Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s dominance over the 135-pound division came to a crashing halt at UFC 193. She held the championship for more than three years before a head kick from Holly Holm left her unconscious on the canvas in Melbourne, Australia.
On February 17, 2026, it was announced that Rousey would make her return to MMA against Gina Carano on May 16, 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Rousey, 39, last fought in December 2016. Carano, 43, hasn’t fought since August 2009.
Holm was asked about the matchup and gave her analysis but did not ultimately pick a winner.
“I think whoever sticks to their game plan is going to come out with the win,” Holm told FightHype. “Gina hasn’t been in there in a long time, but she’s also not a stranger to the spotlight. She was one of the first females to be on cable television as a main event. And so she’s been there. She’s not a stranger to it. Same thing with Ronda.
“She’s been the champion. She’s been an Olympian for a reason. She’s put a lot of work in. She is very hard to beat with, you know, with what her best skillset is. Gina’s going to have to fight to not get there. And, you know, she’s putting the work in. And Ronda, we’ll see when she comes back, too. I think we’ll see as soon as the first punches as thrown. I think you can really see it where a fighter’s going to go from there.”
Holm is scheduled to challenge Stephanie Han for her WBA boxing lightweight title in a rematch in El Paso, TX, on May 30. After that, Holm would be open to facing the Rousey and Carano winner in an MMA bout.
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