Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano

[0:11] hello welcome to inglewood california welcome to the spectacular intuit dome welcome to this [0:22] very special press conference ahead of a very significant dare i say one of the most significant [0:29] mma events in recent memory hello again everyone i'm mario hawani it is an absolute honor and [0:36] privilege for me to be up here once again and i have to say it's actually quite surreal and i feel [0:43] like i've said this before a few of these mvp press conferences i can't believe that we're [0:48] actually here doing all this and if you would have told me six months ago i would have not [0:52] believed you and i have a feeling everyone at home feels the exact same way but that's what we've [0:57] come to expect from the mvp guys so let's do it one more time my friends we are here as i said [1:04] for a very significant event we are a little over three months away from said event may 16 [1:11] 2026 [1:13] that is the date that you want to circle on your calendar and i want to explain to everyone very [1:18] quickly why this is so significant this will mark the first mixed martial arts event in mvp's [1:25] history the promotion is a little less than five years old historically [1:30] when a boxing promotion starts off they're not crossing over into the world of mma this early [1:36] in the game but that's what jake paul and nakisa badarian are doing on may 16th of this year [1:43] so that's significant point number one number two this will mark the very first mma card to air live [1:51] on the biggest streaming platform in the world netflix 325 million subscribers around the world [2:01] no pay-per-view attached to it if you're a subscriber you're getting this card on may 16th [2:06] as you know netflix entered the world of combat sports about two years ago with the critically [2:13] old ichamael jake paul versus mike tyson event they've had several boxing events since never [2:18] before mma and if you're a long-time fan of mixed martial arts like i am you recognize [2:24] just how big of a deal it is to see this end associated with the sport we love so very much [2:31] and point number three and perhaps the most important of them all [2:36] the main event on may 16th right here at the intuit dome features two pioneers two trailblazers those [2:43] get thrown around a lot in sports but that's a fact this is a dream fight a [2:48] fight that most of us never even dared to dream about because let's be honest [2:52] they fought in different eras back in 2007 on the very first MMA card on [2:59] premium cable a young woman named Gina Carano stole the show alongside her [3:04] opponent Julie Kedzie a year later she was a massive part of the very first MMA [3:09] card on broadcast television she was one of the faces of this sport one of the [3:14] most beloved athletes in the history of this sport and that all culminated in a [3:19] massive super fight in August of 2009 after that as quickly as she arrived she [3:25] left going on to have an incredibly successful career in the world of [3:29] television and film shortly thereafter an Olympic bronze medalist named Ronda [3:35] Rousey came along and took that baton and took the sport and women's MMA [3:39] to a whole other level she was a part of the very first women's MMA fight in [3:45] UFC history not too far from here in Anaheim California that was back in [3:49] February of 2013 it and if I'm being a hundred percent honest I at that point [3:54] had never seen anything quite like the superstar that she became I remember [3:59] being in Brazil in August of 2015 and seeing young women cry at the sight of [4:05] her it was akin to the Beatles I kid you not and then of course in [4:10] 2016 she left the sport had a great career in the world of professional [4:13] wrestling and now here she is back who would have thought in the year 2026 we'd [4:18] be talking about these two mega stars these two pioneers going toe-to-toe in a [4:24] five-round professional bout being contested at a hundred and forty-five [4:30] pounds it is all going down like I said on May 16th of this year 2026 tickets [4:36] are on sale right now over at Ticketmaster.com [4:40] you want to be here in this great venue one of the biggest events to be held in [4:44] this venue so far I know it's new but this is going to be a massive deal and [4:48] if you're not able to come check us out on Netflix we're going to talk to all [4:53] the particulars those two ladies that I just mentioned plus two men who were [4:57] just added to the card more fights are going to be added fear not but first I [5:02] think I need some muscle up here so let us welcome the MVP event models we've [5:07] got halfa and Delia here to back me up in case [5:10] anything gets a little too crazy we need some uh some support dare I say [5:16] thank you guys all right as I said it's not just about the two women we've got [5:30] another big fight on this card it was just announced about 24 hours ago [5:35] everyone talking about it since we're going to get a chance to talk to the two [5:39] men who have just been added to this card two very big men first let us say [5:44] hello to the pride of Brazil the 2018 [5:48] tournament champion he then went over to the UFC was on a four fight losing [5:53] streak to be winning streak and then crossed over and has not fought since we [5:58] have not seen him since 2024 but he is now back taking on a massive massive [6:04] challenge in the form of his opponent curious as to why he's taking this how [6:09] this all came about let us say hello please give a warm Inglewood welcome to [6:15] the one and only Philippe Lins hello Philippe [6:36] good to see you my friend his opponent really needs no introduction but I'm [6:41] going to try to give him one anyway he is currently the lineal MMA heavyweight [6:47] champion of the world the former UFC heavyweight champion who we have not [6:53] seen in the octagon for a bit but he has still been quite active about two years [6:58] ago he crossed over to the world of boxing he went toe-to-toe with at the [7:02] time the champion the one and only Tyson Fury and I still [7:07] see till this day he won that fight he then fought of course Anthony Joshua and [7:12] in about October of 2024 about a year and a half or so ago he last fought in [7:18] his last MMA fight he became the PFL super fight champion when he defeated [7:23] Hennen Fajita this will be his first fight since this one kind of came out of nowhere but we found [7:30] out about it