Gina Carano appeared more interested in getting back into acting than resuming her fighting career after Saturday’s event.
Carano, who is now 44, last fought in 2009 when she was still in her twenties. She lost to Cris Cyborg in a Strikeforce title fight that many still remember.
After leaving MMA, she moved into acting and landed roles in films like Deadpool and Fast & Furious. Her biggest role came with The Mandalorian.
It was that role that made her widely known, but it also led to her exit from mainstream entertainment following a social media controversy that saw Disney let her go.
Since then, she has made appearances in two releases in 2022 and now leads a major show on Netflix.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix
Nate Diaz and Mike Perry were wanted by Gina Carano for her film directorial debut
Gina Carano has spent more time in the entertainment world than she ever did fighting. Her run in MMA lasted just over three years and included only eight fights, but her impact was significant.
Since then, she’s built a career as a serious actor and not just a celebrity cameo. Now, she wants to move behind the camera and direct her own project. She’s mentioned Nate Diaz and Mike Perry as potential additions after they appear on her undercard.
Speaking at Thursday’s press conference ahead of her bout with Ronda Rousey, Carano was asked about what comes next.
She said: “For me, I’m a little bit of a bird, I don’t know what’s going to happen after this.”
“I like to make art, I’d like to get back to storytelling. My biggest dream is to direct, and also help Mixed Martial Arts transition over into movies correctly and help that because everybody wants to put Nate Diaz and Mike Perry in the prison scenes but their personalities are a bit different.
“You put them in a different role, they could be [something else]. I’d put them in a comedy!” When Perry joked that he wouldn’t mind being in a ‘fun’ prison scene, she joked that “you can stick with prison, but Nate just made a comedy.”
“I like to tell stories,” she continued. “So I think that directing is where I want to go – did you hear that Netflix?”
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