Ronda Rousey and other female mma luminaries credit and accredit Gina Carano, the person & fighter

Posted by: p0d on December 2, 2011

Here are some fighter quotes on Gina Carano to serve as a reminder of just what brought her to her present fame. These peer reviews serve to dispel any ignorance &/or cynicism used to contest Carano’s credibility. For the rest of you who:

– know the dynamics of mma (esp. female mma) matchmaking
– were actually around to read the headlines of Carano’s show stealing fights (not just the taglines on her looks)
– realize that while someone with minimum, technical victories over descript fighters can be dubbed “talented”, defeating opponents who have much more experience & at their contrasting style (grappling) in exciting fashion, is something more
– are aware that records showed that Carano’s opponents were of the best starting set of 7 opponents a fighter could have. She met the criteria that a new fighter with unusually high media coverage must face tougher competition than she would have otherwise had on the traditional experience building scene. Her resume isn’t exactly filled with: ‘1 & done’ fighters, debuters, non-descript individuals, and competitors with losing records.

…have what you already know unequivocally validated by the following quotes:

Ronda Rousey: “I owe a lot to her. I never would have thought that women’s mixed martial arts would have offered a career to me if it wasn’t for her. She’s still doing a lot for us. She went and made a multimillion-dollar movie, and a lot of people that have never watched women’s MMA in their entire lives are going to see this movie and be aware of it because of her. Whether she fights or not again is kind of irrelevant. I would like for her to fight again. I would love to fight her myself. I think that would be a huge match, especially after she’s already become a movie star. It would get a lot of attention, but I feel like people should lay off of her. She’s done a lot. If she wants to come back, fine. But I quit judo because I didn’t have a passion for it anymore. I didn’t have that drive to do it anymore, and if she doesn’t want to do [MMA] anymore, then I understand. I probably understand more than anybody else. I wish she would come back, but that’s her decision.” (sherdog.com)

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

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)

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)

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

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.” (sherdog.com)

credit: F.J, O_O, Takeshi_Miike, and Rich Davis-mmacrypt.com