Celebrity4 min(s) read
Published 12:45 19 May 2026 GMT
Gina Carano has spoken out after her highly anticipated MMA comeback ended in a devastating 17-second defeat to Ronda Rousey.
The 44-year-old returned to the cage for the first time since 2009 on Saturday (May 16) at California’s Intuit Dome, while Rousey stepped back into MMA competition after a decade away from the sport.
But despite months of hype surrounding the Netflix-streamed fight, the bout was over almost as soon as it began.
Rousey, 39, secured victory by forcing Carano to tap out to her trademark armbar submission just 17 seconds into the opening round.
Although the loss was a crushing end to the Deadpool actor's comeback, she remained positive afterwards and revealed exactly why she had no choice but to submit.
"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 on Instagram.
"If I hadn’t tapped she would’ve broken my arm."
Carano described the preparation as one of the toughest experiences of her life.
"I can count on two hands the number of times I felt good training," she admitted.
"It was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever done, taking the weight off while turning back into an athlete.
"I felt like a science experiment losing 100lbs.
"Every week, the pressure of how to get that little bit off. I learned a little late how to do it healthier, but trial by fire."
Even after what she called a "humbling" and "disappointing" defeat, Carano insisted she has no plans to walk away from fighting again.
"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."
She also praised Rousey following the loss, describing the former UFC champion as "a beautiful woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister and legend".
The fight came after Carano underwent an incredible physical transformation.
Hours before stepping into the cage, the actress revealed she had lost 100lbs while preparing to face Rousey.
"Ok. Vulnerable post, but here we are," she wrote.
"I just weighed in at 141.4 lbs. Since Sept 2024 to today, May 15, 2026, I have lost 100lbs. It hurts to say that and share but I am going to share it because I worked so damn hard every week for over a year and a half to shed this weight. It did not happen overnight."
Carano previously weighed 240lbs in September 2024 and admitted that the challenge of facing Rousey became the motivation that completely changed her health and lifestyle.
"If it wasn’t for having this incredibly challenging goal in fighting @rondarousey I most definitely wouldn’t have reached this," she explained.
"I was pre-diabetic, had trouble simply walking in September, and have been on the path to recovery to turn myself back into an athlete since then."
Both women needed to weigh under 145lbs for the fight, with Rousey officially coming in at 142lbs.
Following the event, both Carano and Rousey were immediately suspended from MMA competition.
The suspension is not considered disciplinary action and is standard procedure in combat sports to allow athletes time to recover following a bout.
According to MMA Mania, both women received a mandatory seven-day suspension.
The International Sport Combat Federation (ISCF) states that any fighter who breaks a seven-day medical suspension "will be suspended from competing by the ISCF for a minimum of 60 days and fined a Medical Rest Period Fine of $250," adding: "Suspension will remain until fine is paid."
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