Strikeforce
STRIKEFORCE NEWS: Gina Carano's return official, expected back in the cage this June
Feb 13, 2011 - 11:40:57 AM STRIKEFORCE NEWS: Gina Carano's return official, expected back in the cage this June

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

At one time considered the "Face of Women's MMA," Gina Carano is now set to return to the sport this summer after a near two-year absence.

Carano's return to Strikeforce was officially announced during Strikeforce's Showtime broadcast of Saturday's "Fedor vs. Silva" event in New Jersey, and multiple published reports state that she is expected to fight this June.

She has been out of action since losing to Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos by TKO in the first round of their mega-fight in August of 2009, a fight that had been built for well over a year in EliteXC before it finally happened in Strikeforce. The fight was the very first major televised event headlined by a women's bout.

Carano turned her attention to acting following the loss, starring in Steven Soderbergh's upcoming film, "Haywire," which is expected to premiere this summer. The 28-year-old holds a 7-1 career record in MMA, though her last win came two and a half years ago in October of 2008.

Penick's Analysis: Carano's return may be a nice little ratings boost for Strikeforce, but I'm not sure how long Carano will stick around and whether or how motivated she'll be to compete at a high level after a long time away from the sport. She's at a point, especially once the movie comes out, where she doesn't need the sport to be the thing that drives her in her life. I hope she can come back strong, because she does garner a lot of attention and can be fun to watch, but she's likely just coming back for a feature fight here or there, and it's not going to be her main focus going forward.

[Gina Carano art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]