Rousey and Carano made their first public appearance on Tuesday to promote their comeback fight at the Intuit Dome.
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“This is the biggest fight in MMA right now,” Rousey said. “There are no two people in this sport with more international recognition than Gina and I, except Conor (McGregor), but nobody is going to sanction that.”
Both fighters were pioneers in the beginnings of women’s MMA. Carano became the sport’s biggest television star in the 2000s before Rousey’s talent single-handedly persuaded the UFC to create women’s divisions in the 2010s.
But the sport accelerated beyond MMA icons, who moved on to entertainment careers after their star power seemed to exceed their skills in the cage. Carano, who turns 44 next month, hasn’t fought since 2009, while Rousey, 39, last competed in 2016 before having two children.
But neither fighter had completely given up on MMA, and this fight was too tempting to pass up.
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“We only get to live once, and this makes me feel very alive,” said Carano, who also revealed for the first time that she has married her longtime partner, Muay Thai fighter Kevin Ross.
Rousey and Carano finally decided to return for a fight that has been anticipated and predicted for many years despite the long detours in their careers.
Carano said that although she never formally retired, she was convinced to return after long conversations with Rousey, who was still pregnant when she proposed the fight more than a year ago.
“This is the only fight I wanted to come back to, the only fight that can inspire me like that,” Rousey said.
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Rousey harshly criticized the UFC for a financial offer much lower than what she will receive for this fight. Rousey initially wanted to return to the sport’s dominant promotion on its final pay-per-view card, but rejected their offer.
Rousey said she still loves UFC president Dana White, but that the promotion’s corporate overlords have strangled fighters’ salaries.
“Now it’s about changing the entire landscape of the sport and challenging the monolith that the UFC has become,” Rousey said.
The Netflix show is being promoted by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, but Rousey made it clear that she’s heavily involved in the promotional end. Paul hopes to promote many more MMA shows in the future.
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The fight, which is scheduled for five five-minute rounds, will be the main event at Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer’s opulent new stadium south of downtown Los Angeles.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will also appear on the card, fighting 40-year-old Philipe Lins.
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