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Ronda Rousey taps out Gina Carano in 17 seconds with armbar

May 17, 2026

Ronda Rousey, of the United States, behind, hugs Gina Carano, of the United States, after Rousey defeated Carano in their featherweight mixed martial arts fight Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong )

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INGLEWOOD — It was a long time coming, but it didn’t last long.

MMA icon Ronda Rousey, who longed to fight trailblazer and muse Gina Carano, got her chance Saturday and wasted no time, getting the armbar submission in a mere 17 seconds in the Most Valuable Promotions main event at Intuit Dome that aired live on Netflix.

As the legends, fighting at the 145-pound featherweight limit, met in the middle of the Hexagon after the opening bell, Carano threw a left body kick that Rousey caught and drove for a takedown. With Carano on her turf, Rousey threw some strikes and an elbow before cinching the left arm and falling back and torquing, earning the quick tapout.

Rousey had said she was hoping to give her muse the “Rousey special” so she could avoid any injury, and she delivered. The two shared an emotional embrace afterward and were all smiles through tears.

Rousey (13-2), who said the two were supposed to square off in 2014 but the fight never came to fruition, had long professed that Carano (7-2) would be the only opponent for whom she would end her retirement. The UFC stalwart credits Carano for giving her a career path and a purpose.

Rousey (12-2) came into the fight with a 100% finish rate with nine submissions and three knockouts. All of those submissions were via armbar from the 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist, with eight finishes in less than a minute.

In her first fight in nearly 10 years, Rousey, 39, came into the 145-pound contest weighing 142 on Friday. The 46-year-old Carano, who hadn’t fought since her groundbreaking knockout loss to Cris Cyborg in 2009 on Showtime, stepped on the scale at 141.4 pounds.

Carano, in what she said was “a vulnerable post” Friday, said she had shed 100 pounds in the past 20 months.

Rousey, the first woman signed by the UFC in 2012, was anointed as its first female champion in 2013 before ruling over the 135-pound bantamweight division for three years.

Her two prior fights were knockout losses – losing the title to Holly Holm in late 2015 and getting finished by Amanda Nunes in her attempt to reclaim the belt at the end of 2016. Some proposed that Carano could test her chin, but Carano never got off a single punch.

After the fight, Rousey and Carano both turned down any temptation to continue fighting, though Rousey, who lives in Riverside and graduated from Santa Monica High, has suggested she would be eager to accept a role with MVP, which was holding its first MMA card after making strides with boxing.

This was Rousey’s first SoCal fight since her 14-second armbar submission of Cat Zingano – at the time the shortest title fight in UFC history – at UFC 184 in February 2015 at Staples Center. Before that, she took part in the first women’s fight in UFC history and her first-round armbar of Liz Carmouche in February 2013 at UFC 157 at Honda Center.

In other main-card fights …

Perry batters Diaz: In a much-hyped fight between popular former UFC fighters, Mike Perry (15-8) racked up the TKO victory over Nate Diaz when the fight was called after two rounds due to corner advisement.

Diaz (22-14) was connecting on his right jabs and lefts, but the exchange rate was not in his favor. Perry, the 34-year-old who has found post-UFC success in bare knuckle fighting, landed the more frequent and devastating strikes, and Diaz’s years of compiled scar tissue couldn’t hold up.

The 40-year-old Stockton legend and crowd favorite, already bleeding after one round, had at least three cuts after two rounds, his face crimson and his vision affected. Referee Mike Beltran waved off the fight after Diaz’s corner conceded it wasn’t safe for him to continue.

Ngannou annihilates: Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (19–3) made quick work of Philipe Lins (18–6) with a massive left for a first-round knockout.

The 39-year-old Ngannou, who reigned in the UFC from 2021-22, went 0-2 against elite boxers and then became the PFL Super Fights heavyweight champion in 2024. He weighed 257 pounds Friday, nearly 37 pounds more than his Brazilian opponent.

Ngannou (19-3) bullied Lins for much of the round, which was stalled for a minute or so while Lins had him locked up on the feet, but Ngannou still pounded away at the body.

Shortly after they broke, Ngannou clobbered Lins on the right side of his head. Lins (18-6) went down awkwardly and was prone for more punishment, but Ngannou paused. After a beat, referee Herb Dean saw Lins was in bad shape and halted the contest at 4:31 of the round.

With two potential opponents in attendance – former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion on the broadcast desk and MVP co-owner Jake Paul, who has had a successful boxing career, in the Hexagon – Ngannou was asked if he was the best heavyweight in the world.

His response: “Period.”

Parnasse impresses: French lightweight Salahdine Parnasse made an eye-opening American debut, winning his fifth consecutive bout by battering a game Kenneth Cross en route to a first-round technical knockout.

The youngest fighter on the main card at 28, Parnasse (23-2) got Cross down and, as Cross covered while on his stomach, delivered some stiff ground and pound. Cross (17-5) rose, only for the assault to continue on the feet. Cross finally withered and fell from a body shot, with referee Jason Herzog waving off the fight with 42 seconds left in the round.

Despaigne devastates: In a battle of former UFC heavyweights, Robelis Despaigne (6-2) feasted on former champion Junior Dos Santos (21-11) with a three-piece combo for the knockout at 2:59 of the first round.

More to come on this story.

Ronda Rousey taps out Gina Carano in 17 seconds with armbar Orange County Register

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Ronda Rousey taps out Gina Carano in 17 seconds with armbar

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