Outside Source
Gina Carano hasn’t fought in MMA since 2009. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
There’s no official word regarding a Gina Carano return to mixed martial arts, but the former Strikeforce star has been hard at work at the gym in recent weeks.
Carano herself sparked speculation with an Instagram post on Dec. 1 which showed her working mitts with Syndicate MMA coach John Wood.
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“I’m on my way…to somewhere,” Carano wrote in the caption. “Grateful to be here for my health, the people around me, the people who inspire me and the desire to do better.”
Carano, 43, hasn’t fought since August 2009, when she suffered a first-round technical knockout loss to Cris Cyborg in a fight for the vacant Strikeforce featherweight championship. Since then, she has enjoyed a successful Hollywood career with roles in shows such as “The Mandalorian” and movies such as “Deadpool,” “Haywire,” and “Fast and the Furious 6.” Carano never officially announced her retirement from fighting, however.
According to Wood, Carano has been training at Syndicate MMA for the past month. The timing was especially interesting since it coincided with rumors of a Ronda Rousey boxing match against Katie Taylor next year. Carano and Rousey were briefly linked for a fight in the UFC in 2014, but that pairing never come to fruition.
Wood isn’t making any guarantees regarding Carano, but he isn’t exactly shutting down the possibility of a return to MMA, either.
“She’s back in there every day,” Wood told MMAFighting.com. “She’s got that fire lit and she’s training her butt off. It’s been really cool to have here in there. She’s a legend in the sport, not just in women’s MMA but the sport in general so it’s really awesome to have someone like that. People when they walk in and realize ‘Oh it’s Gina!’ She’s such a fan favorite and just a great person. Down to Earth. Her and [husband Kevin Ross] are amazing people.
“To have them in the gym and to be able to share time with them and training has been really, really cool. I expect you might hear some things at some point in time here.”
Still Got It
Carano is recognized as one of the early pioneers of women’s MMA. Prior to facing “Cyborg,” she was victorious in her first seven professional outings, besting the likes of Julie Kedzie, Tonya Evinger and Kaitlin Young along the way. The bout vs. Kedzie at Elite XC “Destiny,” was the first women’s fight to be televised on Showtime. Carano’s crossover appeal also brought many more eyes to women’s MMA in general.
Though it has been well over 15 years since Carano competed in an official capacity, Wood is confident that his pupil still has fighting skills.
“Well, do I think she can still fight? Absolutely,” Wood said. “Do I think she’s still got pop and can lay it on somebody? Absolutely. Is that what’s happening? I don’t know. That’s a Gina Carano question.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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