Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has his hands on a scorcher of a main event with MMA’s sweetheart Gina Carano taking on terminatrix Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos on Aug. 15 in San Jose, Calif., for the promotion’s first 145-pound women’s championship.
1. Carano was offered different opponents in April and May during the four-month long re-negotiations.
“What we were thinking was that she was going to want a tune-up fight, but she didn’t want it,” Coker told Sherdog in May. “She said, ‘I want to fight ‘Cyborg.’”
One potential name that floated across Sherdog’s desk was east coast standout Roxanne Modafferi. Coker would not confirm nor deny.
2. Against some of her advisors’ recommendations and with a 10-month layoff looming, Carano still insisted Santos come next. Carano said she’d watched too many matchups that should have been die on the vine and she didn’t want this one to have the same fate. Carano applauded Strikeforce for not moving to prolong something that could well have been milked over a couple more events.
“Strikeforce isn’t afraid to put out the Carano-Cyborg fight, and they’re not afraid to match up people fairly in these fights that are tough for fighters,” she said.
3. Coker originally intended to promote the event in Los Angeles, but time became an issue.
“I really felt this fight, in the L.A. area, would have down really well, but by the time we got to where everything was signed off, we only had two months and eight days,” said Coker. “So we brought it back home because we were running out of time and we wanted it done properly.”
Coker said both the Staples Center and Anaheim’s Honda Center were under consideration for a time.
4. Carano jumped at the opportunity to face Cyborg not only to prove she’s genuinely willing to put her undefeated record on the line, but to get her motor running again.
“I’ve been looking forward to something like this for a long time, because it gives me ambition to train,” she said. “It’s revived me completely. I’ll be in the best shape of my life.”
5. Re-negotiations weren’t all about the money. Carano said she needed the time to re-organize her relationship with her management, Wasserman Media Group, before they delved into her transferred Pro Elite contract.
Figures were eventually addressed -- Coker told Sherdog.com in May that Carano would become the sport’s highest paid female by the end of talks.
“I’m happy with the agreement,” Carano told Sherdog.com on Tuesday. “Whatever happens from here on out, I came from not ever thinking I’d ever make any money in this sport. I just came from fighting and little gyms and not getting paid anything. So, I’m very thankful for whatever comes from something that I love.”