Ronda Rousey rolled back the years on Saturday, submitting Gina Carano in 17 seconds with a signature armbar.
Rousey, an Olympic-medalist Judoka who went on to become a UFC champion, was fighting for the first time in 10 years as she took on Carano, a fellow trailblazer of women’s mixed martial arts.
In fact, Carano was competing for the first time in 17 years, and unfortunately for the 44-year-old, it was a performance to forget in Inglewood, California – and live on Netflix.
Headlining an event at the Intuit Dome, organised by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, Rousey and Carano squared off in a featherweight bout, which saw “Rowdy” score a takedown immediately. Carano tried to defend with a guillotine choke, but Rousey, 39, popped her head out of the submission attempt and swiftly moved from mount into an armbar.
Carano tapped at once, as Rousey won in a manner reminiscent of many performances from her prime. Re-live updates from Rousey vs Carano, Ngannou vs Lins, and Diaz vs Perry, below:
Rousey vs Carano LIVE
- Ronda Rousey submits Gina Carano in 17 seconds with signature armbar
- Ex-UFC champ Rousey last fought in 2016, fellow icon Carano in 2009
- Former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou KOs Philipe Lins
- UFC legend Nate Diaz bloodied and beaten by Mike Perry
- California event streamed live on Netflix, organised by Jake Paul
- UFC tries to take shine off event by announcing Conor McGregor return
Rousey vs Carano in photos
08:00 , Alex Pattle
Rousey vs Carano in photos
07:30 , Alex Pattle
Rousey vs Carano in photos
07:00 , Alex Pattle
Rousey vs Carano in photos
06:30 , Alex Pattle
Rousey’s hand is raised in victory
05:59 , Alex Pattle
Rousey vs Carano report: 17 frantic seconds
05:56 , Alex PattleHere’s our full report on the main event, plus Ngannou’s win and Diaz’s defeat:
Ronda Rousey submits Gina Carano in 17 seconds after 10 years away from MMA
Carano on chances she fights again
05:45 , Alex Pattle“I don’t know. I think 17 years was a lot, I think being 44 is a lot. I don’t know if I can put my family back through that.”
But?
“You just never know with me!
“I didn’t get to do anything in this fight. I should’ve got matched up with a striker, I wanted to get some of that out.”
Carano reflects on defeat
05:30 , Alex Pattle“I wanted that to last longer. I felt like I was so ready, I felt so good, I’ve never felt that good.
“But I haven’t been here for 17 years, so I wanted to hit her.
“I’ll probably feel that [disappointment] later. Right now, getting in the cage was a victory, getting here after 17 years was a victory.
“I feel great, I just feel like I wanted to fight and I didn’t get that.
“But I have so much love and respect for her. This is a victory in my life. I woke up at 3am every morning thinking about her, I took 100lb off my body, which is gonna give me a longer life.
“There’s so many good things to think about here. It’s just the fight didn’t go my way.”
Rousey speaks on possibility of another fight
05:20 , Alex Pattle“There’s no way I could have ended it better than this. I want to have some more babies, and I’ve got to get cooking.”
Rousey speaks on victory
05:14 , Alex Pattle“I was hoping to come out as unscathed as possible, because I didn’t really wanna hurt her.
“Luckily it was just beautiful martial arts, I think that’s what that was. It’s an art.
“My husband and kids are watching, I didn’t want to put them through any more.”
Rousey speaks on victory
05:13 , Alex Pattle“Gina is the person who brought me into MMA, she’s the only person who could’ve brought me back. She’s my f***ing hero, man. You changed my world, and we changed the world. I will never be able to pay you back enough.
“Everybody here, everybody at home watching, you are what gives this value. You are giving the fighters our power back, thanks so much for caring about us. We’ll fight for you.”
Rousey and Carano in emotional embrace
05:10 , Alex PattleThey’re officially saying 17 seconds for the stoppage.
Rousey and Carano are in tears, embracing. Carano smiles away the defeat.
ROUSEY SUBMITS CARANO IN 15 SECONDS
05:07 , Alex PattleBoth women stand orthodox.
Rousey shoots for a body-lock takedown immediately and gets it!
Carano tries to defend with a guillotine choke, but she can’t secure it.
Rousey pops her head out and is in mount now, and she goes for her signature armbar...
THERE’S THE TAP! 15 SECONDS!
Rousey vs Carano: Round one
05:03 , Alex PattleAnd we’re off!!
Rousey vs Carano ring walks under way!
05:00 , Alex PattleCarano almost skipped to the ring, touching the hands of the fans.
