Los Angeles, CA – Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey is set to return to the mixed martial arts arena after nearly a decade, headlining a groundbreaking event on May 16, 2026, streamed live on Netflix. The bout, promoted by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), will pit Rousey against fellow MMA pioneer Gina Carano at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, marking Netflix’s inaugural live MMA broadcast and MVP’s first foray into promoting the sport. The fight will be contested in a hexagon cage, a departure from the traditional octagon used by the UFC.
In a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, Rousey openly criticized the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), detailing a breakdown in negotiations regarding a potential return under their banner. She alleges that she had reached an agreement with UFC President Dana White for a compensation structure that would have awarded her a higher per-pay-view revenue share than any other fighter in the promotion’s history. However, Rousey claims the deal fell apart as the UFC transitioned away from a traditional pay-per-view model towards streaming exclusivity with ESPN.
“I went to (Dana White) and said, ‘Dude, you always say that I’m the best fighter you ever worked with. Like, reward me for it. Don’t punish me for being easy to work with. Give me the best deal you ever gave anybody,’” Rousey recounted on the show. According to Rousey, White presented a deal that would have indeed provided her with unprecedented earnings per pay-per-view buy. However, the timing coincided with the UFC’s shift in its broadcasting strategy.
“He came back and he literally brought me a deal where I would make more per pay-per-view buy than anybody in history,” Rousey stated. “It happened to head to the other side of when the ESPN deal and their pay-per-view model would be ending and they would be going to streaming.”
Rousey believes the UFC’s reluctance to guarantee her desired compensation stemmed from a desire to avoid setting a precedent that could increase costs for other fighters. She argues that the UFC’s priorities have shifted towards minimizing expenses rather than prioritizing the quality of matchups. “They didn’t want to set a precedent of giving me the guaranteed money that I deserve because once I raise that tide it lifts all the boats,” she explained. “It’s in their best interest actually not to place on the best fights possible, but to spend as little money as possible so that they can keep it.”
This perceived shift in priorities, according to Rousey, ultimately led her to seek opportunities outside of the UFC. “It no longer made sense for me to go over there because they didn’t want to pay us the money that we deserve because then for the rest of the time of the deal, they’re going to have to pay everybody else more. And so then I decided to look elsewhere.”
The May 16th event represents a significant moment for both Rousey and the sport of MMA. Rousey, a former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion and Olympic bronze medalist in judo, was instrumental in popularizing women’s MMA and bringing it to a wider audience. Her meteoric rise to stardom in the early 2010s captivated fans and helped establish the UFC as a global powerhouse. Carano, a former Strikeforce Women’s Featherweight Champion, was a trailblazer in her own right, becoming one of the first female fighters to gain mainstream recognition. Their rivalry has been anticipated for years, and now, through MVP and Netflix, it will finally come to fruition.
Most Valuable Promotions, founded by entrepreneur Ryan Kavanaugh, has quickly emerged as a key player in combat sports. MVP previously partnered with Netflix to host high-profile boxing events, including the widely-watched bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson in November 2024, which reportedly drew 125 million viewers (Live+1), becoming the most-streamed sporting event of all time, according to Netflix. This success has paved the way for MVP’s expansion into MMA, with Netflix serving as the exclusive streaming platform.
The fight card will be professionally sanctioned under the Unified Rules of MMA and will consist of five, five-minute rounds using 4oz gloves. A kickoff press conference is scheduled for March 5 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, hosted by Ariel Helwani. Tickets for the event will go on sale on March 5 through Ticketmaster.com, with pre-sale sign-ups available at www.rouseycarano.com.
The move to stream the event on Netflix, a platform with over 300 million subscribers worldwide, signifies a shift in the landscape of combat sports broadcasting. By bypassing traditional pay-per-view models and offering the event at no additional cost to its subscribers, Netflix and MVP are aiming to reach a broader audience and attract new fans to the sport. This strategy aligns with Netflix’s broader efforts to expand its offerings beyond traditional entertainment and into the realm of live sports.
Rousey’s return to MMA is not merely a sporting event; it’s a cultural moment. Her impact on the sport extends beyond her athletic achievements, and her presence in the cage once again is expected to generate significant interest and excitement among fans. The matchup against Carano, a long-awaited clash of two pioneers, promises to be a compelling spectacle for both seasoned MMA enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
As the May 16th event draws closer, all eyes will be on Los Angeles, as Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano prepare to write the next chapter in their storied careers. The event is poised to redefine the way MMA is consumed, leveraging the global reach of Netflix to deliver a thrilling night of action to millions of viewers worldwide.
The next key date for fans to mark is March 5th, when tickets go on sale and the official press conference will be held, offering a first glimpse of both fighters as they prepare for their highly anticipated showdown. Stay tuned to World Today Journal for continued coverage of this landmark event.