05/15/26 04:00:00
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05/15 15:56 CDT Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are ready to roll back the clock
in a double MMA comeback for the ages
Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are ready to roll back the clock in a double MMA
comeback for the ages
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) --- Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano aren't bothering to
pretend to hate each other this week.
These trailblazing fighters have been through too much and been away from mixed
martial arts for too long to get caught up in their sport's usual pre-fight
posturing and preening. When they enter the cage at Intuit Dome on Saturday in
a double comeback for the ages, they'll do it with a mutual respect borne from
the similarities between their two remarkable journeys to this unlikely night.
And then they'll attack with all they've got left, perhaps for the very last
time.
"I'm going to give her every single thing that I have, and because we have so
much respect for each other, I know we have forgiveness in our hearts for each
other," Rousey said. "I will be the first one to pop her elbow back in and
drive her to the hospital and get her flowers, and I hope that she would be the
first person to help me off the mat if I ended up going down myself."
The 39-year-old Rousey (12-2) is ending her 9 1/2-year hiatus from MMA to take
on the 44-year-old Carano (7-1), who hasn't fought in 17 years. Both fighters
comfortably made the 145-pound featherweight limit Friday, taking the final
step before their unprecedented returns in the first live MMA event on Netflix.
Not even the fighters are sure what to expect in this meeting of the two most
important athletes in the history of women's MMA, which is a thriving sport
today largely because of their successes. Rousey remains one of the most famous
fighters in the world after soaring over the barriers toppled by Carano, who
accomplished a host of firsts when combat sports found a foothold on television
in the late 2000s.
Both Rousey and Carano realize their lengthy absences from competition might
have fans wondering if they've still got any skills worth watching. Although
they haven't been in a cage in many years, both say their skills and discipline
were ingrained in them years ago, and their return to training has been a
welcome chance to redefine that part of themselves.
"I just think I'm a better overall martial artist than I was ever, and my head
is actually attached to my body this time around," Carano said. "I was in the
clouds in my 20s. I don't know if we all remember what it's like to be in our
20s, but man, I do not miss that. I would not go back if anybody paid me to go
back to my 20s. It feels nice to be connected, and I'm just so excited to do
this again."
Rousey and Carano are the main event in the first venture into MMA for MVP
Promotions, the company backed by influencer-boxer Jake Paul. MVP believes it
can carve out a space in the UFC-dominated sport by creating star-driven events
--- a notable weakness for the UFC, which hasn't produced a headliner with
anything near Rousey's drawing power in the nine years since her departure.
To that vision, Rousey and Carano aren't the only reason fans might be
interested in the show at billionaire Steve Ballmer's sparkling new arena south
of downtown Los Angeles.
Popular veteran Nate Diaz is taking on brawler Mike Perry in the co-main event,
while former UFC heavyweight champions Francis Ngannou and Junior Dos Santos
are also appearing on the show in separate bouts.
But the marquee event is a fascinating chance to see two of the most
influential female athletes of the 21st century attempting to roll back the
clock for a fight that was on many fans' wish lists over a decade ago.
Rousey made an incredible rise, but her exposure to white-hot stardom burned
her repeatedly, she realizes now. After consecutive losses to Holly Holm and
Amanda Nunes, health problems compelled Rousey to step out of the cage with
more than a little bitterness and frustration.
She was welcomed into professional wrestling and acting, but Rousey took a
break from it all to have two children with her husband, former UFC heavyweight
Travis Browne. When she decided to fight again --- and perhaps for the final
time --- she was able to do everything on her own terms.
"It's incredible, because I feel like no matter which way it goes, I'm totally
at peace with it," Rousey said. "It's one of those rare fights where I think
it's a feel-good experience no matter what. It's going to be great, no matter
what."
She chose to fight Carano, the women's MMA pioneer whose television stardom in
the late 2000s first alerted Rousey to the existence of the sport. Carano
admits she was at loose ends after the collapse of her mainstream acting
career, and she finally accepted the comeback fight she had considered
repeatedly over the years.
Carano and Rousey have formed a strong bond during the months of negotiation
and promotion leading up to their showdown. They say they'll be fast friends
after the fight --- but not before they throw elbows and armbars in a fight
that the MMA world thought it would never see.
"What I missed most was the people," Carano said. "I missed the martial arts
community, so it's really sweet to be back in this vibe."
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