yesterday he is in fact here he is the man who is hailing from Cameroon from France [7:37] the predator the one and only Francis and Ganu great to see you Francis that is in my opinion [8:03] still to this day the baddest man on the planet can't wait to talk to him in just a matter of [8:09] moments but we do have to say hello to the main event and let's say hello to one half of the main [8:14] event we last saw her compete in a pro MMA fight back in 2009. I'll be honest one of my favorite [8:21] fighters of all time and then she left and went on to a great career in the world of TV and [8:25] Hollywood but she is now here she is back it is actually happening as I said brought women's MMA [8:34] to premium cable brought women's MMA to broadcast television at one time one of the biggest stars [8:40] in the history of this sport regardless of gender please welcome back to mixed martial [8:48] arts the inimitable the legend the pioneer the trailblazer the one and only Gina [8:56] conviction Carano Gina Carano is here that is unbelievable we will get to her in a moment but [9:28] we have to say hello and welcome back as well to her opponent 2013 she brought women's MMA to the [9:36] UFC and we all know the story by now they always said women would never fight in the octagon you've [9:41] heard it but it started well before that bronze medalist the Olympic Games in judo crosses over [9:47] to the world of mixed martial arts and is fighting local shows strike force and is [9:51] submitting [9:52] every single opponent in a matter of seconds with that arm bar an absolute tour de force [9:57] brings MMA women's MMA to the UFC headlines that first show in 2013 and then goes on one of the [10:05] greatest runs in the history of the sport she leaves the sport in 2016 signs with WWE and has [10:11] a tremendous career there as well the most of us thought that at that point she was done she was [10:16] growing her lovely family she was doing her thing she's an author all that stuff and more and then [10:22] we start seeing the training footage we start seeing all the clips and we start thinking to [10:26] ourselves holy smokes is this actually happening but against who against her and so it is actually [10:32] happening on May 16th of 2026 the return to MMA by one of the greatest stars in the history of [10:39] the sport a surefire Hall of Famer in multiple sports she is actually coming back please say [10:44] hello to the former UFC women's bantamweight champion the rowdy one Rhonda Ronda Ronda Ronda [10:52] Rousey okay how about this again who could have predicted all of this just a few short months ago [11:15] I can't wait to get into it and I do want to let the media in attendance know that we'll be fielding [11:20] questions from all of you so have no fear you will get your chance as well I would love to start with [11:25] Gina okay you deserve it you deserve this okay you were here first welcome back it's so great to see [11:32] you it's really great to see you can I ask you why why are you coming back what's the motivation [11:38] um well obviously the [11:40] motivation is Rhonda personally asked me and she's quite the charmer she asked me politely [11:48] she thanked me for um for so much and um she just uh she inspired me and it other jobs kind [11:58] of came up during this but nothing was as important as this and to share this moment [12:03] with her and to be the one that she would come back for she's my my one as well so um it's just [12:11] hey we get to live once and this makes me feel so alive and so I'm just super grateful for the [12:17] opportunity how long was that process from her saying hey are you interested to you then saying [12:22] yeah I actually want to do this after all these years I mean that was about a year I think we I [12:27] first got confronted with it from Dana White um December 2024. um yeah so about a year we've been [12:35] talking about it and when you say confronted what does that mean like they offered it to you they [12:42] said Rhonda's pregnant I think she was nine months pregnant right and uh she wants she wants to fight [12:47] and she the only one she wants to fight is you and at that time I was extremely uh I wasn't I [12:53] was extremely sick in my body had had a couple a couple of tough rough years like I think a [12:59] lot of us did have and um at that time I was like you know what absolutely and then it just [13:06] became more and more real as 25 you know 2025 went on and um it is pretty incredible and [13:13] proud to be here today it's uh Healing it's exciting it's it's uh everything I could have [13:20] hoped for I didn't know I needed this so bad well it is amazing to see you back here on behalf of [13:25] the whole MMA community Rhonda it's great to see you back as well it is surreal in its own right [13:29] and I'm wondering when you decided to leave pro wrestling was this the plan for you or did it [13:34] crystallize in a different way uh no I I never thought I would come back it it didn't cross my [13:40] mind at all um I think it kind of started with uh [13:44] now coach Ricky, who was originally my mortal enemy. [13:48] He was coaching against me on the Ultimate Fighter. [13:52] And he was also coaching my husband, Travis Brown. [13:56] And he convinced me to give him a chance. [14:00] And we became friends over the years. [14:02] And he asked me to help him get his black belt in judo. [14:08] And I had put a lot of walls around my heart [14:11] when it came to martial arts and everything like that. [14:14] I was forced to retire over some neurological issues [14:19] that I didn't really have any clarity about. [14:22] And it just hurt to be around it. [14:26] And when he asked me to teach him, I was like, OK, fine. [14:29] He would come to my house and add some tatami in the garage. [14:33] And once I started getting deep into it again [14:36] and explaining things and getting back to it, [14:39] maybe fall in love with martial arts again, [14:41] it kind of reminded me of the joy [14:44] that it gave me from the very beginning [14:46] and why I love it so much. [14:49] And I really am a master of it. [14:51] And I understand it so deeply. [14:53] And to be able to teach it to somebody who would understand [14:56] it on that level, it just reminded me [14:58] why I loved it again. [15:01] And then I got to be pregnant. [15:04] And I was about three months pregnant. [15:06] And my husband caught me doing suplexes in the garage. [15:08] And he was like, girl, you got to give it a little rest. [15:12] I'm like, OK. [15:13] And