| Gina Carano | |
|---|---|
 Carano atGalaxyCon Richmond in 2024 | |
| Born | Gina Joy Carano (1982-04-16)April 16, 1982 (age 43) Dallas County, Texas, U.S. |
| Other names | Conviction Crush |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 143 lb (65 kg; 10.2 st) |
| Division | Featherweight |
| Reach | 66+1⁄2 in (169 cm) |
| Style | Muay Thai,Gaidojutsu |
| Fighting out of | Albuquerque,New Mexico, U.S. |
| Team | Jackson's MMA |
| Trainer | Greg Jackson |
| Years active | 2006–2009 (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 8 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Notable relatives | Glenn Carano (father) |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Gina Joy Carano (born April 16, 1982[1]) is an American actress and formermixed martial artist. She competed inElite Xtreme Combat andStrikeforce from 2006 to 2009, where she compiled a 7–1 record.[2] Her popularity led to her being called the "face of women's MMA", although Carano rejected this title.[3] She andCris Cyborg were the first women to headline a major MMA event during their2009 Strikeforce bout.[4] Carano retired from competition after her first professional MMA defeat to Cyborg.
Transitioning from the ring to the screen, Carano landed her first major role as the lead of the action filmHaywire (2011), which was followed by appearances inFast & Furious 6 (2013) andDeadpool (2016). She also portrayedCara Dune in the first two seasons of theDisney+Star Wars seriesThe Mandalorian from 2019 to 2020. She was fired from the series in 2021. She later filed a lawsuit against Disney in 2024 for wrongful termination, which ultimately ended in a settlement the following year.
Carano was born inDallas County, Texas,[5] and raised inLas Vegas, Nevada,[6] the daughter of Dana Joy Cason and casino executive and former professionalfootball playerGlenn Carano.[7][8] She is the middle child of three sisters.[6] She was raised by her mother after her parents divorced when Gina was seven.[6][7] She has said that her family celebrates "an Italian festival" every year, though she is of a "small percentage of Italian" descent.[9]
Carano graduated from Trinity Christian High School in Las Vegas where she led the girls' basketball team to a state title. She also played volleyball and softball.[10] She attended theUniversity of Nevada, Reno for a year and thenUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas for three years, majoring in psychology.[11][12]
Carano started her career in the sport ofMuay Thai. Her then-boyfriendKevin Ross, a pro Muay Thai fighter, got her involved.[13] After achieving a Muay Thai record of 12–1–1,[14] Carano received an offer from Jamie Levine to participate in the first-ever sanctioned female MMA bout inNevada with World Extreme Fighting to fight Leiticia Pestovа (a bout Carano won in 38 seconds). She was invited to the World Pro Fighting show in Las Vegas to fightRosi Sexton.[15] Carano won the fight by knocking out Sexton late in the second round.[16]
Carano facedElaina Maxwell atStrikeforce: Triple Threat on December 8, 2006. She won the fight via unanimous decision.[17] Carano proved critics wrong when she defeated Maxwell for the second time; the first victory coming in a Muay Thai bout. It was the first female fight inStrikeforce. She fought on the February 10, 2007ShowtimeEliteXC card, defeatingJulie Kedzie via unanimous decision in what was called the "Fight of the Night".[18] It was the first televised female fight on Showtime. Her scheduled bout againstJan Finney at the EliteXC/K-1Dynamite!! USA event on June 2, 2007 was canceled due to illness.The Fight Network and other news outlets reported that Carano was rushed to the hospital by ambulance fordehydration while attending aWorld Extreme Cagefighting event as a spectator.[19]
Carano fought on the September 15, 2007 Showtime EliteXC card, where she defeatedTonya Evinger viarear-naked choke for her first career win bysubmission.[20] She impressed critics by holding her own on the ground before submitting Evinger late in the first round. Carano defeated formerHOOKnSHOOT ChampionKaitlin Young atEliteXC: Primetime on May 31, 2008.[21] A day before the fight, Carano failed to make weight for her fight after weighing in at 144.5 pounds (65.5 kg). Although most MMA organizations set weight classes at 135 lb (61 kg) (bantamweight) and 145 lb (66 kg) (featherweight), EliteXC opted to create a women's weight class at 140 pounds (64 kg).[22] Carano agreed to forfeit 12.5% of her "show" purse to Young, and the fight remained on the card.[23]
Leading up to her fight against Kelly Kobold, there was much controversy over whether Carano would make weight for the fight, as she had fought only once in the past year and had failed to make weight. Carano assured critics that she would be able to make weight since she had hired a nutritionist to help with her dieting. At the weigh-in for the Kobold fight on October 3, 2008, Carano weighed in at 142.75 pounds (64.75 kg) on her first attempt.[24] After removing her clothing, a towel-covered Carano weighed in a second time at 142.5 pounds (64.6 kg).[25] The towel was removed,[26] and on her third attempt, Carano weighed 141 pounds (64 kg)[27] and successfully made weight.
