Ronda Rousey stepped back into the MMA cage for her comeback fight with a foot and ankle injury that she’d been dealing with in the weeks leading up to it.
On Saturday, Rousey made her long-awaited return to MMA after more than a decade away, taking on old rival Gina Carano in what was the first MMA event ever broadcast live on Netflix.
It didn’t take Rousey long to remind everyone why she became such a huge name in the sport, as she needed just 17 seconds to secure an armbar win and get back into action with style.
But even though she looked sharp during those brief moments, it’s clear she was carrying quite a bit of pain. She later revealed that she’d gone into the fight far from fully fit.
Rousey entered the MVP MMA bout with a sprained foot and ankle
Both fighters had been away from competition for over a decade, and injuries during training were always going to be a risk.
For Rousey, that risk became reality when she picked up a sprained foot and ankle just two weeks before the fight, forcing her to make adjustments late in camp.
“I sprained my ankle and foot pretty bad like two and a half weeks ago,” Rousey revealed during the post-fight press conference.
“I definitely was trying real hard not to look hurt at the open workouts… I really re-aggravated it again… I was trying hard not to limp… I got it done anyway and no one was really the wiser, I just had to push through.”
In the lead-up to her return, there was little doubt among fans or pundits about who would come out on top. The betting odds backed Rousey heavily, though that wasn’t what made this event so interesting.
The build-up with Carano gave this fight meaning beyond rankings or titles – it felt important because of their shared history.
And because of that, Rousey claimed that she and Carano were earning a record amount of money for a women’s MMA fight, toppling the $4.8 million that she earned for her fight against Amanda Nunes in 2016.
The California State Athletic Commission released fighter pay after the event wrapped up. According to them, Rousey’s purse was listed at $2.2 million.
Despite that, she claimed that she was also paid for promoting the event as well as her fighting services, with her final take-home number expected to be much larger.
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