Gina Carano addressed her Disney and Lucasfilm settlement before her May 16 MMA return against Ronda Rousey at MVP MMA 1.
Carano was asked about the settlement over her Mandalorian firing lawsuit and said she still stands by what she said publicly. She described the settlement as a victory and tied the lawsuit chapter to her return to competition.
Carano filed her wrongful termination lawsuit in 2024 after Disney and Lucasfilm cut ties with her in 2021. The case was settled in 2025, with terms not publicly disclosed. Before acting became her main lane, Carano built a 7-1 MMA record across EliteXC and Strikeforce before her 2009 loss to Cris Cyborg. She later played Cara Dune on The Mandalorian.
Her next fight is against Rousey, the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion, 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist, and UFC Hall of Famer.
Carano opened by saying she did not regret speaking publicly.
“I took heat for standing up for freedom of speech in this country. I don’t apologize one bit for anything that I said. I was spot on. I look back and I have so much confidence in myself because everything that I said came true, everything that I said happened.”
She said she absorbed professional fallout while others stayed silent.
“Everybody was holding their breath and I didn’t. And I’m usually the one that is really relaxed and calm. But I stood up and I spoke out and I paid a heavy price for it.”
Gina Carano Says Disney Settlement Was A ‘Huge Victory’
Carano said she would accept the same fallout again because she believes the dispute involved free speech and employment.
“But I’d pay that price again, again, again, because we cannot let what was happening to this country happen again. We cannot let go of our freedom of speech even if you don’t like it. We need to be able to speak to one another, open up speech, and we can’t lose our rights.”
She said workers should not lose jobs over opinions, including opinions she personally rejects.
“There’s been people that have been fired that I don’t agree with their opinion. I don’t think they should be fired. I don’t think you should take their livelihood from it. We should be able in America to set the precedent of freedom, and I’m not sorry one bit.”
Carano then addressed the settlement result.
“It turned out well. Disney settled, and I’m proud of that. That was a huge victory for me.”
Watch the clip below:
Gina Carano was asked about her Disney lawsuit settlement
“I took heat for standing up for freedom of speech. I don’t apologize one bit. We cannot let what was happening to this country happen again. We cannot let go of our freedom of speech even if you don’t like it” pic.twitter.com/sIJvNArjsy
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) May 15, 2026
Carano separated the lawsuit result from the physical return against Rousey.
“That was a personal, or just a business victory. This is kind of more personal, reclaim my body victory. So thank you for asking that question.”
Rousey enters the matchup with a 12-2 MMA record, a UFC bantamweight title reign, six successful UFC title defenses, and a 2018 UFC Hall of Fame induction. Her MMA run was built on judo entries, top control, and armbar finishes that ended most of her wins before the sport could settle into a rhythm.
Carano’s last professional MMA fight came in 2009, when she faced Cris Cyborg in Strikeforce. She competed before the UFC promoted women, helped put female fighters on major televised cards, and now returns after a 17-year gap against the fighter most closely tied to the UFC’s women’s division boom.
MVP MMA 1 also features Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry and Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins. Netflix is streaming the card globally, giving Carano’s return a bigger platform than a normal comeback fight would ever get.
The Disney case is closed, and Carano views the settlement as a win. Against Rousey, she gets a different test in her first professional MMA appearance since 2009.
Rousey’s path is not complicated. If she gets Carano down early, the comeback could get ugly fast.
