Carano: “I wasn’t like the other little girls”
Gina Carano Talks Cris Cyborg Fight and The Growth of Women’s MMA Gina Carano will step into the cage Saturday…
Gina Carano Talks Cris Cyborg Fight and The Growth of Women’s MMA
Gina Carano will step into the cage Saturday night against Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Santos in the main event of a MMA card that has been billed as the biggest event in the history of female fighting. And while Carano declines to predict herself as the winner, she says she’s certain that whoever walks out of the cage with the first Strikeforce women’s belt will be a great champion.
Did you always know you were a tough girl growing up, or is toughness something you’ve discovered through martial arts that you didn’t always know you had?
Oh, I always knew. I was strong, a tough little girl, and I think that’s where it started. I wasn’t like the other little girls around me. I was stronger and able to beat up little boys around me. Being a fighter started when I was a little girl.
From a technical perspective, what do you have to do to win this fight against Cyborg?
I need to be sharp and be on my game and fight my fight, and not get overwhelmed by her aggressive style. Keep my head about me. It’s going to be an extremely tough fight. Cyborg is definitely my toughest opponent to date so I’ll do what I can to be as sharp and powerful as I can that night.
What are the drawbacks of fame?
The demands of being out there. Some days I just don’t feel like talking to people and doing interviews. Some days I don’t feel like talking to anyone. And I think sometimes people see you as not a human, like you’re just an ideal or something. Sometimes I have a conversation with someone who doesn’t seem to realize that I’m just an ordinary person like they are.
What do you like to do to relax outside the cage?
I love listening to music. When I use my computer it’s to look up bands and find new music. I realized recently that all the music I listen to has a lot of intense screaming in it. And I was like, “Whoa, I didn’t realize I was that girl.” But I guess I like harder music. But I like other music too. Something we don’t really have here in Vegas is a jazz bar. I’d love that. And I love movies. I’ll put on a movie on DVD and watch it over and over again. I’ve been watching a lot of romantic comedies lately. I think laughing is the best type of recovery, so when I’m trying to recover and heal my body, that’s good.