Gina Carano says the “disappointment” of losing to Ronda Rousey in 17 seconds is “very humbling,” adding that she believes Rousey’s armbar was close to breaking her arm. Carano also credited years of weight loss and a new training routine for a shift in her he
Ronda Rousey’s final MMA fight lasted just 17 seconds.
In Saturday’s main event between two combat-sports legends who hadn’t fought in more than a decade. Gina Carano tried to pull Rousey to the mat and work a quick submission. For a moment, it looked like the underdog might steal momentum. But the more experienced Rousey escaped fast, landed punches, and locked in an armbar.
Carano tapped out—so quickly that the outcome sparked immediate frustration from fans and sports talk personalities. Rousey had also reiterated that the bout was her final fight, and on Monday Carano posted a message on X reacting to the loss.
“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,” Carano wrote in part. She said her heart was heavy because she wanted to “throw, battle, win,” but ended up “kicked when I should have moved and was down and done.”
Carano added that she tapped even though the armbar was already close to causing damage. “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,” she wrote.
She also described preparing for the fight through diet and workouts that pushed her toward a different way of living. Carano said she had needed to go through the bout “to implement permanent lifestyle changes. ” and that the process will keep going. “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,” she said.
A major story heading into the fight was Carano’s weight loss. She said she lost 100 pounds to meet the California Athletic Commission’s weight requirements. In her message. she said the preparation process included multiple weigh-ins. “extra tests and scans. ” and drug testing. and that she felt the process was handled honestly.
“We made history, again. I hope @MostVpromotions MMA @netflix continue on because they CRUSHED it. Respect where respect is due. @nakisa_bidarian @jakepaul It was such a great experience,” Carano wrote.
The 39-year-old also thanked people for the support they gave her during her journey, saying it helps her and others “face our fears and live our dreams.”
Carano hadn’t been in a fight since the 2009 Strikeforce event. where she ended her career on a TKO loss to Cris Cyborg. Going into Saturday’s bout. some fans had criticized the matchup as a publicity stunt and “easy payday. ” especially given the gap in experience—Rousey had fought more recently than Carano. and Rousey’s pedigree was built on time in the sport.
But Carano’s message put the emphasis elsewhere: not on the quick defeat, but on what she says the training and weight loss changed for her health going forward—and the fact that, despite the speed of the loss, she believes it marked the start of something she wanted to carry into everyday life.
Gina Carano Ronda Rousey MMA armbar X California Athletic Commission weight loss Strikeforce Most Valuable Promotions Netflix sports news