Gina Carano shows off incredible 100lb weight loss ahead of Ronda Rousey fight
Tonight (16 May), at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Gina Carano is set to fight for the first time in nearly 17 years.
And it will also mark the first MMA event to be shown live on Netflix as the 44-year-old faces fellow American, Ronda Rousey.
The fight has been two years’ in the making, as Rousey pitched the idea to the UFC back in 2024 as she believed it would be beneficial to them both. Negotiations stalled and the 39-year-old directly contacted Carano before the bout became real under Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).
So, since September 2024, the returning fighter has lost an incredible 100lb (7st 2lb) while training for the contest.
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Carano weighed in at 141.4lb (10st 1.4lb) yesterday, saying she had worked ‘so damn hard every week for over a year and a half’ to drop the weight.
Taking to social media last night, she shared a ‘vulnerable post’ about her journey.
“If it wasn’t for having this incredibly challenging goal in fighting @rondarousey I most definitely wouldn’t have reached this,” she wrote.
“I was pre-diabetic, had trouble simply walking in September 2024 and have been on the path to recovery to turn myself back into an athlete since then.
“It was hard, SO damn hard.. there was so much to learn, too much to unpack here, ups, downs, plateaus, things I learned late I wish I learned earlier, trial by error but I did it.
“Thank you to Ronda, who waited patiently while I lost this weight and giving me something to aim for.”
Carano added that there’s ‘so much’ she still needs to ‘learn and want to do in the health space’ as well as to continue with transforming her body.
“I pray this encourages you wherever you are in your health journey,” she said.
“Believe there is hope. Never give up.”
Rousey said during the weigh-in that she believed in Carno ‘from the very beginning’. “I’m glad she proved everyone wrong,” she added, “and we’re gonna prove everyone wrong tomorrow.
Rousey herself is returning for the first time in 10 years and has said their fight will set a new purse record for female fighters.
"I've already won a record eight consecutive title fights, there's nothing left for me to do in UFC,” she told BBC Sport.
"So now me and Gina are smashing the record for the most women have been paid in combat sports."
But she also confirmed during the weigh-in that after the fight tonight, she’s finished with fighting.
“I’m having some babies after this,” she said on the stage.
Topics: Ronda Rousey, MMA, Netflix
Jess Battison