UFC President Dana White has continued to soften his stance about promoting a possible fight using former Elite XC female superstar and butt-kicking heartthrob Gina “Conviction” Carano (7-0).
Just don’t expect it to take place in the hallowed Octagon. If it were to happen under his watch, White says, it would more than likely take place under the Zuffa-owned World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) banner.
Here’s what he said at Monday’s Q & A in Toronto :
“ Gina Carano is a star, and I think she’s talented. I think she has all the tools, so what I’m willing to do is bring Gina into the WEC. We could do fights whenever there’s a challenge for Gina. That’s how I’ll test the waters and see how it goes .”
That’s clearly not an all-out guarantee. However, it is a marked change in tone from just two weeks ago. Here’s what he had to say then:
“Gina Carano’s a talented fighter, she’s a star. She should’ve been the main event (on CBS’ last EliteXC broadcast). My thing with women and fighting is there isn’t enough good women to create a whole division. Could I do some one-off fights here and there? Yeah, but that’s not really what we do.”
It’s an intriguing development to say the least. Perhaps White — who has historically gone on record saying he does not personally like to see women beat each other up — is having a change of heart because a match up between Carano and Brazilian rival Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (6-1) is more than likely a huge money maker.
In fact, the WEC has designs on making its pay-per-view (PPV) debut sometime in 2009. And what better way to increase interest (and PPV buys) than putting a fight together than fans are eager to see, were told they were going to see, and then had it disappear before their very eyes when Elite XC closed its doors.
Remember, too, the Carano is very close with UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture and his wife Kim, training full-time at the X-Treme Couture facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.
There is also that ugly issue with Affliction’s now-exiled Todd Beard and the Couture’s, suggesting that a fight between Carano and Cyborg would now be highly unlikely under the Affliction MMA brand because of the tensions between the parties.
Therefore, White more than likely has the upper hand, as well as the financial and television resources, to ensure that this blockbuster showdown is indeed just that.
65 Comments »
Thats what I’m talking about!!!
lol, are you guys more interested in woman’s mma or an average looking woman fighting? I just don’t get what you guys are in to?!
Im not interested in Womans MMA! But a Carano fight every now and then in the WEC is good right?
I actually like the women’s mma. I like to sometimes ponder if I can kick that girl’s ass or not.
Pics of your wife or shut up.
Kevin “lol,are you guys more interested in woman’s mma or an average looking woman fighting?I just don’t get what you guys are into!” I don’t get what this Kevin is into other than trying to sound like an arrogant know it all jackass.As if he’s hanging out with supermodels all day.Guys who talk like that usually still lives with mom.He probably wouldn’t know what to do with Gina Carano anyway.
crap, I’ve been found out, I got to change my name on here so you can’t poke fun anymore, and so my mom doesn’t find out what I’m using her internet connection for!
Ha, evereyone calls upon Kein lol
you might be wondering who “kein” is
*Kevin
No!!!
She needs money! Get her to shoot in playboy, THEN! we’ll talk WEC
Gina is popular but that has to do more with sex appeal then fighting. I don’t think women’s MMA is that popular. Gina has gotten the exposure because she did American Gladiators and CBS put her on the main card of a couple free shows.
I don’t think she could sell many ppvs. I watch women’s MMA when it’s free, there is no way I’m shelling out my ppv money to watch women’s mma.
she would be a nice addition to a ppv vs cyborg, or a nice addition to the wec against other girls. she is very marketable. BOOBIES!
= ) See post above = )
you mean post below.
US women’s MMA scene kinda sucks. All the p4p best are in japan except for LaRosa. Even the shitty pro wrestlers have a very high grappling/shooting acumen so they make entertaining fights. Here there are like 6 girls that fight each other over and over and the rest are all one time 0-1er’s.
LoL
B.W.~ that P4P thing… that was Sugar Ray Robinson correct??
“couldn’t see many ppv’s.” could a woman’s match sell any ppv’s? I wouldn’t buy it if that was the main event! A non title match like bisping/leban is a tough sell, never mind a woman’s fight!
Hell no it wouldnt sell!!! But for free on VS is good right? And its not like she will be in every event!
It would never be a main event in the UFC or even a Co-Main event in the UFC, Dana ment that out of the fights offered on that EliteXC card the Gina fight should have been the main event, in otherwords hes calling that card and the fighters on it crap. Gina could easily “help” with PPV buys without a doubt, if she was on one or two main cards i wouldnt complain, in the WEC or UFC, give her 3 fights a year against no chumps to be sure they are good fights, and out of the many UFC/WEC cards to choose from now a days im sure you can spare 15 minuts every 4 months for Gina, no? She brings some fans and could start a new base for the UFC, you have to be new and inovative in the entertainment business, someone will eventually capitalize on this the right way, most likely the UFC/WEC will do it in a way that is successful. But main event status . . .who said that??? Like i said, TUF show it and see what kind of fan base it draws then go from there.