I was like, OK. [15:14] So I was nine months pregnant when [15:16] I saw an interview of Gina, who I always [15:20] said I'd only come back for her. [15:22] But I also was like, man, I hope she doesn't say anything, [15:24] because I just don't have that love for it in me anymore. [15:29] But once I found that love again and I saw her not doing well, [15:35] I was like, you know what? [15:37] We both need to reclaim our bodily identity together, [15:41] rewrite our own endings together. [15:44] And so then I reached out. [15:46] And it's been such a journey to get here and so many obstacles. [15:52] And so many people tried to get in between us [15:53] and to insert their own agenda. [15:56] And we went from barely knowing each other and respecting [16:00] each other to being like, you know what? [16:03] We're going to fight to fight each other. [16:05] I told her, I will train you to fight me if I have to. [16:09] Luckily, I didn't have to do that. [16:11] But yeah, we went from, because of this, I had to get her. [16:17] And we talked to her. [16:17] Because of this, I had to meet up with her and find a way [16:20] to make the contract work out. [16:22] And I thought it was just about me and finding my love [16:28] for this sport and just about her, [16:30] getting back to finding that fire and that light in her eyes [16:36] that we all fell in love with. [16:37] But it's become much more than that. [16:39] Now it's become about changing the entire landscape [16:43] of the sport and challenging the way [16:47] the monolith that the ufc has become and i uh i mean of course i i just wanted to do something [16:54] fun and i ended up having to change the world but you know it like that's that's the way that's the [16:58] way that we do it and um and i'm i'm so happy that that we're here and i'm i'm so grateful that gina [17:07] trusted me when it wasn't going to work out with the ufc i told her i was like we can do this on [17:12] our own we don't need them we don't need anyone and she said i'm going to follow your lead i'm [17:16] going to trust you and that's what led us to mvp into netflix and to us sitting here in front of [17:21] the into a dome about to put on the the most viewed mma fight of all time could i ask why did [17:33] it not work out with the ufc you were so synonymous with the ufc for so long and so to see you [17:38] associated with another mma brand at this point is surreal in its own right and so could you tell us [17:43] why it did not work out and why you feel the way you feel about the landscape uh well i knew that [17:49] we could promote this on our own [17:51] and um and probably be the most lucrative way to go about it for us but i have such love and respect [17:59] for for dana that i wanted to bring this to him first and i said you know i know i can i i can do [18:06] this on my own but i would rather fight for you than to fight for me just make it make sense for [18:11] me and um you know originally we were going to do a new year's and it was going to be under you know [18:15] the the last the the last fight under the pay-per-view model and he offered me the best [18:22] fight ever and i was so grateful but then you know gina said she needed more time to get in the best [18:27] shape possible and that she wanted me to fight the best version of herself and um and i think [18:34] that was fate it was meant to be it was meant to push us onto the other side and once they've moved [18:40] into the streaming model um it's it's just not about putting on the best fights possible anymore [18:46] you know dana is legally beholden to the shareholders and to maximize shareholder value [18:52] unfortunately now that they've taken the the reigns from the com of the company away from him [18:57] it um it's barely recognizable now and um they need to be safe from themselves and luckily i'm [19:03] here to be their hero i'd like to ask my friend francis a couple of questions francis great to [19:11] see you again good to see you as they say what a busy few days for you we wake up on friday [19:19] to the news that you're no longer affiliated with pfl can you explain what happened [19:25] that led to you being a part of this this huge card well it was just the news that came out of [19:30] friday i think this was a ongoing process for a couple months i think we've been in this position [19:38] since probably january that uh i find out that uh i will not be having another fight in the pfl so [19:47] then i started to look another option then uh right away i mean two or three weeks ago i have a i mean i [19:56] was in my head巨 un [20:00] originally he was a he was a very he was a big name [20:06] uh i mean no disrespect to to flip flames which is even more dangerous opening but originally he was [20:13] rico so he called me i'm like okay what do you think about fighting rico in mma i'm like damn [20:19] that sounds good i never thought about it but i think this is a good opportunity but long story [20:26] short uh on friday uh but but for so long i never knew anyone who was bass burn of calls for beach [20:27] fighting company coasts many people get took Nebraska bas., west coasts some will be pitched off. [20:28] uh two weeks ago and then rico get signed for for the music fight so that wasn't the option [20:35] and then we were looking for for another um for a replacement and then flip came out to be the [20:42] best option there was a couple name but uh among them uh flip flipper was the the the best option [20:50] so they they chose him could i ask we we last saw you in october of 2024 that was your last fight [20:56] yes at this point you're a constant talking point for a lot of people in this sport because you're [21:02] one of the few to dare to fight out the contract and test the waters seems like you did well what's [21:08] the motivation why are you still doing this at this stage of your career i'm not done what do [21:13] you mean like this stage of my career i still have a lot of time in front of me and i say enjoy this [21:19] i mean look it's been like uh i'm in a better shape that i've ever been even like while fighting [21:25] for the past uh [21:27] nine months i was in the gym every day just because i enjoy it you know uh so far it's still [21:32] my job of course i still do i do some stuff on the side but this is my primary job i just wake up get [21:38] excited to go to the gym do what i want to do and then look around if i have a fight that's also a [21:44] privilege of being a free man you go out there do what whatever please you