Both fighters have long layoffs. Rousey has not fought in MMA for 10 years, while Carano has not fought for 17 years. Rousey was knocked out in her final two UFC fights, by Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
According to The Independent - Sport, Rousey described being forced to retire due to neurological issues, but later received a diagnosis of migraines and is on preventative medication. Carano was fired by Lucasfilm in 2021 after a social media post comparing US political discourse to persecution of Jews before the Holocaust, and filed a lawsuit in 2024 for wrongful termination and sex discrimination, reaching a settlement with Elon Musk's legal support, according to major media reports. Rousey said the fight is not a charity or nostalgia card but the biggest fight in MMA right now, according to major media.
Does it show??
She wants to rewrite her ending and challenge the UFC monolith. According to The Independent - Main, Carano described deciding in September 2024 to get healthy after being pre-diabetic, then receiving a call from Elon Musk's lawyers. She said saying yes to the fight gave her something to look forward to during the lawsuit.
Both fighters will undergo extra concussion tests, according to major media. Rousey also said she tried and failed to make the fight with Carano in the UFC. Francis Ngannou will be co-main event against Philipe Lins on the same card.
I think because of this challenge, it's pushed me into this great place. I had decided in September 2024: 'Okay, I'm pre-diabetic, get your life together and stop wallowing; bad things happen to a lot of people.' As soon as I decided that, I got a phone call from Elon Musk's lawyers, and that was a surge of energy.
Rousey said women have to work twice as hard to be half as respected. Critics question the fight's legitimacy. According to NRK, former MMA fighter Thomas Hytten described the fight as based more on popularity than sport, but both will be prepared.
According to NRK, MMA veteran Tommy Rasmussen expressed skepticism due to the 17-year layoff and potential mismatch. The event marks a significant moment for women's MMA, with both fighters returning after extended absences. Rousey's last fight was a 48-second knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in 2016, while Carano's last bout was a 2009 defeat to Cris Cyborg.
When you feel like something unjust happens to you, you're like: 'Is justice gonna happen?' I finally let go: 'You have a beautiful life, so jump back into it and get healthy.' Long story short, saying yes to this fight gave me something to look forward to, even during the lawsuit. It pushed me to today, where I just feel like I'm in the best place I've ever been in my life. I feel like, even after this fight, I have a long way to go. So, once again MMA has come in and saved the day.
The fight will be contested at 145 pounds, a weight class both have competed in previously. The Intuit Dome, a new venue in Inglewood, will host the event, which is expected to draw a large audience on Netflix. Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions has been expanding into combat sports, and this fight adds to their portfolio.
The card also features Francis Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, facing Philipe Lins in a heavyweight bout. Ngannou's inclusion adds further star power to the event. Rousey has been vocal about her desire to change the narrative around her career, stating that she wants to prove she can still compete at a high level.
The way things ended [in MMA] was really heartbreaking for me. [Carano] inspired me to pick myself up and to go after the fight I always wanted. This is the biggest fight in MMA right now. This isn't a charity card or nostalgia card, this is the biggest fight in the world. This is fate for us.
Carano, meanwhile, has been training rigorously after her health scare, and sees the fight as a personal redemption. Both fighters have undergone additional medical testing to ensure safety, given their histories. The fight has generated mixed reactions, with some praising the matchup and others questioning its competitive merit.
Regardless, it represents a unique crossover between MMA and entertainment, with Netflix providing a global platform.
Obviously the motivation to fight is Ronda asked me. She's quite the charmer. Other jobs came up like this but nothing is as important as this. To share the moment with her, we get to live once and this makes me feel so alive and super grateful for the opportunity.
When it didn't work out with UFC we said we don't need them, we can do it on our own, just trust me. I thought it was just about me finding my love for the sport and her finding her fire in her eyes but now it's become much more than that. It's about changing the landscape of the sport and challenging the monolith that the UFC has become.
I was having neurological issues, and I was getting hit and basically losing chunks of my vision, depth perception, ability to track moving objects, to think clearly. I thought these were concussion symptoms, because the more concussions I got, the easier it was for me to get these symptoms. So, after my first loss, I was like: 'F***, it's finally caught up to me. I'm never gonna be able to compete at the highest level again.' But there were a lot of other factors. I had a bad mouthguard, stuff like that. My teeth got knocked loose, the very first punch of the [Holm] fight, so I convinced myself: 'Maybe it was just that.' I came back again, and again I had to drag myself through it, because I felt like I was expected to come back – and I was coming back for everybody else and not for me. But then the same thing: the first time I got hit, I couldn't see. I just felt like I was forced to retire; there was no way I could safely compete at the highest level anymore. But it was also the toxicity of my training camp. The process wasn't fun anymore, and I was just so over it. Everything was so result-oriented, and I wanted to enjoy the everyday and not just the possible results. That's kind of what led me to pro wrestling, but I didn't wanna go public about it, because I didn't want WWE to be like, 'We don't wanna work with you,' because of the baggage – they've had bad press from concussions in the past. So, I had to keep it to myself, but that's kind of what forced my hand.
Fortunately, because Dana [White, UFC president] sent me to the Cleveland Clinic, we got a diagnosis for what was actually going on with me. They think it's actually migraines, and they got me on preventative migraine medication, and we've been able to test with sparring and see that it works. It's been absolutely life-changing for me.
It is not exactly my ovaries that are going to fight.
This is the biggest fight in MMA right now. There are no two people in this sport with more star power than me and Gina – with the exception of Conor McGregor.
It is a fight that is made a bit based on popularity more than the purely sporting. They have many followers on social media, both of these ladies, so it's exciting in that way.
What I am more skeptical about actually, is that they haven't fought in 17 years.
If I think something is scary in this sport, it's when there is a 'mismatch'. I think that is scary.
I think that they are former professional athletes, so they are training and they will probably be prepared when they go into the fight.
It is probably a bit easier to criticize women than it is men.
If you look at it, you have male athletes who compete well into their 40s, close to 50, where it's almost cool that they do it.