Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano: Stricter concussion tests for MMA return

Carano, 43, retired from MMA 17 years ago while Rousey hung up her gloves 10 years ago, but did compete in the WWE from 2018 onwards.

Rousey told BBC Sport in 2024 how she suffered from concussions before she transitioned into MMA from judo.

“I had been hiding concussions and neurological injuries for so long that it just became part of it,” she said.

“And that was the point I was forced to really self-assess and be like, ‘your brain has taken too much damage for too many years’.”

Foster says he currently has no concerns about the contest as long as they “pass their medicals and pass all their neurological batteries”.

“There’s nothing wrong with this fight,” he added.

Rousey v Carano will headline the first MMA event on Netflix. Rousey is a former UFC champion – becoming the first female to sign with the promotion – while Carano is considered one of the pioneers of the sport in the women’s code.

Carano retired before Rousey made her MMA debut, but the rivals have long been linked with a match-up and the UFC tried to make the fight at the height of Rousey’s career.

After a five-year unbeaten streak, Rousey lost her UFC bantamweight title to Holly Holm in a shock defeat, and when she was knocked out by Amanda Nunes in her comeback the following year, she retired from MMA.

Rousey has a 12-2 record while Carano is 7-1, with her only loss against Cris Cyborg in her last bout in 2009.