Dana White passionately defends Gina Carano after ESPN's influential women snub

UFC CEO Dana White has appeared to brush off his decade-plus conflict with Gina Carano.

Now an actress, Carano has been out of the MMA spotlight for quite some time but couldn’t ignore her omission from a recently curated ESPN list showcasing some of the most influential women's MMA fighters ever.

Carano took to ‘X’ to express her frustration with the list, which got support from White and former opponent Cris Cyborg.

You think @espnmma :

Do not have qualified journalists who know real WMMA history or are they trying re-write history by keepin me out of it?

Even Dana @danawhite called them out. 😂🙏

No, they will not be re-writing my history. If anything they’re writing themselves into… https://t.co/h1463NeJtg pic.twitter.com/mIlfLVxPt5
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) March 29, 2025

“[ESPN] [does] not have qualified journalists who know real WMMA history, or are they trying re-write history by keeping me out of it?” Carano asked. “Even Dana called them out. No, they will not be re-writing my history. If anything, they’re writing themselves into mine. When I get through this [Disney situation], I think jaws will drop. Thank you everyone for the support.”

White commented on the original post, voicing his frustration toward America’s No. 1 sports property and UFC broadcast partner.

“Gina Carano not being on the list is INSANE,” White wrote on Instagram.

Carano's last MMA fight came against Justino in Strikeforce in Aug. 2009, marking the first time two women's fighters headlined a marquee event. The former opponent gave Carano well-earned props on 'X' after seeing the post for herself.

'"Gina Carano is an absolute legend.," Cyborg wrote. "The significance our fight had and the commercial success it proved was capable with women’s mixed martial arts changed the sport of MMA forever. I will forever be thankful [for] that opportunity and hope one day it’s represented in the UFC Hall of Fame for its importance".

Gina Carano is an absolute legend.

The significance our fight had and the commercial success it proved was capable with women’s mixed martial arts changed the sport of MMA forever.

I will forever be thankful of that opportunity and hope one day it’s represented in the @ufc Hall… https://t.co/oyA0guYW6B
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) March 29, 2025

Unfortunately, it’s just another day in MMA where there is anything but a dull moment.

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