The “fire is there” for Gina Carano.
That’s according to the man coaching her high-profile mixed martial arts return against UFC legend Ronda Rousey in 2026.
The shocking news of that fight emerged on Tuesday, with Rousey vs Carano announced for a Netflix event on May 16. The long-awaited clash between two pioneers of women’s MMA will come under the banner of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Many are skeptical about the motives behind the fight, seeing it as little more than capitalizing on financial incentives.
Syndicate MMA coach John Wood, however, says that is far from the case for his side of the matchup.
Who wins when Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano return to face each other?
Defend your pick in the comments
Gina Carano’s coach says she is ‘fired up’ about the Ronda Rousey fight
In her last fight, Rousey was knocked out by Amanda Nunes in 2016. Talk of a return subsequently dimmed when she revealed some worrying concussion symptoms.
Carano, meanwhile, has been out of action for much longer. The former Strikeforce star has not fought since suffering the only loss of her career against Cris Cyborg in 2009.
The Netflix event in May promises to be a lucrative affair for both women, but that is apparently not the reason why Carano is returning to the sport in which she made her name.
“Listen, we had that conversation today,” Carano’s coach, John Wood, told MMA Fighting. “I always have that conversation with every fighter. ‘What is the purpose why we’re doing this?’
“It doesn’t matter what the purpose is. It doesn’t matter if it’s for money, for fame, it’s to impress a girl, impress a guy, it all comes down to plain and simple: Winning fights. Trying to win fights.
“If we’re going out there and looking like dogs—, you’re not going to get the girl, you’re not going to get the money, you’re not going get the fame,” he continued. “Whatever the purpose is, you’re not going to become a world champion, if those are the things.
“I can tell you this, she’s fired up. We’re firing on all cylinders already. She’s coming out there to win that fight. There is no intention of just showing up. … We’re going out there to win the fight. We’ve got a great team and coaches around us that we’re going to put the best Gina Carano that you’ve seen.
“This isn’t just a cash grab. Like, hey, we’re going to do this. This is two women who actually want to fight. They want to come back and get into it. I can tell you that the fire is there.”
UFC seemingly turned down the chance to stage Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano
When the Netflix fight was announced, many immediately expressed surprise that it is not happening under the UFC banner.
Some pointed to the UFC ‘s card at the White House on June 14 as the perfect setting for the big-name clash between Rousey and Carano, and it seems like the door was open for that to happen.
While discussing her return on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Rousey revealed talks with Dana White, which ultimately did not lead to her comeback coming inside the Octagon.
“The more that I thought about it, I thought, ‘I need this. I need this fight.’ I reached out to Dana and asked him if he would be interested in it and it didn’t exactly work out with the UFC,” Rousey said.
“But it led us to here today,” she added.
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