The MMA world is buzzing with shock and excitement after the announcement that legends Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey will return to the cage. This is far from an ordinary fight, and many are already calling it one of the greatest women’s MMA matchups in terms of legacy. Naturally, the question arises—what prompted the two veterans to step back into the sport, especially Gina Carano, who has been out of competition for almost 17 years now.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The bout, promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, will feature Carano vs. Rousey in a featherweight clash streamed exclusively on Netflix, marking MVP’s first-ever foray into MMA. The fight is scheduled for May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. After releasing an official teaser, the promotion followed it up with a press release in which Carano addressed the decision behind her long-awaited return.
Gina Carano’s reasoning for returning against Ronda Rousey
“Ronda came to me and said there is only one person she would make a comeback for, and it has been her dream to make this fight happen between us,” Gina Carano said. “She thanked me for opening up doors for her in her career and was respectful in asking for this fight to happen. This is an honor.”
“I believe I will walk out of this fight with the win and I anticipate it will not come easy, which I welcome. This is as much for Ronda and me as it is for the fans and mixed martial arts community. What a time to be alive.”
Gina Carano has not only blazed a trail for women in the UFC but also inspired fighters across MMA to look beyond traditional boxing. With a Muay Thai background, the 43-year-old competed actively from 2006 to 2009 and built a record of 7-1. And her sole MMA loss was her last against UFC veteran Cris Cyborg, who knocked her out in the first round of their bout in 2009. This was also the very first major MMA event to be headlined by women. She stepped away from the competition soon after.
View this post on Instagram
Since leaving MMA, Carano has pursued television and film full-time, appearing in Fast and Furious, Deadpool, and her first major role as the lead in Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 film Haywire.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey’s names have been linked to each other for a fight. Previously, during her UFC career, Rousey revealed on The Joe Rogan Experience episode #690 that she had been in talks to face Carano in December 2014. However, the bout never materialized.
What caused the Rousey vs. Carano UFC fight to be canceled in 2014?
Years ago, people had already linked Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano for a potential fight, and the matchup generated major buzz after the Strikeforce roster merged into the UFC. However, missteps and excessive hype prevented the fight from becoming a reality. Rousey stated multiple times that if she returns to MMA, she would want to fight Carano. Then, in 2022, during her appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Carano too revealed that she wanted the fight, and was offered $1 million for the bout.
“I had my whole team in Vegas. So when Dana (White) and Lorenzo (Fertitta) invited me out,” Carano revealed. “This had to have been five years ago. They said, ‘We’d like to offer you a million-dollar fight with Ronda.’ And I was like, ‘Damn, what took you guys so long?’”
At the time, Carano lacked a gym, a teammate, or a proper place to prepare for a fight camp. So, she asked Dana White to keep the fight announcement “quiet,” but he publicized it on social media instead. As a result, this created tension, and Carano felt disrespected and pressured, so she ultimately withdrew.
“But you can’t just go back into that world and feel disrespected on so many levels. And then I think another movie came up, so I was just like ‘Sweet, I’ll just go do this movie then.’”
Despite the setbacks and the years away, the moment may have arrived at just the right time. A Carano vs. Rousey clash under the MVP banner has all the ingredients of a blockbuster. This is one we can all look forward to.