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Gina Carano

Women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano issued a statement following her first-round submission loss to Ronda Rousey this past Saturday on Netflix.

Carano made her return to mixed martial arts after 17 years away from the cage. The 44-year-old’s return did not last long, as she was taken to the mat and tapped out by the UFC Hall of Famer Rousey in just 17 seconds. The fight headlined the first-ever MVP MMA card on Netflix and took place at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

Gina Carano Issues Statement Following Loss

Two days after her loss, Carano took to her social media to issue a lengthy statement about her defeat.

“This was one of the best rides of my life. I felt locked in fight night. No fear just focused positive adrenaline. Love to my team. My heart is heavy, I wanted to throw, battle, win, but I kicked when I should have moved and was down and done. If I hadn’t tapped she would’ve broken my arm, as it had begun to crackle. The disappointment of losing like that is very humbling. @jonnybones & @officialcainvelasquez came up to my table after the fight. They set my mind straight. Jon said, ‘You haven’t fought in 17 years? Do you know how big your balls have to be to get back in there after that long? Did you set some sort of record or something? Respect!’ That’s exactly what I needed to hear from the best to ever to do it. I’ve been in a caloric deficit for a year, training felt like swimming as hard as I could upstream. I can count on two hands the number of times I felt good training. It was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever done taking the weight off while turning back into an athlete. I felt like a science experiment losing 100lbs. Every week the pressure of how to get that little bit off. I learned a little late how to do it healthier but trial by fire,” Carano wrote.

Gina Carano Thanks Her Fans

Carano’s lengthy statement also made sure to thank the fans for all the support they showed her in her comeback.

“The California Athletic Commission is great and one of the strictest in the world. They weighed me a week and a half before the fight, extra tests and scans, multiple drug tests. We weighed in and they weighed us the night of the fight to make sure we complied with the rehydration rules, which I passed all easily. I needed to go through this fight to implement permanent lifestyle changes and now I feel like this is just the beginning. I can’t wait to see where I can push my body to go next. I’m so glad the world got to experience this version of @rondarousey I found a beautiful woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister and legend. I adore you lady. We made history, again. I hope @mostvaluablepromotions MMA @netflix continue on because they CRUSHED it. Respect where respect is due. @nakisabidarian @jakepaul It was such a great experience. Thank you ALL for showing your support. It’s because of you we get to face our fears and live our dreams. With all my heart, thank you all.”