Crypt Bookie - TUF 14 which two fighters win it all
These odds will be adjusting as the show progresses. Well, as long as it doesn't blow up on me.
BANTAMWEIGHTS
JOHN ALBERT
Fighting out of: Puyallup, Wash. / Victory Athletics
Record: 6-1-0
Age: 24JOHNNY BEDFORD
Fighting out of: Watuga, Texas/ F3 Alliance
Record: 17-9-1
Age: 28CARSON BEEBE
Fighting out of: Western Springs, Ill. / Gilbert Grappling
Record: 6-1-0
Age: 22ROLAND DELORME
Fighting out of: Winnipeg, Manitoba / Winnipeg Academy of MMA
Record: 6-1-0
Age: 27TJ DILLASHAW
Fighting out of: Sacramento, Calif. / Team Alpha Male
Record: 4-0-0
Age: 25JOHN DODSON
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, N.M. / Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts
Record: 11-5-0
Age: 26CASEY DYER
Fighting out of: New Castle, Ind. / No Affiliation
Record: 6-1-0
Age: 21BJ FERGUSON
Fighting out of: Louisville, Ky. / All-American MMA
Record: 6-2-0
Age: 29JOSH FERGUSON
Fighting out of: Louisville, Ky. / All-American MMA
Record: 7-3-0
Age: 22LOUIS GAUDINOT
Fighting out of: Yonkers, N.Y. / Team Tiger Schulmann
Record: 5-1-0
Age: 26MATT JAGGERS
Fighting out of: Connersville, Ind. / Team Wolfpack
Record: 20-7-0
Age: 25TATEKI MATSUDA
Fighting out of: Boston, Mass. / Team Sityodtong
Record: 6-2-0
Age: 25PAUL MCVEIGH
Fighting out of: Glasgow, Scotland / Dinky Ninjas
Record: 18-6-0
Age: 29BRANDON MERKT
Fighting out of: New Richmond, Wisc. / The Academy
Record: 11-0-0
Age: 27DUSTIN PAGUE
Fighting out of: Centreville, Va. / MASE MMA
Record: 9-4-0
Age: 23ORVILLE SMITH
Fighting out of: Indianapolis, Ind. / Integrated Fighting
Record: 11-3-0
Age: 30FEATHERWEIGHTS
STEPHEN BASS
Fighting out of: Savannah, Ga. / Lloyd Irvin MMA
Record: 10-0-0
Age: 28DENNIS BERMUDEZ
Fighting out of: Massapequa, N.Y./ Long Island MMA
Record: 7-2-0
Age: 24DIEGO BRANDAO
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, N.M. / Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts
Record: 13-7-0
Age: 23MARCUS BRIMAGE
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, Fla. / American Top Team
Record: 3-1-0
Age: 31BRYAN CARAWAY
Fighting out of: Sacramento, Calif. / Team Alpha Male
Record: 15-5-0
Age: 26JOSH CLOPTON
Fighting out of: San Francisco, Calif. / Skrap Pack
Record: 4-0-1
Age: 29AKIRA CORASSANI
Fighting out of: Gothenburg, Sweden / Team Kaobon
Record: 9-3-0
Age: 28KARSTEN LENJOINT
Fighting out of: Nottingham, United Kingdom / Wolfslair Academy
Record: 7-1-0
Age: 30ERIC MARRIOTT
Fighting out of: Independence, Mo. / Grindhouse MMA
Record: 20-5-0
Age: 25MICAH MILLER
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, Fla. / American Top Team
Record: 17-4-0
Age: 24DUSTIN NEACE
Fighting out of: Granite City, Ill. / Hit Squad
Record: 22-17-1
Age: 24JESSE NEWELL
Fighting out of: Ventura, Calif. / Knuckleheadz Boxing
Record: 6-1-0
Age: 24BRIAN PEARMAN
Fighting out of: Springfield, Mo. / Springfield Fight Club
Record: 7-1-0
Age: 26JIMMIE RIVERA
Fighting out of: Elmwood Park, N.J. / Team Tiger Schulmann
Record: 8-1-0
Age: 21STEVEN SILER
Fighting out of: Ogden, Utah / Riven Academy
Record: 18-9-0
Age: 24BRYSON WAILEHUA-HANSEN
Fighting out of: Honolulu, Hawaii / MMA Development
Record: 5-1-0
Age: 24
With the recently announced return of Gina "Conviction" Carano to cage fighting the detractors of Gina will be out in full force again.
