Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano completed the final stage of preparation for their return to MMA on Friday, during the official weigh-in ceremony at Intuit Dome Outdoor Plaza on Inglewood, Califórnia. The two MMA pioneers, who had maintained a respectful tone during their previous clashes, brought unprecedented tension when facing each other for the last time before the fight scheduled for Saturday night.
Rousey, at age 39, tipped the scales at 142 pounds for the women’s featherweight showdown, while Carano, at age 44, weighed in at 141.4 pounds. Ambas were well under the category’s 146-pound limit.
Último duel of looks takes on an aggressive tone
Após weeks of respectful build-up between the two headliners, the final face-off on Friday brought an element of tension absent in previous clashes. Rousey, visually confident on stage, declared that this would definitely be the last weigh-in of his legendary MMA career.
“Normally I just try to skip this part and get to the end,” Rousey said after the ceremony. “But man, it’s really cool to be here. Obrigado to everyone who came. Essa is my last weigh-in, I’m glad you guys could be a part of it, and I can’t wait to kick some ass tomorrow.”
The confrontation will be broadcast live on Netflix, the first time that the streaming platform has shown an MMA event. The card, held within Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, also marks the returns of Nate Diaz, Francis Ngannou and Mike Perry.
Carano reveals 100-pound transformation in 20 months
Carano surprised by arriving a few kilos lower than expected for the category. The fighter revealed that she has lost 100 pounds since her confrontation with Rousey came onto her radar 20 months ago, explaining that fitness has been a personal journey of self-improvement.
“Fiquei paranoid,” said Carano, laughing, when asked about weighing significantly under the limit. “What I have to say about this is: never give up, set goals. Eu had no idea I could get to 141. I got lighter than Ronda today, it was pretty cool. Então live your dreams, don’t give up on yourself, do the hard thing. Aquilo was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but here I am. And that was my first win — I’m going to hand over another win tomorrow to night.”
Rousey praised his rival’s dedication. “I wasn’t surprised,” she commented on Carano’s weight loss. “I believed in her from the start. Fico happy she proved everyone wrong and we’re going to prove everyone wrong together tomorrow. And I’m going to prove those who think I’m going to win right.”
Inactivity Histórico marks simultaneous returns
Rousey has not competed in MMA since 2017, while Carano stepped away from the sport in 2009 to focus on her acting career. The weigh-in ceremony marks the official starting point for an event that brings together multiple returns from renowned athletes in the history of MMA.
The main card contains five clashes, including the heavyweight clash between Francis Ngannou and Philipe Lins, and the Nate Diaz versus Mike Perry welterweight clash.
Resultados from the official weigh-in
- Card Principal
- Peso women’s featherweight: Ronda Rousey (142) vs. Gina Carano (141.4)
- Meio-average: Nate Diaz (168) vs. Mike Perry (169.6)
- Heavy Peso: Francis Ngannou (257) vs. Philipe Lins (220.6)
- Peso penalty: Salahdine Parnasse (154.8) vs. Kenny Cross (155.4)
- Heavy Peso: Santos’s Junior (245.4) vs. Robelis Despaigne (258.8)
- Card Preliminar
- Meio-average: Namo Fazil (170.8) vs. Jake Babian (171)
- Peso modified penalty of 130 pounds: Adriano Moraes (129) vs. Phumi Nkuta (129)
- Meio-average: Jason Jackson (170.8) vs. Jeff Creighton (168.2)
- Peso penalty: David Mgoyan (145.2) vs. Albert Morales (143.8)
- Peso modified penalty of 130 pounds: Aline Pereira (128) vs. Jade Masson-Wong (129)
- Modified 165-Pound Peso: Chris Avila (164) vs. Brandon Jenkins (164.2)
