Ronda Rousey Reveals What Training for MMA Return Is Really Like With 2 Kids

To fans, mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey will always be the Baddest Woman on the Planet. But the trailblazing athlete, who was inducted into the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame in 2018, hasn't competed professionally since 2016 and expressed no desire to be back at it. Then that changed.

On May 16 at L.A.'s Intuit Dome, Rousey, 39, will step back into the octagon (streaming live on Netflix, 9 p.m. ET) against fellow retired legend Gina Carano. In 2023, Rousey told Us that the only way she'd be back would be if she could fight Carano, 44, whom she's never competed against: "She's a pioneer for women's MMA, and I can't think of a better way to say thank you than to whoop her ass." To get her chance, she's partnered with controversial boxer and digital creator Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions. "It's not the promoter's job to be universally liked," she says of Paul's reputation. "It's the promoter's job to get people to watch fights."

Rousey has never been one to care what people think, but since becoming a mom, doing things her way is especially important. She has two little girls - La'akea (a.k.a. Pō), 4, and Liko'ula, 15 months - looking up to her; and she's stepmom to boys Keawe and Kaleo, whose dad is her husband, former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne. Speaking up has become Rousey's signature, like being open about her challenging stint with the WWE (she wrestled with the organization from 2018 to 2023), and publicly calling out UFC commentator Joe Rogan. ("He's not an expert," she's said, "he's a fan with an audience.")

In an exclusive interview, Rousey tells Us how she's managed to balance it all and why she's not afraid to be loud.

Like what?

I think a lot of fighters don't understand that a quarter of their job is to show up and win. The other quarter is to have an exciting fight that people enjoy watching. The entire other half of the job is promotion, and a lot of people are showing up and only doing a quarter of their job. I hope people are taking notes instead of just being comfortable with where they're at. If you check all the boxes, that's why they pay you the big bucks.

The buzz for the fight is palpable. After a decade away from the sport, that has to be rewarding.

It's really validating. I think we're at a crossroads for the entire industry, and being able to be at the forefront of it just makes it feel like what we're doing and what we're striving for is something important. This isn't a cash grab. This isn't nostalgia bait. This is altering the trajectory of the entire future of the sport.

How much thought have you given to what comes next?

Me and my husband want to try for two more kids. I just want to make more little people. … Professionally, I feel like there's nothing else I could really do that is worth taking time away from my family ever again.

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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 11:30 AM.