Netflix is diving into mixed martial arts with its first-ever live MMA event, headlined by a long-awaited dream matchup between pioneers Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

The announcement, made Feb. 17, 2026, by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) — Jake Paul’s combat sports company — and Netflix marks a major expansion for the streaming giant beyond its previous boxing ventures, such as the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson bout. The card will stream exclusively live on Netflix worldwide, with no pay-per-view required for subscribers.

Rousey (12-2, 9 submissions, 3 KOs), the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion and Olympic judo medalist, returns after a nearly 10-year retirement from MMA. Her last professional fight was a loss to Amanda Nunes in December 2016. Carano (7-1, 1 submission, 3 KOs), often credited as one of the earliest stars of women’s MMA through her Strikeforce bouts, has not competed professionally since 2009 but has remained active in training and acting.

The bout will be contested at featherweight (145 pounds) over five five-minute rounds inside a hexagon cage. Both fighters, now 39 (Rousey) and 43 (Carano), are un-retiring specifically for this superfight, billed as the biggest in women’s combat sports history.

“Been waiting so long to announce this: Me and Gina Carano are gonna throw down in the biggest super fight in women’s combat sport history,” Rousey said in a statement. “We’re partnering with the fighter-first promotion MVP as well as the biggest and baddest streamer on the planet Netflix. This is for all MMA fans past, present and future.”

Carano echoed the sentiment, noting Rousey approached her as the only opponent worth a comeback. The matchup, often discussed as a “what if” since the mid-2010s, arrives more than a decade after both were at their peaks.

The event is MVP’s inaugural MMA card, following its successes in boxing. Additional undercard fights will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets go on sale March 5 via Ticketmaster, with a pre-sale signup already available. A press conference is scheduled for March 5 at the Intuit Dome, hosted by combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani.

Netflix promoted the fight aggressively on social media Feb. 17 with a video declaring “Two MMA legends are coming to Netflix. RONDA ROUSEY vs. GINA CARANO Saturday May 16 LIVE only on Netflix #RouseyCarano.” Fan reactions exploded across platforms, with excitement over the historic clash mixed with skepticism about ring rust — Carano’s 17-year absence and Rousey’s decade-long hiatus — and debates on competitiveness.

Some fans called it a “wild ride” and “dream fight,” while others joked about it being “10 years too late” or questioned outcomes. The announcement also drew attention to Carano’s controversial exit from “The Mandalorian” in 2021, with headlines noting Netflix’s move as an effective “un-canceling” for the actress-fighter.

The Intuit Dome, home to the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, provides a modern venue for the event. Netflix’s live sports push continues to grow, capitalizing on massive viewership from prior combat events.

No undercard details or additional streaming requirements have been released beyond a standard Netflix subscription. The fight streams live May 16, with timing to be confirmed closer to the date.

This landmark card positions Netflix as a player in live MMA broadcasting, potentially setting the stage for more events if viewership proves strong.

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Netflix’s psychological thriller limited series “His & Hers” has surged to the top of streaming charts since its Jan. 8, 2026, premiere, captivating audiences with its unreliable narrators, multiple twists and intense performances from leads Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal.

The six-episode series, an adaptation of Alice Feeney’s 2020 bestselling novel of the same name, follows estranged spouses Anna Andrews (Thompson), a once-prominent Atlanta news anchor returning to her small Georgia hometown of Dahlonega, and Jack Harper (Bernthal), the lead detective on a high-profile murder case. As Anna covers the story for her struggling career comeback, she and Jack each suspect the other of involvement in the killing of a wealthy local woman, leading to a tense battle of wits amid buried secrets from their shared past.

All episodes dropped simultaneously on Netflix, allowing viewers to binge the slow-burn suspense that builds to a shocking finale. The official trailer, released Dec. 11, 2025, teased the core conflict with the tagline “Two sides. One truth,” highlighting heated confrontations and the question of who is lying. Netflix promoted the series as a seductive mind game exploring trust, betrayal and small-town secrets.

Supporting cast includes Pablo Schreiber, Rebecca Rittenhouse as ambitious coworker Lexy Jones, Sunita Mani, Marin Ireland, Crystal Fox and Poppy Liu, adding layers to the ensemble of suspects and allies. Created by William Oldroyd (“Lady Macbeth”) and showrun by Dee Johnson (“ER”), the production emphasizes atmospheric tension in the sweltering Georgia setting.

