Gina Carano has been through hell and back, and she gives all the credit to MMA.

The Muay Thai champion is in the last leg of her training camp for her fight against Ronda Rousey, and Jake Paul's MVP got a closer look at what's going on. In a recent YouTube video, Gina Carano opened up about her health struggles and how she coped.

"I was really not healthy. Um, I was really sick. And I think in life you have a point where you can go left, and you can completely give up on yourself, and you can let all the stress in life and all the pain just wear you down, and you give up, and you get depressed, and you let go, and there goes your body, there goes your mind, there goes your health. I was there."

The 43-year-old was referring to the effects the backlash she faced in 2021 had on her health. Five years ago, Carano made a social media post about the administration at that time linking it to the Holocaust, which led to severe backlash and even getting fired from the Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian.

The controversy took a toll on Carano's mental and physical health, and she was completely out of shape, suffering from full-body pain. In September 2024, she was pre-diabetic, and it even hurt to walk. It was then that her husband encouraged her to train again, so slowly but steadily she took baby steps towards John Woods' Syndicate Gym. And now the results are visible.

"I think my family and the people that care about me and the fans that care about me are just happy that I got this back under control. I'm healthy. I mean, maybe I didn't have to take it to this extreme, but I am an extreme person. And um I know that I wouldn't have gone as deep into this health journey without this fight."

How MMA saved Gina Carano?

Gina Carano has always expressed how MMA saved her life. It helped her become healthy early in her career. She first started training under Master Chin to lose weight, and eventually lost 30 lbs.

After losing the weight, Carano developed a fighter's mindset and began her journey as a Muay Thai fighter. She trained under Tony Moore, a.k.a Master Toddy, and quickly became a pioneering figure in women's MMA.

Then, in 2024, MMA saved her life when she was going through a hard time. Going back to the gym and training helped her get back in shape and in the pinnacle of her health.

"Everything has changed. I mean, I was a Muay Thai fighter, and that was my base. And I would say right now I'm much more of a mixed martial arts, like full-rounded fighter."

She admits that training has not only improved her physical health, but also her mental health. Her mind and spirit feel controlled and free. And on May 16, we will see how much of her training has helped her because she is going up against another supernova.

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil