Gina Carano meeting with Dana White next week to discuss UFC future

[Dale]

Don't close the door on Gina Carano's fighting career just yet.

On Thursday's episode of "The Arsenio Hall Show," Carano said she is currently "kinda considering" fighting in the UFC and is meeting with UFC president Dana White next week to discuss her future with the promotion.

"I love it," she said about fighting. "It's something I can do that makes everything else disappear. I dream about it. I just didn't know if I was ever going to get placed with the opportunity to make a comeback. So I'm either going to do it now or retire and say, I'm never going to do it. So now is the moment."

The 31-year-old Carano, whose latest film "In The Blood" comes out Friday, hasn't fought since her Aug. 2009 loss to Cris Cyborg. And while she has kept a relatively low profile in MMA circles since then, rumors began to emerge last month that she was considering a comeback and that the UFC was interested in booking her against Ronda Rousey. Carano's management team reportedly talked to the UFC recently but no deal was struck.

Carano has never fought in the UFC, but the organization inherited her contract when its parent company, Zuffa LLC, purchased Strikeforce in 2011.

"There's not a workout that I go through that I'm not fighting somebody in my mind," she said, "and it's never gone away."

Bleh, nothing more than attraction fight which I wouldn't imagine would be competetive at all given her time away from the octagon.

 

[Deezy]

UFC trying their best to justify that Rousey is a draw after her solo mainevent shit the bed.

 

[Slim]

This is meh at absolute best. Rousey beating Gina... once again meh. It's just two pretty girls fighting. It would be a waste.

 

[Hot Rod]

Gina has been out of MMA for a very, very long time...but I still believe that she would draw, especially if she fights Ronda.

Ronda would probably steamroll her tho.

 

[Deezy]

No doubt it should draw, but the question is how one sided will this be? Ronda already flopped her first solo PPV, atleast her first and second fights under carded big time fights. Better get a big fight on this too, but UFC doesn't have much of those fights. They've overextended themselves and their product is suffering as a result.

 

[Deezy]

LOS ANGELES -- A potential Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight just got a whole lot more real.

At a Wednesday downtown media event, both Rousey, the UFC women's bantamweight champion, and UFC president Dana White indicated that they're not just interested in a fight between the two biggest names in women's MMA history, but also that Carano would get an immediate title shot if she returns to the sport.

"I think it would be the best thing for women's MMA," said Rousey, who wasn't scheduled to be part of the event pushing UFC 173, but showed up midway through. "I think it would be the highest profile fight that could be done. I don't think it would make sense for her to come back and fight somebody else and take the risk of maybe losing and not being able to capitalize on the fight between me and her. I think it would make more sense to go straight to a title fight."

White, who was scheduled to meet with Carano to discuss her contract status on Wednesday night, let fly with an accidental double entendre when asked about the potential bout. "I'd do Ronda and Gina," White said. After the explosion of laughter in the room subsided and White turned a deep shade of red, he said "I'd do that fight."

The biggest point of contention in making the fight is the fact that Carano has not competed since 2009 and has not won a fight since 2008.

Rousey says that a fight with Carano is a matter of paying respect to a legend of the game.

"She's one of the pioneers on the sport," Rousey said. "She's the reason I fight at all. You can't say she's just coming in off the street. How can you say no to the woman that I owe everything to? I would bend over backwards to fight her. I'm not going to make her run through the gauntlet to fight me. I would show up at her house if that's where she wanted to fight."

White made it clear that if such a fight would happen, it would have to occur at 135 pounds. Carano only made 135 once in her career and missed 140 pounds on multiple occasions.

"Last time I've seen her, have you seen her recently?" White says. "She's smaller, she said she's walking around way lighter than she used to."

White shot down the idea that the bout could be contested at a catchweight, which was the route the company took the last time a champion vs. legend opportunity presented itself, with then-welterweight champ Matt Hughes vs. pioneer Royce Gracie in 2006.

"Royce doesn't give a s--- about titles and stuff like that," White said. "He didn't want time limits, rounds, or rules, completely different way of thinking. Royce didn't give a s--- about belts or anything like that. Royce just wanted to fight Matt Hughes. Big difference.

The UFC inherited Carano's contract from Strikeforce when the latter company was purchased.

"She's going to come back when she wants to sign," White said. "She's the type of person like this one here (pointing at Rousey), she's not coming back just because. She's coming back because she wants the title."

:ken:

Need a Dana White smiley tbh.

But now Zuffa seems desperate now, trying to grab any name to give to Rousey......Big payday for both, probably would be 60-40 split on Carano's side.

 

[Dale]

"I think it would be the best thing for women's MMA," said Rousey, who wasn't scheduled to be part of the event pushing UFC 173, but showed up midway through. "I think it would be the highest profile fight that could be done. I don't think it would make sense for her to come back and fight somebody else and take the risk of maybe losing and not being able to capitalize on the fight between me and her. I think it would make more sense to go straight to a title fight."

Somebody throw that quote right back at her if and when Cyborg signs with the UFC, watch her backtrack and talk about needing to earn a shot

 

[Slim]

Heh yep that's exactly what I was thinking. She wants Carano cause she knows... she gonna blow her out the water. But may try to delay finishing her til at least the second round. But Cyborg? Ohhhh noooo she has to at least fight and prove herself. She needs to show that she deserves it. Yeah Rousey wouldn't be that eager for that fight.