Carano Unsportsmanlike? Oh, Shut Up

One beating for Gina Carano was enough. She doesn’t need — or deserve — to be pounded on by cranky bloggers and media types for declining to be interviewed following her loss to Cris “Cyborg” Santos at Saturday night’s Strikeforce event.

Steve Cofield of Yahoo! was among those embittered by not getting to hear from the woman to whom he and the rest of the MMA media had devoted so much ink (so many bytes?) in the buildup to the momentous fight. He didn’t appreciate being left with unanswered questions, such as:

We still don’t know if she was angry that the fight was stopped with one second left in the first round. Or if she felt she was winning the round. Or if she’s planning on coming back soon. Does she want a rematch? Did the pressure get to her? Can she ever beat Cristian “Cyborg” Santos?

Good questions, all. But I’m with Sherdog’s Jake Rossen, who doesn’t see the point in sticking a microphone in front of Carano, Forrest Griffin or any other “freshly mauled” fighter who is “hopped up on adrenaline and choking on their own blood and snot.” Nice image by Jake, who adds:

I’m anxious to hear both Griffin and Carano verbalize their nights, but having some distance and reduction of blood pressure is probably good for a more comprehensible recollection. Being made to stand at attention and reassemble neurons two minutes after a beating isn’t going to result in any motivational speaking offers.

So true. But I have a bigger disagreement with Cofield and others who have suggested that Carano was being unsportsmanlike by not answering to the media. Nonsense. It would have been unsportsmanlike had Carano pulled a Forrest Griffin and not congratulated her conqueror . . . but Gina went right over to Cyborg after the fight and embraced her, then led the applause as referee Josh Rosenthal was raising the winner’s hand. And Cyborg was the only person in the arena to whom Gina Carano owed a thing after the fight. Not the bloggers or reporters. Not Strikeforce or Showtime. Not even the fans watching in San Jose or at home on TV. She’d already paid MMA fans the utmost respect by giving her all for 4:59 of furious fighting.

Thanks to: gina’s #1 fan

Article: thefastertimes.com, Jeff Wagenheim