Just a day after securing former boxing champion Holly Holm, UFC president Dana White has now claimed that the promotion could be on the verge of wrapping up an even bigger deal to bring former Strikeforce fighter turned movie star Gina Carano to the sport’s biggest stage.
Carano had indicated earlier in the year that she was interested in the possibility of fighting in the Octagon this year, and had a positive first meeting with White that left him convinced that they were going to be able to strike a deal with her.
There have been rumors since then that talks between the two parties had reached an impasse, but in a new interview with ESPN yesterday, White sounded upbeat about the situation and determined to secure her signature sooner rather than later.
“One down, one to go,” White told ESPN, referring to the Holm signing. “I’m going to meet with Gina next week and get that f***ing thing done. Next week, man.
“It’s just a matter of me and Lorenzo going to jump on a plane to Los Angeles, get in a room with her and her lawyer and get this thing done.”
White had previously stated that if Carano did sign for the UFC then she’d almost certainly walk straight into a title fight with Ronda Rousey despite the fact that she’s not fought since a first round TKO loss to Cris ‘Cyborg’ back in 2009.
That would be frustrating for the likes of Holm and Cat Zingano who may feel that they’ve done more to earn a title shot, but the chance to put the two most marketable female fighters ever in the Octagon together looks like being a golden opportunity that the UFC won’t be able to resist.
