On May 16, 2026, Netflix is streaming its first ever live MMA eventheld by MVP (Most Valuable Promotions). Although die-hard fans can tune in to see Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry or Francis Ngannou's match with Philipe Lins, the main attraction is the super fight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. At one point, both were the most famous female fighters in the world, and they helped propel WMMA into the mainstream during a time when the sport was considered male-only by the UFC.
Why should the gaming community care? Well, both Carano and Rousey have extensive histories with gambling, even if the former has Red Alert 3 appearance is probably more well known than the latter's history. However, take away Rousey's Olympic pedigree, MMA and WWE heritage and “Baddest Woman on the Planet” persona, and you will find a hardcore lifelong gamer with a deep love for Pokémon and Wow.
The MVP Netflix MMA event starts at 9:00 PM EST. Rousey vs. Carano is the last match, so it doesn't get underway until much later.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Start
Guess the games from the emojis.
Light (120s) Medium (90s) Hard (60s)
Rousey, the baddest striker on the planet
Rousey's WoW Pedigree
World of Warcraft is probably the game Rousey is most associated with, especially since she's participated in collaborations with Blizzard (like the “A Toast to 15 Years” celebration). Nothing screams “hardcore” gamer more than one Wow subscription. Rousey has been a citizen of Azeroth for over a decade, using the MMO as the ultimate escape from her strict training regimen and just the stresses of everyday life.
Although she talked about Warcraft Before starting her Facebook Gaming partnership, Rousey has been streaming sessions of her playing the game, some of which have been preserved on her YouTube channel. Although she was mostly active around 5–6 years ago, she continued to upload videos occasionally, and her gaming resume includes Dead cells, Among us, Horizon Zero Dawn, Animal Crossingand, of course, Pokémon.
On Conanshe revealed that she bonded with Vin Diesel during the filming of Furious 7 over their mutual love for World of Warcraft; in fact, he helped her become more accustomed to the game, as she was still a relative novice at the time. She apparently enjoys playing as a Night Elf Hunter or Blood Elf Rogue. In a 2020 interview with Digital Spy, Rousey confirmed that she is part of one Wow family, with both her husband and children playing (at least then).
When I first started dating my husband, I played WoW all the time, so he would play because he wanted to spend time with me, and then all my kids started playing, and we would want to raid and dungeon and everything together. – Ronda Rousey via Digital Spy
Ronda Rousey, the rowdy Pokemon forum moderator
A huge Pokemon fan
At the age of 23, Rousey made her MMA debut, defeating Hayden Munoz in an amateur match. At the age of 21, she competed in her second Olympics and received a bronze medal in judo. At the age of 17, she competed in her first Olympics, and she was the youngest judoka at the tournament. Before all of this, Rousey fought a different kind of fight: Moderation of online forums.
This is pretty common knowledge these days, but The Baddest Woman on the Planet is a pretty big one Pokémon hell, to the point of actually being a moderator on a fan forum called GamersChoice. Nicknamed “Snooch.booch,” Rousey was in her mid-teens when she played this role, and she's been pretty open about her love for the franchise. Since nothing stays buried on the internet, her profile was (naturally) unearthed.
At the height of her UFC powers, Rousey held a brief interview with MMAFightingonSBN and discussed her history with Pokémonreveals that she started with the trading cards and that her first game was Pokemon blue.
Rousey's favorite Pokemon is Mew
Now try to imagine Mew with Vegeta's hair
In 2015, Rousey was one of the most famous people in the world, with her legendary run as UFC Bantamweight Champion seemingly destined to last forever. At that point, she hosted an AMA on Reddit, a PR move that could go sideways pretty quickly (as would happen in her 2024 AMA). Want to know how Rousey introduced herself?
That's right, The Baddest Woman on the Planet devoted its first paragraph to confirming her geek credentials. One commentator even asked Rousey what she was doing Game of Thrones sigil would be, and she said: “My sigil would be a Mew with Vegeta hair.” I have to be honest, it’s a picture I have a hard time imagining, but it would be pretty cool.
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Rousey's dream role is Metroid's Samus Aran
The worst bounty hunter in the universe
Whether it's games or anime, we've probably all found ourselves daydreaming and imagining a life as one of our heroes or favorites. Who hasn't made themselves like Nathan Drake or Lara Croft? Doomguy or Master Chief? Goku or Kratos? Link or Kirby? OK, maybe some of this is a stretch, but games are built on escapism, and it's just fun to imagine the impossible.
IN Rousey's case is the video game character she would love to be Metroids Samus, as revealed in a 2016 GameSpot interview. To be specific, this was her answer to the question of what character she would like to play in a movie, and she couldn't have chosen a more ugly hero. Aside from a handful of roles in the mid-2010s, Rousey has mostly stayed out of the film industry, so this casting seems unlikely to materialize at this point. Still, never say never, especially since these days Nintendo is more willing to turn its IPs into Hollywood blockbusters.
Rousey, the legendary raid champion
To take matters into one's own hands
Although Rousey was rumored to have been added as one more NPC World of WarcraftThe “Rhonda” character is actually based on a Blizzard employee. But Rousey eventually became a character in a massive, inescapable RPG: Raid: Shadow Legends. Yes, you know the one.
In late 2022, the WWE wrestler (at the time) was released as a legend for a limited time, allowing players to download her for free. Her run only lasted until early 2023, and she has not been made available since then. At this point, it seems unlikely that she will ever be brought back, so players either have her or they don't. Although it is not the most loved game in the world, Raid: Shadow Legends is still a game that brings in millions of players daily, so it's a big deal regardless.
Rousey is Mortal Kombat 11's Sonya Blade
Her only video game role (not appearance)
Technically, Ronda Rousey has a pretty extensive video game resume, as shown in (I think) 5 EA Sports UFC games and 5 WWE game. Taking Raid: Shadow Legends regard, Rousey is playable for 11 matcheswhich is quite an impressive feat. She was even on the cover of EA Sports UFC 2 and a pre-order bonus for WWE 2K19.
But if we're talking video game roles, Rousey only has one credit to her name: Mortal Kombat 11. If anyone should know just one thing about Rousey in gaming, it would probably be her turn as Sonya Blade, a casting that wasn't necessarily a complete success. Still, it was cool to see one of the most famous martial artists portray an iconic fighting game character, and criticism of her performance has been retroactively reduced after some stunt casting for Mortal Kombat 1.
Whatever happens during the Gina Carano on Netflix feud, Rousey's place in pop culture is unique and cemented in stone. She broke barriers in the UFC, helped fuel the women's revolution in the WWE, and became a champion raider World of Warcraft.
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