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?

Alyssa Liu is Team USA’s last hope for an individual gold medal in figure skating at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. 

Liu, the reigning world champion, was the only one of America’s women’s figure skating stars to put herself in contention for gold after the short program on Tuesday night. 

Liu landed a triple Lutz-triple loop, the hardest combination that any woman attempted, and sat only two points back of leader Ami Nakai and right behind her Japanese teammate Kaori Sakamoto on the leaderboard.

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“I am really happy about how I skated,” Liu said after the competition. “And my siblings, my best friends and a ton of my family is out there. And I saw them on the warmup. I also saw them during my program, so, I don’t know. It was a really cool moment, because they never come to watch like this. I’m really glad I did super well. I felt super grounded and I connected with my program on another level.”

Fellow American women’s skater Amber Glenn finished 13th, falling just one spot short of advancing. Glenn was seen walking off the ice in tears. 

ILIA MALININ HINTS AT INTENSE OLYMPIC PRESSURE DAYS AFTER UNEXPECTED RESULT

Alysa Liu poses for a photo following the 2026 Milan Olympics figure skating team announcement show at Enterprise Center on Jan. 11, 2026. (Jeff Curry/Imagn Images)

Isabeau Levito was dinged for under-rotating her triple loop and got leveled down for her step sequence, which is where she tends to pick up points on the competition. It left her in eighth place and a long shot to climb her way onto the podium Thursday night.

Other American skating stars have seen similar disappointing individual results in Milan Cortina after the U.S. took team gold last week.

Alysa Liu of Team United States competes during the Women’s Single Skating – Short Program on day eleven of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 17, 2026 in Milan, Italy.  (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Skating power couple Madison Chock and Evan Bates were left with silver in ice dance thanks in part to some questionable scoring by a French judge. Meanwhile two-time world champion and Olympic favorite Ilia Malinin shockingly crashed out of the men’s free skate after falling twice during the men’s final on Friday, finishing in eighth place. 

Now, all the pressure is on Liu to ensure Team USA doesn’t have to head home without an individual gold in figure skating. 

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“I don’t think about stuff like that,” Liu said when asked if she can beat the Japanese rivals. “Whether I beat them or not is not my goal. My goal is just to do my programs and share my story and I don’t need to be over or under anyone to do that.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Kansas State fired men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang for cause, the school said Sunday night.

The last-place Wildcats have only one win in the Big 12, and Tang, in his fourth season, lashed out at his players following a blowout home loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday.

The basis for the for-cause firing, sources told ESPN, is language in Tang’s contract that references any activity that brings “public disrepute, embarrassment, ridicule” to Kansas State.

“This was a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and men’s basketball program,” Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor said in a statement. “Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward.”

Tang took issue with the firing.

“I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination,” he told ESPN in a statement. “I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach.”

In 2023, Tang signed a contract extension through the 2029-30 season, and there is still $18.67 million remaining on that deal. Tang plans to fight the for-cause firing and has retained Tom Mars and Bennett Speyer in the case.

“If K-State’s President and AD really think the school was embarrassed by recent events, that’s nothing compared to the embarrassment that both of them are about to experience,” Mars told ESPN.

The Wildcats dropped to 1-11 in Big 12 play with a 78-64 loss at No. 3 Houston on Saturday. They played the game without player names on the back of their jerseys, three days after the rant by Tang following the Cincinnati loss went viral.

“These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform,” Tang said then. “There will be very few of them in it next year. I’m embarrassed for the university, I’m embarrassed for our fans, our student section. It is ridiculous … I have no answer. No words.”

Tang led Kansas State to the Elite Eight in his first season, winning 26 games — the program’s most since Bruce Weber’s first season in 2013. The Wildcats couldn’t continue the momentum of Tang’s first season, though, struggling in Big 12 play and missing the NCAA tournament in Year 2 and then finishing 16-17 last season.

Kansas State bottomed out this season, sitting at 10-15 overall and tied for last place in the Big 12. Some of the fans in the student section of Bramlage Coliseum wore bags over their heads during the Wildcats’ loss to Cincinnati.

Before taking over at Kansas State in 2022, Tang was an assistant coach under Scott Drew at Baylor for 20 seasons.

Tang called coaching Kansas State “one of the great honors of my life.”

“I am grateful to the players, staff, and fans who make this program so special,” he said in the statement. “I remain proud of what we built together and confident that I have always acted in the best interests of the university and our student-athletes.”

Kansas State said it would name an interim coach soon and that a national search for a replacement has begun.