Early on, Kobold was intent on pressing Carano in the clinch, while working for thetakedown throughout the fight. Kobold managed a takedown in the second round, but the round ended before she could take meaningful advantage of it. Carano worked her opportunities by hitting Kobold at every turn whenever the fighters separated while opening a huge gash on the inside of her opponent's eyebrow in the first round.[28] At the end of the third round, Carano looked to finish the fight as she unloaded a head kick that landed flush on Kobold's chin, but Kobold remained on her feet and the bout came to a close.[29] Carano won by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28).[30]
AfterStrikeforce purchased the assets ofProElite, Carano, along with other fighters within the defunct promotion, became contractually linked with Strikeforce after many months of a stalemate regarding theirfree agent status.[31]
It was announced atStrikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields that Carano's fight againstCris Cyborg would take place on August 15, 2009, atStrikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg. Strikeforce created their firstWomen's Championship for the bout. Though the 145-pound division is most commonly referred to as featherweight, Strikeforce CEOScott Coker stated that the title would be known as the Strikeforce Women's Lightweight Championship.[32] The title was later renamed the Strikeforce Women's Middleweight Championship.[33] Carano lost the fight against Cyborg by TKO at 4:59 in the first round, giving her first-ever loss in her professional MMA career.[34]
In November 2010, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker stated he was hopeful that she would return in 2011.[35] Carano's return was formally announced in February 2011,[36] and Strikeforce announced at its April 9, 2011, event in San Diego that Carano would make her return against Sarah D'Alelio on June 18, during theOvereem vs. Werdum Strikeforce event in Dallas. This bout would have been held by Zuffa, who have been detractors of women's MMA in the past. Critics[who?] asserted that the reason for the turnaround was Carano's marketability.[37][38] However, the fight did not take place. Initially, Strikeforce announced Carano failed her pre-fight medical examination and the fight was pulled from the card.[39] Later, it became public that Carano was medically cleared by the Athletic Commission but was removed from the card for other reasons.[citation needed]
In April 2014, during an appearance onThe Arsenio Hall Show Carano said she was considering a return to MMA.[40] In September 2014, Dana White of the UFC said contract negotiations with Carano had stalled.[41] During her appearance on theJoe Rogan Experience 690 podcast,Ronda Rousey said a fight between Gina Carano and her had been planned for December 2014, but never materialized.[42]
From August 2009 to February 2026, Carano would remain inactive and was not scheduled for any upcoming events.[43] She is still under contract with the UFC through her old Strikeforce contract and has four fights remaining on that contract.[44]
On Feburary 17, 2026, it was announced that Carano would make her return to MMA after a 17-year hiatus, againstRonda Rousey on May 16, 2026, at theIntuit Dome inInglewood, California.[45]
Carano starred in the 2005 filmRing Girls.[46] Based on true events, it is about five American women from Las Vegas who attempt to fight the best Muay Thai fighters in the world.[47] Along with Lisa King, Carano served as a mentor to aspiring fighters in the 2007Oxygen reality seriesFight Girls. She appeared as "Crush" on theNBC showAmerican Gladiators, in which she starred in the workout video of the show along with Monica Carlson (Jet), Jennifer Widerstrom (Phoenix), Michael O'Hearn (Titan), Tanoai Reed (Toa) and Don "Hollywood" Yates (Wolf). The DVD was released on December 16, 2008.[citation needed]
She appeared inCommand & Conquer: Red Alert 3 as Natasha,[48] portraying the Soviet sniper/commando in various cut scenes. She is featured in the 2009 martial arts filmBlood and Bone.[49]
In September 2009, Carano landed the leading role in the spy thrillerHaywire (2011), directed bySteven Soderbergh.[50][51][52]Christy Lemire of theAssociated Press stated: "[Carano's] dialogue delivery may seem a bit stiff—and she has acknowledged that Soderbergh made some tweaks to her voice in post-production—but she has tremendous presence: an intriguing mix of muscular power and eye-catching femininity."[53]Newsweek said Carano's martial-arts experience gives her "an unparalleled physicality" in the role.[54] She described her knockout fight with co-starMichael Fassbender:
We were brutal to each other. He was slamming me into the wall. He slammed my head so hard, I lost it for a second—I went white. And at one point, our knees clashed, [and] he got a limp.[55]
In February 2012, Carano was cast inIn the Blood (2014), an action thriller directed byJohn Stockwell.[56]
In 2012, Carano was cast as the lead in an all-female ensemble action film, tentatively titledThe ExpendaBelles, that would have been part ofThe Expendables film franchise. ProducerAdi Shankar said, "I don't know how I'm supposed to make a movie that is supposed to be the female version ofThe Expendables without Gina Carano in it. It would be like makingTwix without caramel orJamba Juice without Jamba."[57] The project has yet to materialize.
