Booker T says the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight on Netflix was a work shoot and called it the biggest heist he has ever seen in his years in combat sports, saying there is no way the fight was legitimate based on what he watched.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T gave a blunt assessment after watching the 17-second finish and said anyone who goes back and studies the footage will come to the same conclusion.
“It was a work shoot. That thing wasn’t real. It was real as far as the takedown goes, but everything after that, it was like I’m ready, let’s go home. If you go back and watch it and study it, you’re gonna come to the same consensus. That fight was the biggest heist I’ve ever seen. I’m talking about since one of these Brinks jobs. Seriously.”
He said the finish was the only way the fight could have gone given Carano’s situation going in.
“If you have not had a fight, you can have fought in your younger days, you retired, you haven’t fought for 17 years, it’s not going to be the same. For anyone to think for a moment that Gina Carano had a chance at going out there and winning that fight after being out of the cage for 17 years and 100 pounds she had to lose, come on, let’s be real here.”
He said Rousey chose Carano specifically because she could not risk a real loss.
“That’s why this fight had no meaning at all. It was a fight she couldn’t lose in any way shape or form the way she wanted. A true champion should not go out like that.”
Co-host Brad Gilmore, who attended the event, pushed back on the work shoot characterization but acknowledged the disappointment of the finish. He noted that the fight ended the same way virtually all of Rousey’s fights ended and argued the speed of the finish was consistent with her historical pattern.
Booker T said he believes if Rousey genuinely wanted to prove herself, she should have fought someone active. He and Gilmore agreed a Rousey vs. Holly Holm rematch would have generated significantly more attention and money than the Carano matchup.
The full episode is available on the Hall of Fame podcast with Booker T.
