Why a Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos prediction? To put things in perspective, Carano vs. Cyborg is the female MMA equivalent of the final battle between Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. After all, many believed coming in that was the biggest MMA fight to ever take place. Well, Carano vs. Cyborg is no doubt the biggest fight in female MMA history.
So who's going to win, the woman they call Conviction or the one they call Cyborg when they mix it up for the Strikeforce 145 pound title on August 15?
What Gina Carano brings to the table: Carano is an exceptional Muay Thai fighter who achieved a record of 12-1-1 in that sport before making the jump to MMA. Along with this, she possesses a diverse set of striking skills, utilizing punches, the clinch, and kicks from a distance to fell opponents. What's more, her takedowns and takedown defense are solid, and her submission skills are improving. That said, we know a lot more about her stand up because that's usually where her fights end up taking place.
Perhaps just as important, Carano has found herself in some back and forth tussles. In other words, she's dealt with some adversity in the cage and come out on top, as her undefeated MMA record reinforces.
What Cris Santos brings to the table: Santos brings some excellent Muay Thai to this fight as well. Like most Chute Boxe fighters, she is very aggressive. To that end, she is also as explosive and athletic of a fighter as you'll see in female MMA.
In terms of ground skills, even less is known about Santos than Carano. She definitely has solid takedowns and takedown defense. But she has never submitted an opponent and her only loss in MMA came by way of submission.
Of course, that was way back in 2005.
Gina Carano vs. Cris "Cyborg" Santos Strikeforce Prediction: This is as hard a fight to call as there is. The problem is that female MMA just doesn't possess the level of competition that the men do as of yet, even if they are growing in leaps and bounds. Thus, we've never seen either of these fighters go up against another woman that's in the same class of the one that they will be fighting on August 15. Further, there are some questions about the ground skills that both fighters possess (we haven't seen Carano on the ground all that much, and all we know about Cyborg is what she can do from the top position). Finally, we know very little about how Santos will react in a tough fight; a fight that she doesn't dominate from beginning to end.
On top of it all, this is going to be a five round war with each round lasting five minutes, which is uncharted territory for both competitors.
So here's the first question: Can Carano withstand Cyborg's frenetic early pace? Can she avoid getting stopped early by one of the more vicious female fighters on the planet? Well, one thing we know about Carano is she's tough. Further, she's a better Muay Thai fighter than those that Santos has mixed it up with before, and is quite strong. So we'll guess yes.
If Carano is able to weather Cyborg's early storm at the HP Pavilion, she may get the chance to implement her game plan. Xtreme Couture fighters tend to have excellent game plans for fights, and things should be no different for her. So don't be surprised if after weathering an early storm, Carano begins to assert herself on her feet in spots and even utilizes her improving ground skills, looking for a takedown. When this fight gets into the late rounds, Cyborg may begin to feel the heat.
Gina Carano wins via unanimous decision.
READERS RESPOND: Is Female MMA a passing fad or will it continue to grow beyond the Carano-Cyborg fight? Tell us your thoughts.
