LOS ANGELES — Ronda Rousey needed just 17 seconds to remind the combat sports world why she became one of the biggest stars in MMA history.
Fighting in the main event of Most Valuable Promotions’ first major MMA showcase alongside Netflix at Intuit Dome on Friday night, Rousey submitted Gina Carano via armbar just seconds into the opening round of their featherweight showdown in front of a sold-out crowd in Los Angeles.
The event streamed globally on Netflix to its more than 325 million subscribers and marked another major step in MVP’s expansion into combat sports beyond boxing.
Rousey (13-2) wasted no time securing her signature finish, improving her career record to four victories in under 35 seconds.
“Maximum efficiency, minimum effort,” Rousey said afterward. “I told her I respect you and I’m breaking your arm. No contradiction there. It was beautiful. It felt like the magic was back.”
The former UFC champion hinted the bout could be the final fight of her career.
“There’s no way I could’ve ended it better than this,” Rousey said. “This is a storybook ending if this is the end of my book as a fighter.”
Rousey also praised Carano for helping inspire her return to the cage.
“Gina brought me into this sport, and she brought me back to it,” Rousey said. “We both needed to reclaim our bodily identity and rewrite our own ending together.”
MVP co-founder Jake Paul called the quick finish “bittersweet” but historic.
“She comes in with an arm bar and finishes it really fast,” Paul said. “That’s her signature move.”
Paul and MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian emphasized that Friday’s event represented the beginning of a broader MMA strategy for the company.
“The long-term strategy is whatever we want to make it,” Paul said. “We’re visionaries. We execute. We put fighters here, and we’re here to disrupt.”
Bidarian called the event “a success across the board” and suggested MVP plans to become more involved in MMA moving forward.
The undercard featured several notable performances, including Mike Perry defeating Nate Diaz via TKO in a bloody bout that immediately sparked rematch talk.
“I think we need to see a Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry rematch,” Paul said. “That was an incredible fight. Warriors. The bloodiest fight I’ve ever seen as an MMA fan.”
Diaz said he wanted another fight “ASAP.”
“Sacramento, California. NorCal. Let’s go,” Diaz said.
Elsewhere on the card, Francis Ngannou knocked out Philipe Lins in the first round, while Salahdine Parnasse earned a first-round TKO over Kenneth Cross in his U.S. debut.
Rousey said the atmosphere at Intuit Dome and the partnership between MVP and Netflix gave the event a different feel from traditional MMA promotions.
“This event was electric,” she said. “It breathed new life into the sport. The atmosphere, the finishes, Netflix. It felt incredible.”