Rousey vs. Carano Breaks U.S. Viewership Records

Pulse Sports Team 10:19 - 20 May 2026

The highly anticipated bout between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano shattered viewership records, becoming the most-watched MMA event in United States history, drawing over 12 million viewers on Netflix.

Last Saturday, Rousey and Carano headlined Most Valuable Promotions' inaugural MMA event, broadcast live on Netflix. Ahead of the gala, Rousey openly expressed her ambition to surpass nine million viewers, aiming to break the previous U.S. record of 8.8 million views set by Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez during UFC's FOX debut in 2011.

According to figures released by Most Valuable Promotions on Tuesday, MVP MMA 1 garnered over 12.4 million live viewers globally, peaking at 17 million during the main event clash between Rousey and Carano. In the United States, the event averaged 9.3 million viewers, with a peak of 11.6 million during the main card, securing MVP MMA the new record for the most-watched MMA event in the country. The event also generated $2.2 million in live ticket sales and one billion impressions across Netflix's global social channels.

While these numbers didn't quite reach the heights of the Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul boxing match, they represent a significant improvement over last summer's Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 3 event, which attracted six million viewers. MVP co-founders, Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, appear pleased with the results.

“We are proud of what we achieved alongside our partners at Netflix and are grateful to the athletes who helped make MVP MMA’s debut such a success,” Bidarian stated in a press release. “We’ve received tremendous interest from investors, strategic partners, and fighters looking to get involved with MVP and the future of MVP MMA. We are currently reviewing all strategic opportunities to do something very meaningful in MMA in the future with a partner like Netflix who shares our vision for creating lasting impact.”

It remains unclear which fighters will headline future MVP MMA events. After defeating Carano via submission in just 17 seconds on Saturday, Rousey indicated she has no intention of continuing to compete.