TLDR
- Ronda Rousey received a diagnosis from Cleveland Clinic doctors that her symptoms are from migraine aura, not repeated concussions or CTE
- UFC CEO Dana White sent Rousey to the Cleveland Clinic after she approached him about a potential comeback fight
- Dr. Charles Bernick linked her vision loss and cognitive issues to cortical spreading depression triggered by impacts, not brain damage
- Rousey now takes preventative migraine medication that she says is life-changing and allows her to compete safely
- The former UFC champion will face Gina Carano on May 16, 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California
Sources: EssentiallySports | Sportsnaut | Bloody Elbow
Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey has addressed concerns about her brain health ahead of her return to mixed martial arts against Gina Carano on May 16, 2026. The 39-year-old revealed a medical diagnosis that has cleared the way for her comeback after nearly a decade away from competition.
Rousey appeared on The Jim Rome Show to explain the extensive medical testing she underwent before agreeing to fight. She had previously blamed repeated concussions for ending her fighting career, making her return announcement surprising to many fans.
UFC CEO Dana White played a key role in getting Rousey proper medical care. When she first approached White about a potential return, he sent her to the Cleveland Clinic, where doctors run a long-term neurological study on fighters.
“When I first approached Dana, he was like ‘first of all, I want to make sure that you’re OK,'” Rousey said. “He sent me to the Cleveland Clinic, where they have a long-term neurological fighter study going on.”
The Diagnosis That Changed Everything
Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic ran every possible test to examine Rousey’s brain health. What they found surprised her and offered relief from her worst fears.
Dr. Charles Bernick discovered that Rousey’s symptoms were not from repeated concussions. Instead, he linked her vision loss and cognitive issues to migraine aura and cortical spreading depression.
Rousey had experienced frightening symptoms during her fighting career. She would lose large chunks of her vision, her depth perception, and her cognitive clarity.
By looking at her lifelong history of migraines and family history of epilepsy, Dr. Bernick connected the dots. He explained that impacts were triggering migraine aura rather than causing new concussions.
“What he thinks is happening is that I’m not actually getting a concussion every single time that this is happening,” Rousey explained. “He thinks it’s setting off what’s called migraine aura, where you just lose big chunks of your vision.”
The condition involves neurons becoming overly excited and depolarizing in a wave pattern. This causes the vision loss Rousey experienced when getting hit.
Relief and a New Treatment Plan
The diagnosis brought enormous relief to Rousey, who feared she was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes with histories of repetitive brain trauma.
“To me, I was like, I’m not dying! CTE isn’t coming to get me!” Rousey said. “There’s actually stuff we can do about it.”
Rousey and her medical team struggled at first to find preventative medication. Most migraine medications are designed to be used after symptoms start.
Recently, doctors found a preventative medication that Rousey can take before competition. She described this discovery as life-changing.
“Just recently, we’ve been able to find something that I can take that’s preventative that will hopefully be able to resolve this issue for me,” Rousey said. “It’s life-changing.”
With her new medication regimen and medical clearance, Rousey feels confident about returning to the cage. She joked that her strategy remains the same as always.
“Of course, I’m going to be going into the fight with the intention of not getting hit once because that’s basically what I’ve had to do my entire career,” she said.
Rousey will face Gina Carano at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The fight will be promoted under the MVP banner and streamed on Netflix.
Rousey’s professional MMA record stands at 12-2, with three knockouts and nine submissions. Her last fight was a loss to Amanda Nunes in December 2016.
While White helped arrange her medical care, Rousey and the UFC did not reach a financial agreement to promote the fight. The bout will mark Carano’s first fight in over 15 years.
