Shayna Baszler Defends Ronda Rousey from Conspiracy Theories That Win vs. Gina Carano Was Fixed

Bleacher Report ^ | May 18, 2026 | Doric Sam

[nickcarraway]

Fans who watched Ronda Rousey defeat Gina Carano in just 17 seconds in the main event of Netflix's first-ever MMA card on Saturday night couldn't help but wonder whether the fight was rigged, but one of Rousey's longtime friends came to her defense.

Former WWE Superstar and MMA veteran Shayna Baszler, who has been Rousey's close friend and training partner for years, took to social media to point out that Rousey has a history of speedy finishes, as 17 seconds isn't even her fastest victory:

Rousey, who was fighting for the first time since 2016, took Carano down just seconds into the fight before locking in her trademark armbar and earning the submission victory. It was Carano's first professional fight since 2009.

Rousey confirmed after the fight that she has no intentions of continuing her MMA career, and she will focus on continuing to grow her family.

Fans who were hoping for more will have to be satisfied with the 17 seconds they got from Rousey in her final fight on Saturday.

---

TOPICS: Conspiracy; Sports
KEYWORDS: ginacarano; mma; rondarousey

[V_TWIN]

See my posts 11 and 17.

That should explain it.

[EQAndyBuzz]

“ They did it for the money, but did anyone who paid to see it feel like they got their money’s worth?”

I think there were 10 fights on the card. It got bloody early and I turned it off figuring I would watch the replay.

[nickcarraway]

Did you have to pay to watch it?

[American Infidel]

The fight wasn't "fixed", it's just that Ronda Rousey was the much better fighter and was able to catch Carano in an armbar for which Carano had no defense. Let's face it; Carano was over-matched. Carano being completely out of the game for 17 years clearly played a part as well. Nice payday for a short 'sparring session' with no damage being suffered by either fighter.

That being said, Carano looked great after dropping 100 lbs and I hope she gets a fresh look from producers to continue her on-screen career after settling with woke disney.

[nickcarraway]

17 years?

[American Infidel]

Her first professional fight in 10 years?

Wins in 17 seconds?

That is going to be controversial forever.

Not if your opponent hasn't had a fight in 17 years and just dropped about 100 lbs in the past year.

[Mathews]

No one ever feels like they got their money’s worth when a fight lasts 17 seconds, no matter who is on the card. The ONLY fighter, in my life time, who was expected to win in less than two minutes, was Mike.

[nickcarraway]

The ONLY fighter, in my life time, who was expected to win in less than two minutes, was Mike.

I was thinking about that. And back in 1989/90 I think there was a chunk of viewers that wanted to see him demolish his opponent quickly.

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

If the armbar was Rousey’s signature move, why wasn’t Carano more prepared for it?

As Mike Tyson once said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

[Mathews]

Yep. I was one of them.

[MikelTackNailer]

I am now picturing a day when I can go to the office, for 17 seconds, then walk out and collect a nice paycheck. I’d like that.

So I put it to DuckDuckGo's A.I. engine:

"How much money did Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano earn for their match?"

Ronda Rousey: $2,200,000.
Gina Carano: $1,050,000.

I'd let my ass get kicked by either of them at any time for a percentage of that.

[nickcarraway]

What were you expecting?

[nickcarraway]

But if the armbar is her signature move, that should have been the focus of her planning. Unless she just wanted to cash a check, and didn’t care how fast she lost.

[suthener]

I don’t keep up with MMA but I’ve been seeing a lot about it on X. That’s apparently how Rousey wins. It’s not unusual.

“Based on the search context, Ronda Rousey’s average win time in the UFC was 2 minutes and 59 seconds. More broadly, her professional record indicates a highly efficient style, with nine of her twelve victories ending in 66 seconds or less.”

[Mathews]

I was in the military at the time, so we watched the fights at buddies houses. We were young, bad asses, and we thought Mike Tyson was the end all, be all. It got so bad that we'd get pissed and start calling Tyson a loser if his fight made it to the second round. That's just how good he was. We expected that big ol’ overhand right of his to just destroy his opponents in mere seconds. It was awesome and watching him back in the day gave me great joy. I happy just remembering it now. All my buddies, the beer and food. All huddled around a 27” tv. HBO put on one heck of a show too. Man, all the stars were there to. The A listers. It was all big-time. Loved it. I miss it. MMA just isn't the same.

[nickcarraway]

Were you watching the Buster Douglas fight?

[Libloather]

It was fixed. Eh, 50/50 shot and I took it.

[spacewarp]

The funniest part of the event was the fact that they had 5 fights and 6 total rounds.

[spacewarp]

5 fights. 6 rounds. All first round except one.

[Bob434]

Johnny carson was itnerviewing Ali and Ali revealed he made 2.2 million for a fight.

Johnny said “I’d go a few rounds with you for $2.2 million”

Ali just looked at him and said “And who would your beneficiary be?”