Ronda Rousey Said There Was No Better Way to End It. The Stats Agree!
Ronda Rousey returned at MVP MMA 1, submitted Gina Carano in 17 seconds, and retired. Her final career numbers, 13 wins, 10 armbars, only 21 minutes in the cage, cement her as the most dominant champion MMA has produced.
Ronda Rousey returned to MMA after nine and a half years away, submitted Gina Carano in 17 seconds, and walked away for good. The career numbers, from her 2010 amateur debut to her armbar in Inglewood, are now closed and they cement her as the most dominant champion the sport has produced. An analysis by mmasucka.com breaks down why she still stands alone.
The Headline Numbers
There are many numbers that can be thrown around when talking about the career of Ronda Rousey. But here are a few key ones. Her final record stands at 13 wins and 2 losses, with an impressive 10 career armbar submissions. Every single one of those was finished in the first round. Three of her wins were by knockout or TKO (Sara McMann, Alexis Davis, and Bethe Correia). And 12 of those 13 wins ended in Round 1.
Only one opponent in 15 fights managed to survive past the first round against Rousey, Miesha Tate, who made it to Round 3 of UFC 168 before being armbarred. She also holds six consecutive successful UFC women's bantamweight title defenses. And in total, she has only spent just under 21 minutes in the cage across her entire career.
The Speed Numbers
Rousey's victories weren't just numerous, they were also swift. The mmasucka.com article identified seven different professional victories that ended in under one minute:
| Opponent | Method | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ediane Gomes | Armbar | KOTC: Turning Point (pro debut, 2011) | 0:25 |
| Sarah D'Alelio | Armbar | Strikeforce Challengers (2011) | 0:25 |
| Sarah Kaufman | Armbar | Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman | 0:54 |
| Alexis Davis | KO (punches) | UFC 175 | 0:16 |
| Cat Zingano | Armbar | UFC 184 | 0:14 |
| Bethe Correia | KO (punches) | UFC 190 | 0:34 |
| Gina Carano | Armbar | MVP MMA 1 | 0:17 |
The fastest armbar finish of Rousey's career was a mere 14 seconds against Cat Zingano at UFC 184 in February 2015. That ties for the fastest armbar in UFC history with Joe Charles' finish of Kevin Rosier at UFC 4 back in 1994.
The Records That Still Stand
Mmasucka.com also compiled a list of records that still stand today:
| Record |
|---|
| Most consecutive armbar finishes in UFC/Strikeforce/WEC/Pride history (6) |
| Highest submissions per 15 minutes in UFC women's bantamweight history (3.03) |
| Highest knockdowns per 15 minutes in UFC women's bantamweight history (1.21) |
| First female fighter signed by the UFC (November 2012) |
| Inaugural UFC women's bantamweight champion |
| First woman to headline a UFC pay per view (UFC 157, February 2013) |
| First woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame (2018) |
| First woman ranked on the UFC pound for pound list |
The Comeback That Closed The Story
After losing to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016, Rousey took a nine year and five month hiatus from MMA without a formal goodbye. She returned at MVP MMA 1, hit a double leg in three seconds flat, mounted Carano, and locked in an armbar like it was 2013. Then she walked away for real. In her post fight interview she said there was no way she could have ended it better, and that she wants to have more children. Seventeen seconds and the story was done.
The Foundation Nobody Talks About Anymore
Before entering the world of MMA, Rousey had an accomplished judo career. Some of those accolades include:
| Year | Accomplishment |
|---|---|
| 2004 | World Junior Champion |
| 2007 | Pan American Games gold medalist |
| 2007 | World Championships silver medalist |
| 2008 | Olympic bronze medalist in Beijing, the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo |
| 2004 | Youngest judoka ever to enter the field at the Athens Olympics (age 17) |
All three of her amateur MMA fights lasted less than two minutes, all ending by armbar.
The Final Argument
Rousey's career is no longer a conversation about potential or interruptions. It is a closed file with numbers that will not be matched easily: 13 wins, 10 first round armbars, 12 of 13 finishes in round one, only 21 minutes inside the cage across the entire career. She came back after almost a decade, won in 17 seconds, and left on her own terms. That is the definition of dominance.
Analysis compiled by mmasucka.com. Statistics drawn from UFC, Strikeforce, ESPN, Sherdog and California State Athletic Commission records.
