Ronda Rousey submits Gina Carano 17 seconds

Ronda Rousey ended her return to mixed martial arts in 17 seconds on May 16, submitting Gina Carano with an armbar in the main event of a Netflix card at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The bout matched two of the sport’s best-known early women’s stars in what promoters billed as a comeback fight for both athletes. Mike Perry also beat Nate Diaz in a two-round welterweight fight on the same card, according to the Associated Press. The result gave Rousey a quick finish in her first MMA appearance since 2016, while Carano fought for the first time since 2009. Reuters and AFP, in a report published by Al Jazeera, said Rousey described the appearance as a one-off and said she did not plan to keep fighting. ### How fast did the fight end, and how did Rousey do it? (apnews.com) The official finish came at 0:17 of the first round, when Rousey trapped Carano in her signature armbar and forced the tap, according to the Associated Press. AP described the ending as an almost immediate takedown followed by the submission hold that had defined much of Rousey’s earlier career. (aljazeera.com) Al Jazeera’s Reuters/AFP report said Rousey “floored Carano almost immediately” before moving into the armbar. The same report said the fight was a non-title featherweight bout. ### Why were Rousey and Carano in the cage together now? Carano, 44, had not fought since August 2009, while Rousey, 39, had been out of MMA since December 2016, according to Reuters/AFP. (apnews.com) The matchup brought together two fighters widely associated with women’s MMA reaching a broader audience in the United States. (aljazeera.com) Netflix’s Tudum site said the event was promoted by Most Valuable Promotions and streamed live globally on Netflix. The company’s event page listed Rousey vs. Carano as the featherweight main event and Diaz vs. Perry as a welterweight feature bout on the same card. ### What did Rousey say after the win? Rousey said after the fight that Carano was the reason she came back, according to Reuters/AFP. “Gina is the only person who could have brought me back into MMA — she’s my hero,” Rousey said, adding, “I’m so glad we finally got to share this moment.” (aljazeera.com) Asked whether the victory could lead to another fight, Rousey said, “There’s no way I could have ended it better than this,” Reuters/AFP reported. (netflix.com) She added that she wanted to have more children, and the report said she ruled out extending the comeback. ### What did Carano say after losing so quickly? (aljazeera.com) Carano said she wished the fight had lasted longer, according to Yahoo Sports. Reuters/AFP also reported that Carano said she felt good physically after the loss but regretted how little time she had to work in the bout. The loss moved Carano’s MMA record to 7-2, according to Reuters/AFP, while Rousey improved to 13-2. (aljazeera.com) Reuters/AFP said Rousey’s win was her 10th by submission. ### What else happened on the card? Mike Perry beat Nate Diaz in a two-round welterweight fight on the undercard, the Associated Press reported. (sports.yahoo.com) AP said Perry bloodied Diaz before Diaz’s corner stopped the bout after the second round. Netflix’s Tudum page listed other featured bouts including Francis Ngannou against Philipe Lins and Junior dos Santos against Robelis Despaigne. (aljazeera.com) The event page described the card as the first MMA show carried live by Netflix. ### What comes next after this comeback? May 17 coverage from Reuters/AFP said Rousey called the appearance a one-off and said she would not fight again. (apnews.com) That leaves the May 16 result as, by her own account, the closing fight of her MMA career. Netflix’s Tudum page said the card’s results and full lineup remained available through its event coverage, and the promotion involved Most Valuable Promotions with named participants including Perry, Diaz, Ngannou and Lins. (netflix.com) (aljazeera.com)