MMA Twitter universe is abuzz Sunday morning with reactions to Saturday night's Gina Carano vs. Cris Cyborg fight. Opinion is split about whether Cyborg knocking out Carano is good for women's MMA, about whether Carano is really a good fighter or just a pretty face, and whether Cyborg could beat a male 145-pound MMA fighter.Your questions and comments, and my responses, are below.
BBKing77: Hardly destroyed, it was back and forth!
I've heard from a few fans like you who take issue with my comment that Cyborg "destroyed" Carano. I stand by it. Yes, the fight was "back and forth" in the sense that Carano kept coming, and I give her credit for that. But Cyborg was much more powerful than Carano and landed much more effective strikes. If referee Josh Rosenthal hadn't stepped in to stop the fight with one second left in the first round, I definitely would have scored it a 10-8 round for Cyborg.
Another thing to consider: If Cyborg had won a true back-and-forth battle, I think everyone would be clamoring this morning for an immediate rematch. But I haven't heard from any fans who want to see Cyborg-Carano 2, at least not without Carano earning it by beating someone else first. I think what we all saw Saturday night is that Cyborg is a much better fighter than Carano.
drsippi: Cris Cyborg could beat some dudes at 145 in the WEC or Strikeforce. Your thoughts?
Eh, I'd rather not think about that. When Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes, she was doing it to prove that women's sports can stand on their own merits, not to turn male vs. female athletic events into a common occurrence. She did a great thing for women's sports that day, and everyone who enjoyed Carano vs. Cyborg owes her a debt of gratitude. Would Cyborg beat a featherweight in the WEC? I hope we don't find out, because I don't want to see an MMA Battle of the Sexes.
WabKinew: The strength advantage plus well roundedness seemed to keep Carano on the defensive the whole time.
I agree. Cyborg has a significant strength advantage and seemed to be equally comfortable whether hitting Carano in the stand-up or going for submissions on the ground. Carano did mount Cyborg twice, so I wouldn't actually say Carano was on the defensive the whole time. But even when Carano got to mount, she did it only after Cyborg took her to the ground, and she wasn't able to do any damage.
OrangeChuck: I was hoping to hear from Gina too since the bout ended quickly but glad they both showed great sportsmanship.
Not hearing from Carano afterward was one of the real drawbacks of the Showtime broadcast. Carano embraced Cyborg and applauded her in the cage, but I think she should have stuck around to answer some questions as well. Obviously, it's easy for me to say that; I'm not the one who had just been punched in the face 50 times.
nicholisims: Cris Cyborg beats Gina Carano by first-round TKO.And with that, women's MMA fades away.>> I'm sad =(
I think women's MMA will be just fine. I'm looking forward to seeing Cyborg defend her title, I'm looking forward to seeing Carano bounce back, and I'm looking forward to the women's tournaments that Strikeforce has promised to give us. Saturday night was a big night for women's MMA, and it won't be the last.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-16-2009 @ 10:51AM
Baphalicious said...
Well, looks like Carano's 15 minutes of fame are up. Too bad, she is a cute girl. Maybe she can switch over to something easier now like Pro Wrestling. Conversely, if they want to keep interest in women's mma going, then they are going to have to find some new blood. And, I don't think there are many out there that could keep it going. Maybe some of the lady wrestlers would like to try their hand at it. I see Awesome Kong, Beth Phoenix, and particularly Victoria being able to give Cyborg at least as good a fight as Carano did.
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8-16-2009 @ 11:03AM
user233443 said...
in reguards to cyborg does mma check for steroids or growth hormone?
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8-16-2009 @ 11:22AM
Greg said...
I agree she looks too ripped. Carano seemed WAY over matched and that shouldn't have been that easy for Cyborg, but Carano also had fear in her face at the stare down. I'd never seen that in her before.
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8-16-2009 @ 12:11PM
johnnynumber5 said...
People aren't clamoring for a rematch and thats the metric he uses to define if fans thought it was competitive?
A 10-8 round is what Cyborg did to Megumi Fuji when she just man handled her in every ay possible. This was nothing like that fight.
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8-16-2009 @ 2:25PM
Massivecock13 said...
Are you new to the sport yes they check for steroids.
Looking forward to the new season of the ultimate fighter.
Go team Evans.
Hope nobody has herpes this time.
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8-16-2009 @ 2:55PM
BBKing77 said...
Ok MDS, how about a compromise? It was Cyborg's round. Gina's moments were generally defensive. I think it would've still been 10-9, but regardless, I simply think "destroyed" is a term best reserved for what Mousasi did to Babalu a few minutes earlier.
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8-16-2009 @ 5:10PM
jmend25 said...
For those that are saying that the fight wasn't competitive or was one sided, you guys should all check out the CompuStrike numbers. Very VERY even. Only problem was that Gina tired out and was a bit over matched in the last minute.
http://www.compustrike.com/stats_files/strikeforce_8_15/Carano-Cyborg.HTM
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8-16-2009 @ 5:45PM
str8lines73 said...
At one point, Carano had dominate position on top and could have pounded on Cyborg. But instead, she got off and stood up. WHY?! Gina might have won if she just stayed mounted and kept punching Cyborg in the head. Maybe Gina just needs a better coach. Oh well. Still a great fight!
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8-16-2009 @ 6:27PM
shawnyk55 said...
aa
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8-16-2009 @ 6:31PM
shawnyk55 said...
