Gina Carano, 44, shared a candid post on May 15, 2026, revealing she had lost 100 pounds since September 2024 to make the 145-pound featherweight limit for her upcoming bout with Ronda Rousey, according to Decider and USA Today.

A Long and Challenging Journey

Carano detailed the physical and emotional struggles she faced during her transformation. In her social media post, she wrote, ‘I was prediabetic, had trouble simply walking in September 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,’ according to Decider and espn.in.

This fight marks Carano’s return to the ring after nearly two decades since her last MMA match in 2009. Rousey, 39, last fought in 2016 and weighed in at 142 pounds, just one pound over Carano’s 141.4, according to espn.in and USA Today.

High Stakes and High Expectations

The bout will headline Jake Paul’s first MMA event, Most Valuable Promotions, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Carano expressed deep gratitude toward Rousey for her patience while she worked through her transformation and retrained as a fighter. ‘If it wasn’t for having this incredibly challenging goal in fighting Ronda Rousey I most definitely wouldn’t have reached this,’ she said, according to Decider and espn.in.

Carano and Rousey are widely regarded as pioneers in women’s MMA. Carano, who previously competed at 140 pounds, and Rousey, a former bantamweight (135-pound) champion, are both coming off long absences from the sport, making this fight a historic rematch for fans of the genre.

More Than a Fight

Carano’s emotional journey resonated beyond the ring. In her post, she added, ‘Believe there is hope. Never give up,’ according to USA Today. Her transformation has been described as one of the most remarkable stories of the event, even before the first punch is thrown.

The fight will take place at 9 p.m. ET in Los Angeles, with undercard matches starting at 5 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on Netflix. The weigh-in limit was set at 146 pounds, according to USA Today.