MMA News

Tag: Netflix MMA

  • UFC Legends And Top Analysts Join Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano Broadcast Team

    UFC Legends And Top Analysts Join Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano Broadcast Team

    Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano is already one of the most talked-about combat sports events of the year, and now the promotion has added even more star power with the official reveal of its broadcast team.

    Set to take place this Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, the event will stream exclusively on Netflix under the Most Valuable Promotions banner. The card is headlined by the long-awaited return of Ronda Rousey against Gina Carano in a five-round featherweight showdown.

    For the live broadcast, veteran commentator Mauro Ranallo will handle play-by-play duties, joined cageside by former UFC fighter Kenny Florian as the color analyst. Sibley Scoles will serve as the roving reporter throughout the night, while Sean Wheelock takes on rules and scoring analysis. The in-cage announcing responsibilities will be handled by Kody Mommaerts.

    The desk coverage will be anchored by Elle Duncan, alongside former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and veteran journalist Ariel Helwani. The panel is expected to feature several high-profile guest appearances during the broadcast, including former UFC champions Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez, as well as Cat Zingano.

    The event marks a significant moment for Netflix as it continues expanding into live combat sports, with this being one of its most high-profile MMA broadcasts to date.

    Fight week coverage will also include multiple live elements. Open workouts are scheduled for Wednesday, followed by the official press conference on Thursday hosted by Helwani. Ceremonial weigh-ins will take place on Friday, with analysis from Woodley and Florian alongside additional commentary from Velasquez.

    Fans will be able to tune in early, with the preliminary card beginning at 6 p.m. ET on MVP’s YouTube channel, while the main card kicks off at 9 p.m. ET exclusively on Netflix.

  • Gina Carano Breaks Silence On Viral Lip Bite Ahead Of MMA Return After 17 Years – ‘Total Stoner Moment’

    Gina Carano Breaks Silence On Viral Lip Bite Ahead Of MMA Return After 17 Years – ‘Total Stoner Moment’

    Gina Carano built her early reputation not just on performances inside the cage, but also on moments that carried far beyond it. One of the most enduring came in 2009, when a brief cageside reaction turned into a viral clip that has followed her for years.

    Back in 2009, during Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz, Carano was in attendance as a rising star in the promotion, with a highly anticipated bout against Cris Cyborg on the horizon. That night, cameras repeatedly caught her in the crowd, capturing a now-iconic moment in which she looked into the lens and bit her lip with a playful smile.

    The clip quickly gained traction and has since been immortalized across GIFs and memes, becoming one of the most recognizable non-fight moments in MMA history.

    Gina Carano Finally Explains Viral Moment

    During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Carano opened up about what was actually going through her mind at the time, and the explanation is far less calculated than fans might expect.

    “I don’t smoke weed, but I had smoked weed (that night), and I was just living in my head,” Carano said. “The cameraman just kept on putting (the camera on me) – and I thought it was in my head because I was a little bit stoned. … I was just in my head. I was like, ‘Is this guy putting the camera on me a lot, or am I just being super paranoid?’ It turns out he was putting the camera on me a lot. So what was going through my head: Just like, ‘Act normal, act normal.’ And that happened. It was a total stoner moment.”

    Rather than a deliberate attempt to create a memorable TV moment, “Conviction” described it as a spontaneous reaction to repeatedly being put on camera while feeling slightly out of it. The result, however, took on a life of its own.

    “I don’t know,” Carano said. “The cameraman just kept on putting—and I thought it was in my head because I was a little bit stoned. I don’t smoke weed anymore because I’m not a weed smoker; it’s just too much for me. I don’t like anything that, like, I don’t even really drink anymore, barely. I’m like a whole different person.

    “It was just in my head, I was like, ‘Is this guy putting the camera on me a lot or am I just being super paranoid?’ It turns out he was putting the camera on me a lot, so what was going through my head, just like, ‘Act normal. Act normal,’ and that happens. So it was a total stoner moment.”

    Now 44, Carano is set to return to competition for the first time since her 2009 loss to Cyborg, ending a layoff that has stretched close to 17 years. She is scheduled to face Ronda Rousey on May 16 in a bout that headlines Netflix’s first live MMA event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

  • Gina Carano Reveals She Was Pre-Diabetic After Mandalorian Firing Left Her In Physical and Emotional Collapse

    Gina Carano Reveals She Was Pre-Diabetic After Mandalorian Firing Left Her In Physical and Emotional Collapse

    Gina Carano has given the most detailed account yet of how her firing from The Mandalorian in 2021 affected her health, revealing she became pre-diabetic during a five-year retreat from public life before fighting her way back.

    Speaking with Ariel Helwani on Wednesday, Carano described the immediate aftermath of the cancellation as a physical and emotional collapse that went far beyond losing a job.

    “I had so much anxiety in my body that my face hurt. Like my skin hurt me,” Carano said. “My soul was just crushed. My heart was broken. I felt like there was such injustice in what happened. It was just so harsh.”