A better coach???? Randy Couture is her coach!! One of the best coaches in the business at coming up with a gameplan and implementing it.You nhave to be kiddding. I saw an interview with Gina about 3 weeks ago and she sounded more like she just wanted to do a decnet job in the fighe and not actually win it. She was afraid!!! And Cyborg will not beat a male fighter in the WEC or UFC! No way!!
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8-17-2009 @ 2:35AM
johnnynumber5 said...
Couture may be a master strategist in the ring but he is far from one of the best coaches in MMA. Gina also has a completely different skill set and background that that of Couture so it's not an apt comparison to say what Randy does in the cage has any bearing on the performance of his fighters that he trains. It seemed like whatever game plan Gina had coming into the cage went out the window when she got a taste of Cyborg's power. This is very similar to what happened to Florian against Penn. Forrest Griffin says it best himself "everyones got a game plan until they get punched in the face"
Gina should have used the push kick to keep distance and turn the fight into a kickboxing match and pick Cyborg apart. She should have made Cyborg chase her around the cage and tire her out circle away from Santos power hand. When GIna did get hit instead of getting out of there she just turtled up and absorbed the blow without countering back! Why take a few if you aren't going to fire back??!?!?!
Obviously the gameplan was flawed from the start and Gina had o idea what to do after she got punched. Maybe it's all on Gina ... I don't know. But, Cyborg had ZERO respect for Carano's power because she kept sloppily coming forward and throwing bombs with little fear of getting caught.
8-16-2009 @ 10:15PM
wolfster9 said...
Did they test Cyborg for Steroid use after fight???? No, because if they had, they would have seen that she is a heavey Steroid user, in Brazil one can Buy this Stuff exctreamly easy,Been there, done that, Just one look at her excagerated Muscle structure and and expierienced Trainer, can see that she i s auser. Look at her Face, the Manly features are a classic sighn of early devellopment of this Muscle growing Hormone. Gina who is a well conditioned Athlete, did not even stand a chance against her, she walked right through her and she could have been seriously injured by this Cyborg Creature.If I where her Dad i would protest on the grounds ,that NO Drug Test was performed after fight.Gina is the real deal, who got beat by an Steroid using Monster.
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8-16-2009 @ 11:16PM
BILLY said...
You are very right on wolfster9.
cyborg was very juiced on steroids.in brazil one can easily purchase them.
gina fought her gamely...but was no match for that beast.
WHY DO THESE STEROIDED MONSTERS GET TO FIGHT IN MMA??? is it $$$$$$????
8-16-2009 @ 11:43PM
chet713 said...
I agree. No normal female is able to achieve that level of muscle tone without the help of steroids. This fight was unfair from the beginning, in my opinion Carano (the only honest fighter in the ring) did not lose a fair match... so she didn't lose, period.
8-16-2009 @ 11:19PM
BILLY said...
Gina did have a fair mount on her but i think she feared cyborgs ground skills.
and i think cyborg was far too 'roided and too strong to stay mounted.
gina fought her heart out.she could not really hurt that amazon.
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8-16-2009 @ 11:28PM
BILLY said...
Thats wrong to say in my opinion.gina is a fine very game very good fighter.a true pro.she has class is a great sport...but sadly she just couldnt beat cyborg who is a beast an amazon woman...she could whip many men her size!!!i believe she is also very juiced up on anabolic steroids.look at her face and jaw and her neck.she looks like a female 'roided bodybuilder.
i fault strikeforce for letting this go on.its repulsive.
the ufc pride all of them have done it.
steroids have destroyed sports in america.ruined it.
think aboout it.sammy sosa marc macquire barry bonds knocking balls out of the park...AND JUICED TO THE GILLS!!!nfl and college football players looking like monsters...its sad...
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8-16-2009 @ 11:31PM
dryan73072 said...
has anyone heard from or had an interview with Gina Carano? I'd just like to hear what her viewpoint is. I questioned her desire when in an interview she said she just wanted to "leave everything in the ring". Well she almost at least left her head there. She did not look or sound very motivated.
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8-16-2009 @ 11:34PM
BILLY said...
MANY MANY MANY fighters im talking champions...have fought in mma and were 'roided out of their minds!!!i know this for a fact!!!!i could name names...whats the use.
cyborg was pumped full of them.one look at her face ,her jaw,neck and her musculature during the fight proves this.
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8-17-2009 @ 12:22AM
Child of God said...
1) Agree with the 'roiders. Too obvious. Been there myself and done that and been in that culture-doesn't take a test in this case, the body, type/degree of muscularity and facial structure give it all away. Cyborg is a female version of Lesnar, only with a more well rounded game. MMA turns it's back on the whole thing because Americans love the idea of the 'superman' (or superwoman). Ratings=$.
2) Cyborg would get her backside cracked against a competent male MMA fighter. Stupid analogy between Billy Jean and Riggs. Riggs was way past his prime, old, and Billy Jean was young-it was more of a social commentary. She didn't compete against the top males of her days for a reason. Put her in the ring with a top male MMA fighter at her weight and it would be an ugly bloodbath. Cyborg would get seriously hurt. To even have these kinds of questions shows we're not too far removed from ancient Rome.
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8-17-2009 @ 9:57AM
Mike said...
She did look more like a man. I have never seen a woman look that large and ripped without outside assistance. No way under normal circumstances that she is that much bigger and stronger that Gina or anyone else. She looked abnormal--PERIOD!
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