Is Gina Carano Coming Back To MMA?

[Guest CMHunk]

A potential Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight just got a whole lot more real.

 

At a Wednesday downtown media event, both Rousey, the UFC women's bantamweight champion, and UFC president Dana White indicated that they're not just interested in a fight between the two biggest names in women's MMA history, but also that Carano would get an immediate title shot if she returns to the sport.

 

"I think it would be the best thing for women's MMA," said Rousey, who wasn't scheduled to be part of the event pushing UFC 173, but showed up midway through. "I think it would be the highest profile fight that could be done. I don't think it would make sense for her to come back and fight somebody else and take the risk of maybe losing and not being able to capitalize on the fight between me and her. I think it would make more sense to go straight to a title fight."

 

White, who was scheduled to meet with Carano to discuss her contract status on Wednesday night, let fly with an accidental double entendre when asked about the potential bout. "I'd do Ronda and Gina," White said. After the explosion of laughter in the room subsided and White turned a deep shade of red, he said "I'd do that fight."

 

The biggest point of contention in making the fight is the fact that Carano has not competed since 2009 and has not won a fight since 2008.

 

Rousey says that a fight with Carano is a matter of paying respect to a legend of the game.

 

"She's one of the pioneers on the sport," Rousey said. "She's the reason I fight at all. You can't say she's just coming in off the street. How can you say no to the woman that I owe everything to? I would bend over backwards to fight her. I'm not going to make her run through the gauntlet to fight me. I would show up at her house if that's where she wanted to fight."

 

White made it clear that if such a fight would happen, it would have to occur at 135 pounds. Carano only made 135 once in her career and missed 140 pounds on multiple occasions.

 

"Last time I've seen her, have you seen her recently?" White says. "She's smaller, she said she's walking around way lighter than she used to."

 

White shot down the idea that the bout could be contested at a catchweight, which was the route the company took the last time a champion vs. legend opportunity presented itself, with then-welterweight champ Matt Hughes vs. pioneer Royce Gracie in 2006.

 

"Royce doesn't give a s--- about titles and stuff like that," White said. "He didn't want time limits, rounds, or rules, completely different way of thinking. Royce didn't give a s--- about belts or anything like that. Royce just wanted to fight Matt Hughes. Big difference.

 

The UFC inherited Carano's contract from Strikeforce when the latter company was purchased.

 

"She's going to come back when she wants to sign," White said. "She's the type of person like this one here (pointing at Rousey), she's not coming back just because. She's coming back because she wants the title."

this is when we're reminded that it really isn't all about the sport at all and the UFC is just one company within an industry trying to make as much money as possible. Not saying they shouldn't, that's their main responsibility, but the idea that Gina can walk right back in and get her booty handed to her at the very top level irks me a bit. Probably moreso because it's a fight I'm not interested in at all.

 

Get used to the excuses and cheap ways to try and justify why Gina deserves to get a title shot from Dana and Ronda right up until any potential fight actually happens.

[Guest Boyo]

Carano is by far and away the biggest draw in women's MMA, as far as the casual mainstream fans like me go anyway.

 

She was plastered all over men's magazines, was in two biggish Hollywood films, was an American Gladiator. She's as mainstream as it gets for women's MMA, and she's hot, too.

 

Rousey and Cyborg are the "John Cena"'s of women's MMA. A couple of reasonably viral-ish YouTube clips aside, chumps like me don't know who these ladies are.

 

Cheers!

[Guest The Beltster]

Carano a bigger name than Rousey?! Lol, Boyo's been at the magic mushrooms.

[DC 536]

Carano is by far and away the biggest draw in women's MMA, as far as the casual mainstream fans like me go anyway.

 

She was plastered all over men's magazines, was in two biggish Hollywood films, was an American Gladiator. She's as mainstream as it gets for women's MMA, and she's hot, too.

Rousey has been all over magazines (men's mags like FHM, etc, as well as "proper" magazines including the famous ESPN shoot), has been all over American TV and will be a featured cast member is both Expendables 3 and Fast & Furious 7.

 

Ronda Rousey is not a nobody and I would argue is currently much more of a mainstream name than Gina Carano.

[Evil Gringo 279]

Gina did films, Rousey is currently doing films - Rousey's star has risen helped by the fact that she was all over TV with the Ultimate Fighter, doing interviews everywhere, followed Gina doing the ESPN Body Issue and now, when MMA is more popular then ever IS the face of Women's MMA.

 

Gina was the face of it when it was only available in Strikeforce and therefore watched by some people who like MMA - now it is in the UFC with Rousey when all people who like MMA and the casual fans watch it, therefore expanding her fan base and exposure more then Gina ever had.

