“I could’ve ended it better”: Ronda Rousey closes door on MMA future after rapid finish against comeback opponent Gina Carano

Ronda Rousey returned to MMA in a big way after staying away from the sport for nearly 10 years. The former UFC champion faced Gina Carano in the main event of the first MVP MMA event and ended the fight in just 17 seconds with her famous armbar submission. Fans inside the arena gave Rousey a huge reaction as she celebrated an emotional comeback win. But even after such a dominant performance, Rousey made it clear that she is not planning another long MMA run. Speaking after the fight with journalist Ariel Helwani, the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion said this was the perfect ending to her career and revealed that she now wants to focus on growing her family with husband Travis Browne. Before talking about her future, Rousey also showed respect to Gina Carano, who returned to MMA after 17 years away from the sport. The former UFC star thanked Carano for helping bring her back into the cage again and called her a personal hero in the sport.

Ronda Rousey says family comes first after emotional return against Gina Carano

Ronda Rousey looked sharp from the opening second of the fight. She quickly took control against Gina Carano and locked in an armbar almost immediately. The referee stopped the fight just 17 seconds into the opening round.After the win, Ariel Helwani asked Rousey if hearing the loud support from fans could convince her to continue fighting. However, the former champion did not sound interested in making another comeback.Rousey gave a very honest answer and explained that she feels this was the best possible way to close her MMA story. She said:“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.”She also thanked Carano during the interview and said:“She’s my hero. Thank you for everything, and thank you for bringing me back home.”Rousey is married to former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne. The couple got engaged in 2017 and married in 2018. They now have two daughters together.The win improved Rousey’s professional MMA record to 13-2. Before this fight, her last MMA appearance came in a loss against Amanda Nunes in the UFC. That fight followed her first career defeat against Holly Holm, which shocked the MMA world at the time.Even though her career ended with difficult losses years ago, Rousey’s quick finish against Gina Carano gave fans one more reminder of why she became one of the biggest stars in MMA history. Along with becoming a UFC champion, she also won an Olympic bronze medal in judo for the United States.