Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will headline Jake Paul’s debut mixed martial arts (MMA) event, as MVP MMA 1 is set to go down later tonight (Sat., May 16, 2026) inside Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California (full results here). In the co-main event of the evening — which will be streaming live on Netflix — Nate Diaz will battle fellow UFC castaway, Mike Perry, in a Welterweight affair.
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ROUSEY VS. CARANO CHEAT SHEET
What MMA event is on tonight? “MVP MMA 1: Rousey vs. Carano”
Who is fighting at Rousey vs. Carano: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina
Carano Featherweight fight is the five-round main event.
What time does Rousey vs. Carano start? TONIGHT (Sat., May 16, 2026), with “Prelims” beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET on YouTube.
Where will Rousey vs. Carano take place? Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.
How can I watch Rousey vs. Carano? “Prelims” beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, with the main card on Netflix starting at 9 p.m. ET on Netflix.
How do I bet on Rousey vs. Carano? Check out the latest lines at DraftKings.com.
Where can I get Rousey vs. Carano updates and results? Get full Rousey vs. Carano play-by-play updates and live coverage here!
Ronda Rousey has taken advantage of being in the spotlight again by making headlines all week, but not exactly for promoting her comeback Featherweight fight against Gina Carano. Indeed, “Rowdy” has been just that, taking aim at TKO’s UFC — not the one Dana White and the Fertitta brothers had under control —, including Khamzat Chimaev and UFC CBO, Hunter Campbell, as well as current UFC Bantamweight champion, Kayla Harrison. I guess that’s what being away from the game for a decade will do to you, and eventually you have to let it all out. On to Rousey herself, she hasn’t competed since losing to Amanda Nunes via first-round knockout (see it again here), her second straight defeat via strikes, the other coming to Holly Holm a year prior (replay here). Since then, Rousey moved on from the sport, began a family, appeared in a few movies and pretty much stayed out of the MMA spotlight. That was until the chance to face Gina Carano surfaced, the original trailblazer for women’s MMA who has been out of the spotlight even longer than Rousey, with her last time seeing any competitive action coming Aug. 2009, a knockout loss to another women’s MMA pioneer Cris Cyborg. Following a pretty good in Hollywood, “Conviction” is now back in the cage trying to recapture the glory days of yesteryear.
There is no questioning the impact both Rousey and Carano had on women’s MMA. Carano kicked things off and Rousey further elevated the sport a few years later. But, let’s be real, this fight is not going to change the landscape of MMA forever and, if we are being honest, I don’t think it will do for MVP MMA what they expect it to do. I’m not hoping the promotion fails, if anything I hope it succeeds so there is an alternative to UFC and PFL. But we have seen this before a few times…Affliction MMA, comes to mind. You stack the card with known names and hope to have the success UFC does. And, more often than not, they go up in flames. As for the fight itself, Rousey likes to promote it as the greatest fight of all time. And while we all know the name of the game is to have confidence in yourself and promote your fight and event, we also all know that a bold statement like that simply isn’t true. If the fight was taking place 10 years ago, then maybe we’d be singing a different tune, but I doub’t anyone would be calling it the greatest fight of all time.
Rousey (39) is 10 years removed from her last fight — 11 from her last win — and Carano (44) hasn’t competed in 17 years, yes 17. So are we to expect a barn-burner of a fight? I doubt it. It’s not to say they aren’t skilled, but they are far from being in the prime of their combat careers and the ring rust will undoubtedly be a factor. Win or lose, I don’t expect either woman to make a full-on comeback, as I anticipate this to be a one-off for them. But, we are going to tune in and since it’s streaming on Netflix it will do major numbers. If it was a pay-per-view (PPV) event, then that would be a completely different story.
Original Card vs. Actual Card/Injuries:
Muhammad Mokaev encountered some visa issues and was forced out of his fight against former ONE FC vet Adriano Moraes. As a result, Phumi Nkuta was pegged as his replacement. Nkuta is undefeated at 11-0 with two knockouts and three submissions and has spent most of his time competing in the minor leagues. As for Moraes, he’s had a rough stretch as of late, losing three of four, which includes two straight defeats at the hands of Demetrious Johnson. Also, Lorenz Larkin was forced out of his fight against Jason Jackson as a result of an injury, and he was replaced by Jefferson Creighton, who is on a nine-fight unbeaten streak. As for Jackson, the former Bellator Welterweight champion didn’t have a great run with PFL, going an even 1-1 before parting ways with the promotion.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Winner of six straight, Namo Fazil is 9-1 overall in his MMA career, but he isn’t exactly a known figure in the big leagues. “Saif” will attempt to get that on the right track when he goes toe-to-toe against Jake Babian, who got off on the wrong foot in his MMA career by losing via TKO in 2023. Since then, however, he has won six straight and is looking for lucky win number seven.
