Ronda Rousey's Swimsuit Photo Causes Stir Before Fight vs. Gina Carano

Ronda Rousey is officially returning to the MMA world this Saturday to take on another legend in Gina Carano.

Carano and Rousey agreed to fight for a Most Valuable Promotions event at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Their bout, which is sanctioned under the Unified Rules of MMA, consists of five 5-minute rounds.

"Been waiting so long to announce this: Me and Gina Carano are gonna throw down in the biggest super fight in women's combat sport history," Rousey told ESPN earlier this year. "And we're partnering with the fighter-first promotion MVP as well as the biggest and baddest streamer on the planet Netflix. This is for all MMA fans past, present and future."

On Friday afternoon, Rousey weighed in at 142 pounds. Carano, on the other hand, weighed in at 141.4 pounds.

Prior to Saturday's highly-anticipated fight, Rousey's old photoshoot with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit resurfaced online.

In 2015, Rousey made her SI Swimsuit debut. She was still undefeated in the UFC at the time of this photoshoot.

One year later, Rousey participated in the iconic magazine's "Body Paint" series.

"I had never painted a tiger before-I had never painted an animal before-and it was so appropriate for this personality," makeup artist Joanne Gair said, via SI Swimsuit. "The cover one was a great success, it was lovely to do as well, but the tiger one was very Ronda. She wore it so well, she loved it." 

Why did Ronda Rousey retire?

Rousey left the UFC behind due to her history with concussions.

"I'd like people to understand my reasons and motivations behind things," Rousey said, via ESPN. "I was forced to leave fighting when I was faster, stronger, more skilled and had a better understanding of the art than ever before. It was a really hard decision to understand, one that my body made for me."

While fans would love to see Rousey compete on a full-time basis, it sounds like her bout with Carano is a one-night thing.

You can watch Rousey's return to MMA exclusively on Netflix.

Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 11:20 AM.