Skip Bayless criticized the upcoming fight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano on social media. Carano’s coach, John Wood, responded publicly, defending the announcement and stating the matchup is legitimate. His response should silence critics who believe the fight will lean toward entertainment than competition.
The Rousey vs. Carano bout was officially announced earlier this week. The clash of women’s MMA pioneers is scheduled for May. 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. It is being promoted by Jake Paul‘s Most Valuable Promotions and will stream live on Netflix.
The announcement drew a mixed response online, with Bayless being among the most notable to weigh in. The former ESPN and Fox Sports host questioned the legitimacy of the bout and suggested it may resemble a WWE matchup rather than a competitive fight.
“Not buying the need for protective ‘extensive testing’ for Rousey vs. Carano,” Bayless wrote on X. “Ronda at 39 hasn’t fought in [10] years. Gina, who’ll be 44, hasn’t competed since ’09. This will be more WWE than MMA.”
Gina Carano’s Coach Responds to Skip Bayless’ Post About Ronda Rousey Fight
Gina Carano’s coach, John Wood, responded to Skip Bayless’ post about her comeback against Ronda Rousey. He outlined Carano’s journey back into MMA and acknowledged that a high-profile matchup like this would naturally attract skepticism.
Wood also noted that those same critics are likely to tune in. This will give the fighters an opportunity to let their performances speak for itself.
“People are going to criticize you and kick you, and try to put in their two cents. And you got guys like Skip Bayless, you know, very good at what he does but it’s a lot of clickbait and a lot of things he’s trying to get eyes on,” Wood told The Boys in the Back. “When you put yourself in any fight out in the limelight, as big as this is going to be, as big as this is going to be promoted, the platform with Netflix, you kind of have to be okay [with it].”
He added:
“All the [expletive], all the noise, that comes with the every single fight,” Wood said. “The world thrives on negativity. Negativity gets hits, gets clicks. It gets the attention of people. So be it, it is what it is.”
Wood Says Carano Would Have Returned if Rousey Wasn’t Her Opponent
Wood also revealed that Carano was serious about competing again and likely would have if Rousey were not her opponent.
During his appearance on The Boys in the Back, Wood said Carano’s comeback has been in the works for months. He said she has been training frequently and has a renewed passion for MMA.
“This has been at least six, seven months now, I think, that we have been preparing for something,” Wood said. “If [the Rousey fight] didn’t come to fruition, then she probably would have wanted to fight somebody else. She’s got the fire back, motivated, trained every day, out there right now training. It’s really cool to see.”
Gina Carano’s Coach Fires Back at Skip Bayless Over Ronda Rousey Fight