and then if there is an [21:50] opportunity to fight you fight if there's not you do your you do your business do your living and [21:56] keep off moving you know [21:57] the good thing is like when you have to do it because you want to do it because you like to do [22:01] it i think that's when the real pleasure of fighting begins you know you don't feel like [22:07] you're obliged you're forced to fight you have to uh it's better to fight when you want to fight [22:13] and that's the position that i am in right now and i think in this position in this uh rhythm i can [22:20] keep going for a couple more years love it want to ask your opponent philippe a question or two [22:26] philippe we haven't [22:27] seen you since you left the ufc on that four fight winning streak i want to get that right [22:31] on that winning streak why haven't we seen you since then um yeah i take two years off and i'm [22:40] asked to god to give me another opportunity and he get he sent this big opportunity to me [22:50] fight on the first mma even on netflix with so many legends here ronda rousey gina carano france [22:57] senigano is the biggest opportunity of my entire career i've seen you since you left the ufc on that [23:00] four fight winning streak i'm going to make a history and be a part of this is amazing i'm [23:07] feeling blessed amazing your your reaction when you found out that they wanted to match you up [23:14] against the big man francis and ghanu was it yes right away yes was right away when my when my [23:21] manager called me and said you're gonna fight france hennigan live on netflix yeah i'm um we [23:28] have a deal send a contract i love it [23:32] and now here you are it's a big opportune guys it is massive the biggest mma card in the history of [23:38] the sport no doubt about it as far as the platform and the viewership the selfish journalist in me [23:43] wants to ask them a million more questions but i do want to be fair to my uh fellow media members so [23:48] we'll open it up to questions right here and now doug vazquez from sports illustrated questions [23:53] for ronda ronda you mentioned the love and admiration respect you have to get closer [23:57] to the microphone hard to hear you sure sorry about that doug vazquez sports illustrated [24:02] ronda you mentioned dana white all the love and respect you had for him ultimately you couldn't [24:06] make a deal did those failed negotiations lead to some bitterness that led you to publicly criticize [24:12] them yesterday on social media uh no not at all he was the one that um when they weren't able to [24:20] offer me you know a respectable deal under the streaming streaming model [24:28] he was the one that was like i i want you to make as much money as possible [24:33] don't don't stay here and take less for me he he gave me his blessing to go out go out and do it on [24:39] my own and um if anyone's been his apprentice you know on how to be a promoter uh it's been me and [24:46] um after after i i let him know before anybody else that that i had gone to netflix and i i wanted [24:57] to you know i didn't want him to be upset with me and he was like i could never i could never be [25:00] upset with you i love you so much i want you to be with me [25:03] to do great i want this to be successful you know he's always been been my friend first before [25:09] anything else and um i think that most of my criticisms of the ufc now is because [25:16] dana isn't the owner and he isn't calling the shots and he isn't running things that [25:20] the way that he wants um because he's uh he's an employee of the company now he's not an owner [25:27] and um i think um there it was a big mistake of theirs to to not let him just [25:33] run run things the the way that he always has do you think he was upset when he saw your comments [25:38] yesterday on social media you mentioned that he wasn't upset with you for taking this fight [25:42] well he knows the the white house card sucks like he knows that they were they were pushing this for [25:49] over a year and it it fell extremely short of expectations i mean um he was so upset about it [25:57] he was talking about a fight falling out the day before you know it's uh i can i can guarantee you [26:02] he's not he's not happy about it [26:04] with it either and um he's the one that that taught me through example to to speak my mind [26:10] and then one question for francis francis with all the success that jake and akisa [26:15] and mvp ever promoting these big boxing events when we look back five years from now and look [26:20] at this card do you think that this will be the card that finally created some competition for [26:25] the ufc absolutely not because uh if i if i had if i remember where five years ago exactly [26:34] the [26:34] mvp promotion wasn't there yet or was just getting started you know so nobody would have uh could [26:41] have believed that but again with the with the landscape of the sport today there have been a [26:47] great opportunity and even last year i wouldn't have imagined that but when i received a call the [26:54] other day and then i'm like i was confused for a second then i'm like wait a minute so it's a mvp [27:00] then it's gonna be uh ronda again uh [27:04] gina is gonna be me against rico and then it's gonna be live on netflix i'm like damn [27:11] so this is it i wasn't expecting this at all i wasn't see i didn't see this coming at all [27:17] but managed to be like the right plan as i just said with the landscape [27:22] with everything that's going right now out there right now there is a great opportunity here and [27:29] and i think so many other fighters should be looking at those opportunities not get stuck [27:35] because at the end of the day we are independent contractor we are not employed we are not working [27:39] for anybody we sign contract we find we move on we fight we move on that's it that's the deal that's [27:44] what called independent contractor we have no guarantee if we don't fight we don't get paid [27:49] and then we shouldn't be stay and or be entitled by anybody uh so-called promoter thank you very [27:57] much yes sir jorge alonso bro bible.com this is for gina gina back in 2009 you fought cyborg that [28:05] was the biggest women's career in the world [28:06] women's fight in history now 2026 this is going to be the biggest fight in women's history what [28:12] are your emotions what are your thoughts um you know it's interesting when i was fighting back [28:18] in 2009 i felt like i was surviving um and