Name Gina Carano
Nickname Conviction
Association Xtreme Couture
Weight Class Featherweight (145 lbs.)
Height 5′ 8″ (173 cm)
Style Boxing, Muay Thai
Birth Date April 16, 1982
Fighting Out Of Las Vegas, Nevada
Country USA
Gina Carano Pictures http://www.gina-carano.org/

”’Gina Joy Carano”’ is a female American mixed martial artist. Carano appeared as the Gladiator “Crush” on American Gladiators. She has been referred to as the “face of women’s MMA.” Her female title fight with Cristiane Santos on August 15, 2009 at Strikeforce Carano vs Cyborg was the first-ever female title fight to headline a major televised event, as well as the first-ever female fight under the Strikeforce promotion to have five minute rounds, instead of the usual three.

== Professional Record ==

Record 7 – 1 – 0 (Win â€Â“ Loss â€Â“ Draw)
Wins 3 (T)KOs
1 Submissions
3 Decisions
Losses 1 (T)KOs
0 Submissions
0 Decisions
Result Opponent Method Event Title Date Round Time Notes
Loss Cristiane Santos TKO (Punches) Strikeforce Carano vs Cyborg 8/15/2009 1 4:59 For first-ever Strikeforce Female Championship; First-ever MMA event to be headlined by a female bout; First-ever female bout to have 5 minute rounds
Win Kelly Kobold Decision (Unanimous) EliteXC Heat 10/04/2008 3 3:00
Win Kaitlin Young TKO (Doctor Stoppage) EliteXC Primetime 5/31/2008 2 3:00 Carano failed to make weight, forfeited 12.5% of her purse
Win Tonya Evinger Submission (Rear Naked Choke) EliteXC Uprising 9/15/2007 1 2:53
Win Julie Kedzie Decision (Unanimous) EliteXC Destiny 2/10/2007 3 3:00
Win Elaina Maxwell Decision (Unanimous) Strikeforce Triple Threat 12/08/2006 3 2:00
Win Rosi Sexton KO (Punch) WPFC 1: World Pro Fighting Championships 9/15/2006 2 4:55
Win Leiticia Pestova KO WEF: Orleans Arena 6/10/2006 1 0:39

== Early Life ==
Carano was born in Dallas County, Texas, the middle daughter of Glenn Carano and Dana Cason. She has two sisters. Her father played for the Dallas Cowboys as a backup quarterback from 1977-1983 and for the USFL Pittsburgh Maulers as a starter in 1984, their only year of operations.

She graduated from Trinity Christian High School in Las Vegas, NV where she led the girl’s basketball team to a state title. She also played volleyball and softball. She attended the University of Nevada, Reno for a year and then University of Nevada, Las Vegas for three, where she majored in psychology.

== Mixed Martial Arts Career ==
Carano started her career in the sport of Muay Thai. After achieving a Muay Thai record of 12-1-1, Carano received an offer to participate in the first-ever sanctioned female MMA bout in Nevada. She was invited to the World Pro Fighting show in Las Vegas to fight Rosi Sexton from the United Kingdom.

She fought on the February 10, 2007, Showtime EliteXC card, defeating Julie Kedzie via unanimous decision in what was called “the fight of the night”.

Her scheduled bout against Jan Finney at the EliteXC/K-1 Dynamite!! USA event on June 2, 2007 was canceled due to illness. The Fight Network and other organizations reported that she was rushed to the hospital via ambulance due to dehydration while attending a World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) event as a spectator.

Carano fought on the September 15, 2007, Showtime EliteXC card, where she defeated Tonya Evinger via Rear Naked Choke for her first career win by submission.

Carano defeated former Hook N Shoot champion Kaitlin Young on EliteXC Primetime on May 31, 2008. A day before the fight, Carano failed to make weight for her fight after weighing in at 144.5 lbs. (65.5 kg). Although most MMA organizations set weight classes at 135 lbs. (Bantamweight) and 145 lbs. (Featherweight), EliteXC opted to create a women’s weight class at 140 lbs. Carano agreed to forfeit 12.5% of her “show” purse to Young, and the fight remained on the card.

Carano fought against Kelly Kobold on October 4, 2008 at EliteXC: Heat at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida which was broadcast on CBS.

Leading up to her fight against Kobold, there was much controversy over whether or not Gina would make weight for this fight, having fought only once in the past year and not making weight at that time. Gina assured critics that she would be able to make weight since she had hired a nutritionist to help with her dieting. At the weigh-in for the Kobold fight on October 3, 2008, “Gina Carano weighed in at 142.75 pounds on her first attempt. After removing her sports bra, a towel-covered Carano weighed in a second time at 142.5 pounds. On her third attempt without any clothes on, Carano weighed 141 pounds, successfully making weight.

Early on, Kobold was intent on pressing Carano in the clinch, while working for the takedown throughout the fight. Kobold managed a takedown in the second round, but the round ended before she could take meaningful advantage of it. Carano worked her opportunities by hitting Kobold at every turn whenever the fighters separated, while also opening a huge gash on the inside of her opponent’s eyebrow in the first round. At the end of the third round, Carano looked to finish the fight as she unloaded a head kick that landed flush on Kobold’s chin, but Kobold was not knocked out and the bout came to a close.

Carano won by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) and remained undefeated. After she won the fight, she dedicated her fight to her grandfather.

A fight against Cristiane Santos was in the works for February 2009, although after EliteXC folded the fight became null. The possibility of the fight still happening in the future was dependent on which promotion the two women signed with next. Now, when they do meet, Strikeforce has indicated that it will be for a newly-created 145 lbs. women’s title.

After Strikeforce purchased the assets of ProElite, Carano, along with other fighters within the defunct promotion, became contractually linked with Strikeforce. After many months of a stalemate regarding their free agent status, it was announced at the Strikeforce Lawler vs Shields event that Carano’s fight against Santos would finally take place on August 15, 2009 in San Jose at the HP Pavillion, in the first ever Women’s main-event. The bout headlinde the event, as it was named Strikeforce Carano vs Cyborg. Not only was the bout headlining the event, but it would have five minute bouts, instead of the usual three. Carano and Cyborg made history, but Carano would not walk away the victor, as Cyborg would go on to defeat her late in the first round via TKO (Punches). The loss was Carano’s first career loss.

== Outside Martial Arts ==
[[ | thumb | left | 600px | #16 Maxim’s Hottest]]
Carano starred in the cult film Ring Girls. Based on true events, Ring Girls is a fast-paced story about five American women from Las Vegas who take on the ultimate challenge of fighting the best female Muay Thai fighters in the world.

Along with Lisa King, Carano served as a mentor to aspiring female fighters in the Oxygen reality series Fight Girls. She appeared as “Crush” on the NBC show American Gladiators. She is also featured in the new Michael Jai White film Blood and Bone.

She was profiled in a feature story for the ESPN series E:60, and was voted “Hottest Woman In America” by Big Biz Magazine in the Spring 2008 issue. On May 13, 2008, “Gina Carano” was the fastest-rising search on Google and third most searched person on Yahoo!. She has also appeared in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 as Natasha, a purchaseable hero unit, portraying the Soviet sniper/commando in various cutscenes.

She was the #5 on the “Top Ten Influential Women of 2008” on Yahoo!

In May 2009 it was announced that Carano was ranked #16 in Maxim’s Hot 100 list.