 

So to be honest Gina is the John Cena, not Rousey. Rousey is the Stone Cold - not quite the Rock or Hogan in the 80's but pretty much damn well known ergo Rousey is the bigger draw of the two.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Evil Gringo

[DC 536]

the ESPN Boy Issue

:lol

[Evil Gringo 279]

Gotta love the old mistype.

 

Now edited although lets be honest, the only people who read that issue are teenage boys who still get off on side boob.

[dsrchris 190]

For what it's worth, I'm about as casual an MMA fan as you can get (all my info is from here, or from my mates who are well into it) and I had to google Gina Carano to find out who she was, but I knew who Ronda was.

[Guest The Beltster]

I have the cover of that issue printed on a t-shirt, its pretty cool.

[Guest Boyo]

Sorry but you MMA enthusiasts are not in a position to tell a mainstream Mary like me which fighter is best known to mainstream Marys.

 

Out of the two, I'd say more people would say Carano, and even then they'd say "Crush", which is the same thing. Anyway, neither of those two are as well known as Leila Ali who, as far as I know, doesn't even fight.

 

Cheers!

[Guest John Hancock]

You seem to be ignoring the non-MMA fans telling you the opposite.

[Guest The Beltster]

Boyo, you're without question wrong. Sorry homeboy. And what does Ali have to do with anything?! :lol

[Guest Boyo]

No idea :P.

 

I've of course heard of Rousey but find it surprising that she's a bigger name than Carano as Carano's time in the spotlight seemed to have more mainstream exposure.

 

Also funny that if any female fight is going to appeal to the mainstream, the key aspect is bringing back a fighter who hasn't been in the ring/octagon for years and who everyone suspects will lose horribly.

 

So what's the point in the fight at all, unless Carano is such a big name that they're only doing it to get Rousey's name out there in the mainstream? The mainstream have been calling for, and still call for, Carano. Rousey's no doubt the better fighter so this fight can only be thought about because the other woman is the bigger name.

 

Cheers!

[Guest John Hancock]

Maxim readers voted her the 29th "hottest" woman in the world. Forbes Magazine identified her as one of the 30 most important and influential young athletes in the world of sports. Time Magazine named her the 25th most "world changing" person under the age of 30. Time also called her the current "face of female athletics" Over the next two years, she'll be staring in the new Fast & Furious and Expendables films, and the long-awaited film version of Entourage. Her first fight in the UFC was the most watched female combat sports fight in history, including Ali.

 

But, I mean, she's no Gina Carano is she? It's not like Ronda's making cameos in Almost Human.

[Guest Magic]

For what it's worth' date=' I'm about as casual an MMA fan as you can get (all my info is from here, or from my mates who are well into it) and I had to google Gina Carano to find out who she was, but I knew who Ronda was.[/quote']

 

This is me exactly.

[ViciousPrism 177]

This is me exactly.

 

On the other side of the casual coin, I know who Carano is, but after the MMA stuff was done.

[Guest CMHunk]

I think it's pretty clear at this point and am surprised it seems up for so much debate....

 

Rousey is the biggest draw in women's MMA

 

Carano is the second

 

Cyborg could draw but only against one of the above (well against Rousey, somewhat against Carano) and would draw basically nothing against anyone that isn't them.

 

Everybody else is utterly irrelevant when it comes to numbers

 

people really need to understand the difference between having heard of someone and them being a draw. Sure Boyo, you've heard of Gina Carano, but does that mean you're going to buy on PPV any fight she's in ever?

Edited April 13, 2014 by CMHunk

[Guest Boyo]

I'm not ever going to pay to watch MMA.

 

Cheers!

[Maxximus 353]

Sorry but you MMA enthusiasts are not in a position to tell a mainstream Mary like me which fighter is best known to mainstream Marys.

 

Out of the two, I'd say more people would say Carano, and even then they'd say "Crush", which is the same thing.

 

http://i.imgur.com/9KJ6ZXT.jpg

 

 

I'm as mainstream a fan as Matt, Chris and Magic and I'm telling you, Boyo, you're wrong. There's no way any fan casual or otherwise is gonna know who Crush from American Gladiators is. I watched the first episode because of Hogan. After that I had no interest and I don't know anyone personally who watched either. Only a die hard fan is gonna know who any of the Gladiators are and most people who know Gina was Crush are people who were either really into the show or heard about it in an interview or something after she was a name in mma.

 

You're out of your depth, Boyo. Like way out there.

[Guest CMHunk]

knowing who she is isn't the point anyway!

 

Even if you know she's Crush from Gladiators, does that then translate to wanting to see her fight in the UFC if you don't usually buy UFC PPV's?

 

I doubt that more people on the planet know who Cyborg is, than Cat Zingano. But a Cyborg/Rousey fight would draw a lot more than Zingano/Rousey. Knowing who someone is, and wanting to see a fight involving them are not the same thing.