MMA Weekly: Gina Carano– Reluctant Face of Female MMA

It seems like it was only yesterday when MMA Weekly first witnessed Gina Carano slugging it out with Julie Kedzie.  If it were your first time to watch a mixed martial arts fight, and one of the first fighters you’d see inside the octagon was Kimbo Slice, you’d surely have a very different idea (humungously different from the real deal) of what real mixed martial arts is all about.

Conversely, it was my first time to watch women mixed martial artists to actually fight, and Gina Carano was the first woman I saw slugging it out inside the octagon.  The result was a very positive impression of what women mixed martial arts is all about.  The two women, Gina and Julie were simply dynamite!  I would even say that they fought better than some of the male MMA gladiators I’ve watched all these years!

With the folding up of Elite XC, Gina Carano’s fate as a fighter hangs in uncertainty.  This should have been a great opportunity for her to hop on to a bigger, more respected MMA organization: the UFC.  Unfortunately, Dana White have expressed reservations about female MMA warriors.  He must share what most of us guys think about women in MMA.

The first time I heard about female mixed martial artists, I thought, “Phooey! If I want to see a catfight, I’d go to some underground sleazy joints that feature mud wrestling.”  Truth is, I am somewhat against the idea of seeing women’s faces getting beaten, bruised, and bloodied.  Hey, they’re supposed to be supple and soft, right?  Besides, Americans, and the world in general may not want to see women (warriors or not) beaten down the mat.  

Seeing that fight between two women a couple of years back made me change my opinion.  The women–real women, not the hulky muscled type with masculine faces only their mothers would love—fought like real fighters that they are.  Watching them fight would make you change your old-fashioned perception of women as the weak, lesser specie of the humankind.  No, no, no.  Gina and Julie were real fighters.  Women MMA fighters have to thank Gina Carano and Julie Kedzie for giving the female version of the sport a very good first impression to the world.

It’s a shame that the possibility of seeing Gina Carano fight again remains an uncertainty.  Unlike in her case, Kimbo Slice seem to have a better chance of getting on the UFC bandwagon.  Dana White just made a turn-around about his stand about how to deal with the internet sensation.  While White previously said Kimbo is not an MMA artist, he said Kimbo can fight in the UFC.  “The offer’s out there if he wants to take it, (but) he won’t win it.”

If ever, there’s still the issue about Kimbo’s and Gina Carano’s contract with Elite XC to deal with before they could consider a UFC fight.  With Gina Carano’s popularity now, a trip to Hollywood tinseltown may be a lot easier.