Gina Carano built her early reputation not just on performances inside the cage, but also on moments that carried far beyond it. One of the most enduring came in 2009, when a brief cageside reaction turned into a viral clip that has followed her for years.
Back in 2009, during Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz, Carano was in attendance as a rising star in the promotion, with a highly anticipated bout against Cris Cyborg on the horizon. That night, cameras repeatedly caught her in the crowd, capturing a now-iconic moment in which she looked into the lens and bit her lip with a playful smile.
The clip quickly gained traction and has since been immortalized across GIFs and memes, becoming one of the most recognizable non-fight moments in MMA history.
Gina Carano Finally Explains Viral Moment
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Carano opened up about what was actually going through her mind at the time, and the explanation is far less calculated than fans might expect.
I don't smoke weed, but I had smoked weed (that night), and I was just living in my head," Carano said. "The cameraman just kept on putting (the camera on me) – and I thought it was in my head because I was a little bit stoned. … I was just in my head. I was like, 'Is this guy putting the camera on me a lot, or am I just being super paranoid?' It turns out he was putting the camera on me a lot. So what was going through my head: Just like, 'Act normal, act normal.' And that happened. It was a total stoner moment.
Rather than a deliberate attempt to create a memorable TV moment, "Conviction" described it as a spontaneous reaction to repeatedly being put on camera while feeling slightly out of it. The result, however, took on a life of its own.
I don’t know,” Carano said. “The cameraman just kept on putting—and I thought it was in my head because I was a little bit stoned. I don’t smoke weed anymore because I’m not a weed smoker; it’s just too much for me. I don’t like anything that, like, I don’t even really drink anymore, barely. I’m like a whole different person.
It was just in my head, I was like, ‘Is this guy putting the camera on me a lot or am I just being super paranoid?’ It turns out he was putting the camera on me a lot, so what was going through my head, just like, ‘Act normal. Act normal,’ and that happens. So it was a total stoner moment.
Now 44, Carano is set to return to competition for the first time since her 2009 loss to Cyborg, ending a layoff that has stretched close to 17 years. She is scheduled to face Ronda Rousey on May 16 in a bout that headlines Netflix’s first live MMA event at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
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