Mixed Martial Arts-Rousey's return against Carano draws record US audience on Netflix


May 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Ronda Rousey (blue gloves) fights Gina Carano (red gloves) in a women's featherweight bout at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

May 20 (Reuters) - Netflix’s ⁠debut live Mixed Martial Arts broadcast, featuring ⁠Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano's comeback, ‌had a peak viewership of nearly 17 million, the streaming company reported on Tuesday.

• The event running under the ​banner of Jake Paul's Most ⁠Valuable Promotion in ⁠Inglewood, California, peaked at 11.6 million viewers in the ⁠U.S., ‌while the card averaged 9.3 million, surpassing the previous record of 8.8 ⁠million set in 2011 for UFC ​on Fox ‌1.

• Rousey's return after a decade away from ⁠the ​cage gave fans in attendance and viewers worldwide only a quick glimpse of the 39-year-old in ⁠action with a 17-second win ​overCarano, nailing her signature armbar submission before quitting the sport for good.

• The Olympics judo medallist ⁠and former WWE star was the UFC's first female bantamweight champion and first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

• Rousey took ​on the 44-year-old Carano, who ⁠hadn't fought in 17 years since a 2009 ​loss to Cris Cyborg, ‌and is now better known ​as an actor.

(Reporting by Paras J. Haji in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

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