    Paparazzi and stalkers began showing up at her door. She and her partner sold their Los Angeles home, bought an RV, tried Nashville, and eventually settled in Montana. By late 2024, her doctor delivered a serious warning.

    “You go to the doctor, you get your blood work, you’re pre-diabetic, you’re in trouble, you’re very sick. Time to get your life,” Carano said.

    September 2024 was the turning point. She committed to getting physically healthy, and by the time Dana White called her in December about a potential fight, she had already lost 30 pounds. The fight with Rousey, eventually made through Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix rather than the UFC, became the framework her recovery was built around.

    “I’m happy to have had it lead me here, because I’m doing this thing that saved my life in the beginning and now it’s saving my life again,” she said. “It’s fresh, it’s exciting, it feels groundbreaking, and I feel like I just had to get back to who I am. This is where it started.”

    Carano said she wants her comeback to carry a message for anyone else who has been in a similar place, and that she has moved well past any concern about how the story looks from the outside.

    “I want people to know, I’m over embarrassment by now, you’re never too far gone,” she said. “You can bring yourself back from cancellation, from being really obese. If you’re in an unhealthy state and something bad happens to you, that semi-healthy state turns into devastation on your body and it’s really hard to turn the corner on that.”

    Carano vs. Rousey headlines the first live MMA event on Netflix on May 16 from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

  • Gina Carano Warns Ronda Rousey: ‘I Want Her To Feel Everything I Have’

    Gina Carano Warns Ronda Rousey: ‘I Want Her To Feel Everything I Have’

    Gina Carano made one thing clear in her conversation with Ariel Helwani on Wednesday: the friendship she and Ronda Rousey have built in the lead-up to May 16 ends when the cage door closes.

    Speaking ahead of their Netflix fight at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Carano was direct about what Rousey should expect from her when the fight begins and pushed back on any suggestion that showing up would be enough.

    “Ronda’s been waiting to fight me for a very long time,” Carano said. “I don’t want to disappoint. I want her to feel everything I have. I want her to feel what she’s been chasing. It’s respectful to her. This is what I feel like, this is what this experience with me is going to feel like. So yeah, we’re going to go for it.”

    Helwani pressed Carano on whether the two women genuinely want to hurt each other. Her answer drew on what she described as a quality shared by most women who compete at a high level.

    “If you have females sparring in the gym, it’s really hard to not go heavy,” Carano said. “Women just cut that emotional thing off and it’s ‘me or you.’ Ronda has that. I have that. Most of the girls in the gym have that. So it’s just: we’re going to fight.”

    When Helwani asked whether the result even matters given the symbolic weight of the fight, Carano did not hesitate. “I really want to win. Like, I really want to win.”

    She framed May 16 as the proper conclusion to a chapter rather than the start of a new one. The fight is scheduled at featherweight with no one-pound allowance, matching the weight class she competed at throughout her EliteXC and Strikeforce career.

    “For me it’s purely about having gotten in shape, going through everything, getting back in there against an incredible opponent, putting on a great show. And really just going for that W and closing this part of my life.”

    She described the mindset shift that brought her to this point as a choice between two directions. “You can go left and choose to hate yourself and hate the world and all of that, or you can go right and get your shit together and say, ‘I’m going to do everything I can.’ I’ve chosen to go that direction, and I feel more alive than I’ve ever felt.”

    Carano vs. Rousey headlines the first live MMA card on Netflix on May 16 from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

  • Gina Carano Says Dana White Called First About Fight Against Ronda Rousey

    Gina Carano Says Dana White Called First About Fight Against Ronda Rousey

    Gina Carano has revealed the full timeline of how her May 16 fight against Ronda Rousey came together, and the path ran through a collapsed UFC deal before Rousey stepped in to finish the job herself.

    Speaking with Ariel Helwani on Wednesday, Carano explained that Dana White made the first call in December 2024, months after she had already begun working on her own to get back into fighting shape.

    “Dana called in December,” Carano said. “From September 2024 to when Dana called in December, I had lost about 30 lbs by that point, but I had a long way to go.”

    White had spent the back half of 2024 publicly teasing a major announcement, which Carano confirmed was tied to her. She asked him to stay quiet while she found a gym and got into condition without public scrutiny. Those initial conversations were UFC conversations, and they eventually stalled.

    Carano was candid about where her negotiating leverage actually sat. “I didn’t really have that much negotiating power, except for the fact that Ronda wants to fight me. I’m the only one she wants to fight. So I was just like, ‘Ronda, go for it.’”

    When the UFC negotiations went nowhere, Rousey handled it personally. The two women, linked by dream fight hypotheticals for more than a decade, finally sat down together in person.

    “She really led the way, she led the way a thousand percent. I just said yes. And then when their negotiations weren’t going anywhere, she called me personally. And then we had dinner and actually talked about it,” Carano said.

