More than a decade after her last MMA appearance, Gina Carano is stepping back into the spotlight for one of the most talked-about comeback fights in recent memory.
The former Strikeforce star faces Ronda Rousey on Saturday, and questions continue to follow Carano after such a lengthy absence from competition. While many fans wonder how she will handle Rousey’s elite grappling, the people working beside her every day insist she is far from unprepared.
At Syndicate MMA, head coach John Wood says the version of Carano entering this camp still carries the same dangerous striking that once made her one of the sport’s biggest stars.
Wood told MMA Fighting:
“I will tell you this: The power and the speed is still there,” I’ve known Gina for a long time and man, she cracks. The big thing for this fight is how to use that correctly.
“She’s got the kind of power that she doesn’t even need to throw hard to touch you.”
“She hits harder than a lot of the guys that I have. Kicks like a freaking horse. It’s about using those attributes smartly.”
Teammates also See a Different Gina Carano in Camp
Several fighters training alongside Carano during camp have echoed the same message. They believe her physical strength has surprised almost everyone in the room.
Recent UFC signee Lucas Brennan spent months working with Carano while his father, veteran grappler Chris Brennan, helped sharpen her ground game for the matchup with Rousey.
According to Brennan, her striking has been impossible to ignore.
“She hits like a grown f*cking man,” “She hits so hard… Cracks like she’s married to Kevin Ross. Hits really hard. Ridiculous.”
“Real high spirited all the time. Even when we’ve burnt through her and exhausted her, she’s always in a good mood about everything.”
UFC veteran Brandon Jenkins also watched Carano’s progression throughout camp and said her impact on the pads immediately stood out. Jenkins said:
“She still hits like a tank and then Chris Brennan has been in there getting her grappling ready and getting her jiu-jitsu ready for Ronda Rousey.”
Carano’s Camp Expects Chaos Once the Fight Starts
Despite months of preparation, Wood knows MMA rarely follows a perfect script once the cage door closes.
That unpredictability is why he believes adaptability may matter more than any single game plan against a fighter like Rousey.
“It’s a very fluid thing and I think we just need to alleviate that pressure and say we’re just going to get into a fight. Whatever happens, happens but we will be prepared for those things.”
I believe Carano’s camp, when they say she can punch hard. But does she have anything more than a puncher’s chance? See our predictions for the fighthere.