Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will join forces with Jake Paul to promote one of the biggest fights of the summer. In a surprising announcement made Tuesday, the two pioneers of women’s MMA agreed to face each other in a superfight on May 16, the main event of the first MMA card broadcast live on Netflix.

The Rousey vs. Carano bout is expected to be a five-round featherweight (145 pounds) contest at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions will promote the historic event.

At 39, Rousey is one of the most influential and popular athletes in MMA history. An Olympic judo medalist, she rose meteorically in the sport and played a key role in convincing UFC president Dana White to open the organization to women. After winning the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title in 2012, she brought the belt to the UFC and defended it six consecutive times between 2013 and 2015, becoming one of the most famous athletes in the world.

Her reign ended after knockout losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. She then retired from MMA and transitioned into professional wrestling with WWE. In 2018, she became the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Carano, now 43, was the biggest star in women’s MMA before Rousey’s arrival. In 2007, she and Julie Kedzie headlined the first women’s fight ever televised on Showtime. Two years later, she made history again by facing Cris Cyborg in the first women’s bout to headline a major MMA event, losing by first-round TKO.

After her only professional defeat, Carano left the sport and pursued an acting career, appearing in franchises such as Fast & Furious, Deadpool, and Star Wars.

For years, fans considered Rousey vs. Carano a dream matchup. The UFC made several attempts to convince Carano to return for the fight — especially in 2014 — but without success.

That began to change in the second half of 2025, when both fighters hinted at simultaneous returns to training. In December, Carano’s coach, John Wood, revealed she was testing the possibility of a comeback.

According to him, Carano wanted to get back into shape and “see how far she could go.” Wood also emphasized that a true fighter’s competitive instinct never disappears and said she still maintains power and skill.

More details about Rousey vs. Carano and Netflix’s debut in live MMA broadcasts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.