There were talks of Gina Carano finally returning to professional mixed martial arts and making her debut in the UFC against women's champion Ronda Rousey. However, the big fight seemed uncertain, due to conflicts with the former Strikeforce champion's schedule.
Previously, Ronda Rousey defeated Alexa Davis at UFC 175 in less than 10 seconds via knockout. The UFC is looking for a worthy opponent for the undefeated Rousey and aimed to cater to the clamor of fans to bring in new female fighters. Carano and Cristiane Justino were supposed to be exciting opponents to bring in for the Rousey camp, but Carano seems to be busy with her growing film career. Carano has established herself as a pioneering star in women's professional fighting and has since transitioned remarkably into the movie industry, doing stunts worthy of her talents.
In a report by Bloody Elbow, although the rumors of a comeback by Carano continue to circulate, there might be issues with her schedule which may hinder a fight with Rousey. Carano is in a movie deal which may prevent her from training properly and face Rousey later in 2014 for a championship match.
The UFC is currently working on bringing new talented women into the Octagon. Holly Holm, the former bantamweight champion of Legacy FC was signed in July 2014 by the UFC. Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino will also debut at Invicta FC 10 on Fight Pass.
Dana White, president of UFC, said that he will talk to Carano to discuss her future in professional fighting. He said, "One down, one to go. I'm going to meet with Gina next week and get that [expletive] thing done. Next week, man." He added, "It's just a matter of me and Lorenzo going to jump on a plane to Los Angeles, get in a room with her and her lawyer and get this thing done."
According to Fox Sports, Rousey will be undergoing surgery to have her knee and hand fixed. Carano, on the contrary, has not been in the ring for five years. Many fans and experts believe that should Carano return to MMA, she needs to be given a quick title shot, worthy of her caliber when she was in her prime.
Rousey said, "I think it would be the best thing for women's MMA. I think it would be the highest profile fight that could be done. I don't think it would make sense for her to come back and fight somebody else and take the risk of maybe losing and not being able to capitalize on the fight between me and her. I think it would make more sense to go straight to a title fight."