G. Carano (left) claims that D. White sabotaged the fight against R. Rousey (right) Photo: Montagem/ MMA Press
Anyone who has recently been passionate about MMA will hardly know who Gina Carano is. However, for those who have followed the sport for many years, they know the importance of athletes for women in mixed martial arts. What few know is that the athlete was close to having a confrontation against Ronda Rousey, a sports legend, in 2014, when the star was still one of the most important names in the organization. The fight, however, never took place due to the fault of Dana White, president of Ultimate. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, reporter for 'ESPN', the former fighter explained the situation.
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"When Ronda Rousey became popular, I remember they called me for a meeting, so I went to a restaurant and there were Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White (partners of the organization). The two looked like two muscular guys sitting at a table in Hollywood. I remember asking: 'Why did it take so long (to invite them)?', said Carano.
Gina explained that, at that meeting, terms were clarified so that the fight could take place. However, even though Carano is a top-notch athlete and was defeated in her last appearance, the American hadn't fought in almost five years, and would need time and a team to train her.
“They told me, 'Look, we want to offer you $1 million to take the fight against Ronda Rousey'. I said, 'That's amazing, but I need you guys to do me a favor, because I've been working in film, I haven't been training and I don't even have a team. So, you have to give me time to put together a team.' Building a team is not easy, as all fighters know,” she said.
After the conversation, Gina left the meeting motivated and asked that the directors not expose the issues discussed to the public. According to the fighter, the conversation was concluded by mutual agreement between all parties. So, all that was left was for Carano to find her team and begin her training until it was time to announce the match.
Everything would go well if Dana White had fulfilled his part of the negotiations. According to the American, one day after agreeing on the terms, the president went public and revealed that the combatant did not have a team, violating what had been agreed.
“The next day, Dana was there talking about me, talking about my name and telling people that he was going to hire me and that I don't have a team yet. And I thought, 'That's not what we agreed on. You should give me at least six months to find a team. So, he started trying to put pressure on the media”, revealed the fighter.
After the confusion, the situation ended up becoming unsustainable, as Gina's relationship with the president only worsened. The fight, which could have been one of the biggest and most profitable in women's MMA, never ended up happening.
Carano never performed for the UFC and did not return to mixed martial arts. The fighter, in her professional MMA career, made eight appearances, losing only one, when she faced Chris Cyborg, in 2009, for the title of the extinct 'Strikeforce'.
Today, at 37 years old, Gina dedicates her time to acting in Hollywood films. The athlete's appearances include films such as Fast and Furious 6 (2016) and Deadpool (2016).
Ronda lost her belt in 2015, when she was trying to defend her eighth title. The athlete was hit by Holly holm in a historic knockout, which marked the downfall of the legend.
The American tried to regain her title in 2016, when she faced Amanda nunes, which was already number one in the rooster category (up to 65,7kg.). Once again, the blonde was unsuccessful, and was brutally beaten by the Brazilian, declaring the former champion's retirement after 14 fights and two setbacks.
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