Former UFC and Bellator vet, Albert Morales, is 7-1 in his last eight bouts and looks to keep his momentum going when he battles David Mgoyan, who is 8-1 as a pro. He began his MMA career just four years ago, so a big win over someone as experienced as Morales would be great for his career.
Aline Pereira went an even 2-2 under the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), alternating wins and losses along the way. She will look to break that streak as she goes for her second straight win when she goes up against Jade Masson-Wong, the Canadian-born fighter who is just 3-2 and currently on a two-fight losing streak. She hasn’t competed in six years, which seems to be the theme for this event.
Chris Avila was able to nab a spot on the card in large part to being best buds with co-headliner, Nate Diaz. Nepotism at its finest. Avila, who had short stints with both UFC and Bellator, is currently on a two-fight win streak — both via first-round knockout. He will attempt to go for his third straight when he goes up against Brandon Jenkins. The man known as “The Human Highlight Reel” hasn’t exactly been producing many, going just 2-5 in his last seven fights.
Interest Level: 8.5/10
In the co-main event, Nate Diaz makes his return to MMA after a four-year hiatus from the sport to face Mike Perry, another former UFC vet turned bare knuckle brawler. Diaz was last seen defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. Prior to that, he was on a two-fight skid, but it’s not like he’s ever been known for having a reputation of racking up several wins in a row, other than his five-fight win streak inside the Octagon in 2008. What he has been known for, however, is entertaining win, lose or draw. Against Perry, he will find a willing dance partner who will be more than happy to stand-and-bang to give fight fans what they want. Again, these two men are no longer worried about titles or trying to work their way up the ladder in other organizations. Today, it’s all about making the most money as possible. This is probably the most exciting fight on the card and the one that will likely produce more fireworks than any other.
Francis Ngannou’s run with PFL was not exactly what he, the promotion or fans expected to be. “The Predator” only competed once, knocking out Renan Ferreira in the very first round way back in 2024. While he has taken part in two big boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, he hasn’t done much in the MMA space since parting ways with UFC. Nevertheless, he hasn’t lost inside an MMA cage since 2018, winning seven in a row. All those wins, however, came in the span of six years, so to say Ngannou isn’t overly-active is an understatement. He will face off against Philipe Lins, a former UFC Light Heavyweight contender who was released by the promotion despite being on a four-fight win streak. Whether or not he has the power and skill to go blow-for-blow against someone like “The Predator” remains to be seen, but if he can pull off the upset it will be one of the biggest in recent memory. For Ngannou, a loss would be detrimental for his MMA career, or boxing career, for that matter.
Salahdine Parnasse was supposed to one day make an impact inside the Octagon, but that never came to be. And that is unfortunate because he is as talented and skilled as they come. He hasn’t had the chance to show that off in the majors, but he terrorized KSW for years and now he brings his talents stateside for the first time ever. He will face off against Kenneth Cross, who is 17-1 as a pro, though he came up short on securing a contract with UFC despite winning on the Contender Series. He has since gone 6-1, with his lone loss coming inside the Bellator cage. If he upsets Parnasse then that would do wonders for his MMA career and UFC may take a second look.
In keeping with the them of Jake Paul bringing former champions out of retirement to produce eyeballs for his first venture into the sport, ex- UFC Heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos, will compete in MMA for the first time in over two years. “JDS” has lost his last five MMA fights, though he has won two straight in the bare knuckle arena. He will attempt to lock down his first win inside the cage in seven years when he faces another ex-UFC castaway in Robelis Despaigne. “The Big Boy” kicked off his MMA career with five straight wins, all via first-round knockout. One of those quick finishes occurred in his UFC debut, disposing of Josh Parisian in just 18 seconds (see it again here). After that it went downhill in a hurry by losing two straight, which led to him being cut by the promotion. He has made quite a career for himself under the Karate Combat banner, going 7-0, which includes six knockouts. If he can get back on track by defeating a former champion like dos Santos — which I think he will do rather viciously — then he could make a case to either rejoin UFC or find himself a home with MVP MMA…for as long as it lasts.
Enjoy the fights!
Full Rousey vs. Carano Fight Card:
Main Event on Netflix:
145 lbs.: Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano
Main Card on Netflix (9 p.m. ET):
170 lbs.: Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry
265 lbs.: Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins
145 lbs.: Salahdine Parnasse vs. Kenny Cross
265 lbs.: Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne
‘Prelims’ Card On YouTube (6 p.m. ET):
170 lbs.: Namo Fazil vs. Jake Babian
125 lbs.: Adriano Moraes vs. Phumi Nkuta
170 lbs.: Jason Jackson vs. Jeff Creighton
145 lbs.: David Mgoyan vs. Albert Morales
13o lbs.: Aline Pereira vs. Jade Masson-Wong
165 lbs.: Chris Avila vs. Brandon Jenkins
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