Carano appeared inFast & Furious 6 (2013) as a member of Special Agent Luke Hobbs' (Dwayne Johnson)Diplomatic Security Service team.[58] Several critics praised Carano's performance;Richard Roeper of theChicago Sun-Times wrote, "Gina Carano is BIG fun to watch. [She] is still a bit stilted with her line readings, but her two fight scenes with Michelle Rodriguez are just epic."[59] while Matt Goldberg of Collider.com wrote that the scene would "create a lot of new Gina Carano fans."[60]
In July 2013, she and comic book creatorRob Liefeld announced they were working on a big-screen adaptation of Liefeld'sAvengelyne in which Carano would star as the titular character.[61] Carano appeared in the 2013–2014Fox seriesAlmost Human episode "Unbound", where she played the part of an XRN combat android named Danica. She co-starred in the 2015 filmExtraction, and she playedAngel Dust in the 2016 filmDeadpool.[62]
In 2018, she was cast inThe Mandalorian,Lucasfilm's first live-actionStar Wars television series.[63] She portrayed the characterCara Dune with a first appearance in the fourth episode of the first season titled "Chapter 4: Sanctuary".[64] Carano initially believed she would be playing the role of a femaleWookiee, and was surprised to "find that [she] was one of the few people that you were actually going to see her face."[65] She played the role in seasons 1 and 2.[66]
In February 2021, Carano shared anInstagram post that compared "hating someone for their political views" to the early stages of persecution of Jews by their fellow citizens beforethe Holocaust[note 1][68][69][70] and included an image taken during theLviv pogroms.[71][72] Many critics interpreted the post as comparingAmerican conservatives toJews in Nazi Germany.[73] Shortly afterward, Lucasfilm stated that Carano was no longer employed by the company, saying that "her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable".[74][75][76] A series ofposts in which she mocked the use offace masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States was also cited by Lucasfilm,[73][68][70] as well as her repeated accusations ofvoter fraud during the 2020 presidential election.[73][68][69] She was also dropped by theUnited Talent Agency.[66][75]
A week later, Carano announced she would be developing, producing, and starring in a new film project with conservative media companyThe Daily Wire.[69][77] The film,White Knuckle, was to be about revenge by a survivor of an attempted murder by a serial killer. The film was scheduled to begin production in October 2021 in Tennessee, Utah, and Montana. In the U.S., it was to be released exclusively to subscribers ofThe Daily Wire, and was to be released internationally byVoltage Pictures.[78] In May 2021, Carano appeared as a guest on an episode of the showRunning Wild with Bear Grylls.[79][80] By fall 2021, theWhite Knuckle project had been cancelled at Carano's behest, due to her unwillingness to comply with Hollywood's COVID-19 mask and vaccine requirements. The group began production on the replacement film, aWestern entitledTerror on the Prairie, that was released exclusively toDaily Wire subscribers in June 2022.[81]
In November 2021, Carano was tapped to play a secret service agent inMy Son Hunter, a biopic onHunter Biden directed byRobert Davi.[82]
In February 2022, Carano explained her social media posts, saying that she "shared a meme, I translated into: Don't let the government pit you against each other or history tells us that could go wrong."[83][84] Some fans and commentators contrasted Carano's firing with fellowThe Mandalorian cast member Pedro Pascal suffering no consequence for making comparisons between the treatment of Jews in concentration camps and the treatment of undocumented migrant children atICE detention facilities in the US.[85][86][84][87] Carano was defended byThe Mandalorian co-starBill Burr, who described her as "an absolute sweetheart" and criticized her firing.[88]
In February 2024, Carano filed a lawsuit against Lucasfilm over her firing, alleging wrongful dismissal andsex discrimination. The suit was funded byElon Musk, who had previously promised to support anyone who sufferedemployment discrimination because of what they posted onX.[89][90][91] Disney moved to have the case dismissed, which was denied by U.S. district judgeSherilyn Peace Garnett.[92]Gina Carano v. The Walt Disney Company, Lucasfilm LTD. LLC, and Huckleberry Industries (U.S.) Inc. was set to begin on September 25, 2025,[92] but in August, Carano and Disney settled their dispute.[93]
Carano was profiled in a feature story for theESPN seriesE:60. She was voted "Hottest Woman In America" byBig Biz Magazine in the Spring 2008 issue.[94] On May 13, 2008, "Gina Carano" was the fastest-rising search onGoogle and third-most-searched person onYahoo!,[8][95] and ranked no. 5 on Yahoo!'s "Top Ten Influential Women of 2008" list.[96]
In May 2009, Carano was ranked no. 16 onMaxim's Hot 100 list. She is one of the cover athletes along withSerena Williams[97] for the October 19, 2009, edition ofESPN The Magazine's Body Issue.
