Why Do MMA fans... Constantly and Unjustly Berate Gina Carano

[Rich Davie]

With the recently announced return of Gina "Conviction" Carano to cage fighting the detractors of Gina will be out in full force again.

I have to be honest and say straight away that I'm a fan of Gina Joy Carano.

There are some critics and nay sayers of the lovely Gina Carano (who is the "Face of Women's MMA") when it comes to her MMA skills that's unwarranted in my opinion.

The most common argument that some MMA fans like to throw around to demean and minimize her as an MMA fighter is that Gina has done nothing in her MMA career and is nothing more than a "pretty face" who is not even worth watching as an MMA fighter.

These same individuals like to defend male MMA fighters of their liking who have fought minimally talented fighters as well, but offer up the explanation that the particular division they were or are fighting in is or was way too thin at the time, but at least they took on whatever fighters they were matched-up against.

Apparently to these individuals this argument is only valid when applied to male fighters.

I say bullshit... the argument for minimally talented / thin divisions is indeed a valid one, but if this mindset is acceptable when applied to male MMA fighters than it needs to be evenly applied across the board to female fighters as well.

As we all know, even today women's MMA is lacking sufficient numbers regarding top tier talent, and if this is the case today than it's even more applicable when Gina started her MMA career.

Prior to Gina becoming an MMA fighter, she was trained in the art of Muay Thai and amassed a Muay Thai record of 12-1-1... that's an impressive accomplishment in my book, but I'm sure her detractors will minimize that accomplishment as well without ever having the nerve to step-up and take on a similar challenge.

Gina's first MMA fight was against Leiticia Pestova who she KO'd at 39 seconds of the first round in June of 2006, and three months later Gina took part in the first-ever sanctioned female MMA bout in the WPFC 1 - World Pro Fighting Championships event in Las Vegas, Nevada against Rosi "The Surgeon" Sexton.

Again Gina won by KO, but this time it was at 4:55 in round 2 which was against an opponent whose current record is now 12 - 2 - 0.

Rosi "The Surgeon" Sexton has only lost one other fight since that loss to Gina Carano after continuing to fight in women's, and Rosi has had eight fights after her bout with Gina.

I see that as another accomplishment worthy of praise rather than condemnation... but I'm sure this too will be minimized by those who choose to berate her.

Again in 2006, Gina took on another MMA fight against opponent Elaina "Beef" Maxwell (who she had previously beaten in a Muay Thai bout), in which she went 3 rounds winning a unanimous decision in yet again another women's MMA first, being the first ever women's MMA bout in the Strikeforce organization and the first ever televised women's MMA bout.

Those first three fights in her MMA career all in the same year within a six month time frame are accomplishments and milestones for women's MMA that again don't deserve the disrespect that her detractors and critics like to dole out.

Next up for Gina was her well deserving title as the "Face of Women's MMA" when EliteXC began to promote Gina in an effort to grow the sport of women's MMA.

In Gina's next four bouts she proudly took on whoever EliteXC matched her up with and won all four bouts.

Gina's first EliteXC bout was against Julie "Fireball" Kedzie that Gina won again by a 3 round unanimous decision, in what many thought was the "Fight of the Night."

Julie "Fireball" Kedzie is still fighting today and has amassed a record of 16 - 9 - 0, not overly impressive but has had an additional 11 MMA bouts after fighting Gina losing only 3 of those 11 fights.

Next up for Gina, a bout with Tonya Evinger in which she won at 2:53 in round 1 by rear naked choke for her first career win by submission and apparently was improving her skills as a mixed martial artist.

Shortly before this event she was rushed to the hospital while attending a WEC event as a spectator due to dehydration, which can be pretty painful if you've ever personally experienced the same.

Next up for Carano... she took on HOOKnSHOOT Champion Kaitlin Young at her third EliteXC event winning by a TKO due to a doctor stoppage at 3:00 in round 2.

Apparently this fight is where Gina's detractors began to critize her for consistently not making weight, which is an ill-conceived concept of reality and a stigma that follows her to this day, when in reality there is only one instance of Gina not making weight... in that instance Gina forfeited 12.5% of her winnings to her opponent and the fight did in fact take place which was the fight with Kaitlin Young.

There are no examples of Gina pulling out of fights because she was unable to make weight... because this chatter is nothing more than fantasy in the minds of some MMA fans and it never happened in the real world.

