Gina Carano
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Gina "Conviction" Carano (born April 16, 1982) is a female professional mixed martial artist training out of Xtreme Couture.
She stands 5 ft. 8 in. (173 cm) tall and fights in the 145 lbs. division.
Carano is well known for being the gladiator, "Crush" on American Gladiators. She currently fights for Strikeforce.
Early Career
With a professional Muay Thai record of 12-1-1, Gina Carano made her professional mixed martial arts debut on June 10, 2006 for the World Extreme Fighting promotion. She faced Leiticia Pestova and knocked her out with punches and elbows in just 38 seconds.
Three months later, Carano faced Brit, Rosi Sexton and scored her second knockout win as she ended Sexton's night with a punch at the 4:55 mark of round 2.
To close out 2006, Carano made her Strikeforce debut and defeated Elaina Maxwell via unanimous decision after three, two-minute rounds.
EliteXC and Rise to Fame
To begin 2007, Carano signed with EliteXC and made her debut at EliteXC: Destiny against Julie Kedzie. The two went back and forth for the full nine minutes, with Carano earning the unanimous decision. The fight was hailed as the best of the night.
Carano picked up her first submission victory at EliteXC: Uprising as she bounced back from missing weight to submit Tonya Evinger with a first round rear naked choke.
With her star on the rise, Carano signed on to star in NBC's American Gladiators. Playing "Crush", Carano brought unprecedented focus onto women's MMA. She was matched up against Kaitlin Young on the main card of EliteXC: Primetime - the first mixed martial arts event to be broadcast live on network television (CBS). Carano's weight troubles continued however, as she weighed in at 144.8 lbs. for her 140 lbs. bout. After giving up a portion of her fight purse to Young, the bout went ahead with Carano earning a stoppage victory at the end of the second round.
Carano was next matched up against Kelly Kobald at EliteXC's third CBS event, EliteXC: Heat. Carano came into the bout at a legal 141 lbs. after having to strip down at the weigh-ins in order to make weight. Come fight time, Carano battered Kobald for three rounds and scored herself a unanimous decision win.
Strikeforce
Carano - now labelled as the face of female MMA - had watched a challenger emerging in the form of brutal Brazilian, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. Anticipation had grown amongst MMA fans due to their recent performances but immediate plans for the bout had been put on hiatus due to the downfall of EliteXC.
Midway through 2009, Carano signed with Strikeforce who immediately scheduled the bout as the headlining attraction of their August event, Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg. This was the first women's bout to headline a major MMA event and was to be fought for the newly created Women's Lightweight (145 lbs.) Championship. The bout was a furious one as the two exchanged violently for the majority of the first round with Cyborg's aggression getting the upperhand. A takedown with a little under a minute left saw Cyborg get on top and wail away with punches on a hapless Carano with the bout being stopped at the 4:59 mark of round 1.
Mixed martial arts record
| 8 matches | 7 wins | 1 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 1 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 3 | 0 |
| Draws | 0 | |
Record
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Cristiane Santos | TKO (Punches) | Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg | 8/15/2009 | 1 | 4:59 | For first-ever Strikeforce Female Championship (145 lbs.) |
| Win | Kelly Kobold | Decision (Unanimous) | EliteXC: Heat | 10/04/2008 | 3 | 3:00 | First MMA event on American Network Television |
| Win | Kaitlin Young | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | EliteXC: Primetime | 5/31/2008 | 2 | 3:00 | Carano failed to make weight, forfeited 12.5% of her purse |
| Win | Tonya Evinger | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | EliteXC: Uprising | 9/15/2007 | 1 | 2:53 | - |
| Win | Julie Kedzie | Decision (Unanimous) | EliteXC: Destiny | 2/10/2007 | 3 | 3:00 | - |
| Win | Elaina Maxwell | Decision (Unanimous) | Strikeforce: Triple Threat | 12/08/2006 | 3 | 2:00 | - |
| Win | Rosi Sexton | KO (Punch) | WPFC 1: World Pro Fighting Championships | 9/15/2006 | 2 | 4:55 | - |
| Win | Leiticia Pestova | KO | WEF: Orleans Arena | 6/10/2006 | 1 | 0:39 | - |
Gallery
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External links
http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Gina-Carano-16535 - Professional MMA Record
http://www.sherdog.com/pictures/gallery/fighter/16535/ - Sherdog Photo Gallery
--Wrldchmpnabrvtr 07:36, 27 August 2009 (UTC)
