Sarah Stier; Getty For Netflix
Ronda Rousey’s close friend Shayna Baszler is coming to Rousey’s defense after fans insist her fight against Gina Carano was rigged.
On Saturday night, Rousey made quick work of Carano and beat her rival in 17 seconds.
17 SECONDS
Ronda Rousey made quick work of Gina Carano ⚡️ #RouseyCarano pic.twitter.com/2BM75fk1BE
— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) May 17, 2026
During her post-fight press conference, Rousey explained why she wanted to end the fight quickly.
“I come from Judo, maximum efficiency, minimum effort. I said I wanted to try and give you guys the Rowdy special, and fortunately, that’s what I was able to do.”
A viral video on social media showing Rousey practicing the same move she used against Carano is being used as evidence that the fight was rigged.
Ronda Rousey caught on camera rehearsing the script before the “fight” pic.twitter.com/kwdWdulDOl
— The AI Robot Guy on X (@Housebots) May 17, 2026
Bazler, who has been friends with Rousey for the last decade, took to social media to defend her friend from the rigged accusations.
If you want to know how fast the memory of MMA fans gets erased, 17 seconds isn’t even her fastest win and people think it was worked, lol. What about her :14 win over Zigano? Or her :16 win over Davis? Or her other 5 wins under :30? Or her 9 total wins under a minute?
— Shayna Baszler (@QoSBaszler) May 17, 2026
So you think the person who made a career of taking people down and arm barring them quickly……needed a “fix” to take down someone (known for having no ground game) and arm barring them quickly?
— Shayna Baszler (@QoSBaszler) May 18, 2026
So you think that Ronda, who made a career of quickly taking people down and arm barring them…..needed a “work” to take someone (with a known weakness on the ground) down and arm bar them?
— Shayna Baszler (@QoSBaszler) May 18, 2026