Holly Holm doubts Rousey will ever accept rematch after Carano submission win

Holly Holm says she would still welcome a rematch with Ronda Rousey but expects the offer to go unanswered, after Rousey submitted Gina Carano in just 17 seconds in the main event of the first MVP MMA card before promptly retiring again.

Rousey, who had been away from competition for a decade following back-to-back knockout losses, secured a quick armbar finish over Carano and made clear she had no interest in taking another fight. That outcome left Holm — who famously knocked Rousey out with a head kick in 2015 in one of MMA’s biggest upsets — watching from the outside, having been discussed as a potential opponent for the winner before the bout took place.

“I highly doubt she’ll ever want a rematch,” Holm told MMA Fighting. “I always have said since the minute the last fight was over, I’ll always rematch her. That’s always been available. But she wanted to come back and have this win and go back and enjoy and have a win like that. No hate from me. I hope she does well. I hope she does whatever she wants with her life. That’s her life. I’d always be open to fight her again.”

Holm, who was preparing for a lightweight world title fight in boxing at the time of her comments, said she was not surprised by the speed of Rousey’s finish. Rousey scored a takedown and locked on her signature armbar in rapid fashion — a sequence Holm noted was consistent with what Rousey did to top-ranked UFC fighters at the height of her career.

Suggestions that the result was somehow staged drew a dismissive response from Holm. “You can’t judge someone [who lost like that],” she said. “Ronda has been a lot more active. She’s been familiar with the grind and the physical strain on your body. Even just performing in front of people — you still get nerves.”

Holm also offered praise for Carano, who had not competed in 17 years since her final Strikeforce appearance and had spent much of the intervening period focused on an acting career. Despite the long layoff, Carano committed to a full training camp to prepare for the fight.

“It takes a lot of courage to step back in when you haven’t felt that in a long time and in that many years,” Holm said, adding that Carano’s willingness to return deserved respect regardless of the result.