Steven Marrocco of MMAWeekly.com writes that Gina Carano is still missing in action when it comes to Strikeforce and MMA:
The face of women’s MMA may not be back until summer 2010, according to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker.
Gina Carano, 27, is currently shooting a starring role in the Stephen Soderbergh-helmed film “Knockout.” She reportedly plays a fighter who’s hired by the government to become a spy.
When asked for an update on when Carano would return to the Strikeforce cage, Coker said, “that’s a good question.”
“Her agent and I have been in dialogue,” he added. “We had talked about having her fight again, but not fighting on Dec. 19. She’s going to acting classes, I heard, and doing a lot of weapons training, doing what they do.”
The Strikeforce executive has followed this route before. The promotion’s other crossover star, Cung Le, relinquished his middleweight title in September when a blossoming movie career overtook his fighting responsibilities. Le will return to the cage on Dec. 19 after a 21-month absence.
Coker said he wanted to meet with Carano before making any decisions on how to manage the situation.
“I’d like to sit down with her face-to-face probably in the next 30 days or so, and sit down and see where her head’s at,” he said. “By all means, we would love to have her back, and we would love to have her fight again. I think in her heart she’s still a fighter.”
Payout Perspective:
Coker and Strikeforce are likely seeking to put Carano and Fedor on the same fight card in order to further boost the exposure that the Russian gets in North America. The next CBS card is rumoured to be taking place sometime in April, which would ostensibly rule out the participation of Carano. However, the timing might be right to get Carano back on a summer CBS card that could also feature a Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship Bout (one that would hopefully involve Fedor).
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