Sports
Rousey vs. Carano is more than another prizefight
If you find yourself being entertained by a ferocious fight between two women inside an MMA cage, you can thank two different women who have not been inside an MMA cage for a decade or more.
Ronda Rousey was singularly responsible for women fighting in the UFC. Gina Carano was largely responsible for women’s MMA being seen in the first place.
For those reasons, when Rousey and Carano return from long retirements to fight each other on May 16 in Inglewood, California, it will be an event of historic proportions. That is not to say it will be a good fight. Rousey is 39 years old and hasn’t competed since 2016. Carano, who will be 44 on fight night, will be stepping inside a cage for the first time since 2009.
Once upon a time, Rousey vs. Carano would have been a collision of the women’s MMA elite. That is not the case in 2026, not even close. What we have here is a spectacle — a sign of the times in combat sports.
Back when Rousey was the biggest star in the MMA, she achieved that stardom — and the lucrative earnings that came with it — by being the most dominant fighter in the sport, man or woman. In 2011, the same year that CEO Dana White said women would “never” fight in the UFC, “Rowdy Ronda” made her pro debut and launched a run of 12 consecutive finishes, all but one in the first round. Eight opponents didn’t last a minute. While turning White into a believer, Rousey developed the appeal of prime Mike Tyson, except in her case, fans tuned in to see not a quick knockout but a swift armbar.
Yet there might never have been a Rousey if there wasn’t a Carano, the trailblazer. Though she was not the first woman to compete in MMA — there are documented women’s bouts in North America going back to the 1990s — Carano was part of the first women’s bout in a major promotion, Strikeforce, in 2006. A year later, she fought on Showtime in the first televised women’s fight. And in 2009, Carano vs. Cris Cyborg was a Strikeforce main event, headlining over four men who went on to become champions in Strikeforce, Bellator or the UFC.
The combat sports world has changed dramatically in the nearly two decades since that August 2009 bout that turned out to be Carano’s retirement fight. Fighters no longer make a name for themselves solely with their combat skills. Many of the top MMA stars of today supercharge their careers with feisty words, outrageous antics and gimmicky matchups. Even those who’ve long retired can earn a hefty check by returning to entertain the masses in a fisticuffs show resembling a circus as much as a competition.
In the nearly 10 years since Rousey last put on the gloves, we’ve seen MMA stars cross over to boxing for unprecedented paydays, sparked by Conor McGregor and an out-of-retirement Floyd Mayweather Jr. making a fortune by sharing a dance in 2017. Social media visionary Jake Paul, whose Most Valuable Promotions will promote Rousey vs. Carano, made a cottage industry out of beating up MMA fighters who were fish out of water in a boxing ring. In 2024, Paul stepped into the ring with 58-year-old Tyson, who, despite once being the baddest man on the planet, looked just bad, man.
When each of the aforementioned bouts was announced, the first question was always “Why?” Now we have Rousey vs. Carano, and my reaction is “Why not?”
Well, Rousey has given us one reason why not. Two years ago, while promoting the publication of her memoir, “Our Fight,” she revealed a history of concussions, dating back to her time in judo, the sport in which she won a 2008 Olympic bronze medal. She had kept the head trauma a secret from the UFC and regulators, she said, “because it would literally put a target on my head and I might not have been allowed to compete any farther.”
ESPN reached out to California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster on Tuesday to inquire about additional testing the regulators might require of Rousey, but did not immediately hear back. Rousey appeared on “SportsCenter” on Tuesday and spoke of needing more recovery time after training sessions now compared to her years in the UFC, but she did not mention her concussion history.
If there’s a silver lining to this spectacle, Rousey and Carano will at least be competing in their own sport. There were recent reports that Rousey was angling to box two-division champion Katie Taylor, and no one really needed to see that to know how it would have turned out. This MMA bout does have a modicum of intrigue, if only to see what each woman has left after so many years out of the cage. Can Carano still throw hands well enough to present a threat that keeps the fight standing, or will Rousey swiftly shoot a takedown and armbar Carano without breaking a sweat?
But competitiveness is not the point of this event. This is an opportunity for two pioneers of women’s MMA to have a night in the spotlight they created. And presumably, a substantial purse will be involved.