There are only two instances of Gina pulling out of fights and both are due to medical issues, not her inability to make weight.

The "Gina won't make weight" controversy followed her to her next bout, and this is when the famous "dropped towel" incident occured when Gina had to disrobe in order to make weight for her next EliteXC bout with Kelly "Blood Red" Kobold... but she did in fact make weight.

Again, Carano managed to silence her critics who were hoping for a Gina loss but instead Gina defeated Kelly "Blood Red" Kobold by another 3 round unanimous decision.

Kelly "Blood Red" Kobold is still fighting today with a record of 17 - 3 - 1.

Carano's last fight was against Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, who is the undisputed best woman fighter in women's MMA and who has only lost one fight out of eleven.

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos' first fight is the only fight that she has ever lost, and even though Carano lost to the best woman in women's MMA she has totally been written off by her critics for suffering her 1st loss in her MMA career by TKO ref stoppage in the 1st round with 1 second left on the clock.

Now if Gina was a male MMA fighter, all sorts of excuses would have been made for that loss due to the fact that her opponent was at the top of the food chain... we hear that argument for male MMA fighters all of the time and most recently in the case of Dan Hardy as well as other male fighters who are granted leeway for the level of opponents that they have lost to.

So Gina's MMA record although not lenghtly is 7 wins and 1 loss, which is a record that most any MMA fighter would be proud to own, especially being that she's fought everybody that has been put in front of her and and not ducked anybody... including Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.

If we combine both of her records in combat sports, she has a very impressive record to be sure :

7-1-0 in MMA

12-1-1 in Muay Thai

For an overall combat sports record of 19-2-1

Not bad at all in my humble opinion, no matter how one chooses to color things.

There you have it... the accomplishments of Gina Joy Carano as a combat sports participant, which are nothing to make light of or minimize in my opinion.

This leads me to believe that those critics of Gina who demean and berate her are either not fans of women's MMA, are envious of her, misogynists, just enjoy knocking her as an MMA fighter that doesn't live up to their expectations of what Gina should be or just aren't fair individuals when it comes to applying their theories and ideas equally to both men and women fighting in MMA.

Rich Davie
Admin at :
http://www.mmacrypt.com

Source :

http://mmacrypt.com/forum/showthread.php?20666-Why-Do-MMA-fans-Constantly-and-Unjustly-Berate-Gina-Carano

[metalmark]

wow bro , that was an outstanding piece you wrote!! you said it all , they berate her because someone as beautiful as her should not be a badass also. she kinda shatters sterotypes don't she?? but there are other beautys in wmma , so maybe men should'nt feel threatened  by a woman who can knock you out with her looks as well as her fist. but you hit the nail on the head , she has a fight record of 19-2-1. muay thai kickboxing is no joke and for her to go over to thailand , the birth place of muay thai , and win a title , should shut the nay sayers up. but they won't , because this berating of her goes well beyond fighting.  i just hope she never loses sight of the fact that she has earned every bit of the respect that men like you and me , who are not threatened by tough chicks give her. great piece bro...

[p0d135]

great write up. The facts about the division and her opponents bely any hate that undoubtedly stems from ignorance, & if that wasn't enough, how about some peer review... (credit F.J)

Erin Toughill: “She has done amazing things for MMA and helped it SO much. Many women were jealous of her, but that’s the way the ball rolls. She had some amazing, amazing fights and the crowds loved her. She is a beautiful girl who can fight; and it’s very enticing to people to see that dichotomy.” (FiveKnuckles.com)

Marloes Coenen:
“We (female fighters) all have to thank her.” (middleasy.com)

Lisa Ward:
“I don’t know how she’s beaten some of the women she has.” (Fightergirls.com)

Liz Carmouche:
“She has a great smile, that personality. So, she brings what people want to see, that gentle side of mma, but at the same time can throw a punch, throw a kick, and take one. It’s kinda what the sport needs, a face that people find attractive, find as a normal woman, but at the same time  as a competitive athlete.” (mmanation.com)

Lana Stefanac:
“Gina’s a great person…she can really fight.” (mmaevolution.tv)

Sarah Kaufman:
“It’s great that Gina’s been able to find an avenue where she’s making some decent money and making a living doing something she’s really enjoying. And being successful. Everything that she did, and she did a lot of media and things I’m sure she would have preferred not to do, that definitely helped us as females in the sport. She got that recognition of being on American Gladiators. I think that if she would have won the title fight when she fought Cris Cyborg it would be a different story when she took time off. But because she lost, it was her decision to take a step back and focus on something that was different. And if she wants to come back, she’s of course very welcome.”

