Ronda Rousey returned to Mixed Martial Arts in devastating fashion, submitting Gina Carano in 17 seconds in the headlining bout of Most Valuable Promotions’ MMA debut.
Though the quick result harkens back to Rousey’s glory days in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, her dominant performance proved to be the cherry on top of an MMA card filled with mismatches produced by MVP and Netflix.
Here are the results of MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano:
Ronda Rousey defeats Gina Carano by Submission (Armbar), Round 1 (0:17)
Labelled as the return to competition for two pioneers of Women’s MMA, Ronda Rousey proved the gulf in skill between her and Gina Carano was vast to say the least.
The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion made quick work of Carano, hitting her double-leg takedown attempt with ease before dishing out quick ground-and-pound. As Carano began to turn to her left, Rousey immediately stepped over her head to snatch up the armbar, forcing a tap out just 17 seconds into the fight.
Rousey’s quick submission of Carano is nothing new, with 11 of her twelve previous bouts all ending in the first round, and yet this result seemingly has left fans more disappointed than starstruck.
Out of the sport for more than a decade, it’s clear Rousey was itching to change the narrative surrounding her career following the damaging knockout losses she suffered to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes in 2015 and 2016. At 39 years old though, the former judoka and professional wrestler’s options were limited, with the UFC owning the who’s-who of possible opponents she could make her return against.
Choosing to fight Gina Carano, Rousey opted for marketability rather than competitiveness.
Despite Carano’s own history as one of the early stars in Women’s MMA, the 44-year-old had taken the Hollywood route after competition. With 17 years separating Saturday’s bout and her only career-loss in 2009, her performance in the main event proved she’d left MMA behind long ago.
To make matters worse, Rousey seemingly put the gloves down for good following her victory, despite taking shots at current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Kayla Harrison and the aforementioned Nunes in the buildup to Saturday.
In the end, nothing much comes from the weekend’s star-studded main event. Regardless of what Rousey, Carano or other producers of the card say, it’s tough to see any positive angle from the 17-second demolition that took place, other than pioneers of Women’s MMA making a fair sum of money from Netflix. Maybe that was enough for some hardcore fans, but for the casual audience, many probably wanted more.
Mike Perry defeats Nate Diaz by TKO (Corner Stoppage), Round 2 (5:00)
The most competitive fight of the main card proved to be between combat sports superstars Nate Diaz and Mike Perry. To the largest crowd noise of the night, Perry and Diaz went to war for ten minutes, trading every possible shot each could offer, before a corner stoppage by Diaz’s team ended the fight following the second round.
Bloodied and bruised, the 41-year-old Diaz appeared to be finally showing the wear-and-tear that a life of combat would have. As blood seeped from multiple cuts around his face, Diaz’s speed and timing quickly fell away as the scrappy, forward pressure of Perry took over the story of the fight.
Though he will always remain a star in the eyes of hardcore and casual MMA fans alike, Diaz’s career options continue to flicker out as losses compile after his exit from the UFC. With setbacks to influencer-boxing icon Jake Paul, and now to Mike Perry in MMA, it will be interesting to see where the Stockton, California native goes from here.
On the flipside, Mike Perry continues to rack up big-name wins following his own exit from the UFC in 2021.
Considered a journeyman in MMA standards, Perry made the move to Bare Knuckle Boxing in 2022. Since then, he has beaten the likes of former UFC champions Luke Rockhold and Eddie Alvarez enroute to a 6-0 record and a “King of Violence” title in BKFC.
Perry’s win against Diaz marked another notch in his growing resume, and though he has the BKFC brand hovering over his head, “Platinum” remains a hot commodity for any producer looking to make big moves in combat sports.
Francis Ngannou defeats Philipe Lins by KO (Punch), Round 1 (4:31)
Following another two-year hiatus from MMA competition, Francis Ngannou returned to the cage once again, knocking out Philipe Lins in just under a round.
The former UFC Heavyweight Champion proved to be too much for his undersized, but scrappy opponent, quickly landing heavy shots on the Brazilian from the opening bell. Though Lins managed to grab hold of Ngannou’s legs multiple times in the round, the Cameroonian fighter reversed the takedown attempts, scoring with brutal ground-and-pound.
After returning the fight to the feet, the fast pace of the starting sequences fell away, with Ngannou opting to lean on the smaller man and scoring brutal digs to the body along the fence. With 30 seconds left, the fighters returned to the center of the hexagonal cage, but with vicious authority, Ngannou closed the show with a looping left hand that sent Lins’ body to the canvas.
Despite how good it was to see Ngannou back in MMA once again, it’s hard to forget how overmatched his opponent ultimately was. Though Lins competed at Heavyweight at times throughout his career, the 40-year-old’s biggest claim to fame was a 4-0 run at Light Heavyweight in the UFC. Factor in a 37-pound weight discrepancy, and one quickly starts to realize how much of an underdog Lins was on Saturday night.
Regardless, what this fight proved is that Ngannou is still capable of shutting anyone’s lights out at 39-years-old. What still remains to be seen is if the former champion can find an opponent worthy of both his and the MMA audience’s time.
The Rest of the Card
Saturday’s other main card and preliminary fights delivered with action, though it was in large part due to less-than-stellar matchmaking by MVP and Netflix.
Salahdine Parnasse and Kenneth Cross were arguably the two most-hyped prospects on the entire card, but Cross’s time on the North American regional scene was unable to match Parnasse’s lengthy resume built in Europe. The French-Moroccan quickly dispatched of Cross in just under a round, scoring brutal body shots before referee Jason Herzog stepped in to stop the fight.
Karate specialist Robelis Despaigne viciously knocked out former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos in less than three minutes, but at 42 years old, it’s a shame Dos Santos was allowed to step in the cage at all against a fighter with much less career mileage like Despaigne.
During the prelims, Flyweights Adriano Moraes and Phumi Nkuta had a 15-minute fight of the year candidate, but the final result left a bitter taste in the mouth of fans and pundits along for the ride. Holding onto a rear-naked choke in the waning moments of the fight, Moraes was allowed to keep his grip on Nkuta for multiple seconds following the bell, knocking Nkuta out. Despite the evident foul, Moraes was awarded the technical submission victory.
Former PFL and Bellator Welterweight Jason Jackson knocked out Jefferson Creighton in just 20 seconds. Creighton, a replacement for Jackson’s original opponent, succumbed to a sweeping left hook from the Jamaican after stepping into the pocket for an early exchange.