Ronda Rousey is back.
The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion was successful in her highly anticipated return to the cage. Rousey (13-2), one of the biggest stars in combat sports history, submitted women’s pioneer Gina Carano (7-2) with her signature armbar in the main event of MVP MMA 1 Saturday at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. The finish came just 17 seconds into Round 1 on Netflix.
It was another vintage performance from Rosuey. She shot a double leg takedown, took the mount, postured up, and then attacked the right arm of Carano to get the quick tap.
AND THATS IT! #RouseyCaranopic.twitter.com/vHEQhPI7PU
— MVP – Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) May 17, 2026
This was Rousey’s first fight since abruptly leaving the sport in 2016 after suffering a KO loss to Amanda Nunes in an attempt to recover her UFC women’s bantamweight belt. This was also the first time Rousey fought outside the UFC since her early days fighting for Strikeforce in the early 2010’s.
Rousey, 39, confirmed that her return was a one-and-done. She doesn’t intend to continue fighting despite her dominance in her return.
“There’s no way I could’ve ended it better than this. I want to have some more babies, and I have to get cooking.”
Rousey became a huge name for the UFC through her three-year run in the UFC that went from 2013 to 2016. During that run, Rousey got three knockouts and three submission wins to establish herself as one of the most dominant champions for the promotion at the time. She also hit stardom levels that no other fighter had hit in the history of the sport. Rousey’s downfall came in 2015 and 2016 when she suffered a big upset KO loss to Holly Holm and then a defeat to Nunes trying to recover the title. She entered MMA with a prestigious pedigree in judo, winning multiple international medals, including a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ex-UFC champ Ronda Rousey submits Gina Carano in MMA return on Netflix