Gina Canaro won’t be returning to the Octagon any time soon after her strikingly brief defeat to Ronda Rousey at the weekend.
Canaro and Rousey met on May 16 in a much-hyped exhibition match that brought two major names in women’s MMA back into the spotlight.
Canaro hadn’t competed since 2009, while Rousey — the UFC’s first women’s bantamweight champion — stepped away from competition in 2018.
Hosted at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, the event featured lengthy walkouts that ultimately outlasted the contest itself.
Just 15 seconds in, the 44-year-old Canaro tapped out to Rousey’s trademark armbar.
After the abrupt finish, the pair shared a hug, and Rousey, 39, later made it clear in her post-fight comments that this was the final chapter of her fighting career.
She said on Netflix: “There is no way I could have ended it better than this. I want to have some more babies and I have to get cooking.”
Canaro, meanwhile, also won’t be competing again in the near future, as she has been suspended from MMA for an unspecified period.
However, the suspension doesn’t suggest any wrongdoing. Medical rest periods are a routine part of combat sports, giving fighters time to recover from potential injuries. Rousey has also received a suspension for the same reason.
How long a fighter is sidelined typically depends on any damage sustained during the bout. Under International Sport Combat Federation (ISCF) MMA rules, athletes must observe a minimum seven-day (168-hour) break before they can fight again — with longer lay-offs imposed when injuries are more serious.
For instance, if either Canaro or Rousey had been choked unconscious, the standard recovery suspension would have been 30 days.
The ISCF oversees bouts and rankings across multiple regions, including North America, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Australia, and South Africa.
The maximum standard suspension is 180 days, typically reserved for injuries such as broken bones — like the situation Jake Paul faced after his boxing bout with Anthony Joshua.
In Paul’s case, the reported injuries (including a broken jaw) were significant enough that the Florida Athletic Commission issued an indefinite suspension.
According to the ISCF, any athlete who violates the mandatory seven-day layoff ‘will be suspended from competing by the ISCF for a minimum of 60 days and fined a Medical Rest Period Fine of $250’.
“Suspension will remain until fine is paid,” it adds.