Rousey, Carano Return After 10 and 17 Years for Netflix's First Live MMA Fight

8 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 15

Saturday’s bout at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome puts Ronda Rousey, 39, back in MMA for the first time since 2016 and Gina Carano, 44, back for the first time since 2009.
Months of preparation centered on managing age and long layoffs: California required brain scans, cardiac tests and neurocognitive screening for older fighters, while Rousey says a preventive migraine medication approved by regulators changed her camp.
Recovery became the backbone of both camps, with saunas, cold plunges, hyperbaric oxygen and red-light therapy replacing the two-a-day grind; Carano also said adding carbohydrates back into training improved performance after a 20-pound weight loss.
The comeback was driven by different personal pressures: Rousey says Mike Tyson’s late-career return helped spark the idea, while Carano embraced the fight as a focus away from her lawsuit with Lucasfilm, which was settled last year.
Most Valuable Promotions is betting the nostalgia matchup can carry its first MMA card and Netflix’s first live MMA broadcast, even as coaches and critics warn that 'ring rust' after such long absences remains a real risk.

Can advanced science truly conquer a decade of ring rust for MMA's returning female pioneers?

Is this Netflix showdown the birth of a true UFC rival or just a high-stakes nostalgia play?