From octagon to icon: Ronda Rousey tells fighters to emulate her and Gina Carano

Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

Ronda Rousey sees her return to the Octagon as more than just a comeback – she hopes it can be an example for others in women’s MMA.

The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion is coming back in 2026, marking ten years since her last appearance.

Rousey will face Gina Carano at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, with Netflix streaming the bout between two early stars of the women’s game.

While Rousey helped open doors for female fighters, she believes there’s still a fundamental piece of the game that many are missing.

Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

Ronda Rousey tells female fighters to follow her blueprint in MMA

Rousey did not hold back when responding to Kayla Harrison, who had called her “irrelevant.” She spoke after a press conference promoting the first-ever MMA event on Netflix.

Speaking to reporter Mike Bohn after the event, Rousey explained that these kinds of moments are what she thinks modern fighters often lack.

She believes today’s athletes could pick up a few lessons from how she and Carano are handling the lead-up to their fight.

“I don’t know if (women’s MMA) has leveled up yet,” Rousey said. “I think they’ve done an incredible job (since I left), but a lot of them need to realize that just going in and fighting isn’t the whole job, and really putting a lot of thought into media.

“Your job isn’t to win fights, it’s to get people to watch your fights,” she continued. “It’s awesome that people are watching the brand…but it’s important for all the women to learn from this, from what me and Gina are doing, and what we’ve done in the past.