Outside Source
Gina Carano’s MMA return didn’t last as long as she would have liked. | Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix
Gina Carano’s first mixed martial arts appearance in nearly two decades was abbreviated, to say the least.
The Strikeforce and EliteXC veteran was quickly taken down and submitted by Ronda Rousey just 17 seconds into the MVP MMA main event this past Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Considering Rousey’s penchant for quick victories — she had eight previous wins in less than a minute — it shouldn’t have been all that surprising.
Advertisement
Carano reflected on the experience during her post-fight interview.
“I wanted that to last longer. I felt like I was so ready. I felt so good. I’ve never felt that good, but I haven’t been here for 17 years. I wanted to hit her,” Carano said. “I’ll probably feel [unfulfilled] later, but right now getting in the cage was a victory. Getting here after 17 years was a victory. Fighting a legend was a victory, and I feel great. I feel like I just wanted to fight, and I didn’t get that.
“She trained, she had her game plan, and I have so much love and respect for her. This was a victory in my life. She changed it. I woke up every morning at 3 a.m. thinking about her. I took 100 pounds off of my body, which is going to give me a longer life. I fell back in love with mixed martial arts. There’s so many good things to think about here. It’s just the fight didn’t go my way.”
Uncertain Future
Carano hadn’t fought since August 15, 2009, when she suffered a first-round technical knockout loss to Cristiane Justino under the Strikeforce banner. Whether the 44-year-old fights again remains to be seen.
“I don’t know,” Carano said. “I think 17 years was a lot. I think being 44 was a lot. I don’t know if I can put my family back through that. But I’m going to go look at this. I didn’t get anything out. I didn’t get to do anything in this fight.. You just never know with me. I should’ve got matched up with a striker. I wanted to get some of that out.”
Despite some disappointment at not being able to showcase her skills, Carano’s overall feeling was one of gratitude. Her biggest takeaway from the experience was simply being able to fight again..
“That I could do it. That I could train, I could get up every day and stay dedicated…It’s not easy to get in here. It is not easy to be in the gym every day and wake yourself up,” Carano said. “But I adore Ronda. I don’t want to fight Ronda. I think she’s a legend. She should go have her babies at her ranch and do whatever she wants to do. I just enjoyed the process.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
Help support MMACrazies.com when you shop Amazon by starting your online Amazon shopping at MMACrazies.com/recommends/amazon. You are not charged extra, but we receive a small and very helpful commission on everything you purchase. Thanks for thinking of us every time you shop at Amazon.
