--THE SAVAGE SCIENCE will present live play by play coverage of STRIKEFORCE MIAMI from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. This event will be headlined by Nick Diaz vs. DREAM welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis for the vacant Strikeforce Welterweight title– Join us for the best live fight narrative in the world January 30, 2010 7 PM Pacific /10 PM Eastern.
“If you go by the rules, you end up being an accountant.”
Written by Ralph Gonzalez | Wednesday, September 24 2008
Gina Carano is easily the most visable presence in women's MMA, but her critics contend that she's not the best fighter.
“Everyone has their own niche in life. I just seem to gravitate towards physical violence,” Gina Carano (6-0) said at the press workout held at Randy Couture’s Legends Gym in Los Angeles, California. Tough words from a pretty woman who also happens to be carrying the sport of women’s MMA on her back.
It’s a position she holds with much reluctance. “I am a recognized female in the sport, but I don’t think that I am the face of women’s MMA. It’s just a label. I’m Gina Carano. You can label me that,” Carano said. “I’m a fighter. My job is to fight.”
But the reality is that Carano is literally the “pretty face” of women’s M.M.A. Let’s face it, if she was homely, she wouldn’t be getting this kind of attention. It’s a huge part of her appeal. “There’s something so pure and honest about two women fighting. The fans just love it,” Carano insists. “It’s been unbelievable to be at the forefront of women’s MMA. Raising the recognition of the sport has been a blessing. The fan support has been amazing.”
The support has indeed been amazing. Amazing for Carano that is. Interestingly enough, no other female MMA fighter garners the type of fanfare that the daughter of former Dallas cowboy, Glenn Carano, currently enjoys. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, out of Brazil, is the only other female fighter who’s getting any press but it pales in comparison.
If being the face of woman’s MMA isn’t enough, she gained extra notoriety for portraying Crush on the NBC television series “American Gladiators”. This just served to make her even more famous among male audiences. Carano is realistic about her situation and the fickle nature of fame. “America is a strange place to be when you’re a star,” Carano said. “I wish our culture would respect people as human beings and not as objects. When you’re in the spotlight they love you, but that’s very short lived.”
She’s set to make her film debut in “Blood and Bone” along with fellow EliteXc fighter Kimbo Slice. The movie will open later this year. So is Carano an actress or a fighter? “I’m a fighter first and foremost. American Gladiators was a good experience,” said Carano. “I’m motivated by learning experiences, not by money or fame, so it opened my mind to a lot of things.”
She’s been training in Los Angeles with MMA Hall of famer Randy Couture. “The whole Extreme Couture family is tough. They expect the best from me,” Carano said. “This training camp has been going very well. I now have a lot of knowledge of what I’ve been doing right and what I’ve been doing wrong.”
Her opponent for October fourth’s CBS televised, Elite XC event, Kelly Kobold (16-2-1), is a tough veteran who’s seen just about everything. She’s coming off a decision loss to Julie Kedzie in August of 2007. She should prove to be a stern test for Carano. “This is my toughest fight so far,” she said. “I’m glad I’m going to be tested.”
The twenty six year old who attended the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, feels well versed on her opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. “My game plan is to fight a good fight,” Carano said. “I’ve been studying her style, how she reacts under pressure and when she gets hit, but nothing compares to when you get in there and the fight starts.”
She believes that battle is like a microcosm of every day life. “I think I’ve learned some of the best lessons in life from fighting,” Carano said. “I don’t have the college degree I was going for, but I have the experiences.”
Carano may have model looks but she wouldn’t be where she is if she wasn’t also talented. Would anyone be talking about her if her record was 0 and 6?
Good looks are a huge asset in any part of everyday life. The better looking people get preferential treatment and attention. In the sports world, it adds to their “marketability”. Carano is now riding that wave and she should embrace it like a well schooled surfer. Ride it, and make the most of it. It’s more than okay to be the “pretty face” of women’s MMA.
CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be broadcast live from the Bank Atlantic Center, in Sunrise, Fla., on Saturday, Oct. 4 (9-11 p.m., ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The main event will feature internet superstar Kimbo Slice taking on his toughest test when he meets Ken Shamrock.
Also on the card: Jake Shields defends his EliteXC welterweight belt against Paul Daley, Ninja Rua, a former middleweight belt-holder, faces Benji Radach at 185 pounds.
Cristiane “Cyborg’’ Santos meets Yoko Takahashi and Florida-based Edson Berto faces Hawaii’s Mike Aina in the 170 pound division. The undercard will also feature Crafton Wallace and Seth Petruzelli. Wallace has won four straight and six of seven. Petruzelli, a former cast member of the Ultimate Fighter, has won eight of his last 10 fights.
Tickets start at $30 and are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (954) 523-3309 in Broward County, online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the BankAtlantic Center box offices (954) 835-7825.
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