Gina Carano won't return until the summer... or maybe not at all

[CrimsonGhost56]

The face of women’s MMA may not be back until summer 2010, according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker.

Gina Carano, 27, is currently shooting a starring role in the Stephen Soderbergh-helmed film “Knockout.” She reportedly plays a fighter who’s hired by the government to become a spy.

When asked for an update on when Carano would return to the Strikeforce cage, Coker said, “that’s a good question.”

“Her agent and I have been in dialogue,” he added. “We had talked about having her fight again, but not fighting on Dec. 19. She’s going to acting classes, I heard, and doing a lot of weapons training, doing what they do.”

The Strikeforce executive has followed this route before. The promotion’s other crossover star, Cung Le, relinquished his middleweight title in September when a blossoming movie career overtook his fighting responsibilities. Le will return to the cage on Dec. 19 after a 21-month absence.

Coker said he wanted to meet with Carano before making any decisions on how to manage the situation.

“I’d like to sit down with her face-to-face probably in the next 30 days or so, and sit down and see where her head’s at,” he said. “By all means, we would love to have her back, and we would love to have her fight again. I think in her heart she’s still a fighter.”

Amid much fanfare, Carano lost her Strikeforce debut in August, falling prey to Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in a bout for the newly created 145-pound divisional women’s title. She went into virtual seclusion afterwards, offering but one comment on the loss.

“I know I am a better fighter than the way I performed that night and was heartbroken to not give more to those who have been inspired,” she wrote in a prepared statement. “However, I find some relief in knowing that this has never been only about me, and now more than ever I feel freedom to learn and grow at my own pace.”

Regulars at Xtreme Couture, where she logged most of her training hours, say she’s been MIA since the fight.

One of Carano’s chief trainers, Chris Ben-Tchavtchavadze, said Monday that she had been living in San Diego with family and hadn’t spoken of a return. He said the spotlight of her last fight overwhelmed her and she needed to get her mind in the right place for a return.

“She went out and fought Cyborg’s fight,” he said. “If she fought her fight, it would be a different story.”

For those expecting Carano to surface post-movie, Coker had a very conservative timetable.

“What her representatives are saying is something in the summertime,” he said.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=10250&zoneid=13

 

[Bigpapa42]

Damn. Another one who seems to have their eye on "bigger thing" than fighting.

 

[CrimsonGhost56]

Damn. Another one who seems to have their eye on "bigger thing" than fighting.

i cant really hate on anyone doing what they want. if gina wants to do movies and make a lot of buck doing it then more power to her. but as a MMA fan i almost feel like shes cheating us out of watching her fight. she's still the face of women's mma and has so much talent its a shame we wont get to watch her fight for a long time or ever. idk but it seems to me if her movie career takes off mma might be a thing of the past for her. cant mess up that moneymaker. cyborg almost re-arranged her face and thats no good for a movie career.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

Cant say I blame her. Shes made her name recognizeable and she'll make much more money acting then she will fighting, with a shit ton less damage done to your body. Hopefully we get to see her fight again as the talent level in the womens division seems relatively thin, but I wouldnt be surprised if she just goes for acting full time.

 

[Ralnakor]

Cant say I blame her. Shes made her name recognizeable and she'll make much more money acting then she will fighting, with a shit ton less damage done to your body. Hopefully we get to see her fight again as the talent level in the womens division seems relatively thin, but I wouldnt be surprised if she just goes for acting full time.

Can't blame her at all.

 

[Bigpapa42]

I'm not blaming her. Didn't mean it that way. I'm not saying acting is "easy", but I imagine its easier physically on a person than fighting for a living. Its simply that as a fan, its disappointing. Understandable, absolutely. But still disappointing.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

I'm not blaming her. Didn't mean it that way. I'm not saying acting is "easy", but I imagine its easier physically on a person than fighting for a living. Its simply that as a fan, its disappointing. Understandable, absolutely. But still disappointing.

Definitely easier physically, which is why I think its a good move.

PS: I never did take it as you "blaming her".. just stating my view on the sito.

 

[MrBill]

She might be the face of female MMA but she still got her ass kicked in her last fight. Making movies is a lot easier and more profitable than getting your pretty face mashed.

 

[killgod]

It's easier to fap to her in a movie than fighting a beast woman like cyborg.

Win for me.

 

[Liquidrob]

Hope she fights again, but if she can make money off of movies its an easy choice

For all the crap people talk about Gina and her ability, she can fight, before MMA she was fighting Thai Boxing which is a rough ass sport

 

[Steel Mamba]

I doubt she's making more money on movies than she would with MMA (with her new contract + sponsors), right now at least. I just don't think she's ever been a fan of being in the spotlight and having so much attention focused on her.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

I doubt she's making more money on movies than she would with MMA (with her new contract + sponsors), right now at least. I just don't think she's ever been a fan of being in the spotlight and having so much attention focused on her.

Sponsors will still be there, and the movie paychecks are likely much larger then the fighting paychecks. No doubt acting is a more profitable profession then fighting at this point. And if she needs to get some cake she can fight once every couple years and still be the top female draw in the sport.

 

[Steel Mamba]

As its been said Rampage would be making more money fighting than he is by doing the A-Team, and I'm sure the budget there is probably bigger than this movie since they have some big names in the A-Team, plus it's her first big role. The bulk of your sponsor money is gained from fighting and making appearances. Acting is more profitable if you're a huge movie star in big films.

 

[SHOGUN]

She'll be back. She likes to compete too much just to toss it aside completely. I think it's smart to use this time and take a break to recoup mentally while furthering her film career.

While I never thought he was an elite fighter, she's BIG for female's MMA development. How she responds to this loss will be crucial for her and the mainstream success of the sport. I think that loss to Cyborg really messed with her head since she actually fought someone her own size who is of equal skill for once and panicked because she couldn't bully them around like she was accustomed to doing to 135ers.

 

[Bigpapa42]

Acting is pretty profitable even if you aren't starring in major films or network sitcoms. You might not be making millions at it otherwise, but if you get regular work, you definitely aren't starving. A friend of mine made a couple thousand for a one-line speaking part on a locally-filmed Canadian sitcom. It took one day to film. I don't know for sure, but I've heard you can make a living off of a regular recurring minor role (at least during the filming).

 

[MrBill]

While I never thought he was an elite fighter, she's BIG for female's MMA development. How she responds to this loss will be crucial for her and the mainstream success of the sport. I think that loss to Cyborg really messed with her head since she actually fought someone her own size who is of equal skill for once and panicked because she couldn't bully them around like she was accustomed to doing to 135ers.

Maybe that was it, I think it was partly because that Cyborg bitch looked and fought like an Orc.

 

[Liquidrob]

Gina could be Cyborg with a proper training camp and actually training to be a fighter full time, she is pretty talented

The difference is Cyborg trains all the time and is a fighter first, secnd and third, Gina didnt train like she should, not saying Gina wins but it would be a lot closer fight than what we saw

 

[SHOGUN]

Gina could be Cyborg with a proper training camp and actually training to be a fighter full time, she is pretty talented

The difference is Cyborg trains all the time and is a fighter first, secnd and third, Gina didnt train like she should, not saying Gina wins but it would be a lot closer fight than what we saw

I'm sure she won't spaz out and give up full mount in the rematch, that's for sure.

 

[MrBill]

I'll defer to you guys that know more about UFC on the level of Carano's talent. I just watched the fight because she is hot.

 

[Liquidrob]

I'll defer to you guys that know more about MMA on the level of Carano's talent. I just watched the fight because she is hot.

fixed, sorry, could not let that slide, lol