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.
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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.”
Update: Carano also released a lengthy statement regarding the
fight via Instagram on Monday.