The Gina Show: Carano vs. Cris Cyborg MMA Press Conference

Share on Facebook posted 07-14-09 by Saki Knafo

All afternoon on the corner of 33rd Street and 8th Avenue near Madison Square Garden, a baritone-voiced announcer could be heard touting what he called a “history-making fight” featuring “the female face of mixed martial arts.” Finally, at about 4:45, following a long exhibition match featuring a pair of local male fighters, there she came, “The Face” herself, climbing into a hexagonal ring that had been temporarily mounted in the plaza. She smiled prettily at the audience, squinting into the sun, and then unleashed a flurry of quick jabs at an imaginary opponent, followed by a graceful, floor-sweeping kick. Her trainer appeared, holding a pair of foam-rubber blocks near his face, and she pounded them with nine or ten rapid-fire kicks in a row. Then, from the mixed crowd of devoted fans and bemused passersby, came the inevitable exclamation: “And she’s hot, too!”

“And She’s Hot, Too!”

Gina Carano’s undeniably good looks have attracted much attention recently — and it was attention, particularly of the media variety, that brought her to the Garden today. She and the Brazillian fighter Cristiane Cyborg were in town to promote an upcoming match (August 15) in which they will square off against each other on Showtime for what is being billed as the first-ever instance of women headlining a mixed martial-arts card. The captains of the MMA industry are banking on the possibility that the fight will attract legions of new fans to female matches, thereby launching this marginalized sector of the still-marginalized sport into the mainstream. The key to their hopes is Carano’s star quality, which certainly has something to do with the fact that Carano is a top athlete, undefeated in seven fights, renowned for her technical precision and quickness. And then there’s that other factor. Yesterday, on Boomer and Carton’s morning show on WFAN, she was asked by her hyper-masculine hosts about her sex life, her recent photo spread for Maxim, the possibility of her ever doing a Playboy shoot, and a series of leaked snapshots that seemed to suggest she had kissed another woman, all of which she answered gamely, with coy demurrals and giggles. If memory serves, one of the hosts may have even thought to ask her a question or two about fighting.

Oh, and Cris Cyborg

At a press conference in the Garden before the exhibition, the questions mostly centered on the hype surrounding Carano, rather than on Carano herself. Although Carano shared the stage with Cyborg (and Cyborg’s translator), it was perfectly clear who the main draw was. Once or twice, after Carano finished giving an answer, the announcer called out, “Next question,” apparently having forgotten to give Cyborg her turn to speak.

A reporter for mmamadness.com asked Carano if she thought that her fight with Cyborg might turn out to be the female version of the Forrest Griffin-Stephen Bonnar fight of 2005, which was widely credited with bringing mainstream attention to the sport in general. “I think that’s an awesome comparison,” said Carano, broadcasting both femininity and toughness in a black motorcycle jacket, form-hugging jeans with a fashionable tear above the knee, and glossy black high-heel sandals. “That’s one of my favorite fights to watch and I definitely hope it goes that way.”

Another reporter asked, “Why do you think you’re called ‘The Face?’”

“No Penis,” Explains the Face

“I’d like to think that people call me ‘The Face’ because of the skill, but I know that’s not entirely it.”

There was a question from a female reporter (one of the few in the room) and self-proclaimed MMA fighter about how to respond to men who say, “You’re too pretty to fight.”

“I was always taught when you hear a compliment to say, ‘Thank you,’” said Carano. “So thank you for your compliments, but that’s not going to help anybody out in the cage.”

Toward the end, there was a question about the difference between male and female fighting. Carano laughed and raised an eyebrow just slightly, as if she couldn’t quite believe that anyone really wondered about that. “Males and females are completely different animals,” she said. “I can’t even talk to you guys sometimes.”

“We’re female,” she continued, before adding, helpfully, “No penis.”