Tag Archives: mixed martial arts

Comic Writer Ronda Rousey Surprises on AEW Revolution

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Rousey vs Carano

Was there a point when reality didn’t feel like a conspiracy theory from Charlie on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia? Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance on All Elite Wrestling‘s Revolution seemingly starting a beef with Toni Storm. Rousey was with WWE from 2014 to 2017 and had recently said she was retired from wrestling. It’s unknown how much Rousey will appear with AEW but she has teamed with Marina Shafir who lost to Storm tonight.

Why do we care about professional wrestling? Strap in because this is where things get weird… but it does involve comics and Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros… You can listen to the general mess and insanity that is that corporate acquisition.

In a match that feels like it came out of nowhere, Ronda Rousey will take on Gina Carano in a mixed martial arts fight. If you want a really intelligent take on the upcoming fight and what it means for Paramount, UFC, and Netflix, check out our friends at MMA Draw for a more detailed analysis. But, we’re taking it on from a completely different angle, it’s a comic writer taking on a former Star Wars and Deadpool actor!

Rousey and Carano are both experienced and well respected MMA fighters, both pioneers in women’s professional MMA. Rousey has a record of 12 wins and 2 losses and Carano has 7 wins and 1 loss.

In 2024 it was announced that Ronda Rousey was teaming with publisher AWA to publish her debut graphic novel Expecting the Unexpected with artist Mike Deodato, Jr. The release promoted it as:

…the graphic novel draws on Rousey’s incredible career in the ring and pairs it with Deodato’s martial arts background to create the most accurate and action-packed fight scenes in comics!

The graphic novel was originally crowdfunded raising $80,417 on Kickstarter from 966 backers. It eventually was released in October 2025 to comic shops and bookstores. AWA was initially funded by James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and Elisabeth Murdoch’s SISTER media investment firm contributed funding a few years later. Yes, it’s those Murdochs, as in some of Fox’s Rupert Murdoch’s kids. Remember, Fox was purchased by Disney in 2017. We wouldn’t normally bring that up, but the meta pissing match between rich people in his MMA fight makes the dot connections all the weirder.

Gina Carano dipped her toes into the world of acting with a star making turn in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire in 2011 after also being in Blood and Bone in 2009 and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 in 2008. She joined the Fast & Furious crew in 2013 but really entered our orbit with her role as Angel Dust in Deadpool (at that time it was a Fox property, later purchased by Disney) and then Cara Dune in The Mandalorian (Star Wars is owned by Disney). Carano was eventually fired by Disney in 2021 for right-wing statements she made on social media leading to a lawsuit that was eventually settled. In the settlement announcement, Carano thanks Elon Musk for footing the legal bill.

Rousey vs. Carano will take place on May 16 and air on Netflix. Paramount is the winning bidder for Warner Bros. Doscovery after Netflix refused to match their increase for the company. Paramount will be purchasing DC Comics in their acquisition of Warner Bros. DC regularly does crossover promotion with AEW as Warner Bros. owns a stake in AEW and is the parent company of DC. Paramount is tied into a business deal for streaming rights with the UFC and leaning heavily into that promotion. The UFC is buddy/buddy with the Trump administration and will have a fight on the White House lawn. The Rousey vs. Carano fight is being put together by Most Valuable Promotions which was established by Jake Paul. Paul, to his credit, has been a vocal critic of the UFC and it underpaying MMA fighters. Jake Paul’s brother Logan Paul currently works for WWE which also has ties to the Trump administration. WWE is the sister company of UFC and a rival organization of AEW.

Rousey has said some horrific stuff in the past and AEW/Warner Bros. have booted individuals from the promotion over past statements and comments, so there’s even more grumbling over this appearance.

Got all of that?