Carano was a nominee for the 2013 Critics Choice Awards for best actress in an action movie forHaywire.[98]
Carano was inducted into theMartial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame in 2015.[99]
| 8 matches | 7 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 3 | 1 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 3 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 7–1 | Cris Cyborg | TKO (punches) | Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg | August 15, 2009 | 1 | 4:59 | San Jose, California, United States | For the inauguralStrikeforce Women's Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Kelly Kobold | Decision (unanimous) | EliteXC: Heat | October 4, 2008 | 3 | 3:00 | Sunrise, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Kaitlin Young | TKO (doctor stoppage) | EliteXC: Primetime | May 31, 2008 | 2 | 3:00 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Tonya Evinger | Submission (rear-naked choke) | EliteXC: Uprising | September 15, 2007 | 1 | 2:53 | Oahu, Hawaii, United States | Catchweight bout (141 lbs). |
| Win | 4–0 | Julie Kedzie | Decision (unanimous) | EliteXC: Destiny | February 10, 2007 | 3 | 3:00 | Southaven,Mississippi, United States | Catchweight bout (141 lbs). |
| Win | 3–0 | Elaina Maxwell | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Triple Threat | December 8, 2006 | 3 | 2:00 | San Jose, California, United States | Featherweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Rosi Sexton | KO (punch) | World Pro Fighting Championships 1 | September 15, 2006 | 2 | 4:55 | Las Vegas,Nevada, United States | Catchweight bout (138 lbs). |
| Win | 1–0 | Leiticia Pestova | KO (punches and elbows) | World Extreme Fighting | June 10, 2006 | 1 | 0:38 | Las Vegas,Nevada, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Ring Girls | Herself | Documentary |
| 2009 | Blood and Bone | Veretta Vendetta | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | Haywire | Mallory Kane | |
| 2013 | Fast & Furious 6 | Riley Hicks | |
| 2014 | In the Blood | Ava | Direct-to-video |
| 2015 | Heist | Officer Kris Bauhaus | |
| Extraction | Victoria | ||
| 2016 | Deadpool | Angel Dust | |
| Kickboxer: Vengeance | Marcia | Direct-to-video | |
| 2018 | Scorched Earth | Atticus Gage | |
| 2019 | Madness in the Method | Carrie | |
| Daughter of the Wolf | Clair Hamilton | ||
| 2022 | Terror on the Prairie | Hattie McAllister | Also producer |
| My Son Hunter | Agent Hound |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Fight Girls | Herself | 7 episodes |
| 2008 | American Gladiators | Crush | 16 episodes |
| 2014 | Almost Human | Danica | Episode: "Unbound" |
| 2019–2020 | The Mandalorian | Carasynthia "Cara" Dune | 7 episodes |
| 2021 | Running Wild with Bear Grylls | Herself | Episode: "Gina Carano" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 | Natasha Volkova | |
| 2013 | Fast & Furious: Showdown | Riley Hicks | Voice role |
Born in Texas on April 16, 1982, Gina Joy Carano was born to compete.
Born in 1982 in Dallas County, Texas ...
I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. My mom raised us with horses on the outskirts of Vegas ... My parents are amazing people who worked well together after the divorce to ensure that us kids came first ... I am majoring in Psychology but for the last two years I have had to put school aside because of the amazing opportunities that have opened up for me in fighting. I have two ... sisters, one older and one younger ...
...Gina, who was born to Glenn Carano and Dana Joy Cason, who divorced when Gina was 7.
[H]er father, Glenn, is a Reno, Nev., casino executive who once was a backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys...
I'm Italian, well Italian American. My family throws an Italian festival every year and we grew up on raviolis and that stuff
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| New award | World MMA Female Fighter of the Year 2008 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
