
Ronda Rousey plans to return to MMA after nearly ten years, headlining a Netflix card on May 16 against Gina Carano. She also envisions fan-made fights and a new MMA system.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ronda Rousey says sheâs got big plans for MMA beyond her return to the octagon.
The former UFC bantamweight champion is set to make her first appearance in nearly ten years when she headlines the inaugural Netflix card on May 16.
Sheâll be facing Gina Carano, another trailblazer in womenâs MMA, on a night that also features comebacks from Francis Ngannou and Nate Diaz.
While this bout is expected to be Rouseyâs last, she has no intention of stepping away from the sport completely.
Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
The 39-year-old has also been outspoken about her former employer, taking issue with the UFCâs contract structure and questioning Hunter Campbellâs influence within the organisation.
She now plans to carve out a similar role under the Most Valuable Promotions banner, claiming she has more experience to lead the sport than Campbell.
And if she does land a leadership position at MVP MMA, Rousey says her first order of business would be to move away from title-focused matchmaking and put more emphasis on fighter storylines.
âThe point should be great fights,â Rousey told Sibley Scoles on ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT. âWho really cares about a title?
âI would love to do through MVP â if we continued to do this â is make every single person at home a matchmaker. What fight do you want to see next? Who do you think would match up great? Put on great fights for the sake of great fights.
âTitles and belts are almost constricting or they force fights that arenât really great matchups. It should be about the fight itself,â she added.
Ronda Rousey is set to return to MMA on May 16, headlining a Netflix card.
Ronda Rousey will face Gina Carano in her comeback match.
Ronda Rousey aims to introduce fan-made fights and a new MMA system.
Francis Ngannou and Nate Diaz are also making comebacks on the same night.

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âThe future of the sport is not titles or brands. Itâs these showcase fights. When you see people that are characters that stand out, that know how to captivate people, thatâs something that needs to be nourished.â
But Rouseyâs ideas go beyond the competitive side of the sport.
She spoke about setting up a fightersâ pension fund and providing health insurance during an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show.
âIf I was calling the shots, I would say, âHey, letâs take a dollar from every ticket sale and put it towards a pension fund. Hey, every time someone fights for us, letâs give them health insurance for the next year. And if theyâre fighting for us continuously, then they continue having health insurance.â
âI can enact the kind of changes that I would want to see a union do from the inside. From being in a position to be able to make those decisions.
âA union is a lot of work, and fighters are very conflict-oriented, you know what I mean? I feel like these things like the PI and the super gyms, itâs kind of fracturing the family around the fighters,â she added.
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