Rousey seals perfect ending with 15-second comeback win
Ronda Rousey rolled back the years as she submitted Gina Carano with a trademark armbar inside 15 seconds of their much-anticipated comeback fight. Rousey, 39, showed no signs of her 10-year absence from MMA as she secured the type of win which made her one of the world's biggest sports stars. The victory was the former UFC bantamweight champion's 13th in 15 fights, with 10 coming via an armbar submission.
In the build-up to the event, Rousey said she wanted to "rewrite her ending in the sport" - and could not have imagined a better final bout than one against her "hero". "Gina is a person who brought me into MMA, she is the only person who could bring me back into MMA. She's my hero," said Rousey.
"She brought me back home when no-one else could, and she showed me where my home was. You changed my world, and we changed the world. I could never be able to pay you back enough.
" Rousey said the event at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, which was under Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and the first MMA show to be broadcast on Netflix, was her last - ruling out continuing to fight. Ngannou tells Jones to exit UFC contract after quick KO Rousey submits Carano in 15 seconds on MMA return - reaction Rousey is a trailblazer and one of the biggest MMA stars of all time after becoming the first woman signed to the UFC in 2012, before a dominant bantamweight championship run which included a then record six title defences. But her MMA career ended in disappointment after defeats by Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, before retiring in 2016.
Carano opened the door for women's MMA when she became the first woman to headline a major event alongside Cris Cyborg in 2009, and said the contest "saved her life" after struggling with her physical and mental health. With Carano 17 years removed from the sport, critics questioned how competitive the bout would be and - although their scepticism was justified on the 44-year-old's part - Rousey rose to the occasion. Carano entered the cage to cheers from the fans, while Rousey was welcomed "home" by the announcer as she made her walkout with trademark intensity.