INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Ronda Rousey says her bout with Gina Carano on May 16 is the biggest fight that can be made in mixed martial arts, and they're both thrilled to end their lengthy retirements for this long-awaited showdown.
Rousey and Carano made their first public appearance on Tuesday to promote their comeback bout at Intuit Dome, Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer's sparkling new arena.
While Carano expressed gratitude and excitement about her first fight in 17 years, the ever-feisty Rousey sees the bout as the opening strike in an attempt to challenge the UFC “monolith” for dominance in the sport.
“This is the biggest fight in MMA right now,” Rousey said. “There are no two people in this sport with more international name recognition than me and Gina — except Conor (McGregor), but no one is going to sanction that. This isn’t a charity card. This isn’t a throwback, nostalgia card. This is the biggest fight in the sport right now, and it needed to happen now. This is fate between us. We have been on a collision course ever since I sat on a couch watching her on TV, just in complete awe what this woman was doing."
Both fighters were pioneers in the nascent days of women's MMA. Carano was the sport's biggest early television star in the 2000s — and Rousey said she became aware of the sport by watching Carano, eventually picking it up and honing the talent that single-handedly persuaded the UFC to create women's divisions in the 2010s.
But the sport accelerated past the MMA icons, who both moved on to entertainment careers after their star power appeared to exceed their cage abilities. Carano, who turns 44 next month, hasn't fought at all since 2009, while the 39-year-old Rousey last competed in 2016 before having two children.
Both fighters say they had never fully given up on MMA, and this bout was too tantalizing to pass up.
“We only get to live once, and this makes me feel so alive,” said Carano, who also revealed for the first time that she has married her longtime partner, muay thai fighter Kevin Ross. “It's pretty incredible and surreal to be here today. It's healing. It's exciting. It's everything I could have hoped for. I didn't know I needed this so bad.”
Rousey and Carano have finally decided to return for a fight that's been anticipated and predicted for many years, despite their long career detours.
Carano said that while she never formally retired, she was persuaded to return after lengthy conversations with Rousey, who was nine months pregnant when she initially proposed the bout in December 2024. Rousey had no interest in fighting for several years while focused on professional wrestling and her family with former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, but she got the itch after helping her coach in judo training.
Rousey said she retired a decade ago not because of back-to-back losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, but because of neurological issues “that I didn't really have any clarity about, and it just hurt to be around (the sport).”
Carano also said she has been through several years of medical problems before feeling good enough recently to entertain a return to fighting.
“We both need to rewrite our own endings together,” Rousey said. “So I reached out to her, and it's been such a journey to get here. So many obstacles. So many people tried to get between us. We went from barely knowing each other to being like, ‘You know what? We’re going to fight each other.'”
As to those obstacles, Rousey sharply criticized the UFC for a financial offer that she says was much smaller than what they'll get from Netflix and Jake Paul's promotional company.
Rousey initially wanted to make her comeback with MMA's dominant promotion on its final pay-per-view card, but she sees the UFC's offer as part of a corporate sickness in the company for which she made untold millions.
Rousey said she still loves UFC President Dana White, but the promotion's corporate overlords have strangled fighter pay. Rousey even joined the sport-wide criticism of the fights announced for the high-profile UFC show at the White House this summer.
“Now it's become about changing the entire landscape of the sport and challenging the monolith that the UFC has become,” Rousey said. “Of course, I just wanted to do something fun. I don't have to change the world, but that's the way that we do it. I'm so happy that we're here, and I'm so grateful that Gina trusted me.”
The Netflix show is being promoted by YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, but Rousey made it clear she is heavily involved in the promotional end. Paul hopes to promote many more MMA shows in the future, and Rousey said she hopes to fill MVP's version of White's role in the company.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou also will appear on the card, fighting 40-year-old Philipe Lins. The 39-year-old Ngannou left the Professional Fighters League last week, and he said MVP's initial plan was for him to fight Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven before heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk made a deal to fight Verhoeven in Egypt.
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Ronda Rousey smiles while speaking to reporters during a news conference to promote her upcoming mixed martial arts return against Gina Carano in Inglewood, Calif., Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)
Ronda Rousey, center left, and Gina Carano, right, pose with promoter Jake Paul, center right, during a news conference in Inglewood, Calif., Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)
Quarterback Geno Smith is returning to where his career started after the New York Jets acquired him in a trade with Las Vegas, a person with knowledge of the deal said Tuesday.
The Raiders could have been in position to release Smith, their starter for a 3-14 team last season, with the expectation that they will make Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 pick out of Indiana in the draft next month.
Instead, Las Vegas worked out a swap of late-round selections with the Jets, who get a seventh-rounder while giving up a sixth-round choice and reuniting with their second-round pick from 2013.
ESPN reported that the Jets and the 35-year-old Smith agreed on a renegotiated contract, which had two years and $66 million remaining.
A person with knowledge of the deal said Detroit reached an agreement on the second day of free agency to add running back Isiah Pacheco as a replacement for David Montgomery after the Lions traded Jahmyr Gibbs' backup last week, before the negotiating window opened.
