Nikki Bella watched Ronda Rousey step back into the cage, finish Gina Carano in 17 seconds and immediately came away wanting more.
The WWE Hall of Famer addressed Rousey’s comeback during a new interview with USA Today, where she made it clear that the lightning-fast result did not disappoint her. Instead, Nikki felt Rousey looked so sharp that it was hard to accept the idea that the fight may have been her final one.
Rousey returned to MMA for the first time in nearly a decade on May 16, defeating Carano by armbar just 17 seconds into their fight at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. After the fight, Rousey indicated that her fighting career was over as she turns her attention back to family life.
Nikki admitted that her first reaction was simply wanting the fight to continue, especially after seeing how dominant Rousey looked after so much time away from competition.
“I think, you know, my initial response was like, wait, it’s done. But the one thing I will say is it left me wanting a lot more from Ronda. She looked incredible. I mean, she looked so amazing that I want to see her now on more fights.”
Bella also pointed out that Rousey was coming back after having another child, which made the performance stand out even more in her eyes.
“You know, I’m all about nostalgia. So no matter what it was, I love that those two women got into that octagon and did what they did. But I will say the shape that Ronda Rousey’s in, I mean, she’s a year postpartum. That’s incredible. I want to see more from her.”
While Rousey has already suggested that the fight with Carano was her last, Nikki clearly believes the former WWE and UFC star still has something left to give. The 17-second finish did not look like someone barely scraping through a comeback fight. To Nikki, it looked like the same dangerous Rousey fans remember.
“I know, you know, as now she’s saying she’s going to have more babies and that was it. But she even in those 17 seconds, Ronda looked like she didn’t miss a beat.”
Bella and Rousey have plenty of WWE history together, including their title program in 2018, but Nikki’s reaction this time came from pure respect. Rousey walked back into competition after years away, ended the fight almost instantly and still left people wondering what she could do next.
Whether Rousey sticks to her decision or eventually gets pulled toward one more fight remains to be seen. For now, Nikki Bella is among those who saw 17 seconds of Ronda Rousey in action and felt that was nowhere near enough.
Would you want to see Ronda Rousey fight again after her dominant win over Gina Carano, or was this the perfect ending to her comeback story? Leave your feedback in the comments.