and trying there was nobody in front of me to look at [28:26] to be like that's who i want to be like um so it was just breaking down barriers and seeing how [28:31] far you could get so it was not a plan to do what i did but now it's there's a peace and there's a [28:39] calm like i feel like i should be here i feel like i'm home um i'm around mixed martial artists who [28:46] are some of the best people in the world um and i just feel i feel more calm than i've ever felt [28:54] for a fight which is if you knew me back then i got really [28:58] really nervous but today i feel like i'm exactly where i should be [29:03] for [29:04] you talked about changing the landscape of mmc the financial aspect being the savior [29:10] the ufc white house card came out john jones had some financial issues with the ufc [29:15] what are your thoughts on that situation i mean it's um it used to be that ufc was the [29:21] best place that you could come in combat sports to to to make a living and be paid fairly and now [29:27] it's um it it's no longer it's one of the worst places to go it's one of the it's it's [29:34] it's it's it's a hell of a lot more people um and i mean i mean i'm in the fight it was one of the [29:34] why so many of their top athletes are leaving to go and and find pay elsewhere it's why their [29:41] champions like valentina are selling pictures of their titties on only fans you know like the these [29:46] people are a lot of them and at the ground level they can't even they can't support their families [29:52] they're living poverty level fighting full-time and this company just got 7.7 billion dollars [30:00] like there's no reason that they can't afford to pay their athletes at least a living wage [30:06] and not even that to least be able to match what these athletes are making in other sports [30:12] why are you going why would they expect expect to get the best athletes and these best aspiring [30:18] kids that want to be something into mma why not go into football why not go into boxing why not [30:26] go into anything else and so they're they're bleeding talent [30:30] be because of their short-term greed they're thinking about the next quarter they're thinking [30:36] about the shareholders and are not thinking about their responsibility to be you know stewards of the [30:42] of the future of the sport and for francis um you had your issues with the ufc with the financial [30:50] issues as well you're seeing john jones go through the same things that you went through do you have [30:55] a message for him and what are your thoughts on the situation you know i think um three or four [31:02] years ago i was in the ufc and i was in the ufc and i was in the ufc and i was in the ufc and i was [31:02] in the ufc and i was in the ufc and i was i was saying this out loud and i also say this [31:06] not only to john jones but everyone that uh that out there uh and whoosh probably in the [31:13] same situation because i think most of them are in the same situation uh we are not a employee we [31:21] are independent contractor and then we should be able to uh get what we deserve and if we don't get [31:28] we will be able to have the right to uh to work out to walk away and go [31:32] look other option because the thing now is that there is always like contract tying people up [31:38] and then they can get free and then you want to set free and then the muscles you up [31:43] you know and low ball you but i'm happy i'm out of that that's all what i can say [31:51] thank you i just wanted to ask a question to gina how are you viewing the state of your mma career [31:56] is this a one and done is this a you know let me see how i feel on may 17th the next day are you [32:03] fully back you know i don't ever think i i never answered that question i never did i never [32:10] actually said i was retired it's just something that i just don't think you know whatever ever [32:15] like what i'm gonna do you can never predict that so i never rule anything off the table which is [32:20] probably why i'm sitting right here right now and and for you rhonda is are there more fights in [32:26] your you know in your future i mean i guess it depends on how this one goes um but man i really [32:35] want some more babies [32:36] okay and um i it's getting to the point in my life where i i can't really be taking any more [32:43] detours and i really want to be fully present for my you know my husband and my my kids and [32:50] it gets to a point where it's like when are you going to be impressed enough with yourself to [32:54] spend some time with your family you know and unfortunately i've been able to integrate you [32:58] know home life and everything with this camp but i feel like this is this is me trying to rewrite my [33:07] with gina and maybe it's like a lord of the rings ending that keeps going on and on and on [33:12] or uh maybe it's um it's it's a grand finale so um but i promised my husband this was definitely [33:21] the last one well maybe you link up with nikisa it seems like you're very passionate about the [33:26] business nikisa and jake and try to build this thing i mean i told him he he uh he definitely [33:32] would like some some more fights out of me but i told him i can't be your connor but i'll be your [33:37] we'll see how this goes first but um um when i'm running sprints i like to look at the horizon [33:42] not my feet fair enough well said back to the media let's try to keep it to one or two because [33:47] there's a bunch of people in line go ahead gabriel gonzalez for cage side press a question for ronda [33:53] you talk about the mutual respect with fruit with gina what would you say is the impact that she had [33:59] on the sport when you watched her compete and the impact she had maybe for your own career i mean [34:06] i would not have known that women's mma existed [34:09] if it wasn't for her i was training for the 08 olympics when i saw her fight julie kedzie [34:15] and saw the the awe and admiration and respect that she commanded from everybody in the room [34:20] she stole the show and i was so envious of her i i i saw her fight i was like what do you [34:27] i could totally kick her ass you know but i was also so in awe and enthralled with her and um [34:34] she planted that seed in my mind where you know i was training for olympics i would try to listen to [34:39] think about oh i'm going to win the olympics and my olympic matches and all of this and doing judo [34:43] and it just kept creeping to my mind i would think of winning mma and