Welcome to Bloody Elbow’s every day round-up of combat sports news on a day when multiple comebacks were confirmed
That is your one-stop shop for the highest five stories from February 17, 2026. After yesterday’s announcement from Jorge Masvidal that Anthony Smith shall be coming back under his banner, some even greater names announced their returns to dictate today’s news cycle.
On what was expected to be a really slow news day given it was a Tuesday the week after no UFC event, massive headlines were made by legends of the game. Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are finally fighting, and Manny Pacquiao can be getting back within the boxing ring.
- DREAM FIGHT: Gina Carano explained why planned UFC fight with Ronda Rousey never happened years before Netflix bout
Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano to fight on Netflix for Jake Paul’s promotion
Editorial teams across the MMA beat were likely dreading this morning as news across the sport had all but entirely dried up. That was until Netflix, Jake Paul, Nakisa Bidarian and two of MMA’s most famous women announced a historic showdown for this summer.
Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano were two pioneers for ladies in combat sports, and have gone on to successful careers away from the cage. But they’ll return on May 16 on the Intuit Dome for a bout that marks Most Worthwhile Promotions’ first step into MMA.
Rousey last fought in 2016, before moving on to WWE where she was a part of the primary ever women’s match to headline WrestleMania. Carano was retired long before her opponent’s heyday, and is a movie and TV star with multiple major credits including a lead role in The Mandalorian.
Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring for Las Vegas exhibition bout
Rousey and Carano weren’t the one legends to announce their comebacks either. Manny Pacquiao also confirmed he was getting back within the ring, lower than a 12 months after his impressive comeback against Mario Barrios last 12 months.
Nonetheless, the previously teased rematch with Floyd Mayweather has yet to materialize as he waits for his rival to tackle Mike Tyson, supposedly on April 25. He’ll tackle Russian former world champion Ruslan Provodnikov every week prior to his old rival on the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao had been eyeing a rematch with Barrios, or perhaps a shot at Rolly Romero’s belt. Nonetheless, he now stays busy with this ten-round exhibition bout which headlines a promised night of ‘world championship boxing’.
Dana White upsets UFC star Joaquin Buckley
Overnight, Joaquin Buckley shared a video sharing his annoyance with UFC CEO Dana White after he seemingly forgot the welterweight’s name at a recent press conference. Buckley has been feuding with Terence Crawford on social media, asking for a sparring session with the boxing legend.
White was not a fan of the concept when it was dropped at him at a recent press conference. And his dismissal of his own fighter clearly irked Buckley, who reminded him that he scored one of the crucial viral knockouts in UFC history.
Carl Froch and John Fury’s feud rages on in bizarre ‘worm-eating’ rant
Monday’s launch press conference for Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov was a terrific opportunity for John Fury to make all of it about him. Nonetheless, Carl Froch didn’t persist with the script as he remained cool amid one of the crucial bizarre meltdowns in press conference history.
The previous world champion eventually did respond, joking that Fury is a ‘fighting man’ who hasn’t fought anyone in many years. He even claimed they may fight on Misfits Boxing, despite their massive size difference.
Fury replied, sharing a bizarre video where he claimed to ‘eat worms’ while going out for a run. It was very strange.