Two MMA legends set for a historic showdown
In the world of mixed martial arts, few names carry as much weight and influence as Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. These two women helped put female fighting on the global stage in the first place, and for years fans have dreamed of seeing them square off in the cage. Recently Rousey explained why that dream fight wasn’t going to happen in the UFC after all and it’s not just about timing or readiness, but about money, business models, and how the sport is evolving.
The History and Anticipation
Ronda Rousey, a former undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight champion and the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, has nearly become synonymous with the rise of women’s MMA. After dominating the sport for years with a mix of elite judo and submission skills, she retired in 2016 only to explore wrestling, acting, and other combat sports ventures.
Gina Carano, on the other hand, was one of the earliest female MMA stars. Although she never fought in the UFC during her original MMA career, her exciting fights in Strikeforce and early MMA promotions helped open the door for women in the sport. After transitioning into acting and pop culture, including roles in The Mandalorian and major films, she remains one of MMA’s most recognizable figures.
Fans and fighters alike have long imagined a Rousey vs Carano fight not only for its sporting intrigue but for the cultural moment it would represent. When talks finally began between the two, excitement surged within the MMA community.
Why the UFC Didn’t Make It Happen
In a recent interview on The Jim Rome Show, Rousey explained the key reason the fight didn’t happen under the UFC umbrella money. At one point, talks with UFC President Dana White were promising. Rousey said White was enthusiastic about the match and even sent her an excited voice message when discussions began. But that was before major changes inside the UFC’s business model took shape.
Originally, the plan was to hold the fight under the UFC with a New Year’s date in mind. Rousey was even offered what was described as a record-setting pay-per-view deal, where she would have earned more per buy than any other fighter in history. Rousey said the numbers could have matched or exceeded everything she ever made in her career.
But then everything shifted
The UFC negotiated a massive $7.7 billion deal to broadcast events via Paramount+ and move away from traditional pay-per-view sales. While the new streaming agreement was designed to grow the sport, it also eliminated the lucrative PPV revenue model that fighters like Rousey relied on to earn significant money. Without the PPV points, the economics looked very different and far less attractive for elite fighters asking for guaranteed pay.
Rousey explained that UFC leadership, now obligated to maximize shareholder value as a publicly traded company, didn’t want to set a precedent by agreeing to a massive guaranteed payout. If the company agreed to pay her what she believes she deserved, others would expect similar treatment, increasing costs across the roster.
Ultimately, UFC brass couldn’t or wouldn’t offer the kind of guaranteed deal Rousey and Carano wanted, and the fight was no longer compelling for them to do under that banner. “They just made a huge deal with Paramount so it’s in their best interest to spend as little money as possible,” Rousey said.
The New Home: Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions
Faced with a choice, Rousey and Carano looked elsewhere. They eventually signed the fight to Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), a company co-founded by influencer and boxer Jake Paul that has been promoting crossover combat events. The bout is now scheduled for May 16, 2026 and will stream exclusively on Netflix, reaching a global audience of over 300 million subscribers.
Netflix has already made headlines by paying huge sums to stream one-off events like Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul and the Canelo Alvarez boxing matches. It appears Netflix was willing to offer a much larger guaranteed payout to Rousey and Carano than the UFC was prepared to match under the new streaming model.
This shift shows larger trends in combat sports traditional promotions like the UFC are adapting to new media realities, while alternative promoters are willing to invest heavily in individual blockbuster events to draw subscribers and attention. For fighters, this can mean more negotiating power and bigger guaranteed paydays outside the traditional system.
What This Means for the Future of MMA
The Rousey-Carano situation highlights some deeper conversations happening in MMA today. The elimination of PPV points in exchange for a major streaming deal has left some fighters questioning whether the new structure truly benefits them. Critics argue that while streaming plans may raise the overall profile of MMA, they may also reduce individual fighters’ ability to capture the full financial upside of their drawing power.
Even some fighters with championship pedigrees have publicly debated the worth of UFC contracts in this new era. Former bantamweight champion Cris Cyborg voiced agreement with Rousey’s sentiment that guaranteed purses matter, saying she experienced similar frustrations under past UFC negotiations.
The UFC insists fighters won’t make less under the new streaming structure, but high-profile departures or in this case, defections of individual events show there are still unresolved tensions between fighter compensation and corporate strategy. As streaming begins to dominate combat sports revenue models, the industry may continue to evolve in unpredictable ways.
A Historic Moment Outside the UFC
While it’s disappointing for many MMA purists that the Rousey vs Carano fight won’t happen under the UFC name, the larger story is about empowerment and financial agency for fighters. Two of the most iconic women in MMA history are headlining what is considered one of the biggest events in combat sports for 2026 and they are doing it on their own terms.
Regardless of what anyone thinks about the business politics, fans around the world will finally witness Rousey and Carano share the cage in what many call the biggest superfight in women’s MMA history. With both women coming back after years away, it’s a rare cultural moment that transcends any single promotion.
Final Thoughts
The Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano saga wasn’t just about a fight it was about how the sport of mixed martial arts values its stars, how revenue models shift over time, and how fighters are navigating a changing landscape in combat sports. Whether in the UFC or on Netflix, etc, this fight marks a defining moment and shows that sometimes the biggest battles happen outside the octagon.
