[Bruce-Leroy]

Originally Posted by derUbermensch

Here's a lively question most people should be able to post about: Gina Carano... how far can she go?

I recently read an interview of her on MMAWEEKLY.COM and she is now training at Xtreme Couture. Her stand up is pretty top-notch of course and with a gym like that she'll be able to make strides with her ground game.

I hope she goes far. Not b/c of her looks, but b/c she is just a real likable fighter. Very classy & humble.

[Bruce-Leroy]

Originally Posted by bruceleroy

I'm calm. I was just joking about the pesky thing. All is well if you change your av. Just kidding again. About her fight with MIKU, Seo-hee did very well IMO. In Korea it is unacceptable for girls to grapple. She has even boxed with me even though I way 100 pounds more, and that little girl can take a punch. ( I can't believe I just admitted to hitting a girl ). But, she has to grapple in a gi and her instruction hasn't been on the level it needs to be on. Interesting fact: She honest to god wants to be a sniper when she finishes college.

Great minds think alike.

[Bruce-Leroy]

Originally Posted by COTUR1@43

Wow, just caught a Bodog female fight where a japanese fighter absolutely got her ankle wrecked during a takedown attempt. Nasty looking...and they just kept showing it. Taken off in a stretcher and had 3 surgeries to repair it.

I saw that!!! That was the sickest thing I've ever seen in any MMA match period.

[derUbermensch]

Originally Posted by derUbermensch

Carano will be fighting Jan Finney in September.

Perhaps I should kick off a bit of discussion. Finney is the perfect opponent for Carano right now: The strong, aggressive grappler type without overwhelming technique. Finney should adequately test Gina's grasp of basics.

[womble]

I have to say the Carano/Finney match up leaves me cold. Firstly, because it seems like a step backwards after beating Kedzie (who has already beaten Finney convincingly twice). Secondly because Finney much more a stand up fighter than a grappler, but her stand up is nowhere near Carano's. No way her grappling is good enough to really threaten Carano if Kedzie couldn't. Carano by decision or KO. Should be a solid stand up war (beating), but I don't think there will be any surprises here.

[TheBigS]

Originally Posted by Old Guard

The key is just to find the right balance, so that any attention paid to a fighter's "looks" never overshadows the primary discussion of the fighter's athleticism or expertise.

I think that's a fair statement, but too often it seems like its not the case. I think the trouble is, like you hinted at, that the demographic is mostly male. As a result, we have to find the "perfect" woman to be the "face of women's mma." This translate into someone who has conventional beauty and mma skills. Without both, promoters feel that they will not draw male interest because that is largely their crowd.

I do believe that as the sport grows and even more women follow the sport that this will and should change.

[TheBigS]

Originally Posted by derUbermensch

Perhaps I should kick off a bit of discussion. Finney is the perfect opponent for Carano right now: The strong, aggressive grappler type without overwhelming technique. Finney should adequately test Gina's grasp of basics.

Maybe I'm imagining this but I thought I read someplace that Kedzie is supposed to fight Finney sometime next year as well...

[crossmount]

Originally Posted by derUbermensch

Perhaps I should kick off a bit of discussion. Finney is the perfect opponent for Carano right now: The strong, aggressive grappler type without overwhelming technique. Finney should adequately test Gina's grasp of basics.

Mebbe I'm wrong but I thought Jan was a standup fighter whose grappling was "competent".
I don't think Finney's grappling is enough to test anyone's basics from her Bodog fight against a smaller/weaker Tama Chan. The only positives for this fight is a standup style matchup and Jan will be Gina's first opponent who is naturally above the fight weight (vs Chan she weighed in at 135 but on fight day was 150!)

Really, this is made for a Gina highlight , she's gonna pick Jan apart and finish her. When she drops Finney and tries to pound her out, Jan won't be good enough on the ground to catch even a reckess Gina (esp. after being dropped).


Also, I didn't know Gina is actually on Team Couture. I thought she was just there for some excursional training (GSP - Jacksons' , Rich - MFS, etc..).

[womble]

Maybe I'm imagining this but I thought I read someplace that Kedzie is supposed to fight Finney sometime next year as well...

Wouldn't make any sense - Kedzie has already beaten her twice. After her great performance against Berezikova, Kedzie needs to move onwards and upwards and start notching a few wins against some of the other middle ranked 135ers. Tama Chan would be a good match for Kedzie. If she continues improving then Akano or Modafferi would be interesting fights for her down the line.

Mebbe I'm wrong but I thought Jan was a standup fighter whose grappling was "competent".
I don't think Finney's grappling is enough to test anyone's basics from her Bodog fight against a smaller/weaker Tama Chan.

Yup, that's pretty much the size of it.

[TheBigS]

Originally Posted by womble

Wouldn't make any sense - Kedzie has already beaten her twice. After her great performance against Berezikova, Kedzie needs to move onwards and upwards and start notching a few wins against some of the other middle ranked 135ers. Tama Chan would be a good match for Kedzie. If she continues improving then Akano or Modafferi would be interesting fights for her down the line. .

Yeah, your right. I didn't think she was going to fight her again. I saw a recent interview with Kedzie and I must have confused the info. The Akano match-up that you suggest is one that I would definitely like to see as well, especially since Akano has bounced back from her April loss in Bodog. That would be a much better test I think, against a seasoned fighter.