Now here’s Rousey, wasting no time and wearing a MEAN expression.
Carano on Rousey, Musk’s legal help... and a return to acting?
04:52 , Alex PattleWhen Gina Carano dialed into our Zoom call, she was celebrating her 44th birthday. Not actively celebrating – there was no music, no balloons, no oversized badge pinned to a dress – but this was the day.
Seated at a desk in a modestly-decorated room, sporting a black jumper, she seemed at peace. They say life begins at 40, but at 44, she is about to start her fighting life all over again.
Still, it was in the year she turned 40 that Carano got married, unbeknownst to the wider world, and this fresh decade has already been characterised by one of the most fraught chapters in her life: there was the tweet, the firing, and then the lawsuit.
It’s a lot to delve into, so here’s our interview with Carano:
Gina Carano on Ronda Rousey, Elon Musk’s legal help... and a return to acting?
Rousey reflects on Holm and Nunes KOs: ‘It’s finally caught up to me’
04:49 , Alex PattleHere’s what Rousey told The Independent specifically about her last two fights – KO defeats by Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes:
“I was having neurological issues, and I was getting hit and basically losing chunks of my vision, depth perception, ability to track moving objects, to think clearly.
“So, after my first loss, I was like: ‘F***, it’s finally caught up to me. I’m never gonna be able to compete at the highest level again.’
“But there were a lot of other factors. I had a bad mouthguard, stuff like that. My teeth got knocked loose, the very first punch of the [Holm] fight, so I convinced myself: ‘Maybe it was just that.’
“But then the same thing [against Nunes]: the first time I got hit, I couldn’t see.”
More here:
Ronda Rousey reflects on Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes losses: ‘It’s caught up to me’
The inside story of Rousey’s rise and fall: ‘Constant insanity’
04:46 , Alex PattleAhead of Rousey’s first fight in 10 years, Alex Pattle spoke to the controversial icon herself, her opponent Gina Carano, promoter Nakisa Bidarian, and journalist Chuck Mindenhall...
Ronda Rousey sits at a table in a spacious, modern kitchen, a bowl of cream of wheat reflecting in her thick-framed glasses. She feels the need to apologise for her bespectacled look; she’s been staring at a screen too long today, she explains, and our Zoom call will only extend that trend.
In the background, her husband Travis walks by carrying one of their two young daughters, whisking her away so Rousey can speak without distraction.
She’s sitting in a house that her MMA career built. Some would argue modern MMA is the house that Ronda Rousey built.
Full article:
The inside story of Ronda Rousey’s rise and fall: ‘It was constant insanity’
Main event up next: Rousey vs Carano
04:42 , Alex PattleOkay! One fight left, and it’s arguably the most intriguing of them all.
Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano, a combined 17 years away from the Octagon since they each last fought.
The MMA trailblazers square off next.
Diaz reflects on defeat by Perry
04:38 , Alex Pattle“He did everything I expected him to do. I think I broke my finger in like the first two seconds, I spent time [worrying about that] instead of focusing on the animal in front of me.”
“I’m gonna come back and get his f***ing ass.”
Diaz says it was a fair stoppage: “Yeah, I had blood in my eyes, I couldn’t see s***, I wasn’t gonna do nothing.
“But next time, he’s not gonna be able to do anything.”
Diaz vs Perry waved off!!
04:29 , Alex PattleDiaz’s cutman won’t let him go back out for round three!
In fairness, the cutman’s white flannel has turned completely red.
Diaz would surely have wanted to keep fighting, yet he didn’t protest that call much.
Diaz covered in blood! He finally goes down
04:27 , Alex PattleRound two
Diaz with some jabs as the crowd chants his name. Perry slingshots a long right hook to the body. More jabs up top from Diaz, then a good right hook.
Perry with a cross, then two left uppercuts! Fine work. More uppercuts, elbows as well! Diaz is sturdy, but how sturdy? We’re gonna find out.
Diaz’s face is bathed in blood now. In a striking exchange, he drops to his back, and Perry pours on punches and elbows!
Diaz is trying to grab an arm... Perry backs off, and referee Mike Beltran stands up Diaz. Another hard body shot by Perry, and another.
Diaz is grabbing the fence to stay standing. The blood from his face has streamed down his body.
OH! And he’s dropped by a knee in the final second of the round!
Perry starts well in chaotic first round with Diaz
04:20 , Alex PattleRound one
Five rounds scheduled here. Perry gets right at Diaz, landing a good right hand and a wide left hook. Good southpaw jabs by Diaz, though.
