TLDR
- Rousey vs Carano peaked at 11.6M U.S. viewers, making it the most-watched MMA event in American history
- The Netflix event averaged 12.4M global viewers with nearly 17M watching at peak
- The main event lasted just 17 seconds, with Rousey winning via armbar submission
- Previous U.S. record was UFC on Fox’s 8.8M peak viewers in 2011
- MVP promoters Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian say they plan more MMA events
Sources: Brobible | What’s on Netflix | Slam Wrestling | Most Valuable Promotions
The Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano fight on Netflix has become the most-watched MMA event in United States history. The event peaked at 11.6 million viewers during the main event on Saturday night.
Globally, the triple-main card averaged 12.4 million viewers across its broadcast. Peak viewership reached nearly 17 million viewers worldwide for the Rousey-Carano bout.
The fight itself lasted only 17 seconds. Rousey defeated Carano via armbar submission, improving her record to 13-2.
17 million global viewers tuned in to watch Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on Netflix, averaging 12.4 million viewers across the triple main event! #RouseyCarano pic.twitter.com/p4TMQ3cPBn
— Netflix (@netflix) May 19, 2026
Record-Breaking Viewership Numbers
The event crushed the previous U.S. record for MMA viewership set in 2011. UFC on Fox’s Velasquez vs. dos Santos event had averaged 5.7 million viewers with a peak of 8.8 million.
In the United States alone, the triple-main card averaged 9.3 million viewers throughout the broadcast. This makes it the highest-rated MMA event ever shown in America.
The viewership data comes from VideoAmp, G&G, and Netflix’s internal metrics. The numbers represent Live+1 average minute audience measurements.
Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions organized the event in partnership with Netflix. The card took place at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California on May 16.
Beyond television metrics, the event generated 1 billion impressions across Netflix’s global social channels. MVP’s owned social channels recorded over 410 million impressions.
Social Media Dominance and Additional Fights
The hashtag #RouseyCarano claimed the number one trending spot on X throughout the evening in the United States. Related terms including Nate Diaz, Jake Paul, MVP MMA, and Netflix MMA also trended.
Globally, the fight reached the top trend in Brazil. In the United Kingdom, it ranked as the third-highest trend.
The undercard featured two other major bouts. Mike Perry defeated Nate Diaz by TKO after the referee stopped the fight before the third round.
Francis Ngannou knocked out Philipe Lins in the first round of their heavyweight contest. Perry’s record now stands at 15-8, while Ngannou improved to 19-3.
The event generated a live gate exceeding $2.2 million at the venue. Commercial premises including bars, restaurants, casinos, and hospitality venues showed the fight nationwide.
MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian released a joint statement about the results. They said the debut “exceeded every expectation we had for the launch of this new chapter of our business.”
The promoters confirmed they have received interest from investors, strategic partners, and fighters. They stated they are “currently reviewing all strategic options to do something very meaningful within MMA on a go-forward basis.”
Paul and Bidarian praised Netflix as a distribution partner that “shares our vision to create lasting impact.” They thanked the athletes who participated in MVP MMA’s debut event.
Carano’s record now stands at 7-2 following the loss. The former Strikeforce and EliteXC fighter had not competed in MMA since 2009 before this bout.
Rousey last fought in the UFC in 2016 before transitioning to professional wrestling. Her return to MMA after nearly a decade away drew massive attention from combat sports fans worldwide.
