One of the most well-known names in MMA this century is making her comeback on Saturday night.
Former UFC star Ronda Rousey, also known for her WWE and acting careers, will be partaking in her first fight since 2016 as she faces Gina Carano — nearly a full decade since Rousey’s last appearance in the cage.
Despite Rousey’s deep UFC ties, it’s through Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) that her Netflix fight will be taking place. But will Rousey consider a return to UFC?
Here’s what to know about Rousey’s UFC history and her relationship with Dana White.
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Is Ronda Rousey fighting in the UFC?
No, Rousey’s May 2026 bout with Gina Carano is not a UFC fight.
While the peak of Rousey’s career came in the UFC, her decision to return and face Carano was through Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Could Ronda Rousey fight in the UFC in the future?
According to ESPN, when Rousey made her initial plans to make a comeback, she wanted to make her final fight come in the UFC. But the UFC “wasn’t willing to pay what she considered fair compensation.” While official details on the Carano fight payout aren’t public, per BBC, Rousey recently said that the fight will set a new purse record for female fighters. Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor were reportedly paid around $5 million for their 2025 fight.
Rousey also “accused the UFC’s corporate structure, specifically chief financial officer Hunter Campbell, for serving shareholders over the good of the sport,” per ESPN. While a return to UFC isn’t impossible, all indications are that Rousey’s May 2026 bout is due to be the official last fight of her career, this time through MVP, and she has repeatedly said it is partially only happening because of her respect for Carano.
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Ronda Rousey–Dana White relationship
Rousey and UFC CEO Dana White are known to have a close friendship, something that has not changed despite the MMA star making her comeback through Jake Paul’s company.
While Rousey isn’t known to be a fan of UFC’s current structure — per ESPN, she’s held a position that “the UFC has started to turn into a soulless version of its old self” — that has little to do with White. They are still friends, and she “believes [White] was overruled when it came to the UFC’s decision to pass on her fight with Carano,” according to ESPN.
Ahead of her fight with Carano, Rousey, who was the first female fighter signed by the UFC and became the first female fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018, cleared the air about her relationship with White.
“I love Dana,” Rousey said, per Yahoo. “He’s always going to be one of my closest friends.”
Rousey also said White “understands” that she has “allegiance” to him and Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, but not the current state of the UFC, and “he doesn’t take any of this personal.”
Having the freedom with MVP to control the details of her return to MMA also played a role for Rousey.
“When I was able to shift from working for a promoter, whether that be WWE or UFC, to [saying], ‘I am the promoter,’ then it was like, ‘Oh, I can promote this event however I want,” Rousey said, per Yahoo. “I actually have power here to dictate who was part of this event and how to run things.”
Ronda Rousey reveals how Dana White reacted when she let him know about fighting on Netflix:
“I gave them a chance to counter, but Dana is legally bound to maximize shareholder value… He was just so gracious and sweet. He was like, ‘I love you. We’re always going to be good. I… pic.twitter.com/ndvjZOmB1Q
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 12, 2026
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Ronda Rousey UFC record
Over her UFC career, which lasted from 2011-16, Rousey went 12-2-0. All 12 of her victories came in a row before consecutive losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes in 2015 and 2016.
Rousey retired from MMA in 2016 after her TKO loss to Nunes, and she began a career in professional wrestling with WWE in 2018.
How old is Ronda Rousey?
Rousey is 39 years old. She will turn 40 on Feb. 1, 2027.
At the time of Rousey’s last MMA fight in December 2016, she was 29 years old.
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