Ronda Rousey just made headlines once again after her hyped matchup against Gina Carano ended in the most “Rousey” way—another armbar submission. However, what made it go viral was not how Rousey did it, but how quickly it happened. The former UFC Bantamweight champion forced Carano to tap out in just 17 seconds.
Call it absurd, rigged, or ridiculous, but the much-talked-about armbar victory says a lot about Rousey, the match, and the sport itself.
Ronda Rousey Could Have Been an Undefeated Superstar in the 2010s
What if Rousey had stuck to the very thing she was best at—grappling—and continued to dominate on the mat instead of trying to box and strike? If she had, she might have remained undefeated throughout her career.
At her peak, Rowdy Ronda could take down any opponent she faced—until she met Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. Against them, she tried to box inside the octagon, which backfired terribly, resulting in back-to-back knockouts. She was a great grappler but a poor boxer and striker, as was evident in her last two UFC fights. Before Holm and Nunes, Rousey was on a 12-0 run as the promotion’s first female fighter.
Looking at how she forced Carano to submit in less than 20 seconds with her trademark technique, Rousey would have been unstoppable in the 2010s—even if critics called her a “one-trick pony.” Counting her UFC record, Rousey now has 13 professional wins, 11 of which came via armbar submission.
Jake Paul and Netflix Ready to Take Over MMA
The UFC remains the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion today, but YouTuber-turned-pro boxer Jake Paul and streaming giant Netflix are ready to challenge them head-on.
Streaming platforms have been moving into the sports niche, and so far, it hasn’t been a failure. Amazon Prime, for example, has done well with NBA content featuring Blake Griffin, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Taylor Rooks.
Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Netflix reportedly invested heavily to push Rousey vs. Carano, and the bout going viral is exactly what they may have expected. Still, it was a clash between a 39-year-old former champion who retired long ago and a 44-year-old fighter-turned-actress who hadn’t competed in 15 years.
This partnership could easily produce another Hollywood-level fight in the future—and who knows, maybe we’ll see Conor McGregor fight under the MVP banner before he ever returns to the UFC.
