Gina Carano-Cris Cyborg Conference Call Highlights

[NWOWolfpack]

SHOWTIME® AND STRIKEFORCE CONFERENCE CALL HIGHLIGHTS; GINA CARANO, CRIS CYBORG, SCOTT COKER & KEN HERSHMAN

Thursday, June 18, 2009

“CARANO vs. CYBORG” – Saturday, Aug. 15, HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif., Live on SHOWTIME at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast)



NEW YORK (June 18, 2009) – After an eight-month hiatus, Mixed Martial Arts’ (MMA) leading lady, the undefeated and extremely popular Gina “Conviction” Carano (7-0) will compete in the first fight of her multi-fight agreement with STRIKEFORCE when she squares off with rival powerhouse Cris “Cyborg” (7-1) in what is being billed as a milestone event in women’s MMA history.

The undefeated Carano and once-beaten Cyborg are slated to battle five, 5-minute rounds in the first-ever fight for the STRIKEFORCE Women’s 145-Pound World Title, Saturday, Aug. 15, live on SHOWTIME® at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

Tickets, starting at $30, are available NOW at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070), all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (http://www.ticketmaster.com), and the official STRIKEFORCE website (http://www.strikeforce.com).

The most-desired matchup in the history of women’s MMA is also one that is undeniably the most dangerous assignment to date for a pair regarded as the preeminent female fighters in the world.

Carano, who will be trained for this fight by MMA legend Randy “The Natural” Couture, has achieved larger than life status over the course of the last year. In a Yahoo! online poll that named the “Top 10 Influential Women of 2008,” the 27 year-old Las Vegas resident ranked fifth, placing ahead of First Lady Michelle Obama and famed journalists Katie Couric and Barbara Walters. Carano has also been featured in the pages of Maxim and profiled by ESPN’s newsmagazine show E:60.

Confident of ruining Carano’s eagerly awaited return to the cage is the talented 23-year-old Cyborg, who has been known to devastate foes with brute strength and has been calling out Carano for several months. Cyborg, along with her husband and fellow STRIKEFORCE competitor Evangelista Cyborg, is a member of Brazil’s famed fight squad, Chute Boxe.


Highlights from Thursday’s conference call:

OPENING COMMENTS:


SCOTT COKER:

“This isn’t just the biggest female fight in MMA history; I really believe it’s one of the largest female fights of all time. I can’t remember when a women’s fight has had No. 1 vs. No. 2 fight.”

“To me, the fight is historic on a number of levels. It’s the first time a woman has been on a main event on SHOWTIME. And secondly, the winner of this fight will be crowned the first ever Women’s 145-pound STRIKEFORCE Champion.”


KEN HERSHMAN:

“Gina has a long history of “firsts” on SHOWTIME. She was on our first-ever MMA card back in February, 2007. She was the first female fighter on CBS. And now, she’s the first female athlete to headline a major fight card on SHOWTIME against Cris Cyborg. We couldn’t be prouder to be associated with these two athletes.”

“I think we’re going to redefine what it is to be a female Mixed Martial Arts athlete.”

“Not since 1996 when Christy Martin was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, have we seen a female fight or event like this.”


GINA CARANO:

“This is an honor on so many different levels. It’s an honor to be fighting on STRIKEFORCE . I’m really impressed with the cards they’ve put on.”

“I’m honored to fight such a great opponent and to fight for the first-ever female MMA title. This is just all-around a huge honor.

“I’m really training hard and I’m looking forward to fighting Cyborg. I think it’s going to be the toughest fight of my life. I appreciate all the love and support. It’s going to be a tough fight, but I’m looking forward to it.”


CYBORG:

“I’d like to thank STRIKEFORCE and everybody else. I am extremely honored to fight Gina. I don’t think there is anybody else out there that is better than Gina.”

“What happened on the Internet with me choking out that interviewer, that was just a joke. It was a part of the scheme and there was nothing serious to it.”



How much do you weigh right now and how confident are you that you can get down to 145 pounds in time for the weigh in?