All the people are speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because transactions can’t become official until Wednesday, the first day of the NFL’s new league year.
Pacheco spent his first four seasons in the running back rotation with the Kansas City Chiefs, who agreed to a $45 million, three-year deal with Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in the opening hours of free agency.
Pacheco rushed for 2,537 yards and 14 touchdowns over four seasons with the Chiefs, helping them win two Super Bowls.
Montgomery, who no longer wanted to play behind Gibbs, was sent to the Houston Texans for offensive lineman Juice Scruggs along with fourth- and seventh-round draft picks.
The Chiefs also agreed to a $24.5 million, three-year deal with former Baltimore safety Alohi Gilman and an $11 million, two-year contract with receiver Tyquan Thornton, who emerged as perhaps their best deep threat during a 6-11 season that ended a 10-year playoff streak.
Gilman fills a big need in Kansas City’s depleted defensive backfield. Safety Bryan Cook is headed to Cincinnati, the Chiefs traded cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams and fellow cornerbacks Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams are signing elsewhere.
The Green Bay Packers are doing some shuffling at cornerback by adding Benjamin St-Juste while informing Nate Hobbs of a plan to release him a year after signing him to the $48 million, four-year contract, according to two people with knowledge of the decisions. St-Juste is getting a $10.5 million, two-year deal.
The Packers are keeping offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, who agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $3.75 million after starting four games last season.
St-Juste was on the field for about 35% of the Chargers’ defensive plays last season and also was a key special teams contributor during his lone year in Los Angeles. The 28-year-old has two interceptions over five seasons, the first four in Washington for the 2021 third-round draft pick.
Hobbs injured his knee in training camp last year and was benched midseason after leaving the Las Vegas Raiders to join the Packers. The 26-year-old made five starts in 11 appearances and had a career-low two pass breakups.
The Packers will designate Hobbs a post-June 1 cut, which will save about $8 million on the salary cap. Hobbs missed the wild-card loss to Chicago and said after the season he tore a medial collateral ligament Dec. 27 against Baltimore.
Pittsburgh agreed with running back Rico Dowdle on a $12.25 million, two-year deal in what will be a reunion with new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy. They were together in Dallas, where Dowdle became the first undrafted Cowboys running back to rush for 1,000 yards in McCarthy's final season in 2024.
Dowdle signed with Carolina last year and followed a 206-yard outing against Miami with 183 yards rushing and a 36-yard touchdown catch against the Cowboys. Dowdle finished the season with 1,076 yards.
The Steelers are waiting on what would be a much more significant reunion for McCarthy. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn't said whether he plans to return for a 22nd season, and second in Pittsburgh. The 42-year-old was with McCarthy for 12-plus seasons in Green Bay, and they won a Super Bowl during the 2010 season.
New England picked up one of the top available receivers in Romeo Doubs, agreeing with the former Green Bay player on a $70 million, four-year contract. The defending AFC champions also added guard Alijah Vera-Tucker on a $42 million, three-year deal.
The Buffalo Bills and tight end Dawson Knox agreed to a three-year contract extension that will save money under the salary cap. The seventh-year player was entering the final year of his deal and scheduled to count $17 million against Buffalo’s cap.
The New York Giants have an agreement with cornerback Greg Newsome after losing starter Cor'Dale Flott to Tennessee on the first day of negotiations for free agents. New York also has a deal with safety Ar’Darius Washington, the third player to follow new coach John Harbaugh from Baltimore after tight end Isaiah Likely and All-Pro punter Jordan Stout.
The Dallas Cowboys added a safety for the second day in a row, agreeing to a deal with P.J. Locke while also picking up defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia.
Locke spent his first six seasons with Denver, which included time with new Dallas defensive coordinator Christian Parker. The Cowboys added Jalen Thompson, who was with Arizona, on the first day of free agency.
Cleveland and linebacker Quincy Williams have agreed on a two-year contract worth up to $17 million. The deal reunites Williams with new Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, who was the New York Jets linebackers coach from 2021-24.
The Browns are re-signing offensive lineman Teven Jenkins, who played all 17 games last season and made four starts at right guard.
Minnesota is keeping two-time All-Pro long snapper Andrew DePaola. The 38-year-old is set for a seventh season with the Vikings. DePaola is the only long snapper to make three straight Pro Bowls (2022-24).
New Orleans brought back linebacker Kaden Elliss, a 2019 seventh-round draft pick who left the Saints for Atlanta as a free agent three seasons ago. He returns on a three-year deal worth up to $33 million, a person with knowledge of the contract told the AP. The Elliss signing came a day after Demario Davis, a starting Saints linebacker since 2018, left in free agency for the Jets.
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FILE - Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) leaves the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Dec. 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Benjamin St-Juste warms up before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Nov. 16, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
FILE - Green Bay Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs returns a kick off during an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens, Dec. 27, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke, File)
