Gina “Conviction” Carano (also known to “American Gladiators” viewers as Crush) and Cris Cyborg (Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos) will clash on Aug. 15 (Aug. 16 in the Philippines) in the most highly anticipated women’s mixed martial arts bout in the history of the sport.
In fact, Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg, which will be for the newly created 145-lb women’s championship, is the first fight card from a major MMA promotion to feature a women’s match as the main event. Not only that, but just as in men’s MMA title fights, this championship bout will be scheduled for five 5-minute rounds, instead of the previous 3-minute rounds for women’s MMA bouts. Both women are making a statement that women’s MMA is for real, and that female fighters are just as tough as their male counterparts.
Regardless of who wins, Carano and Santos will be making MMA history. I’m an unabashed Carano fan, so I’m definitely rooting for Gina. I already liked her the first time I saw her as Crush on “American Gladiators,” but I became an even bigger fan when I found out shortly after that she’s a Muay Thai expert and MMA fighter. Carano remains unbeaten in MMA with a record of 7-0 (3 knockouts), while Santos, whose primary styles are Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has a 7-1 record (her only loss was to fellow Brazilian Erica Paes, who made her submit to a leglock in the first round in a May 17, 2005 fight in Brazil), with 5 KOs.
Here’s a photo of Gina Carano from the Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg press conference.
