UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey said that she will retire from MMA again after her upcoming bout against Gina Carano on Netflix.
Rousey recently shocked the MMA world when she came out of retirement to fight Carano in the main event of the Most Valuable Promotion MMA card set for May 16 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. This fight will mark Rousey’s return to active competition for the first time since losing to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016. As for Carano, she hasn’t fought since 2009, so her layoff is even longer than Rousey’s.
In recent weeks, Rousey has gone on a press tour where she has been trashing her former employer, the UFC, for its fighter pay scale, while suggesting the Jake Paul-led MVP promotion will change the sport of MMA for the better with their upcoming event. However, fans shouldn’t expect to see Rousey fight again after this card, as she recently admitted she will retire for a second time after she fights Carano.
Speaking on The Breakfast Club, Rousey admitted her fight against Carano is most likely a one-and-done appearance.
“I’m done fighting after this. Unless something goes down in this match that it deserves a trilogy from me and Gina. But I promised my husband, I promised my sister, everybody that this is my last one. I want to have more kids, too,” Rousey said (via MMAFighting.com).
Ronda Rousey is a UFC Hall of Famer
Rousey changed the world of MMA forever when she fought in the first-ever women’s mixed martial arts match in UFC history. She fought Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 in February 2013, winning the fight by submission and becoming a global superstar in the process. Rousey then became a cultural phenomenon, as she won her first six fights in the UFC, all by stoppage, to become the face of the sport. However, she was shockingly knocked out with a head kick by Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015, and then, after being knocked out by Nunes in her next bout, Rousey decided to retire from MMA. Her retirement lasted nearly a decade, until she came out of it to fight Carano at the MVP MMA event on Netflix next month at age 39.
Regardless of what happens in this fight, though, Rousey’s legacy in the sport is cemented. She was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018, and she is considered by many to be one of the most important fighters in MMA history, as she helped to legitimize women’s MMA in the UFC.
Carano is Coming Off a 17-year Layoff
Before Rousey, Carano was the biggest star in women’s MMA. Though she never fought in the UFC, Carano fought on network television for Elite XC, and she also competed in Strikeforce. She was a massive star in the early days of women’s MMA, winning the first seven fights of her MMA career before being knocked out by WMMA great Cris Cyborg in August 2009. That turned out to be Carano’s last fight, so she will be returning from a nearly 17-year layoff when she fights Rousey, and at age 44, nonetheless.
Betting lines indicate that Rousey is a significant betting favorite to win this fight due to her superior ground game, though Carano will have a puncher’s chance if she can keep it standing.
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