With all eyes on the UFC during International Fight Week, it’s
often a chance for stars of the past to return to the spotlight in
some shape or form.
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It appears to be no different in 2022, as
MMA-standout-turned-Hollywood-star Gina Carano
addressed the possibility of a blockbuster bout against ex-UFC
champion Ronda
Rousey during an interview on Fox
News.
“You know what? Just never put it past me,” Carano said. “It could
happen. It would be six months from now because I have a lot of
stuff I need to do.”
The query was in response to a statement Rousey made regarding
Carano during a recent
appearance on Kurt Angle’s podcast.
“There’s only one person I would come back for,” Rousey said then.
“I’ve said it a million times, it’s not like it’s something new but
for Gina, Gina Carano. She’s the reason why I got into fighting,
she’s the reason why I knew it was a possibility. I will always be
forever grateful.”
The possibility of a Carano-Rousey fight was broached in 2014, when
UFC president Dana White seemed confident that
negotiations were moving forward for a championship showdown
between the two stars by year’s end. Of course, that never came to
fruition.
The 40-year-old Carano hasn’t competed since 2009, when she
suffered a first-round technical knockout loss to Cristiane
Justino in the main event of a Strikeforce card. The former
Xtreme Couture member began her professional career with seven
consecutive triumphs, besting the likes of Kaitlin
Young, Tonya
Evinger and Julie
Kedzie. In recent years, Carano has enjoyed roles on films such
as “Haywire,” “Fast and Furious 6,” “Deadpool” as well as the
popular Disney+ series “The Mandalorian.” Carano was later removed
from the Stars Wars spinoff due to comments made on social media.
However, she remains very involved in the film industry and
suggested that a confrontation with Rousey could come on the screen
instead of in the cage.
“I really want to create, I want to direct, I want to produce,”
Carano said. “I want to give Ronda Rousey a job in one of my
movies, so maybe there is something we can do there.”
Rousey was the biggest star in female MMA and one of the top draws
in the entire sport as she began her career with 12 consecutive
victories. She left the UFC following back-to-back knockout losses
against Holly Holm
and Amanda
Nunes to work for World Wrestling Entertainment. Thus far, a
fight against Carano is the only MMA-related matchup that seems to
pique the Olympic judoka’s interest.
“It’s a respect thing, not like a, ‘F—k you. I’m coming to get
you,'” Rousey said. “It’s just like, ‘Hey, if you ever wanna pull
that card out, it’s there.’ I love her. Thank you Gina for
everything you’ve done.”