Fighters don’t get a pension. Some prepare for a future outside the cage or ring, and some leave the sport penniless.
Carano did create a Hollywood future for herself. In the 17 years since she retired from MMA, she has appeared in more than a dozen films, including the sixth installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise. Rousey has had parts in movies and TV, too, but her main stage has been WWE. She activated her retirement plan even before she left MMA, making a guest appearance at WrestleMania in 2014 while still UFC women’s bantamweight champion.
Speaking of the leading promotion in MMA, Rousey said on “SportsCenter” that she gauged the interest of White and “it didn’t exactly work out with the UFC.” That adds a layer of intrigue. White has predicted that the UFC’s event at the White House on June 14 will be “the most-watched UFC event ever.” Considering that Rousey, the biggest star in UFC history not named McGregor, has 16.8 million Instagram followers and Carano has 1.8 million, might this spectacle outshine the UFC’s date in the nation’s capital?
To say Rousey and Carano are not doing it for the money would be a hollow premise, of course, because this is prizefighting, where everything is for the money. But just by looking at the final notations on the two women’s fight résumés, it’s reasonable to conclude that money is not the sole motivation.
Carano walked away in 2009 after being bludgeoned by Cyborg. Rousey absorbed a shocking upset knockout at the hands — and shin — of Holly Holm in front of 56,000 fans in a stadium in Australia in 2015, and after a year spent out of the public eye, she returned to face Amanda Nunes and was knocked out in 48 seconds. For both Rousey and Carano, this return represents an opportunity to change the final chapter of the story.
Or will this fight lead to more chapters to come?
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, scheduled from 30 May to 4 June in Rawalpindi and Lahore.
The national selection committee confirmed that the squad will be led by captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, with Salman Ali Agha serving as vice-captain.
Star batter Babar Azam and pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah have been recalled after missing the previous away series against Bangladesh. Mohammad Rizwan has been left out, with wicketkeeping options now including Muhammad Ghazi Ghori and uncapped Rohail Nazir.
Besides Nazir, the squad includes two more uncapped players, Ahmed Daniyal and Arafat Minhas. Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub remain unavailable due to injuries and are undergoing rehabilitation under the PCB medical panel, according to the PCB.
The 16-member squad will assemble in Islamabad later tonight and will train under the coaching staff from Saturday, 23 May. The media advisory regarding the camp will be shared in due course.
Australia men’s team will arrive in Islamabad on 23 May. They will also take part in training sessions at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, details of which will be announced in due course.
The ODI series opener will be played on 30 May at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, followed by matches on 2 and 4 June at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
Squad
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Naseem Shah, Rohail Nazir (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim.
Team management:
Naveed Akram Cheema (manager), Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Noffke (bowling coach), Hanif Malik (batting coach), Shane McDermott (fielding coach), and support staff including medical, fitness, analysis, and security units.
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NASCAR driver Casey Mears reflected on the death of Kyle Busch on Friday, saying his impact on the sports of professional racing “immeasurable.”
Busch died at the age of 41, hours after it was announced he was going to forgo any racing activities at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend due to a “severe illness resulting in hospitalization.”
Mears appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends First” as he mourned Busch’s death.
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Casey Mears, driver of the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet, leads Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky., on June 27, 2014. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“I would say, really, it’s immeasurable. What he’s accomplished in the sport is done by nobody else. Kyle’s won so many races,” he said of Busch’s impact on the sport. “I mean, there was a stretch there for a handful of years where if Kyle didn’t win a Busch race, a Cup race or one of the truck races throughout the weekend, something was wrong because he was constantly winning races.
“I think that the end of the day he was just a tremendous competitor you absolutely knew he was going to leave 110% on the table at all times. Just one of the best that’s ever been in a racecar. The biggest thing is that he’d just become such an amazing dad, father, husband, brother. I’m just thinking about everybody in the family. Tom and Gaye, his mom, and brother, obviously Samantha and the kids. He was a true champion at home as a family man as well.”
NASCAR, the Busch family and Richard Childress Racing announced the death Thursday evening, but did not offer a cause of death.