Strong knees to the body by Perry in the clinch. Oh! Wow, lovelyyyy throw by Diaz. But Perry ends up on top afterwards. He’s raining down strikes, but Diaz is looking for submissions...
He first grabs an arm, now he’s looking at a leg lock... There’s a scramble, and Perry does well to stand. All action already!
Hard body shots from Perry, and Diaz retreats. OH! Another big right to the body, and Diaz hunches over... Perry wisely switches up his offence, going from head to body...
But Diaz is still there, landing a trio of jabs now! Diaz is cut around his right eye (inevitably). He wipes the blood then bloodies the nose of Perry with a series of straight punches!
We thought this would be good, and the first round delivers.
Great reception for Diaz as fight begins
04:15 , Alex PattleThe crowd is really loud for California’s own Diaz.
“All rise for the king of the West Coast,” shouts ring announcer Kody “Big Mo” Mommaerts. And they do!
HERE... WE... GO!
Nate Diaz vs Mike Perry up next
03:50 , Alex PattleNext will be a hotly-anticipated welterweight showdown between UFC alumni Nate Diaz and Mike Perry!
A lot of people are picking Perry to win this one, and I do agree; despite Diaz’s greater profile, Perry, 34, is the younger man and always brings violence.
Given Diaz’s tendency to get cut and sport damage, this could get messy quickly.
Still, even at 41, Diaz is tough and always has a submission in his back pocket.
Ngannou reacts to possible Jon Jones and Jake Paul fights
03:44 , Alex PattleHost Ariel Helwani puts it to Ngannou that former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is in attendance tonight.
Ngannou says he’d be open to that fight, but that the American hasn’t shown the business acumen to get out of the UFC and secure the paydays and opportunities that the Cameroonian has.
Ngannou then trades words with promoter Jake Paul, who has expressed an interest in boxing the Predator.
Francis Ngannou secures huge KO win
03:40 , Alex Pattle
Ngannou moves to 2-0 in MMA since leaving UFC in 2023
03:35 , Alex PattleNgannou snuck a right uppercut in there before the wiiiiide left hook, which had Lins toppling heavily to the mat, falling sideways.
Ngannou stood over him and threatened to add an extra punch, but he held off, and referee Herb Dean waved it off.
Francis Ngannou def. Philipe Lins via first-round KO (4:31)
Ngannou takes on Lins in heavyweight showdown
03:31 , Alex PattleRound one
Ngannou gets forward with a combination early. Lins shoots for a single-leg, but to no avail. But he does end up grappling Ngannou against the fence.
Eventually the heavyweights separate, and Lins again shoots for a single-leg. Ngannou sprawls well and unloads with a another combination!
Uppercut and hook in there, and Lins drops to his back! Ground and pound from Ngannou, who ends up in Lins’s guard...
Lins somehow survives and stands, but he eats more shots on the feet! Oh, he connects with an overhand of his own, too!
There’s more grappling before a striking exchange late on, and YES, of course!! Ngannou does what he does, toppling Lins with a huuuuge left hook. It’s allll over, no follow-up shot required.
BREAKING NEWS!
03:26 , Alex PattleAnnounced during the UFC’s’ broadcast just now...
Conor McGregor to fight Max Holloway as Irishman ends five-year absence from UFC:
Conor McGregor to fight Max Holloway as Irishman ends five-year absence from UFC
Francis Ngannou in action next!
03:12 , Alex PattleNext up is a clash between former UFC stars Francis Ngannou and Philipe Lins!
Ngannou, with his generational punching power, became UFC heavyweight champion before winning gold in the PFL.
Lins never reached those heights in the UFC but was PFL champion at one point.
Ngannou has also boxed, of course, losing a controversial decision to Tyson Fury after dropping him, then suffering a brutal KO by Anthony Joshua.
Parnasse and Cross clash in lightweight contest
02:56 , Alex PattleRound 1
Oh, Cross goes for a body kick at once, but it’s caught. Parnasse goes for a single-leg takedown, pushing Cross to the mat and throwing a few punches.
He can’t quite land clean, Cross stands, and they’re grappling against the fence – with Parnasse seeking a takedown. Cross reverses the position and is now holding Parnasse against the fence... but now they break.
Good jabs from Parnasse on his fellow southpaw. Now a big left overhand attempt! He misses, but Cross is swinging big himself, looking a tad desperate...
Oh! Parnasse gets Cross down and is so quick to take the back... He has a body triangle and flattens Cross out on his front...
Heavy punches from Parnasse, and the ref is taking a look... Cross does well to break the triangle and scramble, but OH! He folds from a body shot! It’s all over...
