Carano Aims For August Return
by Robert Sargent
With only one opponent in mind, former EliteXC star and women's MMA standout Gina "Conviction" Carano has announced her intentions to return to competition at a Strikeforce event in August, where she will battle Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.
The bout, which is the most highly-anticipated women's matchup in MMA, could serve as a (co-)main event for the August show, and will be Carano's toughest test to date.
Carano (7-0-0) has stated that those around her have suggested a tune-up fight before taking on Santos (6-1-0), but she believes that a fight with Santos makes the most sense for her right now. Santos, on the other hand, will battle the undersized but always game Hitomi "Girlfight Monster" Akano at the upcoming Strikeforce event on April 11th.
Carano's contract was one of 46 purchased from the defunct EliteXC promotion, but her status has remained in limbo since February. Originally thought to be competing in April or May, Carano insists that she had no intentions of fighting prior to August.
Mike Afromowitz, the director of media relations for Strikeforce, has stated that Strikeforce would welcome a Carano-Santos fight in August, but he would not provide details as to whether the bout would (co-)headline the August card on Showtime or potentially be part of an event broadcasted on CBS or pay-per-view.
Carano and Strikeforce remain in talks to renegotiate her contract, which paid her just $25,000 for her final fight in EliteXC, despite the fact that Carano was arguably the top star on the card. Her manager will be working diligently to finalise a revised contract before August.
While Carano's struggles with making contracted weights for her fights has been a constant cause for concern, she has stated that she recently completed a month-long diet and detox program which should help for fights in the future.
In addition, Carano also confirmed that she had spoken with UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta and UFC President Dana White. The UFC has recently shed its former "no-females" mentality and is now willing to promote one-off events featuring Carano. These fights would likely take place in the UFC's sister promotion, the WEC.
However, for the time being, Carano remains focused on completing a deal with Strikeforce and battling Santos in August. With the recent fall of SmackGIRL in Japan, Strikeforce is arguably the top promotion in the world for female fighters at the moment and continues to bring in new talent.
Whether the bout airs on Showtime, CBS or pay-per-view, Carano's war with Santos is sure to vault women's MMA further into the mainstream and will quite possibly be the Fight of the Night.
