How Close Did Gina Carano Get to Fighting Ronda Rousey?

Who is How Close Did Gina Carano Get to Fighting Ronda Rousey??

Taken from JRE 1837 w/Gina Carano:

Topics and Timestamps

• 01Gina Carano discusses how close she came to fighting Ronda Rousey during her MMA career
• 02The two fighters were on a collision course but the fight never materialized due to timing and circumstances
• 03Gina reflects on what that potential matchup would have meant for both of their careers
• 04Discussion covers the dynamics of women's MMA during that era and how fights were made
• 05Gina talks about her respect for Ronda despite never stepping in the cage together
• 06Joe and Gina explore what the fight would have looked like stylistically
• ▶Gina explains how close the Ronda Rousey fight came to happening0:00:00
• ▶Discussion of the business and promotional barriers that prevented the matchup0:15:00
• ▶Gina analyzes how she would have matched up stylistically with Ronda0:30:00
• ▶Joe and Gina discuss Ronda's dominance and what made her special0:45:00
• ▶Reflection on how this potential fight could have changed women's MMA history1:00:00

The Show

In JRE 1837, Gina Carano sits down with Joe to dive into one of the biggest what-ifs in women's MMA history: the fight with Ronda Rousey that almost happened but never did. Gina was absolutely crushing it in Strikeforce, and Ronda was doing her thing with the UFC, and there was serious talk about these two titans eventually colliding. The timing and the business side of things just never lined up though.

Gina breaks down how close it actually came to going down. There were real negotiations and real interest from both sides, but the fight game has a way of being complicated when you've got different promotions, different championship situations, and a bunch of other moving pieces. Joe's asking the right questions about what the stylistic matchup would have looked like, and Gina's got some great insight into how she matched up with Ronda and what she thought would happen if they ever got in the cage together.

The conversation touches on the respect between the two fighters even though they never fought. Gina's being real about Ronda's dominance and what made her special, while also making it clear she believed she had the tools to compete with her. They talk about how different the landscape of women's MMA might have looked if this fight had actually gone down. It's the kind of episode that makes you think about how random the fight game can be and how different careers can go based on circumstances outside the fighters' control.

Best Quotes