According to ESPN, Ronda Rousey will face Gina Carano on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, in the main event of the first mixed martial arts card to air on Netflix. The report says the card, promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, also includes names such as Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou, but the event is framed as Rousey’s project — she initiated and fought for it to happen.
The return has frequently been called a comeback, but Rousey framed it differently in an interview. Rousey told ESPN the fight represents closure rather than a comeback, calling it “a chance for me to rewrite my ending.” The report says the 39-year-old’s decision to return unfolded over the past two years as circumstances aligned to bring her and MMA back together.
The report traces the end of Rousey’s previous run in the sport to a series of moments. It notes Dec. 30, 2016, at UFC 207, when Amanda Nunes defeated Rousey in what became her final UFC appearance, but also points to earlier events such as Rousey covering her face with a pillow at Los Angeles International Airport after the Holly Holm loss in November 2015 and a period when fight preparations became so toxic that Rousey’s mother refused to attend a fight.
Rousey described the aftermath in blunt terms. Rousey told ESPN, “I’m not sure there was an end. It was all f—ed up. It was like one of those popup books over there, refusing to close.” The report says she built “a lot of walls” around her heart, and that a mutual resentment grew between her and fans who, she felt, did not understand her sacrifices and reactions to defeat.
The report also highlights Rousey’s life away from the spotlight: a rural home with a backyard tree full of caterpillars her 4-year-old daughter checks, a fenced duck pond, three compost heaps, a cow named Myrtle, a dog called Poncho, and domestic clutter from small children. The report says Rousey and her husband, retired UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, have long hoped to move to Hawaii and that Rousey has spoken of wanting more children. Per the report, this event is presented as a way to bring narrative closure to a story that Rousey felt never properly ended.
