Gina Carano breaks silence after 17-second MMA loss to Ronda Rousey as fight earnings revealed
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
MMA fighter Gina Carano has spoken out after her 'humbling' 17-second defeat to Ronda Rousey on Saturday (May 16) in California - but their pay checks didn't reflect the short-lived time in the Octagon.
While the 44-year-old suffered a submission loss at the Intuit Dome, her attitude following the event was far from that of a loser.
The comeback fight, which was live-streamed on Netflix, marked Carano’s first MMA bout since 2009 and Rousey’s first match in a decade.
But their entrances to the octagon ultimately lasted longer than the highly anticipated match itself, with Carano tapping out within just 17 seconds.
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Rousey stopped the fight with her signature armbar move, which isolates the opponent's arm and aims to force a submission to avoid dislocation or fracture.
Despite the short-lived fight, according to Forbes, both women took home an eye-watering pay check, with Carano reportedly scooping $1.05 million and Rousey earning $2.2 million.
But this figure doesn't include earnings from broadcast or ticket sales, meaning that their final payout could likely be a lot higher.
Breaking her silence after the bout, Carano said she was left with no option other than to tap out after she heard her arm begin to 'crackle'.
"My heart is heavy, I wanted to throw, battle, win, but I kicked when I should have moved and was down and done," she wrote to fans on Instagram.
She added: "If I hadn’t tapped she would’ve broken my arm."
But the star went onto say that she 'adores' Rousey, describing her as 'a beautiful woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister and legend'.
Carano described training for the fight like 'swimming as hard as I could upstream'.
After years out of the octagon, she noted: "I can count on two hands the number of times I felt good training.
"It was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever done taking the weight off while turning back into an athlete."
But despite what she described as a 'humbling' and 'disappointing' defeat, the 44-year-old isn't stopping there.
"I needed to go through this fight to implement permanent lifestyle changes and now I feel like this is just the beginning," she wrote.
"I can’t wait to see where I can push my body to go next."
Rousey also spoke out following the fight, claiming that she was 'hoping to come out as unscathed as possible'.
She added: "I didn’t really want to hurt her. Luckily it was beautiful martial arts."
Carano and Rousey were immediately suspended from MMA after the fight ended. This is because it's customary for combat sports to ensure athletes' safety, with them being subject to a respite period to heal from any injuries.
According to MMA Mania, both fighters have been given a seven-day mandatory suspension.
Per the International Sport Combat Federation (ISCF), if someone breaks their seven-day suspension, that fighter 'will be suspended from competing by the ISCF for a minimum of 60 days and fined a Medical Rest Period Fine of $250'.
"Suspension will remain until fine is paid," it adds.