CARANO:

“I’d rather keep to myself how much I weigh right now, but I’ve never had any troubles getting down to 145. I’ve had trouble making 130 and 135.

“I think 145 is a perfect weight for me and Cyborg and I don’t see any problem for either of us getting down to it.”


CYBORG:

“I’m not weighing too much heavier than what I usually walk around at. Making 145 pounds is not a problem at all.”



How does the change to five, 5-minute rounds affect your training?

CARANO:

“I think this is going to be a tough fight. It’s going to be tough even if it was three rounds or 3-minute rounds. Cyborg is such an amazing athlete and amazing fighter. This is all getting compounded by three: there’s a title, I’m fighting Cyborg and its 5-minute rounds. So, for me, mentally, this has done nothing but focus me and bring back the passion that I need to train. When I have an awesome opponent to train for I’m in the gym and I’m really excited for it. All I want is for it to be a good fight and for us to do our best out there. I think that’s what will happen. The 5-minute rounds are definitely going to intensify it, but we’re going to go for it. I know we can do it.”


CYBORG:

“In Brazil, my fights down there were three, 5-minute rounds, so this is really no change for me. When I came to the U.S., I was relieved that they were only three, 3-minute rounds because my cardio couldn’t be any better. My training hasn’t really changed at all.

“I’m happy that we’re getting the respect we deserve.”



Why did you start training with Randy Couture?

CARANO:

“Originally, when I first met Randy, it was before that SHOWTIME fight against Julie Kedzie. He just came into the locker room and said two sentences to me and it screwed my head on straight. I haven’t really gotten to work with him for the last two years I’ve been a part of Extreme Couture. We both had different things going on. I knew he would be in Las Vegas for the months leading up to this fight, so I thought it might be important for me to really not try to manage all this high level of intensity. I just didn’t want to have to deal with that all by myself, like I had to in the past. I’m not taking anything away from the managers that I’ve had, but there aren’t a lot of people that can put it straight and organize you like Randy Couture. He’s had the experience since the beginning of the sport. It was nice to not have to do it by myself and to have someone who has been through it before.”


What were you doing to keep yourself busy in the past few months?

“When I first came into this sport I was looking around for somebody who had come in before me and had paved the way, and I just didn’t see it at that time. I figured I would do it how I wanted to do it.”

“I don’t understand why everyone focuses on my looks. There are a lot of beautiful women out there. It’s just kind of thrown me off my feet with the attention that I’ve gotten. Now, I’m getting more organized and I’m taking a break from all the hype and everything so I can be more true to myself. I’m trying to do my best with the opportunities I’ve been given and I think I’m really maturing. It will be nothing but better from here on out.”



Why did you want to make this the headline fight?

COKER:

“The thought process was very simple. If you look at the caliber of this fight as being the No. 1 vs. No. 2 female fighters in the world, it was a no-brainer.”



What does it mean to be fighting as the main event above all the male fights?

CARANO:

“A fight is a fight when it comes down to it and I know that it’s going to be a very difficult fight. The fact that STRIKEFORCE put this on is a complete honor to once again have another first in history.

“I know that women’s MMA is going to do nothing but get bigger from here on out. To have the first main event in MMA history, against Cyborg of all people, is just going to be amazing for me. It’s such an honor, and since it’s such an honor I just don’t feel the added pressure. I think it’s a win-win situation.”

“I’m just so excited. I’ve never been so excited for a fight.”


CYBORG:

“This isn’t my first main event. Of course, there’s always some added pressure. But, the added pressure is overcome by the happiness and the opportunity to showcase women’s MMA with one of the best fighters of the time in Gina Carano.

“Perhaps one day we might even fight men!”



How deep is the women’s fight division?

CARANO:

“I just think that the problem has been exposure for women.”

“People walk away from female fighting and they talk about it like it’s the main event. It’s just a matter of exposure.”

“It’s blowing up from here and I’m so honored to be a part of it from the beginning.”


