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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