    The fight landed at Most Valuable Promotions with Netflix as the distribution partner, making Carano the headliner of the first live MMA card the streamer has ever produced. For Carano, the entire process had a clarity that she found grounding.

    “When you have a purpose and a goal, this goal of a fight has really just consumed me and put a protective shield over me that I needed to experience,” she said. “It’s very selfish. Eat, sleep, train. I needed to live like this for a second. And I’m already going to miss it.”

    Carano vs. Rousey headlines the Netflix card on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

  • Ronda Rousey Shuts Down Age Critics Before Long-Awaited MMA Return On May 16 – ‘Not Like My Ovaries are ighting’

    Ronda Rousey Shuts Down Age Critics Before Long-Awaited MMA Return On May 16 – ‘Not Like My Ovaries are ighting’

    Ronda Rousey is set to make her long-awaited return to MMA nearly a decade after her last fight, and she is pushing back firmly against doubts tied to her age.

    The former UFC bantamweight champion will face Gina Carano on May 16 in a high-profile bout that will headline the first MMA event to stream live on Netflix. The matchup brings together two of the sport’s early stars, though it has also sparked debate due to the extended time both fighters have spent away from competition.

    “Rowdy”, now 39, has not competed since her loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016, where she was stopped in just 48 seconds.

    That result came after her first professional defeat against Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015, which ended her dominant run as champion. Rousey holds a 12-2 record in professional MMA, including a 6-2 stint in the UFC.

    Ronda Rousey Addresses Criticism Over Age

    During a recent interview on CBS Mornings, Rousey dismissed the idea that her age should be seen as a limitation, as questions about her comeback continue to dominate discussion in the MMA community.

    “I never hear Jon Jones’ age being brought up as a disqualifying factor,” Rousey said. “It’s not like my ovaries are fighting. You know what I mean? Why are we even talking about this?”

    At her peak, Rousey was one of the most dominant fighters in the sport. She successfully defended the UFC women’s bantamweight title six times, often finishing opponents in under a minute, while becoming one of the promotion’s biggest crossover stars.

    Following her time in MMA, “Rowdy” transitioned into professional wrestling with WWE and appeared in several Hollywood films. Despite her long absence, she never officially retired, which left the possibility of a return open.

    “There was kind of like a cascade of things that led to it, but largely I wanted to rewrite my own ending in MMA,” Rousey said. “It was just unfinished. I never formally retired. Dana said I retired and I hadn’t fought in, like, 10 years, so I think I needed everyone to kind of give up on me coming back before I knew I was coming back just for me.”

    Carano, 43, has not competed since 2009, when she suffered a knockout loss to Cris Cyborg.

    For Rousey, the upcoming fight is expected to be a one-time return, aimed at closing her career on her own terms while rediscovering her connection to the sport.

  • MMA Fighter Claims He’s Earning 5x More Than UFC Debut Pay On Netflix MVP Card

    Kenny Cross has spent years knocking on the door of major promotions, but his breakthrough moment may finally arrive on one of the biggest stages in combat sports.

    The 31-year-old prospect is set to compete on May 16 as part of the inaugural Netflix-backed MMA event, a card headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano. While global stars dominate the spotlight, Cross finds himself in a unique position, stepping into a high-profile opportunity that could redefine his career.

    Kenny Cross Says Netflix Payday Surpasses UFC Entry-Level Contract

    Cross will face Salahdine Parnasse on the undercard, but it’s not just the matchup that has people talking. It’s the paycheck.

    After years of grinding on the regional scene and narrowly missing out on a UFC contract despite a win on Dana White’s Contender Series, “The Boss” revealed that this opportunity is far more lucrative than anything he would have earned as a newcomer in the UFC.

    “I’m making five times what a UFC fighter would make in his first fight,” Cross said during an interview with MMA Junkie. “I’m making the whole first contract outside of if they get a bonus. It’s just like all my hard work is finally paying off, and no gatekeeping.”

    Despite building a strong 17-4 record and stacking up wins across multiple promotions, Cross has repeatedly found himself overlooked when it came to securing a UFC deal. That frustration has been a recurring theme throughout his career.

    “It’s just like, what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I get into the UFC?” Cross said. “Sean Shelby was at my fight and this guy, it’s like, I beat all these guys and I hear that if they beat me, they’re going into the UFC. Then I beat them and it’s just like, I never hear anything.”

    From Frustration To opportunity On Global Stage

    Kenny Cross’s journey has been anything but straightforward. From a brief stint with Bellator to nearly making it onto The Ultimate Fighter, he has hovered in that difficult space between prospect and breakthrough star.

    Now, with Most Valuable Promotions entering the MMA landscape, “The Boss” believes he has finally found the platform he’s been waiting for.

    “I lose all my integrity and I lose all my hope, and this kinda gave it all back to me now, so it’s like sunny skies and I’m just excited,” he said.