Gina “Conviction” Carano will no longer make her return to MMA action on June 18th in Dallas, Texas. The “Face of Women’s MMA” has been forced out of her televised Strikeforce bout with Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio due to what has been deemed to be a “revoked medical clearance.”
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker revealed the news on a conference call today, though the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has stated that Carano had passed her pre-fight medical exam. Carano expressed her disappointment in a prepared statement that was read on her behalf.
Carano (7-1-0) has not fought since August 15, 2009, when she was stopped by current Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. She has since pursued movie roles in Hollywood and will star in the upcoming release “Haywire.” Critics have pointed to a perceived lack of motivation and dedication to training, as Carano has appeared to gain a considerable amount of weight when not training for fights or her movie role.
Previously training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nevada, Carano switched things up for her return bout and had been training with the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts team in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her training camp was reportedly a tough one, though there has been no word as to whether this had any impact on her withdrawal from her fight. She had been set to compete for the second time at 145 pounds when she was to face D’Alelio, who may or may not remain on the card.
Both D’Alelio and Julie Kedzie, who faced each other on December 18th in a bout that Kedzie won via Unanimous Decision, have been left without opponents for the June 18th card. It is currently unknown whether the promotion will look to set up a rematch between the two. A lightweight bout between Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal and “King” K.J. Noons will now air on the televised main card in place of the cancelled Carano-D’Alelio bout.
Strikeforce: “Overeem vs Werdum” takes place on June 18th at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. The event features the remaining two quarterfinal bouts in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, as Alistair Overeem rematches Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett faces Brett Rogers.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)