Gina Carano has revealed that she had no choice but to tap out to Ronda Rousey’s armbar on Saturday, as the hold had already begun to damage her arm. The 44-year-old former MMA star made her return to the cage after 17 years, facing Rousey in a highly anticipated bout promoted by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). The event took place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, and was streamed live on Netflix.
The fight ended almost as quickly as it began, with Rousey taking Carano down and locking in her signature armbar submission. Carano tapped out after just 17 seconds, marking a swift end to her comeback. Reflecting on the experience, Carano wrote on Instagram: “This was one of the best rides of my life. I felt locked in fight night. No fear just focused positive adrenaline. Love to my team.”
She continued: “My heart is heavy, I wanted to throw, battle, win, but I kicked when I should have moved and was down and done. If I hadn’t tapped she would’ve broken my arm, as it had begun to crackle. The disappointment of losing like that is very humbling.” Carano noted that former UFC champions Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez offered words of encouragement after the fight, with Jones telling her: “You haven’t fought in 17 years? Do you know how big your balls have to be to get back in there after that long? Did you set some sort of record or something? Respect!”
Carano also detailed the gruelling preparation for the bout, stating: “I’ve been in a caloric deficit for a year, training felt like swimming as hard as I could upstream. I can count on two hands the number of times I felt good training. It was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever done taking the weight off while turning back into an athlete. I felt like a science experiment losing 100lbs.” She praised the California Athletic Commission for its stringent testing and rehydration rules, which she passed with ease.
Despite the loss, Carano expressed gratitude for the experience and hinted at a possible future in the sport. “I needed to go through this fight to implement permanent lifestyle changes and now I feel like this is just the beginning. I can’t wait to see where I can push my body to go next,” she wrote. She also praised Rousey, saying: “I’m so glad the world got to experience this version of Ronda Rousey. I found a beautiful woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister and legend. I adore you lady. We made history, again.”
Carano, who transitioned to acting after her initial MMA career, starred in films such as Fast & Furious 6, Deadpool, and The Mandalorian. Rousey, meanwhile, has also pursued acting and professional wrestling. After the fight, Rousey suggested she would not compete again, while Carano remained coy about her own future, saying: “I don’t know [if I’ll fight again]. I think 17 years was a lot, I think being 44 is a lot. I don’t know if I can put my family back through that, [but] you just never know with me!”
