MMA Cult (Fighter Apparel)

In a recent interview Randy Couture noted that he would be surprised to see women’s MMA star Gina Carano back in the cage as she’s making some big progress in the acting world.

What is going on with Gina Carano and will we see her compete again?

Couture: Gina just did a movie that’s going to be coming out soon. I haven’t seen her in the gym, haven’t talked to her in nine months. I’m not sure where she’s at. I know the movie is going to be very big for her and I’d be very surprised to see her back in the cage.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/with+former+champion+Randy+Couture/3382409/story.html#ixzz0wFQVHs00

BUY DESI FIGHTER

BUY DESI FIGHTER

ON RANDY COUTURE:
“Originally, when I first met Randy, it was before that SHOWTIME fight against Julie Kedzie. He just came into the locker room and said two sentences to me and it screwed my head on straight. I haven’t really gotten to work with him for the last two years I’ve been a part of Extreme Couture. We both had different things going on. I knew he would be in Las Vegas for the months leading up to this fight, so I thought it might be important for me to really not try to manage all this high level of intensity. I just didn’t want to have to deal with that all by myself, like I had to in the past. I’m not taking anything away from the managers that I’ve had, but there aren’t a lot of people that can put it straight and organize you like Randy Couture. He’s had the experience since the beginning of the sport. It was nice to not have to do it by myself and to have someone who has been through it before.”
“He sat down, and I’d never met him before. He sat down and my head was wound up a little bit too tight. He looked at me and said, ‘You know why we do this.’ And I looked at him like, ‘No, why am I doing this.’ And he said, ‘because we love it, right?’ His presence and his coolness completely took any anxiety that I was feeling and turned it into passion. I was ready to go from then. After that fight, I said if somebody can affect me that strongly I want to go train with them.”
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“When I first came into this sport I was looking around for somebody who had come in before me and had paved the way, and I just didn’t see it at that time. I figured I would do it how I wanted to do it.”
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“I don’t understand why everyone focuses on my looks. There are a lot of beautiful women out there. It’s just kind of thrown me off my feet with the attention that I’ve gotten. Now, I’m getting more organized and I’m taking a break from all the hype and everything so I can be more true to myself. I’m trying to do my best with the opportunities I’ve been given and I think I’m really maturing. It will be nothing but better from here on out.”
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“I know that women’s MMA is going to do nothing but get bigger from here on out. To have the first main event in MMA history, against Cyborg of all people, is just going to be amazing for me. It’s such an honor, and since it’s such an honor I just don’t feel the added pressure. I think it’s a win-win situation.”
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“I’m honored to be a part of such a great sport. I think that it has changed my life in a lot of ways and redirected me. I’ve learned so much about the world through this sport.”
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“For this fight, it’s one of the biggest honors and it almost makes me choke up to say that I’m going to be able to fight such a wonderful opponent. It’s such a big deal for females in this sport. There are so many of them out there and there are going to be so many more in the years to come.”
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I just like the mentality of fighting and I like to be physical and it’s just I think it’s one of the most honest sports out there. In basketball and other sports, you can fall down and over-exaggerate it, but in fighting it’s so honest.
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I guess my game plan is really to fight the fight. People come from wrestling and other places, but the beauty of MMA is that anything goes. And so I just need to remember that if I get stuck on the ground to get on my feet.
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Well, there’s been a little bit of pressure. But I started fighting when nobody was watching and I’ll continue fighting whether people are watching or not. I just love the positive energy. People want to (can) put me wherever they want to put me, that’s fine. (on if she feels pressure being called the face of women’s MMA)
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My life my real life hasn’t really changed, but the exposure has. It has been awesome. I have to just keep organized and keep myself together because if not I’m not going to fight well. So it’s nice. It’s beautiful. And I love all the fans and I love all the people that give me positive energy back. I’m trying to keep a level head about it.
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I would say the best thing is the sport is getting more popular and getting more fans and attracting new fighters from other places. The worst thing about it is probably is it still is so young. It’s got a long ways to go and it’s still making baby steps compared to the other sports.

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LOSS TO CYBORG:
I wanted to take time to collect my thoughts and speak from the heart rather than spew out some cliché anecdote about a tough loss. I know I am a better fighter than the way I performed that night and was heartbroken to not give more to those who have been inspired. However, I find some relief in knowing that this has never been only about me, and now more than ever I feel freedom to learn and grow at my own pace. I make it a point to constantly remind myself throughout this journey who I am, what I am doing, and why. Life is the most amazing gift and I want to live it for the right reasons. To my family, coaches, management… thank you from the bottom of my heart for believing in me, loving and encouraging me. Also a special thanks to the fans who support me from their computers at home, watch me on television and scream for me in the stadiums. Because of you, barriers have been broken down and you have inspired me to believe in a larger dream. Congratulations to Cris Cyborg and the women of MMA who have a great platform to shine. I am more excited than ever for female fighters and this amazing sport which has transformed my life. God Bless.

BUY DESI FIGHTER

BUY DESI FIGHTER

Gina Carano is the real deal–a very dedicated and talented fighter who has a great mindset to be a champion in the sport. Is she the best female fighter in the world? You can’t give her that title she has to take on the best and beat them to earn that accolade.

