Last night's EliteXC MMA show on CBS was a landmark show as the first live mixed martial arts broadcast on prime time network TV. It was also the first appearance of female MMA fighters with Gina Carano facing Kaitlin Young. The big story before the match was Gina's failure to make the 140lb weight. She forfeited 12% of her purse to Kaitlin. Some folks think Gina isn't dedicated to MMA. Others blame her participation in American Gladiators. I don't think Gina and her manager anticipated that AG would take up that much of her time and maybe they didn't expect a second season. It's a double edged sword. AG gave Gina mainstream media exposure that she wouldn't have received otherwise. But it cut into her training for this fight. I'll have more on the weight thing later.
Both Gina Carano & Kaitlin Young have trained extensively in muay thai kickboxing. The big difference is that Gina has a lot more experienced and is also more experienced but not yet overly accomplished on the ground. Gina came into the fight with only a four pound weight advantage. but she has a much larger physique than Kaitlin regardless of Gina's condition. The first round of the fight was mostly standing and that worked to Kaitlin's advantage. They went to the ground a couple of times. The second time Gina attempted a gogoplata that didn't end up going anywhere. They both scored and the round was fairly even. Round two continued in the same way but with about 90 seconds left in the round, Gina hit a front kick that took some steam out of Kaitlin. She followed this with several unanswered strikes. When Kaitlin went down with 30 seconds left, Gina hooked a rear naked choke. Kaitlin was saved by the bell but she would have had to tap out in a five minute round. After being examined by the doctor, the fight was stopped and Gina Carano won by TKO. Of course Kaitlin wanted to continue but she didn't look good.
So once again Gina Carano has proven the critics and the naysayers wrong by delivering a strong match and winning. Kaitlin was a very credible opponent but was clearly overpowered in the end. Gina has once again proven that despite the criticism from folks who ought to know better, she has a lot of heart and determination. My one bone to pick is with EliteXC promoter Gary Shaw who continues to put Gina in an untenable position by trying to have her fight at 140lbs. The reason she can't make weight is she shouldn't be fighting at 140lbs in the first place. I've been saying this for two years. Of course a lot of fans would like to see Gina fight Tara LaRosa but now that Tara has signed with the American Fight League, that ain't happening. Though I don't expect Shaw to do this, I would like Gina to fight in her own weight class. There was such a size difference between Gina & Kaitlin that casual fans could have perceived it as unfair. My number one opponent for Gina Carano is fellow American Gladiator Erin Toughill. Erin has said she will return to the ring this year and she is a tremendous fighter. Maybe she's too experienced for Shaw. I dunno. Other potential opponents include Shayna Baszler, Debi Purcell, Ginele Marquez, Hitomi Akano & Megumi Yabushita. With the liklihood of EliteXC starting a women's title this fall, it's time for Gina Carano to prove herself against a more experienced opponent at her own weight class. Gary, stop screwing around. So there you have it and for those who didn't get to see last night's match, here's the video.
No comments:
Post a Comment