Netflix has announced that its first live MMA event will see Ronda Rousey enter the ring against Gina Carano.
The live event was announced today and is scheduled to stream from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles May 16, 2026. A face-to-face press conference promoting the event is scheduled to take place at the same location March 5, with tickets set to go on sale that day at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.
Two MMA legends are coming to Netflix.
RONDA ROUSEY vs. GINA CARANO
Saturday May 16
LIVE only on Netflix#RouseyCarano pic.twitter.com/zqdSC7l4in
— Netflix (@netflix) February 17, 2026
Netflix’s livestreamed featherweight event comes as a result of its collaboration with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and will see the two controversial combat sports stars go head-to-head under the Unified Rules of the MMA through five 5-minute rounds. It’s an unexpected announcement for more reasons than one, especially as it’s been nearly 17 years since Carano’s last MMA fight and a little less than a decade since Rousey’s.
“Ronda came to me and said there is only one person she would make a comeback for and it has been her dream to make this fight happen between us,” Carano said in a statement. “She thanked me for opening up doors for her in her career and was respectful in asking for this fight to happen. This is an honor. I believe I will walk out of this fight with the win and I anticipate it will not come easy, which I welcome. This is as much for Ronda and me as it is for the fans and mixed martial arts community. What a time to be alive.”
Both competitors first caught the attention of the public eye due to their abilities as professional fighters. They’ve also each spent the 2010s and 2020s as familiar names outside of the ring – even if it’s not always been for positive reasons.
A LEGACY SHOWDOWN 🔥 #RouseyCarano
RONDA ROUSEY vs. GINA CARANO
Saturday May 16
LIVE only on Netflix pic.twitter.com/cybtQHNyPT
— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) February 17, 2026
Rousey has orbited the world of sports regardless of her direct involvement in competition, lending her voice to the WWE for both live and video game-related projects in recent years. She’s also spent time as the voice of Sonya Blade in recent Mortal Kombat entries and even made a cameo appearance in Furious 7. This all comes after a 2013 controversy that saw her post and then delete a message perpetuating claims that families of Sandy Hook victims were paid actors. Outside of one tweet posted shortly after, Rousey largely avoided the topic until posting a lengthy apology in 2024, 11 years later.
Carano, meanwhile, has done her best to stick to the world of movies and TV. Her appearances in live-action film began after her departure from professional sports in 2009, with notable projects like Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Heist (2015), and Deadpool (2016) all under her belt.
Carano would then secure her biggest role yet when she played the part of Cara Dune for two seasons of Disney’s The Mandalorian. Her time in Star Wars was short-lived, though, as Lucasfilm was quick to fire her after a now-deleted post, where she compared the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany to being a Republican in 2021, which saw fans launch a #FireGinaCarano campaign. She then went on to work with conservative media company The Daily Wire on its 2022 project Terror on the Prairie before launching a discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuit against Disney with funding from Elon Musk in 2024. The dispute was settled in August 2025.
For one reason or another, both names are sure to attract a lot of attention for Netflix when Rousey vs. Carano takes place this May. The event, which will be the streaming giant’s first live MMA broadcast, follows a 2024 show that put content creator Jake Paul against boxing legend Mike Tyson and resulted in the most-streamed sporting event of all-time.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