winning mma matches and she [34:49] she planted that seed and my mom has a saying that you can't unhave a thought [34:53] and it's because of her that she she changed my whole life and she already was changing the world [35:03] of sports and went and moved on to bigger and better things for herself but i was able to change [35:11] my life because of her and not even just that but after um mma and um the way that that things [35:21] ended it was just um it was really heartbreaking for me and and she inspired me all over again [35:29] to to pick myself back up and to to come back to fight for me and not for anyone else and to [35:36] go after the fight that i always wanted and not what what anybody else wanted and to be honest like [35:41] this is the biggest fight in mma right now there are no two people in the sport with more [35:49] international name recognition than me and gina except for connor but no one's going to sanction [35:52] that so like this isn't this isn't a charity card this isn't a throwback nostalgia card this is [35:59] the biggest fight in the sport right now and it needed to happen now this is this is this is fate [36:06] between us we have been on a collision course ever since i sat on a couch watching her on tv [36:12] just in complete awe of what this woman was doing and um and yeah i couldn't be more grateful you [36:18] know it started out that i wanted to do this to help you but god damn it i still owe you [36:23] because you've helped me so much all over again so i don't know i don't know if we'll ever be even [36:28] but you know um i think that um i want what succeeds me to exceed me and i want to prove [36:36] to her that what she created is something greater than she ever would have dreamed of and the way [36:43] i can show that respect to her is to beat the ever living crap out of her and then say thank you [36:50] same question to gina obviously you step away and you see ronda as ariel said take the baton [36:56] and run with it what impact do you feel she had on the sport and maybe just for yourself [37:00] seeing her and what she did after you stepped away from mma well there's a an interview from [37:06] a long time ago and i hope somebody digs it up somewhere and i said that the the women that i'm [37:14] aren't going to re-inspire me later and i didn't know how prophetic those words would be [37:20] um and it has totally come full circle to exactly that i mean uh ronda there's only i mean nobody [37:32] they they've tried to get me to come out of retirement or you know there's nobody i would [37:37] have come out for except for her and when we were having kind of a tough time getting it done [37:42] because i have walked away before um you know it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's [37:46] ronda was like she got on the phone with me she's like let's sit down and talk [37:50] about it and um uh i call her a little wolf because she's uh she's like wagging her tail [37:57] and she's charming and at the same time she wants to like rip my arm off and shove it up my ass so [38:02] i'm like okay like i gotta keep both of those sides of her in mind but um oh god did i just [38:09] say that oh no no you did you don't be viral um but no she's uh completely [38:16] uh inspired me and this has just been i didn't realize how badly i needed it um [38:24] i don't care about the time off i've had a lot of extreme things happen and i feel i mean i used to [38:30] get really nervous for stuff like this and i feel freaking great right now it's got good energy for [38:35] this fight and i agree with ronda this is the biggest fight going on right now and it's a it's [38:39] a complete honor you're crushing it gina you're crushing it oh you can use crusher now oh you know [38:48] and i just think it's really great to see that you're able to take the fight out and do it [38:52] and i think that's what i'm really looking forward to from the future for the future of the team [38:56] and i think that's what i'm really looking forward to from the future for the team [38:59] and i think that's what i'm really looking forward to from the future for the future of the team [39:05] next up we have a question from christina it's no queen la i have a question for all of the fighters [39:10] uh what's one thing people don't know about you and whoever wants to go first thank you maybe we'll [39:17] start with francis i'll let the lady go first okay fair enough let's start with gina why me okay okay i uh i actually moved up to montana i live on a farm um i got married congrats to my first employee [39:21] One last love, Kevin Ross, and it was the best thing I've ever done, and that's probably [39:29] what people don't know, so now you all know. [39:32] I'm married. [39:33] Mazel tov. [39:34] Well done. [39:35] Rhonda. [39:36] Oh, God. [39:37] Okay. [39:38] I have six sea monkey tanks, and only one of them has sea monkeys in it, and there's [39:45] only two sea monkeys. [39:49] But I'm growing algae in the other ones in case my sea monkeys have babies again, and [39:55] I don't kill them, and I move them over into the sea monkey nursery. [39:59] I don't know. [40:00] I just, I'm a nerd, man. [40:03] Okay. [40:04] We've covered it all. [40:06] From fighter pay to the state of the sport to sea monkeys. [40:09] Francis. [40:10] Okay. [40:12] I think right here I'll go with the very general one because I have so secret stuff. [40:18] But let's just say I don't give a damn about BS, what people think, talk too much BS. [40:26] I don't just give a damn. [40:27] That's what actually they don't know. [40:30] And what about you, Philippe? [40:33] I have a new baby boy, a new girl with 10 months, years old, so it's amazing. [40:42] I'm a father of two girls. [40:45] I'm going to have a work on this boy. [40:48] Parabéns. [40:49] Thank you. [40:51] Would you like your young girls to follow in the footsteps of these great fighters and [40:56] compete one day? [40:57] I'm going to let... [41:00] her choose what she's going to do, both of hers, both of my daughters. [41:10] Okay. [41:11] Would you like to say something to your fans in Brazil, in Portuguese, perhaps? [41:14] Because I know there's a lot of people who watch Netflix in Brazil, so any message for [41:17] them? [41:19] . [41:20] . [41:21] . [41:22] . [41:23] . [41:24] . [41:25] . [41:26] . [41:27] . [41:28] . [41:29] . [41:30] . [41:31] . [41:32] . [41:33] . [41:34] . [41:35] . [41:36] . [41:37] . [41:38] . [41:39] . [41:40] . [41:41] . [41:42] . [41:43] . [41:45] . [41:46] . [41:47] . [41:49] . [41:50] . [41:51] . [41:52] . [41:53] . [41:54] . [41:55] . [41:56] . [41:57] . [41:58] . [41:59] . [42:00] . [42:01] . [42:02] women's