Carano has a very positive attitude and is a great ambassador for not just women’s MMA, but MMA in general. She definitely would not be where she is at without her physical beauty, but she definitely is a true fighter and a very genuine and kind person outside the cage. I can understand how other female fighters who have been in the business would feel like they’re being slighted in not receiving the recognition and opportunities as Carano, who has had many doors opened to her due to her sexy image. Unfortunately for those fighters who do not possess the unique combination of top caliber beauty in conjunction with a heapful of brawn, they have to face the reality of the “sex sells” aspect of the business world.

Ticket sales, pay per view buy-related issues unfortunately allow some athletes to receive more lucrative opportunities in the business world, and despite all the positive points attributed to the sport we all love, it still coexists within a domain that has to cater the bottom line. Brock Lesnar was able to leap towards a title shot way quicker than any rookie fighter who would enter into the UFC and likely fueled some resentment from his heavyweight brethren. Nonetheless, it was the fact that he had such a big name and could bring in such a huge amount of attention and money to the table that allowed him to jump into a main event, receive a title shot and become a marquee fighter in the organization. Did he deserve it? No. Did he make the most of it? Yes.

In the that’s what it comes down to, making the most of whatever opportunity arises. It’s analogous to the fights we watch. The fighters who win often are not the best or the most talented, but they just make the most of an opportunity. They might strike first, capitalize on the opportunity that comes up, or perhaps never give up despite the circumstances and find some opening to score a victory.
Some situations might not be “fair” but you do the best you can and control all the variables you have in your disposal. Former UFC champ Forrest Griffin said it quite well when he talked about training. All he worries about is doing the most he can possibly do in training and work as hard as possible to win his upcoming fights. He controls all the variables at his disposal. He said:

“The thing I always say is control all the variables you can control, don’t worry about the rest..There’s a little prayer they give to the druggies and alcoholics, ‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.’ Yeah I live by that.”

A FIGURE WITH “CONVICTION”: CARANO TEAMS WITH ROUND 5 TO CREATE COLLECTIBLE

Face of Female MMA Latest Star To Develop Figurine

MARKHAM, Ontario, Canada, February 24, 2009 – Known to many as the “face of female mixed martial arts,” Gina “Conviction” Carano has parlayed great ability in the cage and a glamorous look out of it to burst onto the MMA scene and in many ways transcended the sport. Now, the unbeaten star has announced she will be working with Round 5, the leader in collectible MMA figurines, to produce a figure that reflects her stardom.  Carano joins an All-Star lineup of 13 MMA standouts who currently work with Round 5.

Carano, 26, gained notice for her success in the cage and has earned additional attention with appearances as “Crush“ on the NBC television series “American Gladiators“ and by serving as a mentor/coach on the Oxygen network series “Fight Girls.“  She is also in many ways a pioneer in women’s MMA, competing in the first-ever sanctioned bout in Nevada in September 2006 and in the first female bout (boxing or MMA) on the Showtime Network in February 2007.  She currently owns a 7-0 record in MMA competition.

“Gina Carano has emerged as a star, not just in MMA but in the mainstream,” said Damon Lau, Round 5 President.  “As the first female in the Round 5 line, we expect her figurine to be popular among the sport’s enthusiasts as well as those who have seen her on TV or in magazines.”

“I’m incredibly blessed to be a part of so many wonderful opportunities and to now be included in Round 5’s line up of gifted fighters is another exciting privilege,” said Carano.  “When I was a little girl my dad always joked about making a ‘Gina doll’ and I smile when I think it has become a reality. It is both humbling and invigorating to consider this is just the beginning with so many other gifted women whose figurines are yet to be made.”

The Carano figurine is tentatively scheduled to be released as part of Series 4, which is planned for a summer 2009 release.  As in the earlier Series, Carano will maintain creative control of her likeness, including the pose, facial design and shorts. She will have a major hand in creating the final design and will benefit from a royalty agreement that gives her a considerable portion of the proceeds from the sale of her unit.

Round 5 has announced partnerships with 13 mixed martial arts stars to date, with eight figurines already available:  Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Tito Ortiz (Series 1); and Rich Franklin, Sean Sherk, Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva (Series 2).  Series 3 figurines are scheduled to be available in April, featuring Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski, “Big John” McCarthy, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. International superstar Fedor Emelianenko has also signed on and will be in a future Series in 2009.

Round 5 collectible figures may be purchased at leading retailers such as Toys ‘R’ Us (Canada), Champs Sports and FYE.  Other retailers can be found at www.Round5MMA.com/wheretobuy.php.

In addition to Carano, Round 5 plans to release collectibles of three more series of athletes in 2009, one during each quarter.  Other athletes to be represented in those series are yet to be announced.

About Round 5

Round 5 (www.Round5MMA.com), headquartered in Markham, Ontario, Canada, is the MMA industry’s fastest growing worldwide collectible figure company. Committed to developing intricately detailed figures, Round 5 strives to remain true to the sport of MMA and its personalities.

“Gina Carano is a star, I think she’s talented. I think she’s got all the tools, so what I’m willing to do is bring Gina into the WEC. We could do fights whenever there’s a challenger for Gina. That’s how I’ll test the waters and see how it goes.”

Gina Carano was interview on WFAN in New York today:

http://www.wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=2991254&topic=true

Watch Gina Carano is fighting Kelly Kobald, and wants to fight the Cyborg, and likes tough guys! on RawVegas.tv