Los Angeles : Ronda Rousey delivered the perfect ending to her historic MMA career on Saturday night, submitting fellow trailblazer Gina Carano in just 15 seconds at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The result came in a high-profile mixed martial arts event promoted by Most Valuable Promotions and broadcast globally on Netflix.
Rousey, the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion, wasted no time in her comeback fight — her first appearance inside the cage in nearly a decade. From the opening bell, she secured a takedown, transitioned smoothly into her signature armbar and forced Carano to tap, marking a definitive finish that echoed the dominant style that made her a global star.
“This was the only ending I wanted,” Rousey told reporters after the fight, acknowledging the significance of her opponent. “Gina is the person who brought me into MMA. She changed my world. I could never pay her back enough.”
At 39 years old, Rousey improves her record to 13-2, with 10 career wins by armbar submission, a statistic that underlines her enduring grappling mastery. Carano, 44, who had not competed in MMA since 2009, was celebrated by fans for stepping back into competition after a long hiatus and a career that spans both fighting and acting.
Both fighters embraced in the cage afterwards, an emotional moment that reflected mutual respect between two pioneers of women’s combat sports. “There is no way I could have ended it better than this,” Rousey said, hinting that her fighting days were now behind her.
The bout was not just a finale for Rousey, but a symbolic celebration of the sport’s evolution. Carano’s early influence in women’s MMA helped pave the way for Rousey’s emergence as one of the sport’s biggest stars. Despite criticism that the contest would lack competitiveness given both fighters’ time away, Rousey’s precise execution silenced sceptics and gave her the ending she had long sought.
Off the mat, the event also served as a landmark moment for MMA media distribution, being the first major fight card broadcast live on Netflix. Rousey used the platform to highlight broader issues in MMA, including fighter pay and promotional alternatives to traditional organisations.
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