Rousey gained the battle together with her signature armbar lock, forcing Carano into submission simply 17 seconds into the bout.
Revealed On 17 Might 2026
Blended martial arts (MMA) star Ronda Rousey has retired once more after demolishing fellow fight sports activities trailblazer Gina Carano of their long-awaited nontitle comeback bout in Los Angeles, defeating her rival by armbar after simply 17 seconds.
After a hype-filled build-up, the bout on Saturday was a jarring anticlimax, with Rousey flooring Carano nearly instantly earlier than wrestling her into an armbar to finish the battle.
American stars Rousey, 39, and Carano, 44, are broadly considered two of essentially the most distinguished feminine fighters in MMA historical past, serving to to take the game into the mainstream throughout their preventing heydays greater than a decade in the past.
Carano had parlayed her success right into a Hollywood profession, showing in a number of motion film roles, however had not fought since 2009 earlier than her look in Saturday’s featherweight bout.
Rousey, a 2008 Olympics judo bronze medallist who subsequently discovered large success within the Final Preventing Championship (UFC), retired from the game in 2016 after struggling back-to-back defeats towards Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm.
The fighters had been lured again into the cage for Saturday’s card on the Intuit Dome with the promise of a bumper payday that may reportedly see every fighter earn a number of million {dollars} from the streaming large.
Rousey (13-2-0 MMA) secured her tenth submission win, returning to the cage following an exit from MMA in December 2016.
She insisted afterwards that her return to the ring was a one-off and dominated out the opportunity of preventing once more after paying tribute to Carano.
“Gina is the one one who might have introduced me again into MMA – she’s my hero,” Rousey mentioned. “She modified my world, and we modified the world, and I’ll by no means ever overlook that or be capable of pay that again sufficient.
“I’m so glad we lastly acquired to share this second.”
Requested about presumably extending her comeback, Rousey added, “There’s no method I might have ended it higher than this. I need to have some extra infants, acquired to get cooking.”
Carano (7-2-0 MMA) had been inactive within the sport since August 2009, returning to MMA after a dialog final 12 months at Rousey’s encouragement. She admitted the battle was too quick for her, regretting what extra she might have completed in a brief timeframe.
“I really feel nice,” Carano mentioned after the loss. “I needed to battle, and I didn’t get that. However she educated. She had her sport plan. I’ve a lot love and respect for her, and this was a victory in my life. She modified it. I awakened at 3am each morning eager about her. I fell again in love with combined martial arts. There’s so many issues to consider right here. It’s simply [that] the battle didn’t go my method.”
“I needed that to last more – I felt like I used to be so prepared, I felt so good,” she mentioned. “However I haven’t been right here for 17 years. I needed to hit her.”
Carano, 44, is not sure whether or not she’ll return to MMA, protecting the door open.
She mentioned the mere truth of getting in form for her return – she revealed earlier than the bout she had shed greater than 100 kilos (45kg) within the two years main as much as the competition – was a victory.
“Proper now, simply getting within the cage was a victory; getting right here after 17 years is a victory. Preventing a legend was a victory. I really feel nice, I simply needed to battle, and I didn’t get to do this.”
