Yes Another Gina Carano/Cristiane Santos Update

Well I keep trying but all I seem to come up with these days is Gina Carano/Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos stuff.
Maybe I should just quit fighting and give into the hype.
After all, it's only 12 days till showtime.
(That wasn't a pun...really)

Anyway, word has come out now that Cristiane Santos is the odds on favorite to beat Gina on August 15th.
And adding to that is Carano's ex-boyfriend Kit Cope coming out on MMAJunkie Radio saying that (to put it nicely) Gina is gonna get beat if she keeps training at (as he puts it) "Xtreme Fashion" with Shawn Tompkins and Randy Couture.
Randy, by the way, will be in Gina's corner at the fight, but not long time friend Kim Couture.
This has lead to the totally unfounded (as far as I can tell) rumor that Gina is seeing Randy.
But think about it realistically a minute.
You're in the fight of your life, who do you want in your corner?
Mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, former collegiate wrestler, and only five-time champion in UFC history Randy?
Or 1-1-0 Kim?
I'd go with Randy.

Cannot Avoid Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos

Okay, I was gonna try to go for a bit without mentioning Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos and their upcoming fight.
But right now, all eyes seem to be turned towards this.


Crave Online has an article about the match up, as does The Las Vegas Sun, The Examiner, ESPN and a host of others.
This is looking to be the defining moment (so far) in female mixed martial arts.
Finally the women get the coverage and recognition that the men get.


Could it all blow up in their faces?
Oh yes, easily.
A bad fight and all the hype and build up will go down the drain with a loud SWOOSH!
But a good fight, and the hype will be justified and we may just see a turning point in female MMA.
I would hate to be Carano or Santos right now, because even though their opponents are their top priority, you know the media pressure has got to be in the back of their minds.

Female MMA Moving into the Spotlight?

It's a bit early to say, but I think the Gina Carano / Kelly Kobold fight may have finally been the event that has pushed female MMA into the spotlight.
The amount of articles referencing women in MMA has picked up considerably.
Here's just a couple of examples......

First, this article at MMA Funhouse by Michael David Smith....
Gina Carano's Toughest Fight: Getting Recognition for Women's MMA
Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin was honored at the Women's Sports Foundation's annual Salute to Women in Sports on Tuesday night in New York City. So was softball player Jessica Mendoza. Dozens of female athletes from sports ranging from basketball to skateboarding were lauded from the podium.
And Gina Carano sat in the audience, wondering if her fellow athletes even know that her sport exists.
http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/10/15/gina-caranos-toughest-fight-getting-recognition-for-womens-mm/

And this article at SFGate by Kelly Mills....
Women taking their place in kickboxing ring
At the Best of the Bay kickboxing event Aug. 16 in San Francisco, there were three women in the ring for one bout, and no one batted an eye. One of the women was the "ring girl," scantily dressed and wearing heels, who walked along the ropes with a sign signaling the round number. The two other women were fighters, dressed in traditional satin muay Thai shorts, tank tops and boxing gloves. As the bell went off, the ring girl teetered off the canvas, and the two fighters emerged from their corners, trading ferocious punches and kicks. The crowd cheered as one fighter landed a hard right cross, while the other threw a whiplike kick aimed at her rival's head. When the bell rang again, the two women returned to opposite sides of the ring, sweaty and slightly bloodied, awaiting coaching from their corners, as the ring girl picked up her sign.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/LV8P13GQHV.DTL

Sometimes it's difficult to even find anything on female MMA fighters, but now that seems to be changing.