Ronda Rousey showed up at AEW Revolution!#AEWRevolution

— Fightful Wrestling (@fightful.com) 2026-03-16T01:05:24.654Z

Comic Writer vs. Star Wars/Deadpool Actor in MMA Fight. Ronda Rousey takes on Gina Carano

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Rousey vs Carano

In a match that feels like it came out of nowhere, Ronda Rousey will take on Gina Carano in a mixed martial arts fight. If you want a really intelligent take on the upcoming fight and what it means for Paramount, UFC, and Netflix, check out our friends at MMA Draw for a more detailed analysis. But, we’re taking it on from a completely different angle, it’s a comic writer taking on a former Star Wars and Deadpool actor!

Rousey and Carano are both experienced and well respected MMA fighters, both pioneers in women’s professional MMA. Rousey has a record of 12 wins and 2 losses and Carano has 7 wins and 1 loss.

In 2024 it was announced that Ronda Rousey was teaming with publisher AWA to publish her debut graphic novel Expecting the Unexpected with artist Mike Deodato, Jr. The release promoted it as:

…the graphic novel draws on Rousey’s incredible career in the ring and pairs it with Deodato’s martial arts background to create the most accurate and action-packed fight scenes in comics!

The graphic novel was originally crowdfunded raising $80,417 on Kickstarter from 966 backers. It eventually was released in October 2025 to comic shops and bookstores. AWA was initially funded by James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and Elisabeth Murdoch’s SISTER media investment firm contributed funding a few years later. Yes, it’s those Murdochs, as in some of Fox’s Rupert Murdoch’s kids. Remember, Fox was purchased by Disney in 2017. We wouldn’t normally bring that up, but the meta pissing match between rich people in his MMA fight makes the dot connections all the weirder.

Gina Carano dipped her toes into the world of acting with a star making turn in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire in 2011 after also being in Blood and Bone in 2009 and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 in 2008. She joined the Fast & Furious crew in 2013 but really entered our orbit with her role as Angel Dust in Deadpool (at that time it was a Fox property, later purchased by Disney) and then Cara Dune in The Mandalorian (Star Wars is owned by Disney). Carano was eventually fired by Disney in 2021 for right-wing statements she made on social media leading to a lawsuit that was eventually settled. In the settlement announcement, Carano thanks Elon Musk for footing the legal bill.

Rousey vs. Carano will take place on May 16 and air on Netflix. Netlfix is currently winning bidder for Warner Bros. Discovery who is competing against Paramount for it. Paramount is tied into a business deal for streaming rights with the UFC and leaning heavily into that promotion. The UFC is buddy/buddy with the Trump administration and will have a fight on the White House lawn. The Rousey vs. Carano fight is being put together by Most Valuable Promotions which was established by Jake Paul. Paul, to his credit, has been a vocal critic of the UFC and it underpaying MMA fighters. Jake Paul’s brother Logan Paul currently works for WWE which also has ties to the Trump administration.

So, beyond having this weird world of comics and geek films, there’s also some underneath jockeying between rival corporations who will help decide the future of entertainment in their possible acquisition of WBD.

NYCC 2019: AferShock Grapples with MMA in Kill A Man from Steve Orlando, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Alec Morgan, and Jim Campbell

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At New York Comic Con, AfterShock announced Kill A Man, a brand new original graphic novel from writers Steve Orlando and Phillip Kennedy Johnson featuring art by Alec Morgan and lettering by Jim Campbell.

In the early days of Mixed Martial Arts, kickboxer icon DJ Bellyi slurs a queer opponent in the ring, and is beaten to death while his young son James watches in horror from the stands.

Sixteen years later, young James Bellyi has become an MMA star in his own right, with top-tier endorsements and an imminent title shot. But when James is outed as gay by an opponent in a press conference, he loses everything: his title shot, his fans, his team, even his family. To fight his way back, he turns to the only one left in the world willing to train him: Xavier Mayne, the man who killed his father.

The graphic novel will be released in two oversized 60-page volumes. Kill A Man is out early summer 2020.

Kill A Man

Marvel Writer CM Punk falls to a Rear Naked Choke

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cm_punk_ufc_203At about fifteen minutes after 11pm ET Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk, made his way to the octagon in UFC 203 for his mixed martial arts debut. Smiling, high-fiving fans, it was clear Punk was soaking in the experience and loving every minute of it, no matter the result to come.

