LOS ANGELES, CA -Ronda Rousey (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Ronda Rousey needed just 17 seconds to defeat Gina Carano via armbar on Saturday night, and her rivals needed about the same amount of time to take to social media to mock the performance.
UFC legend and former two-division champion Amanda Nunes posted an eye-roll emoji seconds after the fight. Cris Cyborg, one of Rousey’s most bitter rivals posted three laughing emojis after Rousey’s win.
Other fighters like Corey Anderson, Brian Kelleher and others shared their displeasure with the fight, insinuating it was a mismatch from the start.
- Main Event: Ronda Rousey def. Gina Carano via submission (armbar), 0:17 of R1
- Event: MVP MMA 1: Rousey vs. Carano
- Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026
- Venue: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
- Broadcast: Netflix (first MMA card ever streamed on the platform)
- Rousey Post-Fight Record: 13-2
- Carano Post-Fight Record: 7-2
How Did Amanda Nunes React To Ronda Rousey’s Win?
Nunes is not one to get down and dirty with trash talk. Her reaction was honest and it mirrored the feelings of many in the MMA community.
The single eye-roll emoji landed harder than a paragraph would have because of who posted it. Nunes is the fighter who ended Rousey’s UFC career at UFC 207 in December 2016 with a 48-second KO, and she’s gone on to build one of the most decorated resumes in women’s MMA history as a two-division champion. She didn’t need to explain anything — the reaction did the work.
What Did Cris Cyborg Say About Ronda Rousey’s 17-Second Win?
Cyborg and Rousey have exchanged nasty words over the years, so the laughing emojis was mild, all things considered.
Cyborg has been the loudest critic of this matchup since it was announced, including her widely shared “I thought you had CTE or something?” jab earlier this year that referenced Rousey’s past concussion comments. She also publicly offered to help Carano in camp, laid out striking strategy advice for Carano in the week before the fight, and has spent months framing the booking as Rousey selecting an over-the-hill opponent rather than facing the fighters who represented the apex of the featherweight division in their primes.
Her follow-up commentary after the win picked up exactly where those months of pre-fight criticism left off. The fight that never happened between Rousey and Cyborg in their primes still hangs over both careers, and tonight’s result didn’t change that.
Which Other Fighters Criticized The Rousey-Carano Matchup?
Former Bellator champion Corey Anderson and former UFC veteran Brian Kelleher both expressed displeasure with the main event.
Their reactions echoed the broader theme across the fighter response: this wasn’t about Rousey’s performance, it was about the booking. Pairing a 44-year-old who hadn’t fought since 2009 against a 39-year-old Olympic judo medalist with the most decorated submission resume in women’s MMA history was always going to deliver a one-sided result, and several active fighters made that point on social media before, during and after the bout.
Anderson and Kelleher’s posts landed alongside a broader fighter reaction cycle that, per MMA Junkie’s “So stupid” roundup of fighter responses, leaned heavily critical of the matchup itself.
What Does All This Reaction Mean For Ronda Rousey’s Legacy?
At the end of the day, Rousey accomplished her mission. She won, didn’t take any damage, didn’t hurt a friend, made a solid payday, stole spotlight from the UFC, went out on her own terms and laid the foundation for MVP MMA. That’s not a bad night’s work.
The legacy debate is closed. Even though the Cyborg fight that never happened and she suffered the 48-second KO against Nunes at UFC 207, there is nothing left for Rousey to prove.
She confirmed her retirement post-fight and is transitioning into a face/promoter role with MVP, which is the kind of off-cage path that lets her exit the sport on her terms while letting the reactions from Cyborg and Nunes live as a separate conversation altogether.
