Gina Carano earned an absolute fortune for her 17-second MMA fight with Ronda Rousey
Gina Carano earned a fortune for her 17 second MMA fight against Ronda Rousey.
The 44-year-old star took on Rousey at California’s Intuit Dome on Saturday night with the event streamed live on Netflix.
The comeback fight marked Carano’s first MMA bout since 2009 and Rousey’s first match in a decade.
But, the whole thing was over in a flash, with Rousey charging at Carano and securing a win with her signature armbar.
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All within just 17 seconds, no less.
And, while the fight may have been short, the pay was definitely sweet.
According to Forbes, the fight purses for both women topped $1 million apiece, with Carano reportedly scooping $1.05 million and Rousey earning $2.2 million.
This figure also doesn’t include any potential earnings from broadcast, ticket sales or bonuses, meaning the final payout for both fighters could be a lot higher.
Not bad, eh?
Speaking before the fight, Rousey had said the bout would set a new record for female fighters.
"I've already won a record eight consecutive title fights, there's nothing left for me to do in UFC,” she told BBC.
"So now me and Gina are smashing the record for the most women have been paid in combat sports."
Despite her defeat, Carano said stepping back into the cage had felt like a victory after so long away from the sport.
"I wanted that to last longer, I felt like I was so ready, I felt so good," she told AFP after the fight.
"But I haven't been here for 17 years. I wanted to hit her.
"Right now, just getting in the cage was a victory, getting here after 17 years is a victory. Fighting a legend was a victory. I feel great, I just wanted to fight, and I didn't get to do that."
And it seems as though the win, will make the end of Rousey's fighting career.
Speaking during the weigh-in, 39-year-old Rousey said that she had promised her husband Travis Brown that the MVP fight was ‘one and done’, and in the aftermath of her win, it seems this is still the case and she won’t be tempted out of retirement.
“There's no way I could have ended it better than this. I want to have some more babies, got to get cooking,” she said.
Elsewhere on the fight card, legendary heavyweight star Francis Ngannou beat Philipe Lins in the first round, and Mike Perry was victorious over Nate Diaz after their fight was stopped in the second round.
Unlike Rousey, though, it seems Diaz is keen to jump back into the cage and will said he'll take on a rematch with Perry ‘ASAP’.
Topics: Sport, MMA, Ronda Rousey
Claire Reid