Gina Carano reflects on first MMA bout in 17 years

Gina Carano's return to mixed martial arts after nearly two decades ended in disappointment when she was submitted by Ronda Rousey just 17 seconds into their main event bout at Most Valuable Promotions' "Rousey vs. Carano" event Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

The Strikeforce and EliteXC veteran was quickly taken down and finished by Rousey, who has established a dominant pattern of early finishes throughout her career—she entered the bout with eight previous victories lasting less than one minute. Despite the brevity of the encounter, Carano had prepared extensively for her return to competition.

Reflecting on the loss, Carano expressed a sense of unfulfilled potential. She stated that she felt exceptionally prepared heading into the fight and had never felt better entering competition, yet the seventeen-year layoff appeared to cost her any real opportunity to implement her game plan. "I wanted that to last longer," she said. "I felt like I was so ready. I felt so good. I've never felt that good, but I haven't been here for 17 years. I wanted to hit her." Carano acknowledged that she would likely feel the sting of the quick defeat more acutely in the coming days, but expressed pride in simply stepping back into the cage after such an extended absence from professional MMA competition.