Ex-UFC heavyweight champ ‘JDS’ knocked out in round one
02:37 , Alex PattleDespaigne: 6-2 in MMA, with 6 first-round KOs...
He calls out Francis Ngannou!
Former UFC champ ‘JDS’ takes on Despaigne
02:30 , Alex PattleRound one
JDS has been all smiles since he emerged for his ring walk. Will it stay that way? Let’s find out.
Both heavyweights stand orthodox. Despaigne edges forward early, keeping his hands low. He grazes JDS with a one-two, but the Brazilian is still smiling.
JDS staggers Despaigne with a low kick, but another good cross lands for the Cuban. Oh!! Another hard low kick, and Despaigne drops to his hands and knees for a moment!
He’s back up, and both men trade jabs. JDS with a cross, but Despaigne with an uppercut. It’s JDS moving forward for now.
He doesn’t like a one-two from Despaigne, then an uppercut does further damage! JDS shoots for a takedown, but he’s tagged with another uppercut on the way in, and he shells up!
This is a bit chaotic; JDS manages to survive that moment, but he doesn’t look especially lucid...
OH! And down he goes! A pair of hooks and a cross from Despaigne, and JDS is out.
Prelim results in full
02:14 , Alex PattleHere’s what happened during this evening’s prelims:
Namo Fazil def. Jake Babian via second-round submission (D’arce choke, 0:58)
Adriano Moraes def. Phumi Nkuta via third-round technical submission (rear naked choke, 4:59)
Jason Jackson def. Jefferson Creighton via first-round KO (0:22)
David Mgoyan def. Albert Morales via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27)
Aline Pereira def. Jade Masson-Wong via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30)
Brandon Jenkins def. Chris Avila via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
How Jake Paul suddenly emerged as the UFC’s biggest threat
02:04 , Alex PattleTonight’s event is being promoted by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
How and why did we get here?
How Jake Paul suddenly emerged as the UFC and Dana White’s biggest threat
Carano on Rousey, Musk’s legal help... and a return to acting?
01:44 , Alex PattleWhen Gina Carano dialed into our Zoom call, she was celebrating her 44th birthday. Not actively celebrating – there was no music, no balloons, no oversized badge pinned to a dress – but this was the day.
Seated at a desk in a modestly-decorated room, sporting a black jumper, she seemed at peace. They say life begins at 40, but at 44, she is about to start her fighting life all over again.
Still, it was in the year she turned 40 that Carano got married, unbeknownst to the wider world, and this fresh decade has already been characterised by one of the most fraught chapters in her life: there was the tweet, the firing, and then the lawsuit.
It’s a lot to delve into, so here’s our interview with Carano:
Gina Carano on Ronda Rousey, Elon Musk’s legal help... and a return to acting?
Rousey reflects on Holm and Nunes KOs: ‘It’s finally caught up to me’
01:29 , Alex PattleHere’s what Rousey told The Independent specifically about her last two fights – KO defeats by Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes:
“I was having neurological issues, and I was getting hit and basically losing chunks of my vision, depth perception, ability to track moving objects, to think clearly.
“So, after my first loss, I was like: ‘F***, it’s finally caught up to me. I’m never gonna be able to compete at the highest level again.’
“But there were a lot of other factors. I had a bad mouthguard, stuff like that. My teeth got knocked loose, the very first punch of the [Holm] fight, so I convinced myself: ‘Maybe it was just that.’
“But then the same thing [against Nunes]: the first time I got hit, I couldn’t see.”
More here:
Ronda Rousey reflects on Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes losses: ‘It’s caught up to me’
Rousey vs Carano live: Welcome!
Sunday 17 May 2026 00:00 , Alex PattleTonight, Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will emerge from retirement to square off in an unexpected mixed-martial-arts (MMA) showdown.
Former UFC champion Rousey, 39, has not fought since 2016, having since ventured into professional wrestling and acting. Meanwhile, the latter domain is familiar to Carano, 44, who hasn’t competed since 2009.
The two trailblazers of women’s MMA will clash in California tonight, live on Netflix and at an event organised by influencer Jake Paul, as Francis Ngannou and Nate Diaz bolster the undercard.
Ngannou, who fights Philipe Lins this evening, is a former UFC heavyweight champion, while Diaz is a veteran of the same promotion – famous for his bouts with Conor McGregor – and goes up against Mike Perry here.
Follow live updates and results from Rousey vs Carano, Ngannou vs Lins, and Diaz vs Perry, right here.
