As the Rousey vs. Carano draws near, the focus falls on Gina Carano's training camp. She wraps it up with a special thanks to her coaching staff.

In her Instagram post on May 11, the former MMA star shared photos with her coaching team and thanked them for helping her prepare for the bout. Carano poured her heart out in a long Instagram caption. 

"Shakin it out with the team.. I’m their biggest fans. Brennan Fam, John Wood, Chris Ben,'" Carano wrote.

The first picture is a team picture featuring Syndicate MMA head coach John Wood, along with UFC and Pride veteran Chris Brennan, Featherweight MMA fighter Brian Ortega, among others. 

Wood has been training the 44-year-old for her upcoming fight since October last year, along with her boxing coach, Chris Ben-Tchavtchavadze. 

Several notable fighters, including Khalil Rountree Jr. and former bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, currently train under Wood at Syndicate MMA. In a December interview, he noted that while Carano has been training regularly, there is still uncertainty about whether she plans to return to competition.

During his appearance on the Jaxxon podcast, Wood shared that he had brought in a team of some of the best coaches and training partners to help them train better for the fight.

"The energy is good. Lots of history in this sport coming together, it’s a beautiful thing," read Carano's caption. 

And although he didn't receive a shoutout, Carano's team also consists of her long-term Muay Thai coach and husband, Kevin Ross. He is the one who introduced Carano to Muay Thai and was one of her initial coaches at the beginning of her career. 

It was not just Carano complimenting her team. Her coaches had respect and pride for her as well.

Gina Carano's Coaches Discuss Training Camp Preparations

On the Jaxxon podcast, Wood shared about raising the bar for Carano, pushing her to her best limits. 

“The intensity will change," he said. "We’re going to do this the smart way to make sure that we’re putting the best version of Gina Carano out there, the healthiest version, getting her to the fight is numero uno.” 

Carano last fought in 2009. She is set to make her long-awaited return against MMA icon Ronda Rousey, who has labeled the Netflix bout the biggest fight in the history of the sport.

Still, Carano appears more focused on closing a chapter left unfinished for nearly two decades than on winning titles.

Ben-Tchavtchavadze also shared about Carano's training in an interview with Most Valuable Promotions.

“There’s direction in this camp," he said. "We’re training for a specific person, for a specific fight. She wants this. This is the fight that she wants. This is what we’ve done all the preparation for.”

Seventeen years have passed since Gina Carano last stepped into the cage, when she suffered her only professional loss to Cris Cyborg. Today, though, she believes she is a far different fighter, reshaped both inside and out.

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar