Ronda Rousey submitted Gina Carano in 17 seconds Saturday night at MVP MMA, the first MMA event by Most Valuable Promotions. While the win was in line with past performances by Rousey, others called hogwash, suggesting that the fix was in.
Adding to that was legendary wrestling manager, promoter, trainer, and podcaster Jim Cornette. On Sunday morning, the man affectionately known as “Corny” posted a mock conversation between the two fighters on X:
“OK, Gina, we’ve got their money. We’ll make 4 million dollars per second. As soon as I get the arm, tap like Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson and we’ll be hugging and kissing five times as long as the ‘fight lasted before the suckers can feel for their wallets.”
Whether Cornette believes the fight was actually fixed or is just playing into online conspiracy theories for laughs is unknown. However, the reaction of some fans online was that something didn’t smell quite right, especially as the two were extra chummy with each other post-fight.
While a fix is always a possibility in the fight game, the simple truth is that this was a mismatch. Carano, the 44-year-old fighter turned actress who put women’s MMA on the map, hadn’t fought since 2009. She lost a hundred pounds to get in shape for the fight. She also admitted that, stylistically, Rousey, a submission specialist with a degree in taking arms, was a bad match for her.
“I should have got matched up with a striker,” Carano told Ariel Helwani in the post-fight interview.
Still, Carano was in good company as other fighters on the main card were also mismatched.
In the main card opener, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos lost for the sixth time in his last eight fights, falling to Robelis Despaigne by KO in the first round. His previous losses were by TKO.
Francis Ngannou took out Philipe Lins by KO, also in the first. Lins, a light-heavyweight, stepped up in weight to take on the heavy-hitting former UFC champ.
The most surprising result, though, was “Platinum” Mike Perry getting the “W” over Nate Diaz. Diaz nearly submitted Perry, who came out firing early. Instead, “Platinum” fought smart, hit hard, and cut Diaz badly to earn a TKO stoppage at the end of round two.
Yet, for fans looking to see more fireworks from two legends in the main event, it’s natural for disappointment to give way to skepticism rather than reality. Then again, perhaps Cornette spotted something fishy, giving wrestling fans a reason to tune in to his podcasts this week for either his analysis, humor, or both.