Viewership has been explosive: Nielsen data for Jan. 12-18, 2026, showed “His & Hers” leading with 2.24 billion viewing minutes, dethroning “Stranger Things” from its seven-week No. 1 run. The series claimed the top spot on Netflix’s English TV list with 29.5 million views in its debut week, drawing praise for its bingeable pacing and star power.

Critics have offered mixed but engaged responses. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 69% Tomatometer score based on reviews, with a 62% Popcornmeter from audiences. Some outlets hailed the chemistry between Thompson and Bernthal and the addictive twists, while others critiqued plot holes, overreliance on melodrama and handling of heavy themes like sexual assault and bullying. RogerEbert.com called it frustrating yet indicative of the thriller miniseries boom, while fans on social media and Reddit lauded it as a “wild ride” perfect for one-sitting viewing.

Thompson, who also executive produces, brings emotional depth to Anna’s unraveling life, while Bernthal’s intense portrayal of the rogue detective adds grit. The adaptation stays faithful to Feeney’s novel, preserving its unreliable perspectives and final revelations.
As a limited series, “His & Hers” concludes its story in one season, though its success has sparked discussions about potential anthology-style follow-ups in the thriller space. Netflix continues to invest heavily in book-to-screen adaptations, with “His & Hers” joining recent hits in the genre.

Fans can stream all six episodes exclusively on Netflix, rated TV-MA for mature themes, violence and language. With ongoing buzz nearly six weeks post-premiere, the series remains a dominant conversation piece in streaming entertainment.

Indian mutual fund managers were seen retreating from the technology sector, dumping stakes in 9 out of 10 major IT stocks in January as fears mounted that artificial intelligence will permanently disrupt the outsourcing model that built the $250 billion industry.

Mutual funds held Rs 395,404 crore worth of IT stocks as of January 2026, down from their December exposure of Rs 397,310 crore, as relentless selling gripped the sector, according to data from Prime Database. Oracle Financial Services Software (OFSS), Wipro, TCS and Coforge have all crashed at least 30% from 52-week highs, while Infosys is down 27% and HCL Tech has shed 18%.

ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company led the exodus, offloading an estimated Rs 1,953 crore in Infosys alone during the month, according to the data. The fund house also dumped Rs 783 crore in Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Rs 623 crore in HCL Tech. Only Wipro saw buying interest, with both ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund and Quant Mutual Fund adding to their positions.

According to estimates, net selling by all mutual funds in TCS reached Rs 302.53 crore in January, while Tech Mahindra saw Rs 966.71 crore in net outflows and HCL Tech Rs 817.35 crore.

“We expect continued relevance for IT Services, but their position in the tech value chain is softening,” said Ruchi Mukhija of ICICI Securities. “As AI-driven capital shifts toward infrastructure and AI software, services are losing their share of new tech spend. This prolonged period of subdued growth could drive a further derating in valuation multiples.”

Large-cap IT stocks currently trade at 18 times fiscal 2027 estimated earnings, well above historical troughs like the 11-12 times seen during the global financial crisis and initial Covid-19 outbreak, or the 15-17 times average of the fiscal 2013-2017 slowdown, Mukhija noted.
Also Read | Beyond Rs 6 lakh crore selloff: How TCS, Infosys, other IT giants are reinventing to outlast AI disruption fears

AI’s deflationary grip

The structural threat is stark as generative and agentic AI are delivering immediate productivity gains of 20-40% across core tasks like coding, testing, support, maintenance, and business process outsourcing. This efficiency is eroding IT services’ share of global tech spending, with ICICI Securities projecting an 8 percentage point contraction between calendar 2023-2026 as capital flows toward AI infrastructure and platforms.

Pure-play AI leaders are scaling at “unprecedented rates,” the brokerage said, with OpenAI and Anthropic reaching annual revenue run-rates of $20 billion and $14 billion respectively, backed by over 1 million and 300,000-plus enterprise customers.

“While we believe that these platforms do not replace IT service providers, they are essentially weakening their bargaining power and relevance within the modern tech value chain,” ICICI Securities said.

“IT services may see a growth surge once AI-driven demand outpaces its deflationary effects—but even three years into the AI wave, that tipping point remains elusive,” Mukhija added. “Key monitorables include improvement in profitability per employee, share of new billing models and net new deal TCV.”

Kodak moment for Indian IT?

Motilal Oswal struck a more measured tone, arguing that current valuations may already reflect dire scenarios. The firm’s reverse discounted cash flow analysis suggests the market is pricing in an average 10-year free cash flow compound annual growth rate of just 6.5% which is “among the lowest in the past two decades.”

