Ronda Rousey made a blistering return to MMA at MVP MMA 1, quickly submitting Gina Carano in the main event at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, on Sat., May 16, 2026.
Rousey needed just 17 seconds to finish Carano by armbar in a women’s featherweight bout, then revealed she is done fighting but interested in a non-fighting role in MMA and with MVP.
The card was staged by Jake Paul and his team and delivered several high-impact finishes. In the co-main event, Mike Perry defeated Nate Diaz after Diaz’s corner stopped the fight following 10 minutes of damage. Earlier in the night, Salahdine Parnasse stopped Kenneth Cross by first-round TKO in a lightweight bout and called for a fight against Perry.
Francis Ngannou added more heavyweight intrigue by knocking out Philipe Lins and calling for a fight against Jon Jones. Jones, who was present at the event, stated he would like to get out of his UFC contract to fight Ngannou.
Robelis Despaigne also made a statement, knocking out Junior dos Santos in the first round in his first MMA fight since his UFC release in late 2024. Despaigne said he plans to compete in both MMA and Karate Combat and expressed interest in fighting Ngannou.
Rousey signaled she is eyeing a role similar to Dana White for MVP, while Perry, Parnasse, Ngannou, Jones, and Despaigne all left Los Angeles with clear targets for what they want next.
