Carano Opens Up On Motivation For Return
Gina Carano opened up on her MMA return ahead of her May 16 fight with Ronda Rousey.
Carano revealed that the comeback was sparked by a personal outreach from Rousey in December 2024, while Rousey was still pregnant with her second child. After years of legal battles and a successful acting career, Carano described the return to training as “healing.” She noted that despite several years of medical issues, she finally felt “alive” enough to entertain a return. Rousey credited Carano as the reason she even discovered MMA, while Carano thanked Rousey for “opening the doors” that led to the creation of women’s divisions in the UFC.
Carano Reacts
“I actually started my health journey in September 2024. Fighting was something I gave up, actually, like five years prior. I was like, ‘OK, this is not something I’m ever gonna do. But as it’s gone on progressively, I realized – it’s not that I needed it. It’s that I love it, and I want it, and that’s what gets me out of bed. There was other opportunities that came up after I settled my lawsuit with Disney, and I had to weigh those. What was more important? And I just realized waking up to have this fight was more important than (another) opportunity.
“Once I started weighing those things, I realized how badly I wanted it. I think that I wouldn’t be pushing myself so hard unless I had this. And I’m pushing myself. This is not an easy deal. I’ve come a long ways. But to push yourself so deep and so hard is such a blessing. I find that it’s smarter – smarter training,” Carano said. “Because we used to go into the gym and just beat the living hell out of each other. Now it’s smarter, there’s recovery, it’s just a smarter sport now than when I came up and we just destroyed ourselves. … It’s just a different sport. It’s a more professional sport,” Carano said
A major talking point was why this fight isn’t happening in the UFC. Rousey claimed the UFC’s financial offer was “insulting” compared to the Netflix/MVP deal. Rousey made headlines by taking aim at the UFC Freedom 250 (White House) card scheduled for June 14, stating that UFC CEO Dana White “knows the White House card sucks” because the promotion is “bleeding talent” due to low pay. Now, Rousey and Carano have the chance to deliver on one of the biggest platforms.
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