Gina Carano admits she longed to face Ronda Rousey in the UFC following calls with Dana White

Carano wanted to make her MMA comeback with the UFC

Carano never fought in the UFC during her career, even though there were early discussions with Dana White about a potential matchup with Rousey.

And as she prepares to step back into the cage, Carano admitted she had hoped her return would happen inside the Octagon. However, Rousey wasn’t interested in going that route, and Carano was happy to follow her lead.

“Yeah, I really wanted to do the UFC and make that walk,” Carano told The Ariel Helwani Show. “But I think that Ronda led the way. I don’t know (how close it got), that would be between Ronda and Dana. She led the way 1000%, I just said yes.”

Carano spoke with UFC officials several times last year about a possible fight against Rousey after the former bantamweight champion made it clear Carano was the only opponent she’d consider.

White and Carano discussed holding the fight in December 2025, and Carano was on board. But it didn’t come together because Rousey had other plans.

“When their negotiations weren’t going anywhere, she called me personally and then we had dinner and we actually talked about it because we call them ‘the suits’ – they can get in the way – but she’s very passionate,” Carano added.

The MVP MMA 1 card has already taken a hit this week, as Lorenz Larkin pulled out of his scheduled bout against Jason Jackson.

MVP hasn’t yet said whether they plan to find a replacement for Larkin or move forward with one fewer fight on what’s still an exciting event lineup.