Ronda Rousey could not have scripted a better ending to her return to mixed martial arts. After nearly a decade away from competition, Ronda Rousey stepped back into the cage and reminded everyone exactly why she became one of the biggest stars in combat sports history. The former UFC bantamweight champion needed just 17 seconds to submit Gina Carano in the main event of MVP MMA 1 inside the Intuit Dome.
Most fans expected the fight to follow a familiar pattern. Rousey would close the distance, secure a takedown, and hunt for the armbar. That is exactly what happened.
Rousey wasted no time shooting in during the opening exchange before quickly transitioning into her signature submission. Carano tapped almost instantly as Rousey added another lightning-fast finish to her Hall of Fame résumé.
Despite the dominant performance, Rousey made it clear afterward that the moment meant far more to her than simply winning another fight.
“Gina is the person who brought me into MMA,” Rousey said during the post-fight press conference. “She’s the only person who could have brought me back into MMA. She’s my f*cking hero.
“You brought me back home when nobody else could. You showed me where my home was when nobody else could.
“You changed my world and we changed the world and I will never, ever forget, and I will never be able to pay you back enough. I’m so glad we finally got to share this moment.”
Ronda Rousey also admitted she wanted the fight to end quickly because she had no desire to seriously hurt Carano after everything they both meant to women’s MMA.
“I was hoping to come out as unscathed as possible because I didn’t really want to hurt her,” Rousey said. “It’s beautiful martial arts.”
The emotional victory marked Rousey’s first fight since 2016 and her first win since defeating Bethe Correia back in 2015. Even after the dominant showing, Rousey insisted her comeback was always meant to be a one-time moment tied specifically to Carano.
“There’s no way I could have ended it better than this,” Rousey said. “I want to have some more babies and I want to get cooking.”
Rousey later revealed she entered the fight dealing with a painful ankle and foot injury suffered just weeks before the event.
“I sprained my ankle or foot pretty bad like two and a half weeks ago,” she explained. “But I basically have never had a fight where I wasn’t injured in some way.
“I never pulled out of a fight because I always fight anyway. That’s just part of it. I’m the f*cking best at this. I pushed through.”
Her husband, former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, joined her inside the cage after the victory as the emotional atmosphere took over the arena.
Even in defeat, Carano remained upbeat about finally returning to MMA after 17 years away from the sport.
“I wanted that to last longer,” Carano admitted. “I felt like I was so ready. I wanted to hit her.
“Getting in the cage was a victory. Fighting a legend was a victory. This was a victory in my life.”
Carano also revealed she underwent a dramatic physical transformation to prepare for the fight after enduring several difficult years following her departure from The Mandalorian and her legal battle with Disney.
At 44 years old, Carano did not completely close the door on another fight, although she sounded more focused on appreciating the moment she shared with Rousey.
Meanwhile, Ronda Rousey appears fully at peace walking away from combat sports once again.
If this truly was the final chapter of her legendary career, Ronda Rousey ended it the same way she built it — with dominance, emotion, and another armbar finish.
