Chael Sonnen says Gina Carano’s coach coming out to reveal she was “gutted” by her 17-second loss to Ronda Rousey was exactly the right move to keep her fighting career alive, and believes the only logical next opponent is Holly Holm.
Sonnen had previously criticized Carano’s seemingly indifferent demeanor after the loss at MVP MMA 1. When coach John Wood revealed this week that Carano was devastated and considering another fight, Sonnen welcomed the update on his podcast.
“This was very helpful. This was great that coach Wood came out and did this, because that was the part that was missing. I don’t know if Gina can get another walk. I don’t know if she can get another contract. It would be tough, and you’d need a lot of really perfect things to happen to get Gina, particularly in a headlining role. But that’s what happened with the Ronda fight. Nobody thought 240-pound, ex-fighter, 17 years removed, was going to get a headlining role, that sets records, that pays millions of dollars. Nobody thought that would happen, but everything lined up just right. So, it can be done, as long as the ingredient that she cares is part of this. And that’s why it was so helpful that coach Wood came out and said she’s gutted.”
Sonnen explained why Carano’s post-fight demeanor was damaging and what needed to happen to course-correct.
“This is great, because when Gina got up and smiled, and talked about how wonderful this was, and how proud she was for this moment, how grateful, it does break the deal with the audience. It literally could end her career that she got up and smiled and hugged it out, because now she’s letting everyone know, ‘I don’t care.’ And if you don’t care, then we can’t care. It’s not possible.”
He laid out the formula Carano would need to follow to earn another opportunity.
“Now what does she need? She needs to get back to the gym. Again, it’s just a story, guys. We don’t know if she didn’t care just because she looked like she didn’t. We don’t know if she’s gutted, just because her coach said she was. We don’t know if she’s back in the gym. It’s a story. But the story has to be told this way. If she truly cares and this is a passion of hers, she’d be back in the gym. Then, once you set the table in this way — she cares, she’s back, she’s in shape, she’s embarrassed, she’s coming back — then the fourth and final ingredient, which comes about a week from now, then you tell us the proposed opponent.”
On who that opponent should be, Sonnen pointed to one name.
“Gina’s putting pieces, but the final one is who? And then you’ve got to sit back and react. I don’t know what the community is going to do to the idea of Gina vs. Holly Holm. I just know that’s the direction. That’s the only possible direction. So you’ve got to build it, you’ve got to set it out there, and the community is going to jump on it. They’re either going to like it, or they’re not. But that’s still the way the game is played.”
A rematch with Rousey is off the table following her retirement. Holm is the woman who handed Rousey her first career loss in 2015.