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Gina Carano

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen bashed the “unprofessional” team of Gina Carano after she cut more weight than she had to.

Carano fought Ronda Rousey in the main event of the first MVP MMA card on Netflix on May 16 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The fight did not last long, with Rousey needing just 17 seconds to stop Carano with an armbar, a finish she scored many times during her UFC run.

Chael Sonnen Bashes Team Gina Carano

Speaking on the “Smash Cast” podcast alongside Ian Parker, Sonnen shared his honest thoughts on Carano’s fight against Rousey, and he did not hold back.

Not only did he criticize Carano’s poor performance in the fight, but he also went after her team and coaches for having her cut down to 141.4 lbs, nearly 5 lbs less than necessary under the non-title women’s featherweight limit of 146 lbs.

“Gina Carano shows up to the weigh-in at 141 pounds. I spoke to Gina one time in my life, and it was very pleasant; she treated me very respectfully and kindly…but this is a reality: Gina weighed in five pounds less than she needed to. Contracted weight of 145…and she got a one-pound allowance. They ask her ‘Why?’, and that is beyond unprofessional by everybody on that team. Whoever the coach is, the strength/conditioning coach, to get their athlete five pounds underweight, failed at their job…you can teach that to a nine or ten-year-old. If you’re underweight, you don’t need to cut more weight,” Sonnen said (via BJPenn.com)

“Then she comes into a fist fight and doesn’t throw any punches, and doesn’t care! She could’ve quickly spun that, her days in Hollywood got taken from her, very unfairly. But she could’ve used a paycheck like this, and a Gina Carano vs. Holly Holm fight would’ve been really compelling… But not when you do it like that. You had an opportunity, and her team failed her. Those women botched the spot.”

Will Gina Carano Fight Again?

The fight against Rousey was Carano’s first bout in 17 years. At age 44, it was surprising to see her come back at all, but now the question is, will she fight again?

Carano’s coach at Syndicate MMA, John Wood, spoke to MMAFighting.com this week and said that he wouldn’t be surprised if she did fight again. After all, she lost 100 lbs just to make it to the match, and it only lasted 17 seconds, so Carano didn’t get to show off any of her skills. So, in that sense, another fight could happen, just so she can get that release out of her system, since she didn’t get it against Rousey.

Then again, at her age and given how poorly the fight with Rousey went, perhaps it’s for the best if Carano goes back into retirement and focuses on her acting career again. After making $1.05 million in disclosed pay for the Rousey fight, she certainly isn’t hurting for money right now. It remains to be seen what Carano does, but if she does fight again, she likely just hopes she gets matched up with a striker who she could stand and trade with, and not a grappler who can take her down immediately, as Rousey did.