A blunt insult was the catalyst for Gina Carano's transformation. Before becoming an MMA trailblazer, Carano recalls being called 'fat' upon walking into a gym. That moment sparked a 30-pound weight loss and ignited the fighter's mindset she carries today.

Carano and her husband had no goals or focus during those days and were not married. Kevin Ross was at that stage of his life where he needed something to focus on, and he promised his dying friend, Mo, who passed away due to heart disease, that he would become a fighter

Amidst all this, Ross's dad gave him an opportunity to leave drinking, Carano explained: "His dad told him to put it down. And he offered him money to go start training. Kevin put it down and took the money to start training."

"I kept drinking for another three months, then finally walked into the gym. There was this guy named Master Chin. Funniest thing—first thing he says when I walk in is, 'Oh baby, you’re fat. You need to lose weight."

Carano did not get offended by this, rather she ate the insult, as she had grown up in a family where she was taught to find love in between insults and criticism.

“Master Chin was 100% right. So I started training, and I had a natural ability. I dropped 30 pounds quickly,” she added.

Soon after shedding 30 pounds, she found herself moving into the raw and chaotic experience that ignited the fighter’s mindset she carries to this day.

From Underground Smokers to Lasting Fire: Gina Carano Says the Fighter’s Instinct Never Leaves

Soon after Gina Carano lost 30 pounds, Master Toddy’s Muay Thai gym, she and her husband, Kevin Ross, were thrown into testing themselves inside the ring.

"I’m about 21, he’s 23. Just six months of training. We go into this gym in San Francisco for a smoker. The ring’s literally in the corner, not even elevated. No air conditioning. Everyone’s hot, sweaty, shouting over each other."

For Carano, this wasn’t just another reckless phase of her early 20s; it was a turning point. While others chased nightlife, she found herself drawn toward something far more demanding

"And I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, my parents are going to k*** me if they knew.’ It felt like a real fight club. But I did pretty well." Carano added.

That first taste of competition proved to be more than just a one-off experience. For Carano, it felt something deeper; she found an identity through the sport, which continued to stick by her long after the lights and the noise faded.

“That’s the thing—once you’re a fighter, it never really leaves you. It never went away.”

And it’s that same unshakable pull toward fighting that continues to fuel Carano’s mindset even today.

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil