Nearly 48 hours after her return from a 17-year MMA retirement ended in just 17 seconds, Gina Carano issued her first remarks on her much-anticipated dance with Ronda Rousey.
In a lengthy post on Instagram, Carano, 44, acknowledged that her “heart is heavy” after failing to perform up to expectations against the UFC Hall of Famer.
“I wanted throw, battle, win, but I kicked when I should have moved and was down and done,” Carano wrote. “If I hadn’t tapped she would’ve broken my arm, as it had begun to crackle. The disappointment of losing like that is very humbling.”
For Carano (7-2), this past weekend was a moment nearly two decades in the making. A trailblazer for women’s MMA, Carano was the biggest star the women’s side of the sport had produced prior to Rousey’s arrival in the UFC in 2013. Carano and Julie Kedzie competed in the first-ever women’s fight televised on Showtime in 2007, then two years later she made history again, becoming the first woman alongside Cris Cyborg to headline a major MMA event with their Strikeforce featherweight championship bout. Afterward Carano retired from cage-fighting and transitioned into acting, only to be brought back into the fold at Rousey’s invitation for Netflix’s big MMA debut.
Notably, Carano revealed pre-fight that she lost 100 pounds over a span of 20 months to get ready for the Rousey bout.
Carano teased the idea of another MMA bout in the immediate aftermath of her loss on Saturday; on Monday, she reiterated that possibility.
“Now I feel like this is just the beginning,” Carano wrote. “I can’t wait to see where I can push my body to go next.”
Carano’s full post-fight statement:
This was one of the best rides of my life. I felt locked in fight night. No fear just focused positive adrenaline.
Love to my team.
My heart is heavy, I wanted to throw, battle, win, but I kicked when I should have moved and was down and done. If I hadn’t tapped she would’ve broken my arm, as it had begun to crackle.
The disappointment of losing like that is very humbling.
@jonnybones & @officialcainvelasquez came up to my table after the fight. They set my mind straight. Jon said, “You haven’t fought in 17 years? Do you know how big your balls have to be to get back in there after that long? Did you set some sort of record or something? Respect!” That’s exactly what I needed to hear from the best to ever to do it.
I’ve been in a caloric deficit for a year, training felt like swimming as hard as I could upstream. I can count on two hands the number of times I felt good training. It was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever done taking the weight off while turning back into an athlete. I felt like a science experiment losing 100lbs. Every week the pressure of how to get that little bit off. I learned a little late how to do it healthier but trial by fire.
The California Athletic Commission is great and one of the strictest in the world. They weighed me a week and a half before the fight, extra tests and scans, multiple drug tests. We weighed in and they weighed us the night of the fight to make sure we complied with the rehydration rules, which I passed all easily.
I needed to go through this fight to implement permanent lifestyle changes and now I feel like this is just the beginning. I can’t wait to see where I can push my body to go next. I’m so glad the world got to experience this version of @rondarousey I found a beautiful woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister and legend. I adore you lady.
We made history, again. I hope @mostvaluablepromotions MMA @netflix continue on because they CRUSHED it. Respect where respect is due. @nakisabidarian @jakepaul It was such a great experience.
Thank you ALL for showing your support. It’s because of you we get to face our fears and live our dreams.
With all my heart, thank you all.