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The “baddest woman on the planet” is back.
After a final fight in mixed martial arts on December 30, 2016, Ronda Rousey will return to the cage on May 16 against Gina Carano.
Rousey, the first woman signed by the UFC to become a Hall of Famer in 2018, retired in 2016 after six successful defenses of the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship before entering WWE full-time.
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UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey interacts with the crowd during the UFC Time Is Now press conference at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts on November 17, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The 39-year-old has wrestled sporadically since then, but now returns home on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
“This is for all MMA fans past, present and future. More to come…much more,” Rousey said in a statement.
Carano hasn’t fought since 2009 and became an actor.
“Ronda came to me and told me there was only one person she would make a comeback for and that it was her dream to make this fight happen between us,” said Carano, who had a 7-1 record from 2006 to 2009. “She thanked me for opening doors for her in her career and respectfully asked for this fight to happen. It’s an honor. I believe I will come out of this fight with victory and I anticipate it won’t be easy, which I’m excited about. It’s as much for Ronda and me as it is for the fans and the mixed martial arts community.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey celebrates her loss to Alexis Davis following her fight for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship at UFC 175 at Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 5, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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The fight will air on Netflix via Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, which also promoted all three Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano fights.
“MVP has always been driven by breaking and delivering the biggest moments in combat sports on a global scale, and today we are officially bringing that energy to MMA for the first time,” said Paul and his business partner, Nakisa Bidarian. “Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are the two most formative figures in the history of women’s MMA; they are the icons who broke the glass ceiling and helped build the foundation on which the sport is built.
“MVP’s belief in women’s boxing was driven by the success achieved by Ronda Rousey, who was the biggest star in the entire sport of MMA during her career. Following the unprecedented success of our boxing partnership, we are proving that MVP and Netflix can create blockbuster live events across multiple sports that engage fans of all generations. That’s what we do.”
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey punches Alexis Davis during their UFC women’s bantamweight championship fight at UFC 175 at Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 5, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Rousey’s MMA record started 12-0 before losing her last two fights to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, respectively.
Nine of Rousey’s 12 wins have come within the first 70 seconds, and all but one has come in the first round.
