Most fighters tear down their opponent before a fight, but it takes a special person to praise them. Gina Carano chose to be a part of the latter group ahead of her fight with Ronda Rousey.

The Rousey vs. Carano fight is just two weeks away, and both fighters are super busy gearing up for possibly the biggest fight of their careers. But amid preparation, Carano found time to sit down with Most Valuable Promotions to provide an update on her readiness. And during the conversation, she had a sweet thing to say about her opponent.

"I believe Ronda is in the best shape of her life, of her entire life. I believe she's the most technical she's ever been, the most mentally sound she's ever been - I truly believe that I am going to be facing the best Ronda Rousey, which is quite a thing to say because she has done incredible in her life," Carano said in a video on MVP's YouTube channel. "She's on top of her game, and it's only just inspired me."

The Hollywood actor, however, emphasized that the tables can turn when they get in the cage on May 16. "She can feel as great as she wants right now, and I can feel as bad as I want right now, and that can all switch when you get in the cage. So, uh, it'll be really interesting to see what happens there," Carano added.

The fight between Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey will be held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California. The fight is part of Jake Paul's MVP event and will be live-streamed by Netflix.

It will mark Gina Carano's return to the Octagon after 17 years. She is currently training under coach John Woods, and even shared a video of training with UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.

Despite being opponents, both Carano and Rousey have shown immense respect towards one another. She has repeatedly told the media that Carano is the reason she started MMA, and she is her dream opponent.

But how can they fight if they share such a great relationship?

What mindset helps a fighter win a bout?

Although being extremely respectful towards one another, both Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are each other's dream opponents. They might be each other's friend elsewhere, but when they enter the cage, it's all about winning.

"I hope that she gets everything that she wants in life except for maybe winning this fight," Carano said. "Because, you know, a loss can't hurt her, you know. Losing doesn't have to be a bad thing. That's the only thing I don't want for her (laughs). And that's just a competitiveness in me. I want to win this fight. That's not a bad thing to want."

In her interview with Ariel Helwani, Carano mentioned that both she and Rousey were advised not to stay too much in contact to keep the spirit of their fight alive. Rousey also told TMZ Sports that all she wants to do on May 16 is 'knock this chick out' and go back to her babies.

Follow Bodybuilding Bros for all things fitness!

Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Yask Kotak