INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano aren’t bothering to pretend to hate each other this week.These trailblazing fighters have been through too much and been away from mixed martial arts for too long to get caught up in their sport’s usual pre-fight posturing and preening. When they enter the cage at Intuit Dome on Saturday in a double comeback for the ages, they’ll do it with a mutual respect borne from the similarities between their two remarkable journeys to this unlikely night.And then they’ll attack with all they’ve got left, perhaps for the very last time.“I’m going to give her every single thing that I have, and because we have so much respect for each other, I know we have forgiveness in our hearts for each other,” Rousey said. “I will be the first one to pop her elbow back in and drive her to the hospital and get her flowers, and I hope that she would be the first person to help me off the mat if I ended up going down myself.”
The 39-year-old Rousey (12-2) is ending her 9 1/2-year hiatus from MMA to take on the 44-year-old Carano (7-1), who hasn’t fought in 17 years. Both fighters comfortably made the 145-pound featherweight limit Friday, taking the final step before their unprecedented returns in the first live MMA event on Netflix.
