Gina Carano hasn’t officially retired, but she’s definitely shaken the table again. The women’s MMA pioneer dropped fresh training footage online, showing her putting in work with Merab Dvalishvili’s head coach and fans immediately started whispering about a possible return.
Carano, one of the earliest stars in women’s MMA, rose to fame in Strikeforce before stepping away from the sport in 2009 after her loss to Cris Cyborg. She shifted into acting and built a full Hollywood career, but that fight spirit clearly never left.
This week, she shared clips from Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, working on her striking with head coach John Wood, the same man leading Dvalishvili into his UFC 323 title defense.
“Grateful to be here for my health, the people around me, the people who inspire me and the desire to do better,” Carano wrote in her caption.
Even though acting has kept her busy, from Steven Soderbergh films to blockbuster franchises like Deadpool and The Mandalorian, Carano has remained a polarizing figure. Disney cut ties with her after a social media post comparing the experience of conservatives in America to the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust. Lucasfilm called her comments “abhorrent and unacceptable,” and Carano later filed a lawsuit for discrimination before reaching an undisclosed settlement.
Back in 2014, Carano briefly flirted with a UFC comeback in a potential super fight against Ronda Rousey. Talks heated up but never crossed the finish line, and Carano eventually went all-in on Hollywood. Still, she’s never ruled out a return, and the footage she just posted only fuels the speculation.
Shortly after reports surfaced about Ronda Rousey negotiating a boxing match with Katie Taylor, Carano posted her own pad-work session. Fans immediately connected the dots.
Carano hasn’t fought professionally since 2009, yet the timing, and the crispness of her striking, had people buzzing.
“No doubt she’d fight Ronda at the White House,” one fan joked.
“To be honest, her striking looks better than Ronda’s,” another wrote.
Even Cris Cyborg jumped in to show support.
“Love it! Let me know if you want some help with a camp,” Cyborg commented.
The idea of Carano vs. Rousey isn’t a new fantasy. Carano revealed earlier this year on the PBD Podcast that Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta once pitched her on becoming a massive UFC star. But she wanted six months to rebuild, reorganize her training, and make weight safely, and she asked White to keep it private.
Instead, he went public. That broke their trust and killed the super fight before it even started. Carano reflected on that era again during her appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, admitting she was basically starting from scratch at the time after stepping away from the sport.
Realistically, Carano has never said she’s done for good. She just quietly moved on. However, the recent video, plus the renewed interest around Rousey, is enough to get fans dreaming again.
And in today’s combat-sports world where anything can happen, Carano stepping back into the cage or even taking on Rousey in some wild crossover bout doesn’t sound impossible anymore.
The ball is entirely in Carano’s court. And from the look of that training clip, she hasn’t forgotten a thing.
