LOS ANGELES, CA -Ronda Rousey (Picture by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures)
Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures
Ronda Rousey wanted simply 17 seconds to defeat Gina Carano by way of armbar on Saturday night time, and her rivals wanted about the identical period of time to take to social media to mock the efficiency.
UFC legend and former two-division champion Amanda Nunes posted an eye-roll emoji seconds after the combat. Cris Cyborg, one in every of Rousey’s most bitter rivals posted three laughing emojis after Rousey’s win.
Different fighters like Corey Anderson, Brian Kelleher and others shared their displeasure with the combat, insinuating it was a mismatch from the beginning.
- Most important Occasion: Ronda Rousey def. Gina Carano by way of submission (armbar), 0:17 of R1
- Occasion: MVP MMA 1: Rousey vs. Carano
- Date: Saturday, Might 16, 2026
- Venue: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
- Broadcast: Netflix (first MMA card ever streamed on the platform)
- Rousey Put up-Battle Document: 13-2
- Carano Put up-Battle Document: 7-2
How Did Amanda Nunes React To Ronda Rousey’s Win?
Nunes just isn’t one to get down and soiled with trash discuss. Her response was sincere and it mirrored the emotions of many within the MMA group.
The one eye-roll emoji landed more durable than a paragraph would have due to who posted it. Nunes is the fighter who ended Rousey’s UFC profession at UFC 207 in December 2016 with a 48-second KO, and she or he’s gone on to construct one of the vital embellished resumes in ladies’s MMA historical past as a two-division champion. She did not want to elucidate something — the response did the work.
What Did Cris Cyborg Say About Ronda Rousey’s 17-Second Win?
Cyborg and Rousey have exchanged nasty phrases through the years, so the laughing emojis was delicate, all issues thought-about.
Cyborg has been the loudest critic of this matchup because it was introduced, together with her broadly shared “I believed you had CTE or one thing?” jab earlier this yr that referenced Rousey’s previous concussion feedback. She additionally publicly provided to assist Carano in camp, laid out placing technique recommendation for Carano within the week earlier than the combat, and has spent months framing the reserving as Rousey deciding on an over-the-hill opponent quite than going through the fighters who represented the apex of the featherweight division of their primes.
Her follow-up commentary after the win picked up precisely the place these months of pre-fight criticism left off. The combat that by no means occurred between Rousey and Cyborg of their primes nonetheless hangs over each careers, and tonight’s outcome did not change that.
Which Different Fighters Criticized The Rousey-Carano Matchup?
Former Bellator champion Corey Anderson and former UFC veteran Brian Kelleher each expressed displeasure with the principle occasion.
Their reactions echoed the broader theme throughout the fighter response: this wasn’t about Rousey’s efficiency, it was in regards to the reserving. Pairing a 44-year-old who hadn’t fought since 2009 towards a 39-year-old Olympic judo medalist with essentially the most embellished submission resume in ladies’s MMA historical past was at all times going to ship a one-sided outcome, and several other energetic fighters made that time on social media earlier than, throughout and after the bout.
Anderson and Kelleher’s posts landed alongside a broader fighter response cycle that, per MMA Junkie’s “So stupid” roundup of fighter responses, leaned closely crucial of the matchup itself.
What Does All This Response Imply For Ronda Rousey’s Legacy?
On the finish of the day, Rousey achieved her mission. She gained, did not take any harm, did not damage a good friend, made a strong payday, stole highlight from the UFC, went out on her personal phrases and laid the muse for MVP MMA. That is not a nasty night time’s work.
The legacy debate is closed. Regardless that the Cyborg fight that never happened and she or he suffered the 48-second KO towards Nunes at UFC 207, there may be nothing left for Rousey to show.
She confirmed her retirement post-fight and is transitioning right into a face/promoter function with MVP, which is the form of off-cage path that lets her exit the game on her phrases whereas letting the reactions from Cyborg and Nunes stay as a separate dialog altogether.
