WWE Star And 5-Time World Champion Defends Ronda Rousey After Fans Call Her 17-Second Win Against Gina Carano Fake

Ronda Rousey's MMA return was supposed to be one of the biggest combat sports moments of the year. On May 16, 2026, the former UFC champion stepped back into the cage during Most Valuable Promotion's MMA debut event on Netflix. Fans had been waiting years to see Rousey fight again, especially against Gina Carano, another huge name connected to women's MMA history. Because of all the hype around the matchup, many expected a long and dramatic battle.

But instead, the fight ended almost instantly. Rousey submitted Carano in just 17 seconds using her trademark armbar, and social media exploded right after. Some fans celebrated her dominant return, while others felt disappointed by how quickly everything was over. A lot of people even started calling the fight staged, saying it felt more like a publicity moment than a real comeback fight. The criticism spread fast online, and soon WWE star Shayna Baszler jumped in to defend her longtime friend.

Shayna Baszler shuts down claims that Ronda Rousey's comeback fight was “fake”

As criticism continued online, WWE star Shayna Baszler stepped in to defend her longtime friend and former MMA training partner. Baszler reacted to fans calling the 17-second win suspicious and reminded people that Rousey has ended fights even faster before.

She pointed out that Rousey previously defeated Cat Zingano in 14 seconds and Alexis Davis in 16 seconds. Baszler also mentioned that Rousey has multiple victories under 30 seconds and nine total wins that lasted less than a minute.

According to Baszler, fans are acting like quick Rousey wins are something new, even though they were a major part of her UFC career years ago. Her post quickly started circulating online as fans debated whether the criticism against Rousey was fair or not.

Ronda Rousey says she is retiring again after emotional MMA return

Even though the comeback generated huge attention, Ronda Rousey made it clear that this was likely her final MMA appearance. After the fight, she thanked Gina Carano and even called her one of her personal heroes.

Later, during an interview with Ariel Helwani, Rousey was asked whether fans could expect another fight after hearing the loud crowd reaction. But instead of teasing another comeback, she said she wants to focus on her family and have more children.

Rousey said there was “no way” she could have ended things better than this. The former UFC champion has been married to ex-UFC fighter Travis Browne since 2018, and the couple already share two daughters together.

So while the internet keeps debating whether the fight lived up to expectations, Rousey herself seems completely ready to move on from MMA for good.