Carano out of June fight for medical reasons, hopes setback is brief

Strikeforce held a media conference call today (June 7, 2011) at 2 p.m. ET in advance of Strikeforce: “Overeem vs. Werdum” which goes down next Saturday (June 18, 2011) in Dallas, Texas.

Gina Carano was expected to be on the call, but Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker took her place.

During the call, Coker said that Gino Carano’s failed medicakl clearance, and that she will not be on the card against Sarah D’Alelio.

“Following a medical examination yesterday afternoon, Gina Carano’s medical clearance was revoked by her doctor, and consequently, she will not be able to fight on June 18,” said Coker. “The timetable for Gina’s return will be determined after further testing conducted this week.”

Coker refused to give any further details on the Carano’s condition. He did offer a prepared statement from Carano.

“I’m seriously disappointed not to be fighting June 18,” Carano’s statement read. “I’d like to think Greg Jackson and Team Jackson for such an amazing camp. I hope this is only a brief setback.”

Carano’s manger Scott Karp offered a slightly different view, noting she had a “phenomenal camp” but that an “unfortunate setback” prompted her doctor to advise against her participation in the fight, and not the governng athletic commission. “She had met all the state of Texas requirements,” Susan Stanford, a representative for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), today told MMAjunkie.com.

The TDLR received notice from Zuffa LLC that Carano would not be competing at the event.

Carano was originally schedule to fight Cindy Dandois, but the Belgian ‘Battlecat’ was forced to pull out of a June 18 fight because she was three and a half months pregnant.

With Carano vs. Dandois out, a lightweight bout between K.J. Noons and Jorge Masvidal has been promoted to the evening’s Showtime-broadcast main card. The bout between Noons and Masvidal is will determine the next challenger for Gilbert Melendez’s Strikeforce Lightweight title.