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[pa99fighter]

Gina Carano promises re-dedication to MMA
by John Morgan on Jun 01, 2008 at 1:20 pm ET
NEWARK, N.J. – Perhaps thankfully for undefeated female fighter Gina Carano, a rash of controversial outcomes on fight night quickly overshadowed the issues "Conviction" created at Friday's weigh-ins, coming in four pounds overweight.

The levity of that situation was not lost on the EliteXC poster girl, however, and Carano has vowed to rededicate herself to the gym.

After Saturday's CBS event, Carano openly discussed the challenges her hectic schedule placed on her MMA preparations for opponent Kaitlin Young.

"I was transitioning from the mindset of ‘American Gladiators' to the fight world, and I got lost for a week," Carano admitted. "I was like, ‘Where am I?'"

Carano was only allowed to fight after her camp was able to negotiate a 12.5 percent purse penalty to be paid to her opponent, Kaitlin Young. Carano said she wanted to reach the contracted weight limit of 140 pounds but that her body began to shut down hours before the weigh-in.

"My body just stopped sweating, and I tried, but [the weight] just wasn't going," Carano said. "So I figured I'd just take the penalty."

Carano ultimately earned a TKO victory after Young was considered unfit to continue past the third round. However, the difficulties of the days leading up to the bout nearly cost Carano the fight before she ever stepped into the cage.

A late visit by her mother, however, helped the 26-year-old refocus on the task at hand.

"Really, my heart was just a little bit screwed up before the fight, and it took all the way up until a couple of hours ago to get it straight," Carano said." So that was like losing the first battle. And then going into this fight, I just was ready almost to get defeated because of that. But then my mom came in and talked to me and straightened me out."

During the conference, an emotional Carano conveyed her passion for MMA, as well as the sports' competitors.

"People ask me why I like to fight," Carano said. "And, I guess it's just because I look at all these guys up here, and you see such truth in their eyes and their hearts. And that's something that's addicting to me because I'd rather go home with a couple of bruises and a couple of pains than have to deal with [expletive] from ... the outside world. That's some of my inspiration -- these guys up here (on the conference panel), and fighters all around the world.

"I love this sport."

Carano also professed her desire to refocus her intensity in the gym and to commit to hosting a full training camp for subsequent bouts.

"All I need to do is get in the gym and be stable," Carano said. "That's what I need to do. ... I think that if you give me two months solid of training and put a really good opponent in front of me, I'm really anxious to see what I can do."

Carano, however, did leave the door open to the possibility of trying a different weight class.

"I'm interested in getting back in to the gym and training for two months for a fight instead of three weeks," Carano said. "That's what I'm interested in doing. And if that makes me at 145, 150 -- whatever it is, I'll fight at that. I don't really care what weight I fight at. I just need the two months to put into training, and then I'll fight anybody."

Insert she was too busy with me joke here

[POINDEXTER]

Carano is a pretty good fighter but she suffers from being associated with and sheltered by EliteXC. If you can't make the weight and you have other commitments, don't take the fight. Her not making weight was embarrassing and added to the ludicrousness of the train wreck we witnessed. The stoppage was questionable at least - the knot was under the eye and not obscuring the other fighter's vision, so what was the reasoning? Also, when Gina said "that was fun going for the gogoplata..I think that's what it' called...", that kind of made her commitment seem lacking and gave a not so serious quality to an already laughable event. I guess she didn't commit any cardinal sins, and if all you can say about her is that she gives you a boner, then it doesn't really matter. IMO, I include her lack of dedication at least in a small part in the assessment of why EliteXC sucks - that is, she surely didn't break the trend of bullshit that surrounds that organization. I'll still follow her fights, but I think she shouldn't be given alternate rules or special consideration.

[T]

Any talks about UFC starting a womens division?

[littlequaker]

i was very disapointed to see her coming in overweight, this is something she has been struggling with throughout her career. if she cant make the weight, she shouldnt be allowed to fight, its not fair to the other fighter who busted their ass to cut their weight. she really needs to get her priorities straight, is she an american gladiator, or an mma fighter? having said that, at least the women got to go at it on cbs. was it the event we hoped it would be, no, but it almost was.

[littlequaker]

Originally Posted by T

Any talks about UFC starting a womens division?

no, dana doesnt like women fighting

[lottie-12]

Originally Posted by littlequaker

no, dana doesnt like women fighting

actually he said that the UFC wouldn't start a womens division because there isn't enough women fighters.

[pa99ortiz]

I would much rather see Gina do something else other than fighting..

[#1taz]

actually he said that the UFC wouldn't start a womens division because there isn't enough women fighters.

Which is an obvious bullshit excuse...because there are plenty of good skilled women MMA fighters. But Dana's wannabe tough guy macho personality/attitude wouldn't dare let any chicks get on a PPV and possibly outshine or outperform any of his contracted UFC or TUF guys fighting.

Hell...if Dana let a couple of the chicks like Gina Carano and Tara LaRosa hang out and train at the TUF house and their gym, they'd probably kick a few of those TUF guys asses for being such douche bags.

But don't hold your breath untill the organizers and promoters all realize that women should be allowed to fight just the same as men. They are about as liberal as a lot of newbie MMA fans on this site that make a bunch of crude rude neanderthal sexist comments every time it's mentioned in a thread.

So I give Gary Shaw a definite attaboy for being the first to put a women's MMA fight on network TV, and yet a kick in the nuts for screwing it up so badly...lol

[dagreat1]

Megumi Fujii would son a house full of UFC TUF'ers at 120lbs.

Gina's nowhere near the top of the woman's food chain.

[foundstarr]

Originally Posted by POINDEXTER

Carano is a pretty good fighter but she suffers from being associated with and sheltered by EliteXC. If you can't make the weight and you have other commitments, don't take the fight. Her not making weight was embarrassing and added to the ludicrousness of the train wreck we witnessed. The stoppage was questionable at least - the knot was under the eye and not obscuring the other fighter's vision, so what was the reasoning? Also, when Gina said "that was fun going for the gogoplata..I think that's what it' called...", that kind of made her commitment seem lacking and gave a not so serious quality to an already laughable event. I guess she didn't commit any cardinal sins, and if all you can say about her is that she gives you a boner, then it doesn't really matter. IMO, I include her lack of dedication at least in a small part in the assessment of why EliteXC sucks - that is, she surely didn't break the trend of bullshit that surrounds that organization. I'll still follow her fights, but I think she shouldn't be given alternate rules or special consideration.

This attitude is old...

First off, its been said by her Shaw and EliteXC. She didn't want to fight on this card. Also before the weigh-ins, days before the fight everyone knew she wasn't going to make weight.

She had 3 weeks to train and cut weight, get off your high horse and give someone a break when they clearly deserve it.