If this was Ronda Rousey’s final fight, fans witnessed a legendary farewell on Netflix’s MVP card
INGLEWOOD, California – The atmosphere inside the Intuit Dome in Inglewood was much more cinematic than the last bore that was NBA All-Star Weekend… even before Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano got into a brawl Saturday night.
Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions has turned the arena into a full-fledged Netflix spectacle filled with celebrities, influencers, former fighters and longtime fans who grew up watching MMA greats like Rousey, Carano, Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou.
Ronda Rousey and husband Travis Browne embrace after Rousey defeats Gina Carano in their featherweight bout during the main card of Netflix’s Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano at Intuit Dome on May 16, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix)
In the main event, it turned out that Rousey needed just 17 seconds to cap off Carano’s dream comeback.
The night was filled with chaos before the main event arrived.
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Cuban heavyweight Robelis Despaigne destroyed former UFC champion Junior dos Santos with a brutal first-round knockout.
Francis Ngannou sent the crowd into a frenzy after starching Philipe Lins with a vicious left hand before circling the cage and screaming towards Jon Jones at the side of the cage.
Then came Mike Perry and Nate Diaz, the bloody disaster everyone had been waiting for.
By the end of the second round, Diaz’s face was split open, the canvas looking like a crime scene, and fans later stood on chairs trying to film the frenzy below as Perry stormed around the cage and demanded a fight with Paul.
Mike Perry (red gloves) defeated Nate Diaz (blue gloves) via second-round TKO (doctor stoppage) in their Saturday night Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Welterweight Bout (170 lbs) at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States on May 16, 2026. (Tayfun Coşkun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Francis Ngannou (blue gloves) defeated Philipe Lins (red gloves) by knockout at 4:31 of the first round during the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Heavyweight Bout (265 lbs) at the Saturday night main card event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States on May 16, 2026. (Tayfun Coşkun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The whole night still revolved around nostalgia and the return of Ronda Rousey. When the lights dimmed for the main event and “Bad Reputation” played over the fans, the Intuit Dome exploded.
Across the cage stood MMA pioneer Gina Carano, the original mainstream face of women’s MMA, and rival fans booked fantasies against Rousey for years at the peak of both careers.
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On Saturday night, the fight between these two somehow became real… it was pretty surreal.
Then it was over almost instantly.
The moment the fight started, Rousey lunged forward, clinched, executed a textbook judo kick, and quickly transitioned into her signature armbar before Carano could adjust to the fight.
Ronda Rousey (left) defeats Gina Carano (right) via first-round armbar at 17 seconds into their Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Featherweight Bout (145 lbs) on Saturday night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States on May 16, 2026. (Tayfun Coşkun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Just tap for 17 seconds to guarantee the win. It was traditional Rousey on display.
For a moment, the crowd was stunned by how quickly this happened.
From where we stood cageside at OutKick — greeted by media members and Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt — everyone looked stunned as Rousey stood triumphantly in the middle of the cage.
It was like stepping into a time machine.
For one last moment, Ronda Rousey looked like the unstoppable force that once brought the UFC into the mainstream and changed women’s MMA forever.
And maybe that was the perfect ending.
“I feel great,” Carano said after losing to Rousey.
“I wanted to fight, but I couldn’t. But he trained. He had his own game plan. I have so much love and respect for him, and this was a victory in my life. He changed that. I woke up at 3 a.m. every morning thinking about him. I gained 100 pounds off my body, which will give me a longer life.”
“I fell in love with mixed martial arts again. There’s so much to think about here. It’s just that the fight didn’t go the way I wanted it to.”
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Ronda Rousey (blue gloves) defeats Gina Carano (red gloves) via first-round armbar at 17 seconds into their Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Featherweight Bout (145 lbs) on Saturday night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States on May 16, 2026. (Tayfun Coşkun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
After the fight, Rousey quickly shut down any talk of a permanent return. Smiling with a microphone in hand, he told the roaring crowd that this was a one-time comeback before returning to retirement and family life.
He doesn’t want any more fighting… he wants more babies!
“There was no way I could have finished this any better than that,” Rousey said after the win. “I want to have a few more babies and I need to cook.”
If this is truly Ronda Rousey’s last fight, it’s hard to imagine her story ending on a better note.
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