Ronda Rousey made a triumphant return to mixed martial arts on Saturday submitting Gina Carano with a trademark armbar just 15 seconds into their highly anticipated comeback bout at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
Rousey 39 showed no visible effects of a decade long absence from competition securing her 13th victory in 15 professional fights her tenth via armbar submission in the opening bout of the first MMA event broadcast on Netflix under the Most Valuable Promotions MVP banner.
Speaking after the contest Rousey confirmed the fight would be her last.
There is no way I could have ended it better than this she said I want to have some more babies and I have to get cooking.
Rousey had publicly stated ahead of the event her desire to rewrite her ending in the sport having retired in 2016 following back to back defeats to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes Saturdays result delivered precisely that.
She reserved particular praise for her opponent crediting Carano a pioneer of womens MMA who headlined a major event alongside Cris Cyborg in 2009 as the sole reason for her return.
Gina is a person who brought me into MMA she is the only person who could bring me back Rousey said She showed me where my home was.
Carano 44 who had been absent from the sport for 17 years suffered the second defeat of her nine fight career Despite the swift outcome she rose immediately to her feet in good spirits embracing Rousey in an emotional exchange at the center of the cage Carano said the event had saved her life after a difficult period managing her physical and mental health.
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Beyond the sporting result the event carried significant implications for the wider MMA landscape.
Rousey a vocal critic of fighter compensation in the UFC framed the MVP Netflix partnership as a viable alternative to the sports dominant organisation.
I would not be here if the UFC paid their fighters better she told BBC Sport ahead of the fight.
Under current UFC structures fighters receive less than 20 percent of event revenue By contrast MVP disclosed that every fighter on Saturdays card earned a minimum of 40000 dollars approximately 28800 pounds with Rousey taking home 21 million dollars 17 million pounds and Francis Ngannou 14 million dollars 11 million pounds.
During the broadcast former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones working as a pundit highlighted the constraints of UFC contracts suggesting a bout with Ngannou remained unlikely given his contractual ties to the organisation despite having retired.
In an apparent response to the events momentum the UFC announced during the broadcast that Conor McGregor would return to competition against Max Holloway in July a move promoter Jake Paul characterised as a sign of competitive anxiety.
That just shows how pressed they are Paul said Dana White all of you be prepared because this is the takeover.
Rouseys return marks a potential turning point in MMAs commercial landscape with the success of the MVP Netflix event raising questions about the UFCs long term grip on the sports top talent and its pay structure.
