Seventeen seconds. Roughly the time it takes to microwave a burrito. Also how long Ronda Rousey needed to remind everyone who she is.

Rousey submitted Gina Carano with her signature armbar just 17 seconds into their long-awaited comeback bout at Los Angeles’s Intuit Dome on Saturday, bringing a decade of buildup to an abrupt and almost comical end. The fight — the first MMA card staged by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions — was over before most fans had settled into their seats.

The two women arguably built the foundation on which women’s MMA rests. Carano, 44, hadn’t fought since 2009, having parlayed her cage fame into a Hollywood career. Rousey, 39, a 2008 Olympic judo bronze medallist, dominated the UFC before back-to-back losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes pushed her into retirement in 2016. Each reportedly earned several million dollars for the streaming event.

Carano knew the armbar was coming. Everyone did. It didn’t matter. Rousey floored her almost immediately and transitioned into the submission that defined her career — her 10th submission win. Tap, or risk a broken arm.

Afterward, Rousey retired again. “Gina is the only person who could have brought me back into MMA — she’s my hero,” she said. “I want to have some more babies, got to get cooking.”

Carano, who shed more than 100 pounds (45kg) over two years to prepare, called simply stepping into the cage a victory. “I wanted that to last longer,” she admitted. “I felt like I was so ready, I felt so good. But I haven’t been here for 17 years.”

An anticlimax, sure. But between them, these two women changed combat sports forever — and on Saturday, they collected a multimillion-dollar handshake for having done so. Sometimes the cheque really is the point.

Sources