Ronda Rousey rolled back the years on Saturday, submitting Gina Carano in 17 seconds with a signature armbar. The former UFC champion was fighting for the first time in 10 years, while Carano was competing for the first time in 17 years.
Fight Recap
Headlining an event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, organized by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, Rousey and Carano squared off in a featherweight bout. Rousey, an Olympic-medalist Judoka, scored an immediate takedown. Carano attempted to defend with a guillotine choke, but Rousey popped her head out and swiftly moved from mount into an armbar, forcing Carano to tap out instantly.
Rousey had last competed in 2016, suffering a first-minute knockout by Amanda Nunes in a UFC title fight. One year earlier, she was knocked out by Holly Holm. Carano had not fought since suffering the first and previously sole defeat of her career, a KO by Cris Cyborg.
Emotional Aftermath
Following the fight, Rousey and Carano tearfully embraced. Rousey said: “Gina is the person who brought me into MMA, she’s the only person who could’ve brought me back. She’s my f***ing hero, man. I was hoping to come out as unscathed as possible, because I didn’t really wanna hurt her. Luckily it was just beautiful martial arts, I think that’s what that was. It’s an art.”
Rousey seemingly closed the door on future fights, stating: “My husband and kids are watching, I didn’t want to put them through any more.”
Carano expressed mixed feelings: “I wanted that to last longer. I felt like I was so ready, I felt so good, I’ve never felt that good. But I haven’t been here for 17 years, so I wanted to hit her. I didn’t get to do anything in this fight. I should’ve got matched up with a striker, I wanted to get some of that out... I’ll probably feel that disappointment later. Right now, getting in the cage was a victory, getting here after 17 years was a victory. I feel great, I just feel like I wanted to fight and I didn’t get that, but I have so much love and respect for her. This is a victory in my life. I woke up at 3am every morning thinking about her, I took 100lb off my body, which is gonna give me a longer life. There’s so many good things to think about here. It’s just the fight didn’t go my way.”
When asked about a potential return, Carano added: “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!”
Undercard Highlights
In the preceding bout, UFC legend Nate Diaz was stopped by Mike Perry after two rounds of frantic action. Diaz, 41, is known to sustain cuts easily, and his face was completely covered in blood before his cutman called off the bout. Earlier, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou scored a trademark knockout, stopping Philipe Lins in round one with a huge left hook. Ngannou moved to 2-0 in his post-UFC MMA career, while he has gone 0-2 in boxing, having faced Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
