5 Reasons To Look Forward To Gina Carano's Imminent Comeback

During the televised broadcast of the recent Strikeforce: “Fedor vs. Silva” show, none other than Gina Carano announced that she would be making her return to Strikeforce sometime in 2011. To this day, Carano remains a very popular and yet also somewhat-controversial female fighting star. Some fans don’t appreciate the way she left the sport, and some fans have mixed feelings regarding her impending return. I’m actually a Gina Carano fan even though I’m a bigger fan of her greatest rival, Cristiane Santos, so here’s five reasons to be excited for the return of Gina Carano.

5. Carano is an exciting fighter.

Even if you take away her good looks (and who would want to do that?), Gina Carano is still a fighter that’s exciting to watch. Whenever I think of Gina Carano, I remember her bouts in EliteXC that routinely stole the show, at least in my eyes, and this was at a point where I had next-to-no familiarity with women’s MMA. She may have the looks of a model, but she’s got the heart of a fighter, and Carano’s fights are always well worth watching.

4. Before the loss to “Cyborg”, Carano proved that she is also an elite-level fighter.

But it’s one thing to be exciting, it’s another thing entirely to be exciting and relevant in your division’s title hunt. Before she lost to “Cyborg”, Carano had compiled a perfect record of 7-0 against solid competition, with four wins coming by stoppage. Carano is fun and exciting to watch, but when the going gets tough and her opponents show up to fight, Carano has the skills necessary to more than hold her own.

3. Carano is a popular, familiar face in a sea of newcomers.

Other than Cristiane Santos, who really stands out in Strikeforce’s Women’s Middleweight division? Marloes Coenen dropped down in weight and is now the Women’s Welterweight Champion. Amanda Nunes burst upon the scene with a great fourteen-second KO, but it was on the less-watched “Challengers” series of shows. People know who Carano is, and judging by the reaction she got at “Fedor vs. Silva”, they still want to see her fight. This division simply needs the attention that Carano can give it, in order to both attract fans and stimulate growth in the division with a host of new, hungry females hoping to make a name for themselves by taking on Carano.

2. Gina Carano’s marketability means more focus on women’s MMA.

Even after all this time spent outside the cage, Gina Carano is still being labeled “The Face of Women’s MMA”. This is a woman that’s appeared in magazine spreads, taking a major role in an upcoming film, and helped bring women’s MMA to the mainstream. This is exactly the type of fighter women’s MMA needs right now: a marketable, attractive star that gets people interested in watching women’s MMA. They’ll come for Gina Carano, they’ll stay once they realize how talented Strikeforce’s female fighters are. And that’s definitely a good thing.

And of course, the number one reason to look forward to Gina Carano’s return just has to go to…

1. A potential rematch with Cristiane Santos.

It was the first female MMA fight to ever headline a live, televised card. To this day, it holds the record for the most-watched event of the Strikeforce/Showtime partnership. There’s more than enough grounds for a rematch: the fight was stopped with only one second left on the clock, and depending on what she does when she returns, Carano may be an entirely different fighter when she makes her comeback. This is a huge match for Strikeforce, and it has the potential to be even bigger than their first encounter. It definitely takes the top spot.

So be positive, fans and friends! I can’t wait to see “Conviction” back in the cage. And what about you? What are your feelings on Carano’s impending return?