“On behalf of the Busch family, everyone at Richard Childress Racing and all of NASCAR, we are devastated to announce the sudden and tragic passing of Kyle Busch,” the statement said. “Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch. A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans.
Kyle Busch celebrates his win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Victory Lane at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., on Sept. 5, 2014. (Steve Helber/AP)
KYLE BUSCH ON ‘HANG OUT WITH SEAN HANNITY’
“Throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR’s highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series. His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation.’
“Our thoughts are with Samantha, Brexton and Lennix, Kyle and Samantha’s parents, Kurt and all of Kyle’s family, Richard and Judy Childress, everyone at Richard Childress Racing, his teammates, friends and fans. NASCAR lost a giant of the sport today, far too soon.
“During this incredibly difficult time, we ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy and continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Further updates will be shared as appropriate.”
Busch was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and had been on the series since 2004, He made 762 career starts with 63 wins. Busch won the championship in 2015 and 2019, and had 234 victories across all three NASCAR national series.
Kyle Busch celebrates his victory in the NASCAR Shelby 427 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on March 1, 2009. (Isaac Brekken/AP)
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Busch is the all-time record-holder for wins in both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (102) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (69). His most recent win came last weekend at Dover, when he led 147 laps in a dominating Truck Series victory.
Fox News’ Zach Dean contributed to this report.
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has won back-to-back Bundesliga titles. Photo:AFP
LONDON:
Bayern Munich face holders Stuttgart in the German Cup final on Saturday knowing defeat will sour what had been one of their most promising seasons in recent memory.
Just weeks ago, Bayern were flying high and hopeful of a treble after beating Real Madrid for the first time in over a decade, in the Champions League quarter-finals.
But despite challenging defending champions Paris Saint-Germain over two semi-final legs in a breathless display, Bayern finished a goal behind in the tie on aggregate and were eliminated.
Bayern have beaten Stuttgart three times already this season by a collective 11 goals to three. However a defeat on Saturday will sting a club with their ambitions — and their resources.
With just three defeats in all competitions, Bayern have been incredible this season.
Finishing the Bundesliga 16 points ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, Bayern scored 122 goals in 34 matches to shatter the previous single season goalscoring record of 101, becoming the first side in league history to average over three goals a game.
But the Bavarian giants’ financial muscle has meant the league title has become par for the course in recent years, with 13 wins in the past 14 seasons.
A victory on Saturday would not just crown an excellent season, it would break what is becoming a surprisingly long drought in the competition.
The Bavarians have won the German Cup a record 20 times — 14 more than the next best side, Werder Bremen — but they have not lifted the trophy for six years dating back to 2020, the biggest gap between cup wins this century.
Bayern twice crashed out to lower league opposition in that run and only made it to the quarter-final stage once.
– ‘Painful’ –
In 2021-22, Bayern lost 5-0 to Borussia Moenchengladbach in the second round — their biggest defeat in any competition since the mid-1970s.
“We really want to win that again because it’s painful for us that we haven’t won the cup for six years,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said on Sunday.
Harry Kane finally broke through for a first team trophy when Bayern won the Bundesliga last season but admitted failing to win Saturday’s showpiece would put a different spin on the campaign.
“If we don’t win, it will leave a bitter taste in our mouths,” Kane said of the clash with Stuttgart at Bayern’s Bundesliga title celebrations in Munich on Sunday.
By lifting the cup on Saturday, Bayern would win the double for a remarkable 14th time. No other team in German history has done so more than once.
A Bayern-Stuttgart clash opened the season in the newly renamed Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, which features the league and cup holders.
That the domestic season should close with the same two teams duking it out shows how far Stuttgart have come under coach Sebastian Hoeness.
The coach, a nephew of Bayern powerbroker Uli, took over with Stuttgart in relegation danger in 2023 but guided them to two Champions League qualifications and their first silverware in 28 yeras.
Stuttgart may be the defending champions but striker Deniz Undav said the pressure is all on the Bavarian giants, with his side happy to play the role of spoilers.
“It’s a bonus game. We’ve got nothing to lose — we’re the complete underdog,” the Germany striker said, adding “there’s one clear favourite and that’s Bayern”.
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