Gina Carano has said there was no way she could have escaped Ronda Rousey’s armbar unscathed, after tapping out in 17 seconds on Saturday.
Rousey, 39, and Carano, 44, were headlining an event organised by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian of Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), which played out at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, and streamed live on Netflix.
The bout was Carano’s first in 17 years and Rousey’s first in a decade, as the trailblazers of women’s MMA met in an unexpected clash. And it was over almost as soon as it began, as former UFC champion Rousey took down Carano and locked in a signature armbar.
Now, Carano has reflected on the experience, writing on Instagram: “This was one of the best rides of my life. I felt locked in fight night. No fear just focused positive adrenaline. Love to my team.
“My heart is heavy, I wanted to throw, battle, win, but I kicked when I should have moved and was down and done. If I hadn’t tapped she would’ve broken my arm, as it had begun to crackle.
“The disappointment of losing like that is very humbling. [Former UFC champions Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez] came up to my table after the fight. They set my mind straight. Jon said, ‘You haven’t fought in 17 years? Do you know how big your balls have to be to get back in there after that long? Did you set some sort of record or something? Respect!’ That’s exactly what I needed to hear from the best to ever to do it.
“I’ve been in a caloric deficit for a year, training felt like swimming as hard as I could upstream. I can count on two hands the number of times I felt good training. It was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever done taking the weight off while turning back into an athlete. I felt like a science experiment losing 100lbs. Every week the pressure of how to get that little bit off.
“I learned a little late how to do it healthier but trial by fire. The California Athletic Commission is great and one of the strictest in the world. They weighed me a week and a half before the fight, extra tests and scans, multiple drug tests. We weighed in and they weighed us the night of the fight to make sure we complied with the rehydration rules, which I passed all easily.
“I needed to go through this fight to implement permanent lifestyle changes and now I feel like this is just the beginning. I can’t wait to see where I can push my body to go next.
“I’m so glad the world got to experience this version of @rondarousey. I found a beautiful woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister and legend. I adore you lady. We made history, again.
“I hope @mostvaluablepromotions MMA [and] @netflix continue on because they CRUSHED it. Respect where respect is due. @nakisabidarian @jakepaul It was such a great experience. Thank you ALL for showing your support. It’s because of you we get to face our fears and live our dreams. With all my heart, thank you all.”
In the time since she had last fought, Carano ventured into acting, notably starring in Fast & Furious 6, Deadpool, and Star Wars’ The Mandalorian show. Meanwhile, Rousey had also dipped into acting and performed as a professional wrestler.
After Saturday’s fight, Rousey suggested she would not fight again, while Carano was somewhat coy.
“I don’t know [if I’ll fight again],” Carano said. “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!”
