Netflix’s MMA debut was capped off with a high-stakes women’s legacy fight, as inaugural UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey made her return to the sport opposite Gina Carano – with Rousey winning with her signature armbar only 17 seconds into the featherweight fight at Inglewood, Calif., at Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA event.
An immediate takedown from Rousey saw Carano briefly attempt a guillotine before Rousey popped her head out, landed a few strikes from mount and locked in the inevitable submission.
Rousey (13-2-0 MMA) secured her 10th submission win, returning to the cage following an exit from MMA in December of 2016.
She announced after the win that she’s once again retiring to focus on having more children.
“There’s no way I could’ve ended it better than this,” Rousey said at the InTuit Dome. “I want to have some more babies and I’ve got to get cooking.”
Rousey, held back by tears, gave it up for Carano following the fight.
“Gina is the person who brought me into MMA,” Rousey said. “She’s the only person who could have brought me back to MMA. She’s my f***ing hero, man.”
Carano (7-2-0 MMA) had been inactive in the sport since August of 2009, returning to MMA after a conversation last fall at Rousey’s encouragement. She admitted the fight was too fast for her, regretting what more she could have done in a short timeframe.
“I feel great,” Carano said after the loss. “I wanted to fight, and I didn’t get that. But she trained. She had her gameplan. I have so much love and respect for her, and this was a victory in my life. She changed it. I woke up at 3 a.m. every morning thinking about her. I took 100 pounds off my body, which is going to give me a longer life. I fell back in love with mixed martial arts. There’s so many things to think about here. It’s just (that) the fight didn’t go my way.”
Carano, 44, is unsure whether she’ll return to MMA, choosing to keep the door open.
-Field Level Media