CYBORG:

“Gina and I are just the blueprints of what future MMA stars will follow.”

“I’m excited for the potential for women’s MMA and its potential to grow. I’d like to see that happening in the near future.”



What did Randy Couture say to you?

CARANO:

“He sat down, and I’d never met him before. He sat down and my head was wound up a little bit too tight. He looked at me and said, ‘You know why we do this.’ And I looked at him like, ‘No, why am I doing this.’ And he said, ‘because we love it, right?’ His presence and his coolness completely took any anxiety that I was feeling and turned it into passion. I was ready to go from then. After that fight, I said if somebody can affect me that strongly I want to go train with them.”



What was the first thing that your dad said to you when he found out you were fighting for the title?

CARANO:

“Jab, jab, jab. He’s been supportive, but he hasn’t been saying too much.”

“At first, he didn’t really like it, but now he’s definitely one of my biggest supporters.”



Have you guys had a chance to meet each other?

CARANO:

“Our rooms were right across from each other at one of the fights. I don’t speak the same language as her, but it’s been nothing but smiles. She seems like a great girl and I’m excited and honored to fight her. I couldn’t have a better opponent to make history with.”



CYBORG:

“I was very happy and loved the opportunity to meet her a few times. There was nothing but an exchange and a smile like, ‘Hello, hi, how are you?’ “

“There’s nothing personal against Gina. We’re both going after the same thing and only one can come out on top. It is what it is. I think Gina is a great person. She lives up to everything her image stands for.”



Is there a day that goes by that you don’t think about each other?

CARANO:

“No, there’s actually not. I’ve been thinking about this fight for a long time. And now, more than ever, I think about her every day.”


CYBORG:

“I think about Gina pretty much every day. She’s on my mind whether I’m on the treadmill or training in the gym. Gina is on my mind constantly because she is such a great athlete and such a great woman.”



How do you see this fight going in terms of the balance between striking and grappling?

CARANO:

“I’m prepared for everything because I know that Cris is good at everything. She’s great standing, she’s great on the ground. I’m prepared for wherever this fight goes. I think in the past I’ve been labeled as a standup fighter, but I’m not afraid to take it to the ground either.”

“I’m going to be prepared for everything, however it goes, and, hopefully, I’ll come out the winner in it.”


CYBORG:

“I have no problem where the fight goes. Wherever it goes, it’s going to be explosive, it’s going to be fast and it’s going to be happening. It’s not going to be a boring fight.”



How do you manage all the attention Gina gets?

CYBORG:

“I love being feared because that’s one less thing I worry about when I step in there that the other lady is scared.”

“I would hope that I can be known as Cyborg. I’d like to be the face of women’s MMA, not just boxing and Muay Thai.”



How do you plan on handling Cyborg?

CARANO:

“I’m just going to fight my game plan and try to be in the best shape possible. And, hopefully, just do my best and fight my fight and not anybody else’s fight. She’s explosive. We’re going to find out how I handle it, I guess.”



CLOSING COMMENTS:

CARANO:

“I’m honored to be a part of such a great sport. I think that it has changed my life in a lot of ways and redirected me. I’ve learned so much about the world through this sport.”

“For this fight, it’s one of the biggest honors and it almost makes me choke up to say that I’m going to be able to fight such a wonderful opponent. It’s such a big deal for females in this sport. There are so many of them out there and there are going to be so many more in the years to come.”

“I really feel like we’re a part of something huge. I hope I make everybody proud and I’m looking forward to all the great fights in the future.”

[broncofan]

How much do you weigh right now and how confident are you that you can get down to 145 pounds in time for the weigh in?

CARANO:

“I’d rather keep to myself how much I weigh right now, but I’ve never had any troubles getting down to 145. I’ve had trouble making 130 and 135.

“I think 145 is a perfect weight for me and Cyborg and I don’t see any problem for either of us getting down to it.”


CYBORG:

“I’m not weighing too much heavier than what I usually walk around at. Making 145 pounds is not a problem at all.”