From competing in male-dominated sports to changing Dana White’s view on women in the UFC, Ronda Rousey not only transformed the game, but she also helped change the outlook on women in sports. Now she is preparing to close the chapter on her fighting career.

Nearly a decade after her last UFC appearance, Rousey returns to face Gina Carano on May 16th at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on Netflix’s MVP card. As fight night approaches, she remains unambiguous about what comes after: nothing.

“I promised my husband up and down that this is the last one,” Ronda Rousey said on the Ariel Helwani show. “He’s the one that I really got convinced to like, you know, get on board for this promoter sh-t after. He’s not 100% sold on it. So he’s definitely not 100%. He’s not going for the fighting at all after this. Honestly, I want to get started, like having babies again, right away. I want to have at least two more, if I can.

“I just can’t be taking any detours anymore. You know, so and I think there’s just, this is the peak, I can’t go higher than this. This is like a dream fight. This is the absolute pinnacle, I think, for me, and this is the perfect way to end it. There’s nothing bigger than this, this is it… We need to end at the peak.”

The road back to this point was not straightforward. After her knockout loss to Holly Holm in November 2015, Rousey’s relationship with the sport fractured. She returned a year later to challenge Amanda Nunes for the UFC bantamweight title but was stopped in the first round.

In the years that followed, she revealed that she had been dealing with serious neurological symptoms affecting her vision, reaction time, and cognitive function. She feared that this might indicate CTE or significant concussion damage.

“I was dealing with these neurological issues for such a long time, and I didn’t understand what was going on,” Rousey said.

UFC CEO Dana White helped her connect with specialists at the Cleveland Clinic, where the doctors helped diagnose and treat her migraines. This changed things for the better. But having now rebuilt her health and her family, she has no intention of putting herself through something like that again. So, at the age of 39, Rousey returns for one last bout against Gina Carano.

But why does this match mean so much to Ronda Rousey? Because…

“It’s not just for me, it’s giving fighters their power back,” Rousey explained.

Above all, Rousey has nothing left to prove in the sport of MMA. From 2013 to 2015, she defended her title six times against everyone and became famous for finishing fights quickly, especially with her dangerous armbar submissions in the very first round. On top of it, she became one of the few female fighters to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

She has been credited by fighters, including Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Zhang Weili, as a direct inspiration for their own MMA careers. Her profile helped open mainstream doors for women in combat sports that had not previously existed.

Ronda Rousey’s attempt at uplifting women in MMA

Before returning to the cage, Ronda Rousey shared an important lesson for young female athletes. She explained that winning fights is important, but building a strong connection with the media and fans also plays a huge role in creating a successful career. According to Rousey, athletes need more than just talent inside the ring or cage to become true stars.

“I think a lot of them (female fighters) need to realize that just going in and fighting isn’t the whole job and putting a lot of thought into media and stuff like this, and being able to get your message across, because your job isn’t just to win fights, it’s to get people to watch your fights,” Rousey said during a recent Netflix press conference.

After Rousey joined MVP for the Carano fight, co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said Jake Paul became even more motivated to support and promote women’s combat sports, though he has consistently done so in the past. Also on the MVP card is Nate Diaz, who trained alongside both Rousey and Carano and has his own connection to the fight.

“It’s an honor, it’s cool to be on the card with them,” Diaz said. “Two great women. Two great fighters, and may the best lady win.”

Whatever happens on May 16th, Ronda Rousey has already decided it is her last night inside a cage. The only question left is how she goes out.