card headlined by two legendary fighters of this sport so i want to see how you come into [42:08] this fight does the fighter inside of you look at this fight as the biggest rivalry or as the [42:16] biggest celebration of the two biggest pioneers of the sport i think it can be both why not [42:23] i mean fighting is the way i celebrate um i've been asked about ronda for the last 16 years [42:36] are you gonna fight rondo you're gonna fight ronda um and it's so easy to tell these people [42:41] oh yeah you know yeah i i would you know i would um and then to be able to do it so putting [42:49] words to action is uh i think one of the best things you could do in life and for it to be ronda [42:58] and for it to be um i mean this is just it's epic it's it's just absolutely epic i have been a part [43:06] of so many firsts of my life [43:07] and um i'm just i'm just so blessed and fortunate that it is with ronda and um yeah no i'm definitely [43:15] coming to win so um make no mistake about that it's uh competitive and it's also uh everything [43:22] else first women's mma fight on premium cable first women's mma fight on broadcast television [43:31] first women's mma main event and now first mma fight on netflix and first women's mma fight to [43:39] win first women's mma fight to win first women's mma fight to win first women's mma fight to win [43:43] a lot of firsts there like you know obviously a cheating roided up that totally cheated you out of [43:48] your your title that was deservingly yours so you're too nice to say it but i want to say it [43:53] her and you're the best you know what i love about ronda some people go away and they lose [43:59] the fastball i feel like the fastball is at like 105 right now it actually somehow got even faster [44:05] i'm not sure we've missed you welcome back oh it's just because you've not so many boring press [44:09] is that you forgot how interesting it could be i actually don't go to the press conferences [44:16] i miss you we all miss you i think a lot of the media here misses you all right here we go [44:21] eduardo mata no mama's boxing no mass boxing uh my question is for ronda uh yeah it should have [44:29] been a better name uh you dominated in multiple arenas not just the fight scene but also film [44:35] when you look at your career today what motivates you now compared to when you first started i mean [44:41] this is a really unique fight i think in that it's entirely self-motivated you know this is for [44:47] me i think my my last two fights i felt like i had to be there for other people and um it got away [44:54] from me and this is me really really reclaiming that and of course you know it it kind of becomes [45:02] more about everybody else because um because of this the grandiosity of this event and um [45:09] everybody that that's become a part of it but um [45:13] deep down this is the fight that i always wanted and the only fight that i wanted to come back for [45:19] the only thing that could inspire me and light that fire back in me again just one more quick [45:24] question that they asked me to ask uh if you could describe dana white in one word what would it be [45:29] wait hold for sound yeah yeah what was that uh oh oh yeah hello if you could describe dana [45:37] white in one word what would it be dana white if i could describe him in one word i would say [45:47] i think he's loyal to a fault thank you that's a lot of words that was more than one word [45:54] okay one word god ah loyal loyal is good loyal loyal yeah just yeah more descriptive [46:02] trimmer's like he's very loyal hi gilbert casuals mma got two questions question for francis [46:08] not too long ago there were rumblings that you were potentially going to fight the man over there [46:12] jake paul in boxing that fell through but now that you're here at mvp there's mma are you interested [46:18] in fighting jake paul in boxing or are you interested in fighting jake paul in boxing [46:19] and jake with a head nod you want to do it no i'm not interested in fighting jake paul oh listen [46:26] i'm not done i'm interested in beating his ass oh whoa that's no fighting him okay just beating [46:35] his ass interesting uh last question for ronda and gina the last two big blockbuster fights we [46:42] saw you guys in uh gina uh you were fighting michael fastbender and haywire ronda you were [46:48] beating michelle rodriguez's ass and fast and the furious are we going to see a barn burner like [46:53] that 30 second flying arm bar switch kick head kick ko 30 seconds or are we going to see max [47:01] charles olivera listen i i the great thing about fighting and it not being a script is is that you [47:09] really have to tune in to find out so i don't know i'm prepared for every every um every what's it [47:19] called eventuality every year every possibility thank you god um but uh you never know that's [47:26] the beautiful thing about mma you never know what's going to happen i think it's going to be [47:30] fast and furious no pun intended because they're both in the franchise but um you know i i know [47:36] that with everybody on this stage you're you're not going to be disappointed there's a lot of [47:42] fights that i see headlining these days that um if they were happening in a bar for free i would [47:47] walk away for me um i think that uh energies energies make fights and you really cannot [48:00] one second until you're in front of someone right and you feel the energy and you see how they move [48:08] um i move a little bit different i know who she's been training with and everything [48:12] um yeah i don't see it going the full length but we prepare for the full length and um [48:22] yeah i think it's gonna be uh i think it's gonna be i think it's gonna be pretty surprising actually [48:27] thank you we'll wrap up the media questions with a question from this young whippersnapper hey guys [48:34] seeing here um my name is jake paul from jakepaul.com my question is for philippe i would like to say [48:43] first i want the winner of this fight but philippe francis has said he can knock me out and is going [48:49] to knock me out what do you think is going to happen in your guys's fight and do you think you [48:53] can knock out francis and ganu first of all francis is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time [49:06] this fight is gonna be the big just challenge i'm gonna face on my entire