Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez Mentioned by Gina Carano in Heartwarming Reaction After Ronda Rousey Loss

Gina Carano’s return to MMA ended in a dramatic 17-second submission loss to Ronda Rousey, but the aftermath carried emotional weight. Despite never competing under the UFC banner, Carano remains a pioneer in women’s MMA for her run under the now-defunct Strikeforce and EliteXC. Following the loss, Carano revealed that UFC legends Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez reached out to her immediately after.

Carano made her MMA debut in 2006 and quickly competed across multiple promotions. She fought under both the Elite XC and Strikeforce banners while becoming one of the sport’s most recognizable early female stars. Carano retired after a knockout loss to Cris Cyborg in 2009. Nearly 17 years later, she returned under the MVP MMA banner, where she suffered an armbar submission loss to Rousey.

After the loss, the former Strikeforce star reflected on the emotional impact of her return to competition. She acknowledged the difficulty of stepping back into MMA with a major physical transformation, including losing nearly 100 pounds. Carano later shared a lengthy Instagram post detailing her experience and mindset. She also revealed how Velasquez and Jones commended her after the fight.

@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. 

Gina Carano via Instagram

Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez helped Gina Carano put her loss into perspective. pic.twitter.com/lGZikFpNri

— Uncrowned (@uncrownedcombat) May 19, 2026

Ahead of her return, Carano trained under coach John Wood at Syndicate MMA for her comeback. She also worked with former UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili during parts of her preparation. The camp focused on conditioning, timing, and adapting to modern MMA standards after a long layoff. Carano also called out UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland for his comments about women’s MMA.

Velasquez played a key role in media responsibilities leading up to the MVP MMA event at the Intuit Dome. He also facilitated the official face-offs between headliners Francis Ngannou and Philipe Lins during fight week activities. This appearance marked the former UFC champion’s first major public outing since being released on parole in February 2026, after serving a sentence related to a 2022 shooting case.

Gina Carano’s future in MMA remains uncertain, though talk continues about a possible return for one more fight. John Wood has expressed interest in seeing her take part in a final “fun fight” if conditions and timing allow. This reflects ongoing curiosity around her comeback after her recent appearance. Praise from Jon Jones further highlights the respect the 44-year-old still holds in MMA circles today.

TKO executive reveals why the UFC didn’t facilitate the Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano superfight

While Ronda Rousey has taken shots at UFC CBO Hunter Campbell and the UFC during the lead-up to MVP MMA 1, she has avoided speaking negatively about UFC CEO Dana White. The UFC legend maintained a more reserved stance toward White despite broader criticism of the organization’s decisions. She also revealed she originally wanted the superfight with Gina Carano under the UFC banner.

Mark Shapiro is the President and Chief Operating Officer of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of UFC and WWE under Endeavor. He oversees business operations, media rights, and long-term strategy across both organizations. While he is largely associated with WWE’s global growth, he recently spoke about the UFC’s decision to turn down the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano superfight.

It was pitched to us, and we did turn it down. That’s to take nothing away from Netflix. They are a great partner, and clearly, they know what they are doing across the board. They’re in the big event business.  When you ask Hunter Campbell and Dana White what they think of that matchup prior to it happening, the answer was, ‘That fight will be over in 20 seconds.’ They were off by a few seconds. I don’t think a fight like that, just the way it played out, is really good for MMA. Especially because it’s Netflix and they have an incredible global audience.

Mark Shapiro via JP Morgan Global Technology and Media Conference

Mark Shapiro said the UFC deliberately passed on the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight because they didn’t believe it would benefit MMA long-term. While he praised Netflix as “a great partner” that knows “what they are doing across the board,” he explained that the streaming… pic.twitter.com/wOTDJoSh0w

— Pro Wrestling & MMA News (@PWMMANews) May 18, 2026

Criticism around the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight has been widely discussed in MMA circles. UFC veteran Matt Brown called the outcome lackluster, pointing to the 17-second finish after ‘Rowdy’ described it as a highly anticipated matchup. Mark Shapiro’s comments on the UFC initially turning down the fight further frame the ongoing debate about whether the matchup should have happened at all.

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