( CNN ) -- When mixed martial arts fighters Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche stepped into the octagon Saturday night , they made history for women 's sports . When Rousey stepped out , she was the champion in the first women 's match in the Ultimate Fighting Championship . Rousey and Carmouche met in the headline fight for the UFC 157 pay-per-view event in the Honda Center in Anaheim , California . Rousey used her signature armbar move to force Carmouche to submit late in the first round . `` The place was going nuts , '' Rousey said , `` and I 'm glad it was a full house and I 'm just honored to be a part of it . '' Meet the UFC 's first female superstar . Just having two women in the ring was a historic first for the UFC , which has been around since 1993 . In 2011 , UFC President Dana White said there would never be a women 's MMA match in the UFC . At the time , he was n't convinced people would pay to watch women fight . But then Rousey came along , and White changed his mind . `` I know I was the one talking smack about women 's MMA , '' White said Saturday night . `` But I believed in this fight , and I believed in it enough to make it the main event . '' Before becoming an MMA fighter , Rousey competed in judo . She took bronze at the 2008 Olympics , becoming the first American to win a women 's judo medal since it became an Olympic sport in 1992 . On Saturday , Rousey found herself in early trouble for the first time as an MMA fighter . Carmouche , a former U.S. Marine , mounted Rousey 's back and tried a neck crank for several seconds before Rousey escaped . `` I was n't worried , but I was very aware of the situation , '' Rousey said . Rousey recovered , responded with a series of strikes and eventually got Carmouche in an armbar . Carmouche quickly tapped out . `` It was a great fight , '' Carmouche said afterward . `` I thought I had it . '' The armbar has been a reliable weapon for Rousey . She had won by armbar in all six of her previous MMA matches before joining UFC . And like Saturday , all six of those came in the first round . Rousey improved to 7-0 in her MMA career and made history by winning the first women 's match in the UFC . Now , she just might become a household name . `` This is something really special and it might take a little to really sink in , '' she said . CNN 's Jason Moon contributed to this report .
NEW : ` ` I ' m glad it was a full house , '' she says . Ronda Rousey beats out Carmouche in the first round . Rousey used her signature submission move to force her to submit . ` ` I thought I had it , '' she said .