Netflix announces their first-ever live MMA fight: Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey

Five years (and one week) have passed since MMA fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano was “cancelled” due to objections to her social media posts and fired from the series The Mandalorian. Now, she’s back in the news in a major way, as The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Carano will be fighting in the first MMA fight to be streamed live on Netflix. Her opponent, in a match-up that THR describes as being “ten years too late,” is fellow fighter-turned-actress Ronda Rousey.

Background

Carano started her fighting career in 2005, in the sport of Muay Thai. After achieving a record of 12–1–1, she participated in the first-ever sanctioned female MMA bout in 2006. Over the next few years, she won 7 MMA fights – but the first loss of her career came in a fight against Cris Cyborg in August 2009. That also ended up being her last MMA fight. Although there were the occasional rumblings that she would return to the sport, and a fight between her and Ronda Rousey was once planned for December 2014, she never got back into the fighting. Until now.

Rousey started out in judo, and is recognized as being the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the sport (at the 2008 Summer Olympics). She moved into MMA in 2010 and won 15 of her 17 fights. Her last fight was on on December 30, 2016.

Carano vs. Rousey

The Carano vs. Rousey fight will take place on Saturday, May 16. So, by the time they step into the ring, Carano will be almost seventeen years removed from her last fight, and Rousey about nine and a half years removed from hers. The Hollywood Reporter lets us know that the match will stream live on Netflix from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, and the rest of the card will be announced at a later date.

The fight will take place inside a hexagon, not an octagon like the UFC. Not only is this Netflix’s first-ever mixed martial arts event, it’s also the first MMA event for Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), Jake Paul’s company.

“Rousey and Carano will face off as featherweights (145 pounds). It will be professionally sanctioned under the Unified Rules of MMA and contested over five, five-minute rounds using four-ounce gloves.”

Statements

Rousey had this to say about the event: “Been waiting so long to announce this: Me and Gina Carano are gonna throw down in the biggest super fight in women’s combat sport history! And we’re partnering with the fighter-first promotion MVP as well as the biggest and baddest streamer on the planet Netflix. This is for all MMA fans past, present and future. More to come… much more.“

Carano added, “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. 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.“

MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian said, “MVP has always been driven by disruption 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. Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are the two most formative figures in the history of women’s MMA; they are the icons who shattered the glass ceiling and helped build the foundation this sport stands on. MVP’s conviction in women’s boxing was driven by the success achieved by Ronda Rousey, who was the biggest star of 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 in multiple sports that engage fans across generations. This is what we do.“

And here’s a statement from Gabe Spitzer, Netflix vice president of sports: “After the record-breaking success in boxing, we wanted our first MMA event to be truly legendary. We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with MVP and bring together Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano to deliver the kind of high-stakes, icon-driven competition that our members crave. These are more than just athletes—they are generational stars—and having them headline our MMA debut at the Intuit Dome is a defining moment for us.“

What do you think of Netflix setting up an MMA fight between Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey? Will you be watching this one? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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