“He Got on His Knees” Gina Carano Reveals Dana White’s Apology Before Netflix Ronda Rousey Clash
Gina Carano says her long-discussed clash with Ronda Rousey has finally come together at the same time Dana White privately apologized to her and even offered her a fight, ahead of their historic Netflix main event.
Gina Carano on Ronda Rousey and how the fight came together
Carano, 7-1 in MMA and inactive since 2009, appears on the Jaxxon Podcast as she prepares to face former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in Netflix’s first live MMA card on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The event, co-promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, will stream to Netflix subscribers at no extra cost and is scheduled at featherweight, 145 pounds.
She explains that Rousey effectively controlled when this long-rumored matchup finally became real. Describing the dynamic, Carano says:
“From my perspective, the ball was basically in Ronda’s court of like what she wanted to do and where she wanted to take the fight and ultimately I think the fight went where she wanted it to go.”
Carano has framed Rousey as the driving force behind the booking, having said in earlier coverage that Rousey approached her and insisted there was “only one person” she wanted to return against.
Dana White’s December 2024 call and offer
Carano also reveals a recent phone call with UFC CEO Dana White in December 2024, which she says arrived during a difficult period in her career after being fired by Disney. She recounts:
“From my perspective, it was it I got a call from Dana White, December 2024 and he was like, because Dana actually is very cool with me… He was one of the first text messages that said, ‘Hey, you know, um it’s going to be okay.’ You know, and I was like, ‘Dana White like is texting me?’ And out of all the people that didn’t text me, Dana White’s the one that’s like, ‘Hey, you got this.’”
Reports on the Jaxxon appearance note that the December call included White apologizing and floating a fight offer, despite Carano standing firm that she was not returning to the traditional fight world. She characterizes the relationship as having evolved from past tension over a failed Rousey bout and “disgusting” messages during earlier negotiations into a more respectful connection.
The in-person apology: “he actually knelt down”
Carano describes an earlier moment that shifted her view of White, when he approached her at an event while she sat with her family. Cleaning up her retelling on the podcast, she says:
“He Knelt Down. He did! He could apologize and he did apologize. We were I was sitting at a table with my family… He got down on his knees. I was like, ‘Oh, wow.’ No, actually, no, he did. That’s respectful. Respectful. It was very nice.”
The earlier tension between Carano and White dates back to 2014. She says Dana White sent during stalled negotiations for a Rousey fight, which read, “This b***h is effing us around.” Carano has explained that she initially thought the message was sent to her by mistake and told White he might have meant it for someone else, but he allegedly replied, “I don’t think I did.” According to her, that exchange, combined with White going public with talks after she had asked for six months to prepare, shattered trust and effectively killed the UFC version of Rousey vs. Carano until their Netflix deal revived the matchup a decade later.
White later approached her in person at a family event, kneeling by the table to apologize for those words and the fallout, a gesture Carano called respectful and a sign of his character. This history now contrasts with his December 2024 outreach, where he checked in supportively and extended a fight offer ahead of her Netflix return.
