Jake Paul‘s Most Valuable Promotions is entering MMA and has announced a superfight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. The event will take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on May. 16.
Rousey vs. Carano will be the first MMA event to stream live on Netflix. Another interesting layer is that the fight will take place inside a hexagon cage rather than an octagon or a ring.
The women’s superfight will be a five-round bout contested at 145 lbs, marking Rousey’s first featherweight bout since 2011. Rousey and Carano are two pioneers of women’s MMA and two of the biggest female stars to compete in the sports.
Both have transitioned to Hollywood and other ventures, which could draw additional interest beyond the MMA community.
Ronda Rousey Reacts to Gina Carano Fight Being Made Official
Ronda Rousey broke her silence after her fight with Gina Carano became official. The former women’s bantamweight champion expressed excitement about her comeback and working with Jake Paul’s MVP.
Rousey took to her X account to share the event poster along with her thoughts on the matchup. She called it the biggest fight in women’s MMA. That claim will likely spark debate among fans, many of whom have said the same about Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes.
Rousey also appeared to take a subtle shot at the UFC by referring to Paul and MVP as a promotion that puts the fighters first.
“Been waiting so long to announce this: Me and @ginacarano are gonna throw down in the biggest super fight in women’s combat sport history!” Rousey wrote on X. “We’re partnering up with the fighter-first promotion @MostVpromotions as well as the baddest streamer on the planet @netflix! This is for all MMA fans past, present and future. More to come…Much more.”
Insider Ariel Helwani Reveals Rousey vs. Carano Was in the Works Years Ago
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani revealed that Rousey vs. Carano was discussed years before in the UFC.
According to Helwani, the two sides engaged in negotiations for a bout back in 2014. At the time, Rousey was the reigning women’s UFC bantamweight champion, while Carano had been retired for five years.
The fight appeared close to becoming a reality. However, plans fell apart after Dana White applied what Carano described as too much pressure. She said White repeatedly made discussed signing her in the media before had a chance to find a team. This ultimately soured her on the idea.
“Dana was out there talking about me and talking about my name and telling people that he’s going to sign me. And I don’t even have a team yet. I was like, ‘That’s not what we discussed. You were supposed to give me at least six months,” Carano told Helwani in a 2019 interview. “I don’t think that was the kind of environment I wanted to come back into. So I just cut all communication after that text.”
Helwani shared a clip from the 2019 interview, noting that Paul and his manager ultimately succeeded in booking the fight.
“In 2014, the UFC tried to get this fight done. But an erroneous text from Dana White to Gina Carano derailed those plans. 12 years later, it’s Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian who make it happen. On Netflix.”
Breaking: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano Set for Netflix Superfight