Netflix’s groundbreaking mixed martial arts event, featuring the highly anticipated double-comeback bout between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, has shattered viewership records in the United States.
Netflix and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions announced on Tuesday that Saturday’s spectacle at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, attracted an estimated 17 million viewers globally. Crucially, it achieved a peak of 11.6 million viewers in the US, surpassing the previous MMA record of 8.8 million set in 2011 by UFC on FOX 1.
Other notable fights at the Intuit Dome included UFC veterans Mike Perry and Nate Diaz, with Perry securing a welterweight victory via doctor’s stoppage after bloodying Diaz. Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou also delivered a first-round knockout against Philipe Lins.
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.
Carano tapped out almost immediately, ending the bout in just 17 seconds.
Carano, 44, has since reflected on the experience. In a post on Instagram she wrote: “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.”
Rousey had last competed in 2016, suffering a first-minute knockout by Amanda Nunes in a UFC title fight. One year earlier, she was knocked out by Holly Holm. Meanwhile, Carano had not fought since suffering the first and – previously – sole defeat of her career, a KO by Cris Cyborg.
