A “super” fight between UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano has felt like an awkward inevitability for a long while now.
“Awkward” because Carano hasn’t fought since 2009, when she suffered a brutally lopsided knockout loss to Cris “Cyborg” Justino (at the time, Cris “Cyborg” Santos).
“Inevitable” because the UFC has been so desperate for star power, pay-per-view buys and opponents for Rousey.
Well, according to UFC President Dana White, who spoke to the assembled media in Dublin, Ireland, ahead of UFC Fight Night 46, the UFC is set to seal a deal with Carano in the next few days, and he already has a date in mind for a Rousey vs. Carano title fight. White and UFC brass are set to meet with Carano’s representatives this coming Monday to finalize a deal.
While fans and media are widely panning the fight, per MMAJunkie.com’s Steven Marrocco, White was quick to wave off such claims, comparing Rousey’s desire to fight Carano to last year’s Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz welterweight title fight. Worth noting, of course, is that the St-Pierre vs. Diaz matchup was thoroughly criticized as well.
According to Marrocco, White said Rousey vs. Carano was planned for December but not for the UFC’s year-end card, UFC 182. That makes UFC 181, which is set for December 6, the likely landing spot.
The odd woman out in this situation is Cat Zingano. She was lined up for a title fight with Rousey following her upset win of Miesha Tate at last year’s The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. However, she was forced to withdraw well in advance following a knee injury.
Zingano is slated to face Amanda Nunes at UFC 178 in what many assumed to be a title eliminator for her, but a winter fight between Rousey and Carano would almost certainly take that possibility away.
UFC 181 is booked for the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. No other fights are currently scheduled for the event, so keep an eye on Bleacher Report in the coming weeks for more news on the card as it breaks.
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