Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey and pioneering women’s MMA star Gina Carano are set to make their long-awaited returns to combat sports in a historic showdown on Saturday, May 16, 2026.

The highly anticipated fight will headline the first-ever MMA event streamed globally on Netflix. The event will take place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles and is being produced by Most Valuable Promotions.

The card also features several major fights, including Francis Ngannou versus Philipe Lins and Nate Diaz taking on Mike Perry.

The main card is scheduled to begin at 9pm Eastern Time on Saturday, while preliminary bouts will start three hours earlier. Netflix subscribers worldwide will be able to watch the main event as part of their standard subscription package.

Rousey and Carano will compete in a featherweight bout scheduled for five five-minute rounds under the Unified Rules of MMA. The fight carries no championship title but has generated massive interest because of the legacy and rivalry surrounding both fighters.

Rousey, 39, became one of the most dominant and recognisable stars in women’s combat sports history during her UFC career. She retired after consecutive defeats in 2015 and 2016 and later transitioned into acting, professional wrestling and family life.

Ahead of the fight, Rousey said returning to MMA has allowed her to reconnect with the sport on her own terms after years away from competition.

Carano, 44, is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of women’s MMA and helped bring female fighters into mainstream combat sports during her Strikeforce career. After retiring from fighting in 2009, she built a successful Hollywood career, including a major role in The Mandalorian series.

Carano said she wants fans to remember her legacy as a fighter and insisted she is entering the contest to win rather than simply participate in a comeback event.

Sportsbooks currently list Rousey as the clear favourite heading into the bout, while Carano enters as the underdog despite her experience and popularity.

The main card includes:

• Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano
• Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry
• Francis Ngannou vs Philipe Lins
• Salahdine Parnasse vs Kenneth Cross
• Junior Dos Santos vs Robelis Despaigne

The preliminary card includes:

• Phumi Nkuta vs Adriano Moraes
• Jefferson Creighton vs Jason Jackson
• Namo Fazil vs Jake Babian
• David Mgoyan vs Albert Morales
• Aline Pereira vs Jade Masson-Wong
• Chris Avila vs Brandon Jenkins