Ronda Rousey knocked off nearly a decade of ring rust, destroying her opponent, Mandalorian star Gina Carano, in her return to MMA.
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Just 17 seconds into their double comeback bout on May 16, Rousey defeated Carano with her signature armbar. After finishing the 44-year-old Carano with a ferocity reminiscent of her prime, the 39-year-old Rousey confirmed this was the final chapter of her historic MMA career, stating she will now retire on a dominant victory.
“I was hoping to come out as unscathed as possible. I didn’t really want to hurt her. Luckily, it was beautiful martial arts, that’s what I think that was. It was art,” she explained post-fight, per The New York Post.
Meanwhile, Carano, who played Cara Dune in the first two seasons of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, was understandably not satisfied with how the fight ended.
“I wanted that to last longer — I felt like I was so ready, I felt so good,” Carano said during an in-ring interview following her loss, according to AFP. “But I haven’t been here for 17 years.”
“I wanted to hit her,” she added. “Right now, just getting in the cage was a victory; getting here after 17 years is a victory. Fighting a legend was a victory. I feel great, I just wanted to fight, and I didn’t get to do that.”
Ronda Rousey Claims This Bout is Her Swan Song From MMA
Though Rousey had also taken a nearly 10-year break from MMA, she didn’t waste a moment after the opening bell. Headlining the card for the fights broadcast on Netflix, Rousey (13-2) immediately charged and tackled Carano. She quickly moved into position and applied her famous armbar, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
During her rapid MMA rise, Rousey notoriously won eight fights in under a minute. When asked if she’d considered letting this comeback fight last a little longer for old times’ sake, Rousey just laughed.
“Hell no,” she shot back. “My husband and my kids are watching me. I don’t want to put them through anything more than I have to.”
Meanwhile, despite the quick loss, Carano is open to another bout, and promoter Nakisa Bidarian is ready to write the check.
“I think 17 years [off] was a lot,” Carano reasoned. “[Being] 44 is a lot. But I’m going to go look at this. I didn’t get anything out I expected to get in this fight.”