GINA CARANO

gina carano

Gina Carano was one of the first women to step up to the plate and into the ring. She is often referred to as the “Face of Women's MMA” and it's not a wonder why.

In the first ever sanctioned female MMA fight, Carano went up against Leticia Pestova on June 10, 2006. Carano came out with her best “ground and pound” and thirty-nine seconds into the fight, a star was born.

ELITEXC

The winning streak would continue for Carano. Fighting for the now defunct EliteXC, Gian Carano defeated Rosi Sexton in Las Vegas in the World Pro Fighting show.

Julie Kedzie was next in line in an event called “the fight of the night”. Carano won by unanimous decision.

A “rear naked choke” won Carano her first submission against Tonya Evingerm, in Septemeber of 2007 in the Showtime EliteXC card.

Barely skimming by the weight qualifications, Carano actually forfeited part of her earnings in order to fight Kaitlin Young on EliteXC:Primetime in 2008. gina carano

Weighing in at 144.5, she fell short of the 145 required for the featherweight class. Batamweight was set at 135. Ultimately Carano created a new class of 140 pounds.

Carano defeated Young and went on to take on Kelly Kobold in October of 2008 at EliteXC:Heat. The bout was televised on CBS.

Viewers watched as Kobold took Carano down in the second round. But Carano would not break. She threw punches, hitting Kobold every time she could which payed off in the third round when she slashed Kobold's face and topped it off with a head kick at the end of the round.

The fight went to Gina Carano by unanimous decision and she remained undeated.

That was the last Carano would fight for ExciteXC ceased to exist in October of 2008. Strikeforce purchased the organization and Carano was contracted to them.

STRIKEFORCE

In a much anticipated bout, on August 15, 2009, Carano entered the ring against Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.

It was Strikeforce's first Women's Championship. Aired on Showtime, 856,000 viewers tuned in to watch the live fight.

It took only 4:59 minutes in the first round for Santos to defeat Carnao by TKO and that was the end of the winning streak.

Born in Dallas county on April 16, 1982, Gina Carano grew up around sports as her father played for the Dallas Cowboys as backup quarterback from 1977 to 1983 and later as a starter with the Pittsburgh Maulers.

She attended Trinity Christian High School in Las Vegas and excelled in basketball, volleyball and softball. But Carano's love was Muay Thai. She held a 12-1-1 record when her MMA career began.

AMERICAN GLADIATORS gina carano

Outside the ring, Carano's good looks and MMA skills have opened many doors. She appeared in American Gladiators as “Crush” and mentored female fighters in Oxygen, the reality television show.

She has been in films and was in the movie Blood and Bone and has been featured on her share of magazines.

Ranked at number 5 on Yahoo's top influential women in 2008, Carano continues to intrigue and entertain America with her skills, tenacity and determination.

Have we seen the last of “The face of women's MMA” or will she return to the ring for yet another round?

Though that is a question yet unanswered, it is certain that many are betting and hoping that she will be back.

Gina Carano has recently appeared in Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 so while you wait for her to fight, you can enjoy watching her in your video games.