Ronda Rousey claims bout with Gina Carano to 'smash' women's fight record

Ronda Rousey has claimed that her fight with Gina Carano will smash the “record for the most women to have been paid in combat sports."

The former women’s bantamweight champion will take on fellow MMA great Carano at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Saturday. This will be Rousey’s first fight after announcing her retirement 10 years ago. She suffered a brutal knockout defeat to Amanda Nunes last time out in 2016.

After the heartbreaking defeat, Rousey joined WWE, but earlier this year, she shocked her fans by announcing her return to MMA.

Meanwhile, Gina Carano announced her retirement in 2009 after being knocked out by Cris Cyborg in the first round. The 44-year-old transitioned from a pioneering MMA career to become an action star in Hollywood after the loss.

Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions is set to debut in MMA this weekend, with the event broadcast live on Netflix. Saturday night’s billing is dubbed a historic milestone by pundits, not just for MMA, but for women's fighting in general.

In the build-up to the contest, Rousey slammed the UFC’s fighter pay and at the same time, she claimed that her Los Angeles fight with Carano would be a groundbreaking moment for the sport.

"The biggest money fight is the biggest fight period. And we [Harrison] honestly have very different definitions of greatness. Mine is making history, making a cultural impact and influencing the future of the sport," she said.

"I've already won a record eight consecutive title fights, there's nothing left for me to do in UFC. So now me and Gina are smashing the record for the most women have been paid in combat sports."

Rousey also praised Carano before their fight, saying: “We don’t need to hate each other to give each other our best.”