Not to mention the more hotties getting interested in this sport the better, a girl that knows MMA is beyond HOT. The ones that are all “eww, oh my god, ewwwww!” are good for nothings, well not nothing . . . BOOBIES!
I’m sick of the “co main event” b.s. Florian/stevenson was a main card fight, period. I’m sick of the 2nd to last fight always being billed the co main event. The main event is it, no co!
Well the only problem with all that is if Cyborg demolish’s Gina, then her stock goes up and Carano’s takes a hit. I think Carano is obviously more marketable, but if you look at the two Cyborg is a beast of a woman
ok, oh and heres some cheese and crackers . . .
They’ll compliment that wine of yours very well = )
^ is for Kevin
True. If Cyborg wins she is not at all marketable. I don’t think a good female fighter has to be as hot as Gina(boobies!)to be marketable, but Cyborg looks like she is hung like John Holmes.
what am I crying over adam? I find it funny how much you guys are into women fighting!
maybe a boob will pop out
i wonder if she’ll have to deep throat dana before he’ll let her fight in his org.
I agree with Dana too…….i wanna test Gina Carranos waters!!!
How’s taste her pee pee?!
lmao…thats funny sh*t.
NICE! Get it done Dana!!! Once women see that this opportunity is available for them more talented ones will come out of the woodwork, they just dont know its out there as a real career option. PLUS im sure when the ones that dont consider fighting professionaly an option now, will eventually. Do a TUF show for female fighters or something, somthing to get women excited to try this sport out with Gina as the super hot spokeswomen leading the charge = )
i agree. good examples.
a women’s TUF season would be pretty interesting, i’d watch it.
maybee gina and cyborg could be the coaches after bisping/hendo. it could happen.
That would be a good change for TUF!
an entire season of female mma? would the ratings hold?
O NM, I would def tune in for the drunk episode where they all strip down and get into a pillow fight. YEA
TUF GIRLS GONE WILD
We need to test her bath waters! Can we ever get a non-sexual Gina Carano blog? I am not against women fighting just do not want to see hot women fight- unless there is jello involved.
I agree, it’s mma not playboy. the cage potato pics were nice, but would you be interested if she weren’t cute?
Whats funny is that you’re finaly agreeing with someone . . . who is complaining LoL! Theres no crying in MMA man, knock that sh*t off!!!
This is great news as she gives good fights. so do most of the women actually!
She better make weight if she wants to fight in the WEC, either way I’d tap that
boobies
This will not work. The only reason there is interest in Carano is because of her looks. Let’s be real….there is no one posting on this blog that would be gung ho for a fight or a women’s division if there was/is no titilation factor (pardon the pun). Would we even be discussing this if it was Cyborg vs. another plain Jane? Interest in Carano may carry one fight, but it doesn’t justify an entire division by any means.
true! if she were ugly and even a better fighter, no one would talk about her. it goes that way with all womens sports. think anna kornikova or maria sharapova in tennis or michelle wie and natalie gulbis in golf and danica patrick in auto racing. when it comes to women in sports, looks count for alot.
she’s the face and future of womans mma, other than uriah and torres, and condit whos a bigger draw in the wec than gina? brock larson, lenard, pulver? nah the wec could use gina in there organazation. also i hope she never does play boy leave that to the wwe girls
I’m sick of the “face of” comments. She’s only the face of women’s mma because she’s cute. Cyborg is the “body” of womens mma! Randy is “the face” of elderly mma. Tito is “the face” of big headed mma.
get the point, it’s just lame!
Dude, are you crying . . .
dude, why are you on my nuts?
lmao are you serious, name a more well know mma female fighter….. thats rite there isnt one, and that is why she IS THE FACE of womens mma. and isnt she undefeated? dude what don’t you get about this.
I get it, it’s gay, who cares, did you read my whole post?
I tend to disagree with Dana that there are no good women fighters out there, now what he should say are there are not many well rounded ones. There are plenty of beast ass Mauy Thai women fighters in the world, and there are plenty of BJJ/Judo praticioners who are very good but the problem is that there are not enough women who are trained in both. I think though however that inorder for the true “MMA” women to come to the surface you have to give them an outlet that will encourage the ones who currently only compete in Muay Thai to want to learn some ground game and vice versa
By the way Cyborg is gonna SMASH Carano… Matter afact I wouldn’t mind seeing someone like Anne Wolf get into MMA cause her hands are sick as hell if you teach her alil bit of ground game that would be ideal.
boobs
Great as this sounds expect her to make even less then she was making before lol!
I wonder how long itll take for Hugh hefner to give her a call
may be nice
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This sounds like a good thing.
I agree with The 5th beatle test her waters!!
Gina please finish me with a naked triangle choke!!!
uhm…former heavyweight champion Randy Couture, sad, but writing to the contrary doesn’t change it Jesse.
i think gina carano be perfect for porn movies period
if u ask me
Ya, well I dont think Gina will be willing to test the waters in the WEC for chump change danas full of shit
Gina vs Santos affliction co-main event on a future card will happen