Why are we covering this?

CM Punk, when he’s not training for his MMA fight, is also a writer for Marvel, currently writing Drax, as well as having written for Vertigo.

Quickly the match went sour for Punk as the two rushed to the center of the ring, Punk swung high which saw opponent Mickey Gall shoot low taking Punk down.

Gall controlled the fight as Punk showed his inexperience as Gall grappled with Punk on the grown eventually showing off his Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu skills and moving to Punk’s pack.

Punk showed heart though, fighting out of a choke, but eventually fell to a rear naked choke and tapped out at 2:14 in the first round.

Punk showed his sportsmanship congratulating Gall and living his dream out in front of millions.

Gall moves to 3-0, 2-0 inside the octagon. Punk’s future is unknown. CM Punk’s record is 0-1.

Check out Punk’s entrance into the arena.

Comic Writer and Former WWE Superstar CM Punk Heads to the Octagon Tonight

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Tonight current Marvel comics writer and former WWE Superstar CM Punk (aka Phil Brooks) heads into the Octagon for his Mixed Martial Arts debut in UFC 203. The fight taking place in Cleveland, Ohio sees Punk fighting Mickey Gall in his welterweight debut.

Punk has been writing Drax for Marvel and has written a Thor story and a story for Vertigo.

It’s unknown how he’ll do in his UFC debut and experts seem split with Mickey the betting favorite currently. Punk refused to shake the hand of Gall in the weigh in bringing some WWE drama to the UFC.

Is this the first comic book writer to fight in the UFC? We’ll follow up later with an update as to how Punk does.

Kevin Eastman Steps in the MMA Cage with Cage Hero

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Dynamite has announced a collaborative agreement with Surge Licensing, Inc., Ian Parker, and Mark Mastrandrea to develop a comic book series based on the brand new property Cage Hero. The four-issue series will debut this November, released monthly as single-issue comics, both digitally and in print, and collected later into trade format. Cage Hero is an all-ages action-adventure series in the tradition of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen Titans, and Karate Kid — a youth-based Mixed Martial Arts property that inspires health, fitness, skill, and teamwork to become a real hero.

In Cage Hero, Ryder Stone, a small town middle school student and wrestling star raised by a strict grandfather, finds himself on a path to meet his true destiny when he is recruited to lead a super-powered team of mixed martial artists known as The Cage Heroes! Trained in their own unique martial art disciplines, all connected by a secret past, this new team will need to dig deep within themselves to protect the world from an international evil network known as The Shadow Empire. The race for control of the universe has begun, and evil has the upper hand. With only a handful of teenagers to stand in the way, can they find the hero within and stop them?

Cage Hero was created by MMA Manager/Personality Ian Parker and Mark Mastrandrea. Working closely with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman to craft the characters and world inspired by Ian’s own fighting knowledge and experience, and his love for comics. The creative team on the comic book series will include Rik Hoskin scripting, Renato Rei providing the dynamic artwork, and Ross Campbell on colors, with Ian and Kevin personally overseeing all aspects of production.

MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world today. Each MMA event commonly reaches over one million viewers. In the early existence of MMA, it was only a sport that adults could participate in; in this day and age, MMA is taught to men, women, and children. It is primarily taught to children to find their inner strength and to become disciplined at a young age.

CageHero01_Cover-COLORS

Rashad Evans Dissects Spawn Comics

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The Fighting Network‘s On The Shift, Wai Ting brings Rashad Evans a surprise bag of comics, as they both talk about different styles and genres in the medium. Evans also gives a complete break down of Al Simmons a.k.a. Spawn and he tells us why he loves the series and the character so much.

Proving you can be a jock and a comic geek a the same time, Evans struts his knowledge of comics and art. He even says he wants to play Spawn! What do folks think? Would Evans be a good Al Simmons?

 

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