UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey was victorious in her return to MMA, submitting Gina Carano with an armbar in 17 seconds Saturday night at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
The women's featherweight fight headlined Most Valuable Promotions' inaugural MMA event and streamed live on Netflix.
RONDA ROUSEY'S ARMBAR SHUT IT DOWN #RouseyCarano pic.twitter.com/hQgOOcpDtr
— Netflix (@netflix) May 17, 2026
Rousey, the inaugural UFC women's bantamweight champion, returned to the sport for the first time in almost 10 years. She hadn't fought since a knockout loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016.
Going into the fight against Carano, Rousey said her comeback would be one and done. After the victory, the 39-year-old confirmed she's done competing in MMA.
"There's no way I could've ended it better than this," Rousey said in her postfight interview. "I want to have some more babies, and I gotta get cooking."
Rousey thrilled MMA fans at the peak of her career with quick armbar finishes and managed to pull off another one against Carano. Rousey took Carano down in the opening seconds of the fight and immediately got into full mount. She landed a few punches before locking up an armbar, forcing Carano to tap out.
Rousey finishes her MMA career with a 13-2 record, which includes 10 submission wins.
The Venice, California, resident defended the UFC women's bantamweight title six times between February 2013 and August 2015. Holly Holm dethroned Rousey with a head-kick knockout in November 2015 in what stands as one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history.
Rousey returned against Nunes one year later in an attempt to regain the 135-pound belt, but she suffered a 48-second knockout loss. She went on to pursue a career in WWE and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.
Carano stepped into the cage for the first time since August 2009. She was a pioneer for women's MMA in the late 2000s, competing in the first women's bout to be broadcast on live television in 2007 and then facing Cris Cyborg for the inaugural Strikeforce women's featherweight title in 2009. After losing to Cyborg, Carano left the sport and went on to have a fairly success career as an actress.
Carano, whose pro record now sits at 7-2, was noncommittal about her future in MMA.
