from Olympic judo to become a dominant champion in the sport’s largest organization, defending her title repeatedly and helping normalize women’s divisions in top-tier promotions. Carano, 43, was a breakout star of early female MMA and headlined major events that proved there was a broad appetite for women’s bouts. Their meeting is being framed not as a clash of current champions but as a commercial and historical event—two pioneers squared off on one stage.
Why this matchup matters
Beyond the novelty of two former stars returning to the cage, the fight carries significance for several reasons. It reunites eras: Carano’s early mainstream breakthrough helped open doors that Rousey later expanded into a global phenomenon. The bout also underscores how crossover appeal and star power can shape modern fight promotion, drawing mainstream attention that extends beyond traditional fight fans.
For promoters, the event represents an opportunity to capitalize on name recognition rather than purely on competitive rankings. That model has proven lucrative in recent years, with legacy matchups and crossover exhibitions generating substantial audiences. This fight will serve as a high-profile test of that approach in mixed martial arts, particularly with a live global stream planned for the card.
Road to the cage and what to watch next
Both athletes teased returns to training in late 2025 before the announcement, and reports from training camps indicate both have been working on conditioning and striking to meet the demands of a five-round fight. Observers will watch for cardio and takedown defense—areas that historically defined their careers. Rousey’s judo clinch and armbar threat changed the division where she dominated, while Carano’s striking and early-career momentum were her defining traits.
Expect promoters to release additional undercard bouts and fight-week details in the coming weeks. Ticketing information, broadcast timing in Eastern Time, medical clearances and the official weigh-in schedule will follow as the event approaches. For fans, the matchup is less a measure of current competitive hierarchy and more a cultural event: a staged reunion of two personalities who helped shape women’s mixed martial arts and a commercially driven spectacle designed to reach a broad audience.
As build-up ramps up, the fight will be scrutinized both for what it delivers inside the cage and for how it influences the sport’s direction—particularly in blending entertainment, legacy narratives and high-stakes promotion.