[p0d135]

Action films are great for women like Gina. My fear is she will start playing roles of a vampire killer. She couldn't take out a Cyborg how she going to deal with the power of vampires?  She will be better off wrecking cars, shooting bad guys and kicking everyone else in the nutz.........This film career other than making money is her excuse not to get into the ring again if you ask me. Easy to  make believe your a bad ass on film  and get away with it. But to actually be a fighter in real life takes a whole lot more than Gina can handle. Gina is just plain chicken. She is done. Done. We will never see her fight again except for her old battles on YouTube.Besides she will be a little too old to fight by the time her Hollywood career is finished. Oh well I had a hero some one to look up to and inspire me to improve my life. Guess there will be some one else to take her place.
Says Kelly

Why was that quite easily undone? UNDONE! It better be more than just b/c she's not doing what you want. It's either that or it was never the case with you.
says logic
Imo, it's the latter because calling someone chicken and speaking as if you have the standing to question someone who has entered the cage and done what she has ("But to actually be a fighter in real life takes") unquestionably falsifies that statement. Have you fought? If so, why do you think so many descript pros and other amateurs disagree? If you haven't, answer it anyway.
Do you understand how much of a once-in-a-lifetime chance she was afforded when approached by Steven Soderbergh to start this career? Compare that to fighting in the following sense. Back when fems in mma got no chance/attention, back when Gina started, if you had merely the will to get in there & fight, you could. You were a fighter. & if you had the skill, you'd be noted and await not the chance, but 1st for a worthy stage for it to even happen. Thnx to Gina and others, entering that venue is in realm of probability. In the major film industry, altho the stage is set, it not only takes worthiness and will, but a rare concurrence of circumstance and luck to get a chance. One of the best in the game, Michael Parks, once said (paraphrased) "If'd I had won the best actor award, there'd probably still be some guy doing local theatre in Boise who would clean my clock."

Apparently, you didn't hear two pretty big pieces of news. 1. Cyborg got caught using PEDS 2. undeniable p4p women's champion Rousey DID duck cyborg by dropping to 135 class. FACT. If Gina is somehow not an accredited action hero, then who is? No playin around, let's go to the top, Bruce Lee. He has zero evidence of competition!

" wrecking cars, shooting bad guys and kicking everyone else in the nutz"? So, she's no better than ALL those action fems who are both not of size and need to be fast cut, stunt-doubled, all of the sudden?! Gina is the one doing the exposing. Understand that simple concept that Soderbergh had in mind. 

"Guess there will be some one else to take her place." Hey, stop living in a fantasy world. You never really respected her or anyone that you've venerated because you see them as a concept, an ideal. No, she's a person. Those of us who naturally understand this can simply and truly appreciate. At this point, it's almost certainly the latter.

I highly suggest you support yourself by replying to me & others. If not, you're gonna get banned and your post here and the replies to it will be moved to an appropriate thread, where they'll serve as an example.

[M]

I think what Gina wants to do is alot more important than what some slug with one post, anonymously insulting her wants her do do.........We need to respect and support Gina and her decisions. Gina was a great fighter her record was 19-2 and she didnt duck anyone its really low class for someone to slither in here and insult Gina from your keyboard with your very first post.  Fighting is an extremely hard lifestyle as is any pro athlete you cant be a fighter or football player forever, everyone has to grow up and plan for a second career........most fighters would give their eye teeth to break into acting like Gina did which not only pays a lot better and allows you to enjoy life more and spend more time with those you care about and not risk injury or worse.

There's a really good group of people here and if your a real fan of Gina's and want to learn this is the place to be, and while your free to speak your mind and we all dont have to agree calling someone who has achieved alot and many respect greatly a coward while hiding behind your keyboard is beyond cowardly and low class in my opinion.

[snowey james]

Just resentment about comertialisation i dont think any one in there right mind ,would be arguing with her fighting skills or experiance ,and why not take every new improvement in life going into acting what ever after all its Gina whos worked for it ,the very best of luck