Gina Carano reveals she lost 100 pounds for MMA return vs. Ronda Rousey

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 14: Gina Carano speaks during the Press Conference for Netflix's Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano at Intuit Dome on May 14, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix) | Getty Images for Netflix

Gina Carano has had quite the journey to get to her big return to the cage against Ronda Rousey.

Carano competes for the first time in 17 years against the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion — who makes her first appearance in nearly a decade — in the main event of Saturday’s Rousey vs. Carano event. The first-ever MVP MMA card streams exclusively on Netflix.

On Friday, Carano successfully made weight and did so well under the featherweight limit as she stepped on the scale at 141.4 pounds. After winning her first battle of the weekend, Carano revealed that she lost 100 pounds over the past 18 or so months to get ready to face Rousey.

“OK. Vulnerable post but here we are,” Carano wrote on social media. “I just weighed in at 141.4 lbs. Since [September] 2024 to today, May 15, 2026, I have lost 100 pounds. It hurts to say that and share but I am going to share it because I worked so damn hard every week for over a year and a half to shed this weight. It did not happen overnight.

“If it wasn’t for having this incredibly challenging goal in fighting [Ronda Rousey] I most definitely wouldn’t have reached this. I was pre-diabetic, had trouble simply walking in September 2024 and have been on the path to recovery to turn myself back into an athlete since then. It was hard, so damn hard.. there was so much to learn, too much to unpack here — ups, downs, plateaus, things I learned late I wish I learned earlier, trial by error but I did it. Thank you to Ronda, who waited patiently while I lost this weight and giving me something to aim for. There is still so much I need to learn and want to do in the health space and to continue transforming my body, but for today, I thank God, my husband and my family for sticking with and encouraging me the whole way. I pray this encourages you wherever you are in your health journey. Believe there is hope. Never give up.

“OK.. enough emo, I’ve got a fight tomorrow. We’ve worked so hard to get here. Tune in.”

In Carano’s most recent fight in August 2009, she was stopped by Cris Cyborg in the main event of their featherweight title fight in Strikeforce. That was the lone loss of Carano’s career, and now she hopes to keep the Cinderella story rolling on against Rousey as a massive underdog.