Former UFC champion and WWE star Ronda Rousey has revealed plans to step back into the MMA cage, announcing a fight against Gina Carano scheduled for May 16, 2026.
The bout will mark Rousey’s first MMA appearance in nearly a decade. Her last fight took place in December 2016, when she was defeated by Amanda Nunes. That loss followed her earlier title defeat to Holly Holm, which ended her dominant run in the bantamweight division.
Despite the long hiatus, Rousey believes she has developed significantly as a fighter. During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, she explained that advances in training resources and coaching have helped her evolve beyond the version of herself that once ruled the division.
“I’m better than I’ve ever been. I’m definitely better than I’ve ever been,” Rousey told TMZ Sports. “It just really helps so much that the landscape of the sport has changed. People forgot that when I was competing before there were no coaches with MMA experience. There was no one with MMA experience with coaching experience. So usually the person with the most MMA experience on the team was the fighter. And everybody else had their own separate discipline and it was up to the fighter themselves to try and piece things together. Finally with this camp, I have help with that. I’m not just guessing and having to go and spar over and over and over again and try and piece things together and figure things out. It’s us as a team actually developing all of this together.”
Rousey was previously coached by Edmond Tarverdyan during her original run in the sport, training out of Glendale Fighting Club. That partnership drew criticism following her championship losses, but Rousey now believes the overall MMA training environment has improved dramatically compared to the early 2010s.
Now approaching 40 years old, Rousey acknowledged that her physical attributes have changed since her prime years in the UFC. Known for her Olympic-level judo and lightning-fast armbar submissions, she believes her understanding of the sport and overall fight IQ have reached new heights.
“I was more strong and more explosive and, more cartilage and collagen before. But always what set me apart is my technique and how skilled I am as a martial artist,” Rousey explained. “And I’ve never been more skilled, my technique’s never been better, I’ve never had a better and higher fight IQ. This is definitely the best that I’ve ever been.”
Her opponent, Carano, has not competed in MMA since a 2009 defeat to Cris Cyborg in Strikeforce. The upcoming fight will therefore mark a return to the cage for both fighters after lengthy absences from the sport.
The matchup has already generated significant buzz among combat sports fans, as it brings together two pioneers of women’s MMA for a highly anticipated showdown in 2026.
