Carano began training in Muay Thai before transitioning to competitive MMA, where she competed in Strikeforce and EliteXC. She was featured in ESPN The Magazine as well as Maxim. Her popularity led to her being called the “face of women’s MMA” (although Carano herself rejected the title).
Outside the ring, Carano performed as Crush in the revamped 2008 reality series American Gladiators. Carano has pursued a career in acting since she retired from competition. She made her film debut in the 2009 direct-to-DVD martial arts film Blood and Bone with Michael Jai White. She has subsequently appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 action film Haywire, Fast & Furious 6 , Deadpool and is now starring in the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian.
