Former MMA fighter Gina Carano signs new movie deal following departure from The Mandalorian
Gina Carano has signed an exclusive movie deal shortly after her departure from The Mandalorian.
In the aftermath of the controversial posts that Carano shared to her Instagram story, the 38-year-old was fired by Disney from the popular spinoff series. On Friday, Carano took to Twitter to announce a new movie project with The Daily Wire, an American conservative media company.
"The Daily Wire is helping make one of my dreams - to develop and produce my own film - come true. I cried out and my prayer was answered," Carano told The Daily Wire. "I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before, and I hope it inspires others to do the same. They can’t cancel us if we don’t let them."
Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator and founding editor-in-chief at The Daily Wire, said that Carano was fired by Disney for "offending the authoritarian Hollywood Left."
Immediately after Carano's release, her fellow Republican party members and supporters pulled in to show their support for the former MMA star, including Senator Ted Cruz.
This is not the first time Gina Carano's social media posts have sparked controversy. Last year, she allegedly mocked transgender people by adding 'boop/bob/beep' to her Twitter bio. Carano also faced backlash for claiming that the United States presidential elections were rigged.
Why was Gina Carano considered the face of women's MMA?
Before shifting her attention to acting, Gina Carano was a well-known MMA fighter. The Texas native was widely regarded as the face of women's MMA who helped put female fighters into mainstream MMA.
In February 2007, Carano fought Julie Kedzie in the first women's MMA fight that was broadcast live on television. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
Gina Carano went on to win his first seven professional fights before bumping into future UFC champion Cris Cyborg.
The two women fought in the highly-anticipated Strikeforce main event. The inaugural Strikeforce women's featherweight championship was also on the line, which was ultimately captured by Cyborg after defeating Carano via TKO in the first round.
It was also Carano's final professional MMA fight.