Ronda Rousey is making a return to MMA after ten years away from the sport, facing Gina Carano on 16 May.
Rousey and Carano met at a news conference in Los Angeles ahead of their featherweight bout at the Intuit Dome.
Rousey stated she wants to “rewrite her ending” in her first MMA bout in ten years.
Rousey Slams Modern UFC
Rousey criticised the modern UFC, while also praising its president Dana White.
She hit back at claims her encounter with Carano is a “charity” fight, saying: “This isn’t a charity card or nostalgia card, this is the biggest fight in the world. This is fate for us.”
Rousey added, “The way things ended [in MMA] was really heartbreaking for me.”
Rousey, 39, said that Carano “inspired me to pick myself up and to go after the fight I always wanted. This is the biggest fight in MMA right now.”
Fighters Acknowledge Long Absence
It has been 10 years since Rousey fought in an MMA bout in the UFC, while 43-year-old Carano is even further removed by 17 years.
Both American fighters will undergo extra concussion tests with Rousey acknowledging she was forced to retire from her UFC career because of repeated concussions.
The contest will take place under Jake Paul’s promotional outfit MVP.
Rousey, who won and finished 12 of her 14 professional fights, spoke of Carano’s impact on her as a young fighter, before Carano repaid the compliments.
Carano: ‘Ronda Asked Me’
Carano said: “Obviously the motivation to fight is Ronda asked me. She’s quite the charmer.”
Carano added: “Other jobs came up like this but nothing is as important as this. To share the moment with her, we get to live once and this makes me feel so alive and super grateful for the opportunity.”
Rousey’s Frustrations with the UFC
Rousey called herself White’s one true “apprentice” and admitted she tried and failed to make the fight with Carano in the UFC.
Rousey said: “When it didn’t work out with UFC we said we don’t need them, we can do it on our own, just trust me.”
Rousey added: “I thought it was just about me finding my love for the sport and her finding her fire in her eyes but now it’s become much more than that. It’s about changing the landscape of the sport and challenging the monolith that the UFC has become.”
In January, the UFC’s long-term pay-per-view model ended before being replaced by a seven-year deal with broadcaster Paramount.
Rousey criticised the fights that have been made, while venting her frustrations at the UFC under its new deal.