“This compares to a 40% FCF CAGR in crisis eras such as GFC; a 13% FCF CAGR over FY16-19, when the sector decelerated sharply; and an 8.5% FCF CAGR during FY23-FY26, the latest period of deceleration,” the brokerage said.

On a free cash flow yield basis, large-caps are trading at 5.8% for fiscal 2027 and 6.2% for fiscal 2028 — “levels approaching prior cyclical troughs.”

“The core question is whether AI represents a structural break to terminal growth assumptions or merely compresses growth/margins temporarily,” Motilal Oswal said. “If this is a Kodak moment, then the quantum of downside from here is moot. If it is not, the market is currently pricing an FCF CAGR that is among the lowest in the past two decades.”

Both brokerages acknowledged IT services providers retain critical roles despite AI headwinds. According to ISG, 65% of IT leaders say managing existing data complexity hinders AI progress more than lack of innovation, creating demand for “AI-ready” data architecture that IT services firms can provide.

“New AI tools have accelerated productivity gains but cannot entirely replace the need for IT services,” ICICI Securities said, citing unavailability of AI-ready data at enterprise scale, need for data governance and accountability, and client reluctance to overhaul smoothly running core systems with probabilistic AI platforms.

The brokerage sees potential for a “surge in net-new demand for ERP and legacy code transformations” as AI speeds up refactoring of mission-critical tech stacks. Key areas include legacy code modernization, ERP transformation, replacing point-solution SaaS with AI agents, building AI-ready data foundations, cybersecurity, and physical AI.

“In the long term, answers to whether the industry goes extinct, thrives, or just survives won’t come by easily,” Motilal Oswal said. “In the short term, we stick to forecasting earnings growth for the next two years, which, as shown earlier, seems to be improving.”

JP Morgan analysts argue that it’s overly simplistic to assume that AI can automatically generate enterprise grade software and replace the value IT services firms create across the cycle.

“Indeed, IT Services companies remain the plumbers in the tech world, and if enterprise software/SaaS is rewritten on a bespoke basis by agents – it will need significant services plumbing to work in enterprise context and minimise AI slop,” it said in a recent note.

The brokerage is taking a barbell approach to buy deep value in largecaps like Infosys and TCS, along with growth champions such as Persistent and Sagility.

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(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

The restaurant investors behind the success of Dave’s Hot Chicken are making a new nationwide bet on the next-hottest restaurant trend: birria.

Mike’s Red Tacos, a San Diego-based birria chain with just two locations, plans to announce on Tuesday a new franchising initiative that will build hundreds of restaurants across the U.S., with support from early-stage backers Bill Phelps and Andrew Feghali, CNBC can report.

Financial terms of their investment, which took place in early 2025, were not disclosed.

“We just saw that this was a brand and a concept that really had legs to it,” Phelps told CNBC. “And then the critical thing is, we brought down prospective franchisees. … Everyone gave it the thumbs up.”

Phelps said he had never heard of birria before Feghali introduced him to Mike’s.

Traditional birria is a beef or goat stew, slow cooked with spices and chiles to give the meat lots of flavor. Birria tacos, like those sold at Mike’s, use the slow-cooked meat as a filling and usually include a consomme on the side as a dip for the taco.

Once known as a regional Mexican food, birria now appears on 3.7% of U.S. menus, according to Datassential. That’s more than quadruple its menu penetration four years ago, based on the firm’s data, but there’s still a long runway before it reaches ubiquity.

Mexican-inspired fast-food brands such as Qdoba, El Pollo Loco, Del Taco and even Taco Bell have released their own versions of birria. And there’s at least 478 restaurant operators running birria-focused restaurants, according to Datassential.

Mike’s menu also includes burritos, loaded nachos and fries, and birria ramen.

“It appeals to a very broad range of guests — it’s not just your millennials and Gen Zs,” Phelps said, speaking about the customers in Mike’s Red Tacos restaurants. “There’s older people in the restaurant, there’s little kids, so it’s got a very, very broad appeal.”

Phelps co-founded Wetzel’s Pretzels in 1994 and became a founding investor in Blaze Pizza, the fast-casual pizza chain founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel. In 2019, Phelps joined Dave’s Hot Chicken as an investor and CEO, using franchising to expand the chain quickly to hundreds of restaurants worldwide. Last year, private equity firm Roark Capital bought a majority stake in Dave’s Hot Chicken in deal worth roughly $1 billion.

