INGLEWOOD, Calif. — When Ronda Rousey finally got back into a mixed martial arts cage after 9 1/2 years away from her sport, she couldn’t wait even one more minute to collect another arm — and to have her own arm raised one last time.
Rousey stopped Gina Carano with her signature armbar just 17 seconds into the two iconic fighters’ double comeback bout Saturday night.
After finishing the 44-year-old Carano with a ferocity that evoked her famous heyday, the 39-year-old Rousey reaffirmed that this was only the epilogue on her historic MMA career. She insists she is headed into retirement after ending on a dominant victory.
“I was hoping to come out as unscathed as possible,” Rousey said. “I didn’t really want to hurt her. Luckily it was beautiful martial arts, that’s what I think that was. It was art.”
Rousey (13-2) didn’t waste an instant after the opening bell, immediately charging and tackling Carano. Rousey quickly moved into position and applied her famous finishing move, wrenching Carano’s arm as the fight was stopped.
Rousey famously won eight fights in less than a minute during her meteoric rise through MMA in the 2010s. When asked if she considered waiting a bit longer to go for the finish in this comeback fight, since it was so many years in the making, Rousey laughed.
“Hell no,” she said. “My husband and my kids are watching me. I don’t want to put them through anything more than I have to.”
Carano, who hadn’t fought in 17 years, was all smiles even after the swift end to one of the longest layoffs in pro sports history. Rousey and Carano hugged and shared warm words after the finish, raising each other’s arms in victory.
“I wanted that to last longer,” Carano said. “I felt so ready. I’ve never felt that good. But I haven’t been here for 17 years … and I wanted to hit her.”
This improbable double comeback bout united two of the most important fighters from MMA’s past two decades.
Rousey became one of the world’s most famous athletes as she won the first women’s title in the UFC, which only began to promote women’s MMA because of Rousey’s undeniable talent and star power.
Rousey first became interested in MMA because of Carano, whose athleticism and star power made her into a television headliner when the nascent sport was still fighting for legitimacy and acceptance in the late 2000s.
Rousey left the sport after consecutive losses, while Carano moved on to an acting career after taking her first loss.
After having two children and settling into post-fighting life on her farm in Riverside, Rousey seriously began to consider an MMA return last year. She immediately focused on a fight with Carano, whose long-thriving career as an actor abruptly ended in 2021 with her series of controversial social media posts.
Carano was happy to finally accept the comeback she had occasionally considered, saying she used her preparations as a way to overcome multiple health problems from recent years.
“Getting in here after 17 years was a victory,” Carano said. “Fighting a legend was a victory. I feel great. But she trained. She had her game plan. I have so much love and respect for her.”
The show at Intuit Dome was the first live MMA event on Netflix, which is moving steadily into combat sports.
Rousey had repeatedly said this will be her final fight, while Carano has said she doesn’t know what the future holds. Afterward, Carano said she hasn’t closed the door on another bout, and promoter Nakisa Bidarian said he would be eager to put Carano on another show.
“I think 17 years (off) was a lot,” Carano said. “(Being) 44 is a lot. But I’m going to go look at this. I didn’t get anything out I expected to get in this fight.”
