Ronda Rousey scores fast finish over Gina Carano in MMA return
With a combined 27 years of MMA inactivity, former UFC crossover star and champion Ronda Rousey and former Strikeforce champion/actor Gina Carano turned back time for the first ever MMA card on Netflix Saturday.
And on a main card full of quick finishes, the main event was the quickest with Rousey defeating Carano in just 17 seconds after hitting a double leg takedown and then transitioning to her signature armbar for the quick tap.
It was the third fastest finish of Rousey’s pro career (14 seconds vs. Cat Zingano, 16 seconds over Alexis Davis).
Before any bonuses or other arrangements, Rousey earned $2.2 million while Carano earned $1.05 million per the California State Athletic Commission.
Afterward, Rousey continued to put over Carano strongly for influencing her but still has no interest in returning to fight again as she wants to have more kids. Carano said she felt good and wanted the fight to go longer. She didn’t close the door on a potential return, joking she should have been matched up with a striker.
The event took place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles with the visually sparse attendance a subject on social media throughout the night, something that some attributed to the lights in the seats.
For an in-depth report on the entire card, please read Paul Fontaine’s full recap.
Rousey vs. Carano main card results & notes
- In the co-main event, Mike Perry defeated Nate Diaz by second round TKO when Diaz’s corner, led by legendary cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran, called it off between rounds due to several big cuts on Diaz’s head that saw him bleed profusely as the fight went on.
- Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou made quick work on a main card full of quick fights, dispatching Philipe Lins by first round knockout. He was asked about fighting Jon Jones someday as Jones was in attendance and both he and Jones seemed to admit that will likely never happen. A fight with Jake Paul was teased, but Ngannou didn’t seem super interested in it. The Conor McGregor/Max Holloway UFC fight was announced as Ngannou was heading to the cage.
- Salahdine Parnasse defeated Kenneth Cross by first round TKO in a great performance for Parnasse.
- Robelis Despaigne defeated former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos via first round knockout to open up the main card.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.