MMA News

Tag: womens MMA

  • Gina Carano Breaks Silence On Viral Lip Bite Ahead Of MMA Return After 17 Years – ‘Total Stoner Moment’

    Gina Carano Breaks Silence On Viral Lip Bite Ahead Of MMA Return After 17 Years – ‘Total Stoner Moment’

    Gina Carano built her early reputation not just on performances inside the cage, but also on moments that carried far beyond it. One of the most enduring came in 2009, when a brief cageside reaction turned into a viral clip that has followed her for years.

    Back in 2009, during Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz, Carano was in attendance as a rising star in the promotion, with a highly anticipated bout against Cris Cyborg on the horizon. That night, cameras repeatedly caught her in the crowd, capturing a now-iconic moment in which she looked into the lens and bit her lip with a playful smile.

    The clip quickly gained traction and has since been immortalized across GIFs and memes, becoming one of the most recognizable non-fight moments in MMA history.

    Gina Carano Finally Explains Viral Moment

    During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Carano opened up about what was actually going through her mind at the time, and the explanation is far less calculated than fans might expect.

    “I don’t smoke weed, but I had smoked weed (that night), and I was just living in my head,” Carano said. “The cameraman just kept on putting (the camera on me) – and I thought it was in my head because I was a little bit stoned. … I was just in my head. I was like, ‘Is this guy putting the camera on me a lot, or am I just being super paranoid?’ It turns out he was putting the camera on me a lot. So what was going through my head: Just like, ‘Act normal, act normal.’ And that happened. It was a total stoner moment.”

    Rather than a deliberate attempt to create a memorable TV moment, “Conviction” described it as a spontaneous reaction to repeatedly being put on camera while feeling slightly out of it. The result, however, took on a life of its own.

    “I don’t know,” Carano said. “The cameraman just kept on putting—and I thought it was in my head because I was a little bit stoned. I don’t smoke weed anymore because I’m not a weed smoker; it’s just too much for me. I don’t like anything that, like, I don’t even really drink anymore, barely. I’m like a whole different person.

    “It was just in my head, I was like, ‘Is this guy putting the camera on me a lot or am I just being super paranoid?’ It turns out he was putting the camera on me a lot, so what was going through my head, just like, ‘Act normal. Act normal,’ and that happens. So it was a total stoner moment.”

    Now 44, Carano is set to return to competition for the first time since her 2009 loss to Cyborg, ending a layoff that has stretched close to 17 years. She is scheduled to face Ronda Rousey on May 16 in a bout that headlines Netflix’s first live MMA event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

  • Gina Carano Warns Ronda Rousey: ‘I Want Her To Feel Everything I Have’

    Gina Carano Warns Ronda Rousey: ‘I Want Her To Feel Everything I Have’

    Gina Carano made one thing clear in her conversation with Ariel Helwani on Wednesday: the friendship she and Ronda Rousey have built in the lead-up to May 16 ends when the cage door closes.

    Speaking ahead of their Netflix fight at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Carano was direct about what Rousey should expect from her when the fight begins and pushed back on any suggestion that showing up would be enough.

    “Ronda’s been waiting to fight me for a very long time,” Carano said. “I don’t want to disappoint. I want her to feel everything I have. I want her to feel what she’s been chasing. It’s respectful to her. This is what I feel like, this is what this experience with me is going to feel like. So yeah, we’re going to go for it.”

    Helwani pressed Carano on whether the two women genuinely want to hurt each other. Her answer drew on what she described as a quality shared by most women who compete at a high level.

    “If you have females sparring in the gym, it’s really hard to not go heavy,” Carano said. “Women just cut that emotional thing off and it’s ‘me or you.’ Ronda has that. I have that. Most of the girls in the gym have that. So it’s just: we’re going to fight.”

    When Helwani asked whether the result even matters given the symbolic weight of the fight, Carano did not hesitate. “I really want to win. Like, I really want to win.”

    She framed May 16 as the proper conclusion to a chapter rather than the start of a new one. The fight is scheduled at featherweight with no one-pound allowance, matching the weight class she competed at throughout her EliteXC and Strikeforce career.

    “For me it’s purely about having gotten in shape, going through everything, getting back in there against an incredible opponent, putting on a great show. And really just going for that W and closing this part of my life.”

    She described the mindset shift that brought her to this point as a choice between two directions. “You can go left and choose to hate yourself and hate the world and all of that, or you can go right and get your shit together and say, ‘I’m going to do everything I can.’ I’ve chosen to go that direction, and I feel more alive than I’ve ever felt.”

    Carano vs. Rousey headlines the first live MMA card on Netflix on May 16 from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

  • Ronda Rousey Shuts Down Age Critics Before Long-Awaited MMA Return On May 16 – ‘Not Like My Ovaries are ighting’

    Ronda Rousey Shuts Down Age Critics Before Long-Awaited MMA Return On May 16 – ‘Not Like My Ovaries are ighting’

    Ronda Rousey is set to make her long-awaited return to MMA nearly a decade after her last fight, and she is pushing back firmly against doubts tied to her age.

    The former UFC bantamweight champion will face Gina Carano on May 16 in a high-profile bout that will headline the first MMA event to stream live on Netflix. The matchup brings together two of the sport’s early stars, though it has also sparked debate due to the extended time both fighters have spent away from competition.

    “Rowdy”, now 39, has not competed since her loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016, where she was stopped in just 48 seconds.

    That result came after her first professional defeat against Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015, which ended her dominant run as champion. Rousey holds a 12-2 record in professional MMA, including a 6-2 stint in the UFC.

    Ronda Rousey Addresses Criticism Over Age

    During a recent interview on CBS Mornings, Rousey dismissed the idea that her age should be seen as a limitation, as questions about her comeback continue to dominate discussion in the MMA community.

    “I never hear Jon Jones’ age being brought up as a disqualifying factor,” Rousey said. “It’s not like my ovaries are fighting. You know what I mean? Why are we even talking about this?”

    At her peak, Rousey was one of the most dominant fighters in the sport. She successfully defended the UFC women’s bantamweight title six times, often finishing opponents in under a minute, while becoming one of the promotion’s biggest crossover stars.

    Following her time in MMA, “Rowdy” transitioned into professional wrestling with WWE and appeared in several Hollywood films. Despite her long absence, she never officially retired, which left the possibility of a return open.

    “There was kind of like a cascade of things that led to it, but largely I wanted to rewrite my own ending in MMA,” Rousey said. “It was just unfinished. I never formally retired. Dana said I retired and I hadn’t fought in, like, 10 years, so I think I needed everyone to kind of give up on me coming back before I knew I was coming back just for me.”

    Carano, 43, has not competed since 2009, when she suffered a knockout loss to Cris Cyborg.

    For Rousey, the upcoming fight is expected to be a one-time return, aimed at closing her career on her own terms while rediscovering her connection to the sport.