'That is my moment': Gina Carano will pioneer in MMA again versus Ronda Rousey
Key takeaways
- And now, two decades after her first groundbreaking MMA moment, Carano, 44, has a unique opportunity to be a trailblazer again for a new audience.
- For many, this is an MMA dream fight and a generational clash in which the past is transported to an evolved present.
- "I get to revive and reveal the fighting side of me because a lot of people either forgot or weren't around the last time I fought," Carano told ESPN last month.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Gina Carano went on to have a successful action movie career after stepping away from MMA in 2009. Melina Pizano/Getty Images for Netflix Andreas Hale May 12, 2026, 09:27 AM ETClose Andreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas' free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM's Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z's Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film "Bridges" in 2024.Follow on XMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsGina Carano is a woman of firsts. In August 2009, Carano and Cris Cyborg were the first women to headline a major MMA event on Showtime. Before that, Carano was one half of the first women's MMA fight to be broadcast on live television in 2007. And before that, in 2006, she fought in Nevada's first sanctioned women's MMA fight.
And now, two decades after her first groundbreaking MMA moment, Carano, 44, has a unique opportunity to be a trailblazer again for a new audience. She and fellow women's MMA pioneer Ronda Rousey will close out the first mixed martial arts card promoted by Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions brand live on Netflix.
For many, this is an MMA dream fight and a generational clash in which the past is transported to an evolved present. It's the women's MMA version of Billie Jean King vs. Serena Williams, Lisa Leslie vs. A'ja Wilson or Laila Ali vs. Claressa Shields. Carano vs. Rousey in 2026 is both a historic and crowning achievement that celebrates women's MMA.