Feghali was one of the first franchisees of Dave’s Hot Chicken. He is also one of the nation’s largest Little Caesars operators.

Together, Feghali and Phelps founded Four Wall Partners, a restaurant franchising investment firm. In addition to being early-stage investors in Mike’s, they will act as advisors and members of the chain’s board.

Vincent Montanelli, who most recently served as chief executive of Wetzel’s, has joined Mike’s to serve as president.

Founded originally as a food truck five years ago, Mike’s Red Tacos opened its first brick-and-mortar location in 2022. Founder Mike Touma plans to open his third location in March; he’ll stay on with the company as a board member and franchisee of the chain’s San Diego locations.

“We put together a deal where [Touma is] going to keep the rights to his stores and future stores in San Diego, and then we’re going to franchise it across the rest of the U.S. and internationally,” Phelps said.

The new team plans to follow the established playbook used by Wetzel’s and Dave’s to grow Mike’s Red Tacos quickly.

“We’re going to be very aggressive where we grow with this, because we’ve seen that we can do that,” Phelps said.

The taco chain has already secured franchising development deals with multi-unit operators for more than 200 locations nationwide, from California to Texas to New England. Some of those franchised restaurants could open as soon as the end of the year.

Phelps anticipates stiff competition from national chains and local taco restaurants alike. However, he said he thinks that the chain’s simple menu, delicious food and an aggressive marketing strategy can help Mike’s overtake rivals.

“We think this can be a winner,” Phelps said.

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The £100m-plus Team Valley retail park was put on the market last autumn

A prime North East shopping park with a £100m-plus price tag has been snapped up by a London real estate company.

Retail World at Team Valley in Gateshead – which started life as a manufacturing park in the 1930s – was put up for sale by owners Ares Management last autumn. The sale was launched 10 years after Ares bought the site from UK Land Estates, together with retail parks in Dundee and Derby, in a deal worth as much as £291m.

Ares took on the 370,000 sq ft of retail accommodation, spread over 24 units, and carried out their own major investments which were completed in 2019, adding a host of new food and drink outlets and retail units. Today, Retail World is recognised as one of the region’s standout retail destinations, with 391,000 sq ft of space and a diverse mix of more than 30 brands, anchored by top retailers including M&S Food, Hotel Chocolat, Boots, Metro Bank, TK Maxx, Currys, Dunelm, Costa Coffee and B&M Bargains.

Now Ashtrom Properties UK Limited (AP UK) has acquired the park from a reported £100m-plus asking price, adding to its expanding portfolio. The transaction comes after the company went into exclusive talks with the owners at the end of last year.

London based AP UK is a privately owned real estate company specialising in the acquisition and development of prime real estate, including commercial and office schemes such as Exchange Flags in Liverpool, No. 8 First Street in Manchester, Central Square in Leeds, and Colmore Gate in Birmingham. The deal – heralded as one of the most significant regional real estate deals of the past year – demonstrates the strong appetite for well-placed retail assets which continue to drive strong regional footfall.

Law firm Freeths advised Ashtrom Properties UK Limited (AP UK) on the acquisition. The transaction was led by Freeths Real Estate team, comprising director Ayesha Qayum, partners Craig Jones and Daniel Abrahams and senior associate Sophie Moonshine, together with support from the corporate team.

Guy Lewinsohn, CEO of AP UK, said: “We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of Retail World at Team Valley. This investment aligns with our strategy to expand our UK footprint and invest in high-performing regional assets. We appreciate the dedication and expertise of the Freeths team together with all the advisers involved in bringing this transaction to a successful close.”

Sarah Jelly, director and head of legal at AP UK, added: “Navigating the intricacies of this corporate acquisition was a collective effort of which the AP UK team are very proud. The team at Freeths provided seamless legal support and the technical expertise necessary to bring this complex deal to a conclusion.”

Ms Qayum said: “It has been a privilege to advise AP UK on this landmark acquisition of Retail World. Acting on such a significant transaction for our client has been incredibly rewarding, and I am delighted to have played a role in supporting their ongoing growth within the UK property market.”

The park was marketed by Savills and Vedra Property Group, which said on launching the sale that it “reflects continued investor confidence in the retail park sector, where strong tenant demand and robust footfall are underpinned by the format’s proven role in serving communities and adapting to evolving consumer behaviour.”

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