Ronda Rousey’s MMA comeback isn’t being sold as a title chase. It’s being sold as a moment with two pioneers, one night, and a long pause in between. On May 16 at Intuit Dome, Rousey steps back into the cage for the first time since 2016 to face Gina Carano, who hasn’t fought since 2009.

The fight headlines Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA event and streams live on Netflix, which tells you how much this is about reach as much as rankings. Still, the age and inactivity angles are unavoidable. Rousey is 39. Carano will be 44 in April. Both are coming off years away, and both now have to pass more medical hurdles than most fighters on a regular card. That’s why CM Punk’s take on Ronda Rousey’s return landed differently.

“I think it’s great. We’re going to find out if she’s still got it,” the WWE legend shared during a recent interview with talkSPORT. “I think fighting at an older age, trust me, I am the expert on this, it’s not the easiest thing to do. But she’s fighting somebody who’s like age-comparable, who also has had a long layoff. Both big names, both big superstars. I think people are going to tune in to watch this, and I know I will. ”

Punk (real name Phil Brooks) went 0–1- 1(NC) in the UFC and has been open about how hard the transition was on him physically and mentally. His point wasn’t to knock Ronda Rousey. It was to underline the reality that time changes the game.

There’s also a regulatory layer that backs Punk’s age point. California has already confirmed that both women will go through expanded neurological and medical testing. Rousey’s history of concussions stretches back to her judo days, and Carano’s 17-year gap comes with its own questions about durability and timing. As per recent reports, the commission will be following over-40 age guidelines that include MRIs, MRAs, cardiac testing, and neurocognitive exams.

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Stylistically, Ronda Rousey’s résumé still carries weight. She went 12–2 in MMA, defended the UFC bantamweight title six times, and finished 11 of her first 12 pro fights in the first round. Carano’s 7–1 record and Strikeforce run helped build the stage Rousey later owned. But records age differently from bodies. Years away from live competition mean timing dulls, reactions slow, and small mistakes linger longer. That’s why CM Punk’s caution sits in that space between hype and reality. He’s not rooting against her. He’s reminding people that comebacks at this age don’t come with guarantees.

Ronda Rousey reveals “life-changing” progress on medical issue ahead of her MMA return

There’s another layer to Rousey’s return that makes CM Punk’s warning land harder: this comeback only happened because she finally got medical clarity after years of guessing what was wrong with her body.

“I actually finally got a positive diagnosis because we’ve never been really able to figure out what’s going on with me,” Rousey explained on The Jim Rome Show. “Basically, from lighter and lighter hits, I’m getting concussion symptoms… Just recently, we’ve been able to find something that I can take, that’s preventative, that hopefully will be able to resolve this issue for me. It’s life-changing.”

The breakthrough came after UFC boss Dana White sent her to the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. According to Rousey, Dr. Charles Bernick looked at her scans and told her that her brain looked “great”. From there, the conversation shifted to her history of migraines and epilepsy in her family. The working theory? Some of what felt like concussions may have been migraine aura being triggered by contact. That matters because it changes how she manages risk.

This comeback sits in an awkward middle ground between celebration and caution. On one hand, Rousey vs. Carano is a nod to where women’s MMA started for a lot of fans. On the other hand, it’s two bodies with long histories trying to meet the sport where it is now. CM Punk’s warning doesn’t kill the moment, but it certainly does reframe it.