Rousey says fight vs. Carano about challenging UFC 'monolith' - ESPN

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — 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 Tuesday to promote their comeback bout at Intuit Dome.

«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.»

Both fighters were pioneers in the nascent days of women's MMA. Carano became the sport's biggest early television star in the 2000s before Rousey's talent singlehandedly 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, and the 39-year-old Rousey last competed in 2016 before having two children.

But neither fighter had 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.

Rousey and Carano finally decided to return for a fight that has been anticipated and predicted for many years despite the fighters' long career detours.

Carano said that although she never formally retired, she was persuaded to return after lengthy conversations with Rousey, who was still pregnant when she proposed the bout more than a year ago.

«This is the only fight I wanted to come