Defeat is Not the End for Gina Carano
Posted by Dave Walsh on August 17th, 2009
Gina Carano was handed her first loss in Mixed Martial Arts. We all saw it, and if you didn’t see it live, chances are you’ve read countless articles condemning women’s MMA and Carano. With some of the hype leading up to this fight seeing such a fickle reaction isn’t exactly shocking, some of the people it is coming from is. The world needs a hero and women’s MMA is no different. The truth is, Gina Carano wasn’t able to be that hero at this point in her career, but a lot was riding on her shoulders, all of which she handled with grace and dignity, even in defeat.
Today we are hearing how Gina relates to Kimbo Slice; all hype and no substance, being fed lower-ranked competitors in hopes of propelling her to stardom due to her looks and personality, not her ability. Yes, they were both the creation of Gary Shaw’s hype machine, one that has worked for countless boxers throughout history, and they were both beaten by game opponents. There is a difference though, that a lot of people seem to be overlooing; Gina wanted this fight and wanted this challenge.
Kimbo went into the last EliteXC show ever expecting Ken Shamrock, an old, beaten down shell of a former top fighter who needs painkillers to get out of bed in the morning. Shamrock’s name value and limited skillset was going to help build up the Kimbo legend and EliteXC brand name on national broadcast television. It is hard to really blame Kimbo or his management, as for a business decision the Shamrock fight was golden; there was money to be made, he has name value and a legend of his own.
Carano was treated much in the same way by Shaw and EliteXC; she was given game but inexperienced opponents and pushed as an elite women’s MMA fighter, while she was still a bit fresh into her career as a fighter. Women’s MMA in the United States is still in its infancy, so it is hard to look down on her or her opponents for not having a wealth of experience. The big difference between Carano and Kimbo was attitude and outlook; while Kimbo’s camp was looking for money fights and to keep the Kimbo brand alive, Carano was looking to prove herself and take on a challenge.
The challenge that she was up against was the experienced and focused Cyborg Santos. Cyborg’s life has revolved around the world of fighting for a while now, as her husband Evangelista Santos trains with her in Brazil. Cyborg doesn’t have the refinement and technical prowess that Carano has, but the vicious Chute Boxe style lives on in her. Carano, who hadn’t competed in over a year, has been focused on promotion, photo shoots, being an American Gladiator and so on. While nobody is going to say she didn’t prepare for this fight, it is easy to see the amount of pressure that was on her and how her life was being dissected under a microscope.
To any of the doubters, watching this fight live was a thrill ride. Gina was hit by a barrage early on and the only defense she knew was to cover up and do her best to weather the storm while backing up. The fight went to the ground a few times, but Carano was able to improve her positioning and not look lost on the ground. On the feet she was able to make a few spirited comebacks, enough to make the fight exciting and give hope that the “Face of Women’s MMA” could pull off the win and prove the doubters wrong.
In the end, the onslaught by Santos was simply too much for Gina and the ref had to make the tough call and end the fight. There will be talk of Gina trying to wait for the bell, the bell that came as the ref was stopping the fight, but Gina wasn’t defending herself and was finished. There will be talk of doom and gloom, with this being the end of women’s MMA and the end of Gina Carano, but the story is long from finished. People love an underdog story and part of what makes somebody special is being able to pick themselves up from a loss and come back better than ever. Hopefully Gina does just that and we’ll see a rematch eventually between Cyborg and Carano.
This story is long from done, as is Women’s MMA.
August 17th, 2009 at 10:39 am
[...] up in smoke after its lone pretty face was beaten into a pulp by Brazilian bruiser Cyborg Santos. Total MMA has a bit more of a cautious view on the subject, saying that if Carano works hard and comes back [...]
August 18th, 2009 at 2:06 am
[...] Total MMADefeat is Not the End for Gina Carano [...]
August 18th, 2009 at 11:46 am
I had work duties through the weekend and wasn’t able to watch the fight. When I did, I was surprised how competitive it was; lots of people said it was a blowout but Carano had her moments. Good action fight with some wild bits but I wouldn’t necessarily call it sloppy either.
You’re right Dave, the Kimbo comparison is ridiculous. Another goofy article is making the rounds which implies Carano “turned her back on MMA” by skipping the press conference. You get the impression of a scorned stalker in a lot of this talk.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I absolutely loved the fight. Everybody saying it wasn’t competitive, well, I don’t know what they were watching. If Carano landed solid on any of her shots or was able to weather that last barrage and make it to the next round it would have been a totally different fight.
People are just not sure how to feel about women in MMA or feel that Gina was undeserving of all of this. You know, shit happens. Nobuhiko Takada was a pretty poor fighter but still was one of the reasons for the MMA boom in Japan.