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Josh Thomson supports the fantasy matchup that has emerged from Ronda Rousey's latest interview. 'Rowdy' was on the Kurt Angle Show when she revealed that the only fight she would come out of retirement for would be Gina Carano.
Carano was a pioneer of women's MMA who shined with the promotion Elite XC. 'Conviction' retired in 2009 after a brutal first-round loss to Cris Cyborg, which was her only loss. Rousey was inspired by the former face of women's MMA and ended up becoming a superstar.
Rousey last fought in 2016 when she lost two straight fights before taking her talents to professional wrestling. The theory has been that nothing will ever lead to her return to MMA, but Carano's influence rejected that claim.
During an episode of Weighing Interjection, Thomson strongly approved Rousey vs. Carano by saying:
"I absolutely would love to see that fight. I would love to see that fight. I would love to see that fight. Look, I know they are both older...Nostalgia, to me, is big with this fight. This would be a fight I would like to see."
The chances of this fight happening are slim to none, but nostalgia makes it intriguing to consider. Rousey and Carano have built sustainable lives outside of MMA and don't need to take any damage to make their money. With that said, seeing these two fight each other would be a must-see event for hardcore MMA fans.
Watch Josh Thomson advocate for Rousey vs. Carano below:
John McCarthy shuts down Josh Thomson on Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano
John McCarthy and Thomson agreed on plenty of subjects on their podcast, but Rousey vs. Carano was not one of them. In hindsight, 'Conviction' retired 13 years ago, and 'Rowdy''s return would be shocking because of the mental toll it took on her.
During the same episode, McCarthy turned down the fantasy matchup by saying:
"Definitely not a fight I want to see...I think they are both fantastic, but I just don't wanna see them compete against each other. Not something I wanna see."
Luckily for McCarthy, Rousey vs. Carano won't be happening anytime soon. 'Rowdy' saying she would only fight 'Conviction' was a sign of respect between the two pioneers of women's MMA. Without them, who knows what kind of success women's MMA would have had.
