![\"MMA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/260310_012_rousey_carano_presser-544x306.jpg\" "\\"MMA")
<\/p>\nINGLEWOOD, Calif. \u2014 The stage lights hit the black backdrop, cameras flashed in rapid bursts, and two of the most recognizable figures in women\u2019s mixed martial arts stood inches apart for the first time in their careers.<\/p>\n
The long-imagined clash between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano is finally real.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday afternoon at the Intuit Dome, the two pioneers faced off ahead of their blockbuster showdown set for Saturday, May 16, streaming live only on Netflix. What was once the ultimate \u201cwhat-if\u201d fight in MMA has now become the centerpiece of the first-ever major MMA event on the streaming platform.<\/p>\n
And according to Rousey, it\u2019s not a nostalgia act.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t a throwback nostalgia card,\u201d Rousey said. \u201cThis is the biggest fight in the sport right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Fight Years in the Making<\/p>\n
For more than a decade, fans debated what might have happened if Carano \u2014 the face of women\u2019s MMA in its early era \u2014 had crossed paths with Rousey, the superstar who helped propel women\u2019s MMA into the mainstream.<\/p>\n
But the paths never aligned. Until now. Carano revealed that the idea first resurfaced when Dana White reached out to her in 2024 with an unusual message.<\/p>\n
\u201cDana gave me a call and he said, \u2018Ronda\u2019s pregnant. The only one she wants to fight is you,\u2019\u201d Carano said.<\/p>\n
Rousey confirmed the story with a laugh.<\/p>\n
During her pregnancy, she said she was still training in her garage \u2014 even throwing suplexes \u2014 while thinking about one last fight. And there was only one opponent she wanted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was ever going to come back, it had to be Gina,\u201d Rousey said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Brandon Pollard – The Sporting Tribune<\/p>\n
MMA fighter Ronda Rousey looks on during a pre-fight press conference for a Netflix fight, Tuesday March 10, 2026 in Inglewood, Calif.<\/p>\n
The press conference didn\u2019t just revolve around the fight. Rousey also delivered a blistering critique of the modern era of the UFC. Rousey argued that the promotion changed dramatically after White\u2019s ownership stake ended and the company entered a new corporate era.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of my criticisms of the UFC now are because Dana isn\u2019t the owner and he isn\u2019t calling the shots,\u201d Rousey said. \u201cHe\u2019s an employee of the company now. It was a big mistake not letting him just run things the way he always has.\u201d<\/p>\n
She went even further when discussing fighter compensation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe UFC is one of the worst places to go,\u201d Rousey said. \u201cThey just got $7.7 billion dollars. There\u2019s no reason they can\u2019t pay their athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She even suggested the promotion\u2019s planned White House event \u2014 often referred to as the \u201cWhite House card\u201d \u2014 missed expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cDana knows the White House card sucks,\u201d she said. \u201cI guarantee you he\u2019s not happy with it either.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Biggest Fight in MMA Right Now\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite her criticisms of the sport\u2019s biggest promotion, Rousey insisted her fight with Carano is exactly the type of matchup fans still crave.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the biggest fight in MMA right now,\u201d Rousey said. \u201cThere are no two people in this sport with more international name recognition than me and Gina \u2014 except maybe Conor, but no one\u2019s going to sanction that.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also hinted the fight could be her last.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t be your Conor,\u201d Rousey said. \u201cBut I\u2019ll be your Dana.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rousey explained she plans to fight once more before stepping away for good to focus on raising her children and spending time with her family.<\/p>\n
![\"Fighters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/260310_055_rousey_carano_presser-544x306.jpg\" "\\"Fighters")
<\/p>\n
Brandon Pollard – The Sporting Tribune<\/p>\n
Fighters pose for media during a pre-fight press conference for a Netflix fight, Tuesday March 10, 2026 in Inglewood, Calif.<\/p>\n
The May 16 card grew even bigger earlier this week when former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was added. Ngannou will face Philipe Lins in a five-round bout promoted by Most Valuable Promotions. It will mark Ngannou\u2019s first MMA appearance since defeating Renan Ferreira in the PFL in October 2024.<\/p>\n
Lins, a former PFL tournament winner with an 18-5 record, last competed at UFC 299 in March 2024.<\/p>\n
A Historic Night for Streaming and MMA<\/p>\n
For Netflix, the event represents a major step into live combat sports \u2014 and for the fighters involved, it\u2019s a chance to create a moment the sport has debated for years.<\/p>\n
The staredown between Rousey and Carano lasted barely 20 seconds Tuesday.<\/p>\n
But after more than a decade of speculation, the fight the sport always wondered about is finally happening.<\/p>\n
And on May 16, two legends will settle it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"INGLEWOOD, Calif. \u2014 The stage lights hit the black backdrop, cameras flashed in rapid bursts, and two of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":532346,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,18576,786,44069,785,44,15809,85,264250],"class_list":["post-532345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-combat","tag-fighting","tag-gina-carano","tag-mma","tag-news","tag-ronda-rousey","tag-sports","tag-tst-los-angeles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=532345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/532346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=532345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=532345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=532345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}