INGLEWOOD, Calif.— Two of the biggest pioneers in women’s mixed martial arts stood face to face Thursday at Intuit Dome, but there was little animosity between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano ahead of their highly anticipated fight Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Instead, the final press conference for Most Valuable Promotions’ first major MMA event carried more of a celebratory tone as the former UFC champion and Olympic medalist Rousey and trailblazing former Strikeforce star Carano reflected on their impact on combat sports and the magnitude of the event, which will stream globally on Netflix from Intuit Dome.
“I feel like however this goes, if she takes me out and puts me down on the canvas, I think that she's going to be the first person to help me up,” Rousey said. “And if I take her down and tap her out, I'll be the first person to help her up. We don't need to hate each other to be able to give each other our best.”
Rousey, who helped bring women’s MMA into the mainstream during her UFC run, spoke passionately about the opportunities she believes the event could create for fighters moving forward under MVP and Netflix.
“So now me and Gina are smashing the record for the most women have ever been paid in combat sports,” Rousey said. “Who's to say we can't parlay the success of this to me and her making a genre-shattering martial arts film with Netflix after this? ... I am not chasing greatness, motherf****r. I am greatness.”
Carano, competing in her first major MMA event in years, said the road back to the cage had been emotional and physically demanding.
“I’m just trying to relish every moment and not rush through it,” Carano said. “Five years ago I gave up the dream, and then a turn of events and I'm so grateful to Ronda for bringing me back into this.”
Carano added that Rousey’s presence helped motivate her through an intense training camp.
“I've worked so hard,” Carano said. “Having Ronda as the goal has gotten me out of bed every single morning.”
Saturday’s card also features several marquee bouts, including Nate Diaz against Mike Perry and heavyweight star Francis Ngannou taking on Brazil’s Philipe Lins.
Diaz, never one for lengthy speeches, kept his comments brief when asked about Perry’s prediction of a violent fight.
“Drive safely,” Diaz deadpanned.
Perry embraced the chaos expected in the matchup.
“I’m ready to have a freaking battle for five rounds or five seconds,” Perry said. “We gonna be scrapping in the middle.”
Ngannou, meanwhile, used the stage to reinforce his status among MMA’s elite heavyweights while also addressing longtime speculation surrounding a potential future bout with Jon Jones, who will reportedly join the event’s broadcast team.
“If the condition was right, we could fight each other,” Ngannou said. “He would be the most exciting fight in my career.”
The event marks a significant expansion into MMA for MVP and Netflix after the success of their recent boxing ventures. Organizers billed the card as featuring “the most star power ever assembled on a single MMA fight card.”
The fights will be contested under the Unified Rules of MMA inside a hexagon cage with five-minute rounds and 4-ounce gloves.