Gina Carano always has home with Strikeforce, but no return date in sight

Once one of the most-followed mixed-martial-arts fighters of any gender, Gina Carano has all but disappeared from the public eye following her August 2009 Strikeforce title loss to Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos and subsequent acting gig.

Carano, who appears in famed director Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 film release “Knockout,” hasn’t fought professionally since that loss, which was the first of her career.

And though she isn’t booked for any upcoming shows, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he hopes to have her back shortly.

“We will be reaching out to her soon,” Coker said after Saturday’s latest Showtime-televised event. “She’s still part of the family.

“We miss you Gina.”

After the collapse of EliteXC, Carano signed with Strikeforce, who put together the fight with Santos, in 2009. The Carano-Santos bout actually had been long teased by EliteXC, and the pieces finally were put in place for the matchup. But the organization’s financial collapse and promotional demise scrapped the long-awaited bout.

Strikeforce officials, though, eventually signed both competitors and put the fight in the main event of their August 2009 show. (Just how big was the fight? It earned top billing over title fights of Renato “Babalu” Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi and Gilbert Melendez vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida.)

Unfortunately for Carano, Santos continued her hot streak and posted her eight consecutive win after earning the TKO victory in the final second of the first round.

The loss spoiled Carano’s perfect 7-0 record.

Despite the now-near-yearlong layoff, Carano remains a top draw, and the 28-year-old certainly would be a welcome addition to any of Strikeforce’s upcoming CBS-televised cards.

But as of now, her return date is unknown.

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