mma career all respect [49:14] to francis but one victory over him over him is gonna put my name on the mma history forever [49:23] so it's a masterpiece and all respect to him again to his history on the sport [49:33] but may 16 live on netflix i'm gonna shock the world did you have another one yeah and francis [49:45] the fight is gonna go well um i think i'll win you know again um he brings more uh more challenge [49:58] than what originally supposed to be but i think i have the tool to answer him because he have a [50:03] good ground game we we watched his last uh i i went back and watched his last fight even at the [50:09] ufc who was just a win and then all his last fight was a win so he proved to be very well uh [50:18] rounded so i don't know whatever whatever whatever it comes to me as an opportunity i will [50:25] i'll take him if he gives me his neck i don't know his hand or something i'll just grab it and finish [50:32] the fight thank you guys by the way jake you share that sentiment do you want to fight him he said he [50:36] wants to beat your ass yeah no i mean i'm down i've always been down you were you were the option [50:42] before anthony joshua and you you ran like a duck and i bet you didn't think i would last longer [50:51] because you're also a young man just a young man and you know that because you love it you [50:56] do it better so you just know that you get worked in boxing and i would love to see it someday no i [51:03] think you were just uh you were just being a small boy like uh not understanding being little [51:08] disrespectful and that's why i want to kick your ass now i really didn't want to fight you but now [51:13] i want to beat you so there's a difference and that's why i i hold it the statement that i want [51:20] just beat you up and could i ask since you're here i mean for you as a long time mma fan jake to put [51:23] together a fight like this I know you and your brother have been watching MMA [51:25] for many years when they were coming onto the scene you were watching I [51:28] believe you said that you you did a little bit of judo because you were [51:31] inspired by Ronda to see it all come to fruition like this on a platform like [51:35] this on Netflix personally for all the things you've done what does this mean [51:38] to you yeah it's very surreal and this is the MVP way you know just four and a [51:43] half years into building this company with Nikisa and we're doing the first [51:47] ever MMA event live on Netflix with MMA legends and their future is looking very [51:53] bright the MMA is in a weird position right now and it's the Wild West and I [51:58] believe we have a massive opportunity here to disrupt the whole space and to [52:03] put fighters first get them to the pay that they deserve the platform that they [52:06] deserve because I believe the UFC is dying and MVP is here to take over thank [52:13] you Jake appreciate it all right in a matter of moments we're gonna wrap up [52:17] this press conference [52:18] have a good one [52:18] face-offs as well I'd like to just say my takeaway is I think when we heard you [52:23] speak when this came out when we heard you speak a little bit Gina I think some [52:26] people thought like oh you guys are friends that this will be a fun little [52:29] nostalgic fight I feel the fire radiating out of you and I feel like [52:34] you're coming to beat her despite the fact that you respect her and I feel it [52:38] from you I feel the motivation I feel a piercing through my soul as I'm looking [52:41] at you right now you seem so motivated to be back I feel like this is what [52:45] people wanted to see so it's just amazing to see the two of you up here in [52:48] this form in this spirit in this mood and then to add to that Francis and [52:53] Philippe as well and this is not going to be just a two-fight card many more [52:58] fights will be announced in the coming days and weeks cannot wait for those [53:01] announcements but to repeat two of the greatest of all time two pioneers two [53:06] trailblazers are coming your way on May the 16th live and exclusively on Netflix [53:13] the biggest platform in the world airing its very first mixed martial arts event [53:18] historic doesn't even begin to scratch the surface thank you so much to [53:24] everyone up here we're gonna ask all the fighters to go to your respective [53:27] corners to do the face-offs we're gonna call some other people up but this has [53:32] been amazing and I appreciate all the media sorry we couldn't get to everyone [53:36] in attendance but you'll have other opportunities to speak to all these [53:40] fighters over the coming weeks great to see you great to see you a reminder that [53:49] tickets are on sale right now at Ticketmaster.com [53:53] May 16th Intuit Dome home of the Los Angeles Clippers big win yesterday [54:01] against the Knicks over 500 but an even bigger event is coming in a little over [54:08] two months time well welcome back to the stage the MVP event models Rafael and [54:19] Delia and we will also welcome to the stage the co-founders of Moxon's [54:30] Narcissa Badarian and Jake Paul all right first to the [54:47] the PFL Tournament Champion from 2018, UFC veteran, [54:52] the pride of Brazil, Felipe Lins. [54:56] And his opponent, Le Predateur, the former UFC heavyweight champion, [55:04] the lineal MMA heavyweight champion, the MMA fighter turned boxer. [55:09] Now back to mixed martial arts, Cameroon and France's own Francie Senganu. [55:48] The latest addition to this card, [55:56] Francie Senganu against Felipe Lins. [55:59] And now, for the first time in front of the public, two trailblazers, [56:04] two pioneers, please welcome back the one and only Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey. [56:32] All right, [56:52] we're gonna bring back everyone to the stage now. [56:56] Jake Paul, Nikisa Badarian, Frances Senganu, Felipe Lins, and [57:01] of course Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey. [57:05] The four fighters competing on this card, many more to come. [57:09] The two men who made this all possible, who first brought boxing to Netflix and [57:15] now are bringing mixed martial arts to the biggest streaming platform in the world. [57:25] Saturday, May 16th, right here in Inglewood, California, the Intuit Dome. [57:31] Don't miss it. [57:32] Once again, tickets on sale at Ticketmaster.com. [57:35] Thank you to everyone in attendance. [57:37] Thank you to everyone watching at home. [57:39] We will see you in May. [57:41] Thank you.