Gina Carano is America's most popular female fighter, but for the past seven months she's been a cage fighter without a cage to fight in.
That may soon change, as Carano -- who lost her promotion when the EliteXC organization went under -- told FanHouse that she's about to sign with Strikeforce, which could put together a superfight with the other star of women's MMA, Cris Cyborg.
Carano also talked about her aspirations as a fighter, her fame, and the new line of figurines bearing her likeness that the Round 5 company has put out. The full interview is below.
Michael David Smith: Let's start with the question everyone wants to know: When will we see you fight again?Gina Carano: It's looking like August. I'm getting ready to sign the Strikeforce contract, so we're going for August, I think.
When you say you're getting ready to sign, how close would you say you are?I think we're just about there. I'm in Canada right now, so probably the week I get back. Everything is going pretty well so I think we're just about there.
You don't see anything standing in the way?No. Not really. I'm pretty satisfied and, I think, so are they. So it's just a matter of getting it signed and getting going.
Usually when an athlete is having a prolonged contract negotiation, it's about money. Is that what's going on here?It's been money and rights, and I just have experience now with contracts not being in favor of the fighters, and so here in this instance where I have a chance to negotiate, I just wanted to make sure it went as planned and we took advantage of that. A lot of these fighters are just signing their lives away, signing their rights away, and it's hard because they're not really in position to negotiate. It's kind of a fortunate position to be able to negotiate. So that's what's taking so long, really.
And now you've reached the point where you're satisfied with everything and you could have it completely signed and ready to go in less than a week?Yes. I'm very certain it's going to be very soon. Unless something crazy happens, it's going to be very soon.
Have you talked to Cris Cyborg? Will she be ready to fight you in August?Well, that's not my job, that's Strikeforce. That's their job to make sure each fighter is ready. I've made it known and so has Scott Coker that August is kind of a tentative date. So, yeah, that's the plan. That's my plan, at least.
I don't think there's ever been an MMA show with men on the undercard but women in the main event. If the two of you were to fight, will it be a main event?I would like it to be, but again, that's Strikeforce. If they have me and they have Cyborg and they want to put a lot of money into it and a lot of marketing into it and make it a big deal, I think the fans, and other fighters and the fight community would really appreciate it. I think that'd be good.
Would you consider a fight with someone other than Cyborg, or is it definitely her?A lot of people around me want me to take a tune-up fight because it's going to be about a year since I was actually in the cage. But I don't think that's going to happen. When I get focused on something I get focused.
Is there anyone you want to fight other than Cyborg?Yes, there are plenty of other good female fighters for me, but right now I want to focus on Cyborg.
Is there anyone you wouldn't fight, because of personal friendships or for any other reason?I don't know. I love these other fighters. I'll meet other fighters, go out and hang out and fall in love with them and I don't want to fight them anymore. But I'm just going to focus on Cyborg first and go from there.
It's been almost eight months since you've fought and in August it will be 10 months. Are you concerned that you're allowing a pretty long stretch of your prime fighting years to pass by?I'm not concerned because I think things happen for a reason. But I've been amped for the fight since October. I was like, "OK, when can we get this on?" And then EliteXC going under kind of stifled everybody. I think everything is going to work out the way it's meant to.
What kind of shape are you in?I just started getting back in there with my team. In the last eight months I've gone up and down, up and down like I always do because I've been traveling, then going home and training here and there, and then traveling. But now that we're so close to August I'm getting in much better shape now.
Are you still training at Xtreme Couture?Yes. I'm definitely going to keep training there. I considered going elsewhere because L.A. is four hours away and you can get so busy in the hustle of trying to get out there and promote, and sometimes I think it would be better to get away at a camp. But I want to represent where I come from: Las Vegas and Xtreme Couture. And all the people who have helped me get this far in my MMA career have gotten me to where I'm at so I'm not going anywhere else.
What percentage chance would you say it is that you're going to fight for Strikeforce in August?Well, assuming I sign that contract it's 100 percent, but that's still up to Scott Coker and the Strikeforce promotion and the Showtime promotion. All I can do is sign the contract and see what happens from there.
So it's not 100 percent that you'll sign the contract?Anything is possible, we've been going back and forth, my lawyers and their lawyers, but I'm very positive about the whole thing.
Let's talk about some other issues. Should women fight five-minute rounds?Yes. In MMA, you can go to the ground, or you can be against the fence for a minute, and three minutes isn't enough, so we should fight five-minute rounds. You see more skill and five-minute rounds and it would be good for female fighters to showcase their talents. I know that in Nevada it doesn't matter men or women, you fight five-minute rounds and I've fought two of those. In California it's two- or three-minute rounds. But it would be nice if it was five-minute rounds.
Do you expect to fight Cyborg in a five-round title fight?I couldn't answer that. It would be nice if it was for a title, and that's what title fights are, five rounds.
Are there any fighters in particular you look at and try to emulate? Fighters you've watched and thought you want to learn from their techniques?I think I'd want to be a mixture of Randy Couture's mentality and Anderson Silva's technique. And then I just really like the guys at my gym, ilke Tyson Griffin, Gray Maynard, Mike Pyle, Jay Hieron. Those are four people I get to watch every day. And also Nick Diaz because I think you have to have that warrior mentality that he has.
You now have these Round 5 Gina Carano figurines. What is it like to see a small doll in the mold of yourself?Self-reflection is kind of entertaining but also hard sometimes. It's like looking at a portrait that someone drew of you, and you're not sure if you're going to like it or not. But it's really cool. My dad has always said he wanted to make a little Gina doll, and that came true.
Does it surprise you that you've reached a level of fame where people would want to have a tiny statue of you on their desks?I think God works in mysterious ways, and I think about what I might be doing if I hadn't found myself in Muay Thai. I really have a connection to MMA, to Muay Thai, to fighting, and I think it's a beautiful thing to have a connection to, and it's made me who I am. And the fans who have supported me have allowed me to have a career with my fights, and I just couldn't be more blessed.
Is the fame of everything from your commercials to the Maxim Hot 100 to having these figurines something you wanted?No, I definitely didn't ever think I'd be in that situation. But I've taken the opportunities and I've learned from them. It's just a growing process, kind of like growing up and going through life under a magnifying glass. But I'm in Toronto now and I'll be going to San Francisco and everywhere I travel the fan support is great. And it's been great to express something inside me through combat. After that I don't know how I'm going to express myself, but for now this is it.
How long will you be in this sport?I couldn't tell you. I'm always full of surprises.
Is there anything else you want fans to know?I'm looking forward to fighting again, and I'm looking forward to fighting for Strikeforce on Showtime. And I hope everybody keeps watching female fighters because there are a lot of great women out there and I think 2009 is going to be big for female fighters.
Source: MMA Fanhouse
