Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey returns to mixed martial arts this Saturday to face fellow trailblazer Gina Carano on a Netflix-streamed card. The 39-year-old judo legend, who brought women's MMA into the mainstream, is now eyeing more than victory: she's targeting a Hollywood blockbuster.
"Who says we can't parlay the success of this to me and her making a genre-shattering martial arts film with Netflix after this?" Rousey asked at Thursday's press conference in Los Angeles.
Saturday's event, promoted by Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, also features Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou. It takes place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
For Rousey, whose career was defined by first-round armbar submissions and two devastating losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, the fight is about legacy. "Mine is making history, having a cultural impact and influencing the future of the sport," she said.