I have to be honest and say straight away that I'm a fan of Gina Joy Carano.
There are some critics and nay sayers of the lovely Gina Carano (who is the "Face of Women's MMA") when it comes to her MMA skills that's unwarranted in my opinion.
The most common argument that some MMA fans like to throw around to demean and minimize her as an MMA fighter is that Gina has done nothing in her MMA career and is nothing more than a "pretty face" who is not even worth watching as an MMA fighter.
These same individuals like to defend male MMA fighters of their liking who have fought minimally talented fighters as well, but offer up the explanation that the particular division they were or are fighting in is or was way too thin at the time, but at least they took on whatever fighters they were matched-up against.
Apparently to these individuals this argument is only valid when applied to male fighters.
I say bullshit... the argument for minimally talented / thin divisions is indeed a valid one, but if this mindset is acceptable when applied to male MMA fighters than it needs to be evenly applied across the board to female fighters as well.
As we all know, even today women's MMA is lacking sufficient numbers regarding top tier talent, and if this is the case today than it's even more applicable when Gina started her MMA career.
Prior to Gina becoming an MMA fighter, she was trained in the art of Muay Thai and amassed a Muay Thai record of 12-1-1... that's an impressive accomplishment in my book, but I'm sure her detractors will minimize that accomplishment as well without ever having the nerve to step-up and take on a similar challenge.
Gina's first MMA fight was against Leiticia Pestova who she KO'd at 39 seconds of the first round in June of 2006, and three months later Gina took part in the first-ever sanctioned female MMA bout in the WPFC 1 - World Pro Fighting Championships event in Las Vegas, Nevada against Rosi "The Surgeon" Sexton.
Again Gina won by KO, but this time it was at 4:55 in round 2 which was against an opponent whose current record is now 12 - 2 - 0.
Rosi "The Surgeon" Sexton has only lost one other fight since that loss to Gina Carano after continuing to fight in women's, and Rosi has had eight fights after her bout with Gina.
I see that as another accomplishment worthy of praise rather than condemnation... but I'm sure this too will be minimized by those who choose to berate her.
Again in 2006, Gina took on another MMA fight against opponent Elaina "Beef" Maxwell (who she had previously beaten in a Muay Thai bout), in which she went 3 rounds winning a unanimous decision in yet again another women's MMA first, being the first ever women's MMA bout in the Strikeforce organization and the first ever televised women's MMA bout.
Those first three fights in her MMA career all in the same year within a six month time frame are accomplishments and milestones for women's MMA that again don't deserve the disrespect that her detractors and critics like to dole out.
Next up for Gina was her well deserving title as the "Face of Women's MMA" when EliteXC began to promote Gina in an effort to grow the sport of women's MMA.
In Gina's next four bouts she proudly took on whoever EliteXC matched her up with and won all four bouts.
Gina's first EliteXC bout was against Julie "Fireball" Kedzie that Gina won again by a 3 round unanimous decision, in what many thought was the "Fight of the Night."
Julie "Fireball" Kedzie is still fighting today and has amassed a record of 16 - 9 - 0, not overly impressive but has had an additional 11 MMA bouts after fighting Gina losing only 3 of those 11 fights.
Next up for Gina, a bout with Tonya Evinger in which she won at 2:53 in round 1 by rear naked choke for her first career win by submission and apparently was improving her skills as a mixed martial artist.
Shortly before this event she was rushed to the hospital while attending a WEC event as a spectator due to dehydration, which can be pretty painful if you've ever personally experienced the same.
Next up for Carano... she took on HOOKnSHOOT Champion Kaitlin Young at her third EliteXC event winning by a TKO due to a doctor stoppage at 3:00 in round 2.
Apparently this fight is where Gina's detractors began to critize her for consistently not making weight, which is an ill-conceived concept of reality and a stigma that follows her to this day, when in reality there is only one instance of Gina not making weight... in that instance Gina forfeited 12.5% of her winnings to her opponent and the fight did in fact take place which was the fight with Kaitlin Young.
There are no examples of Gina pulling out of fights because she was unable to make weight... because this chatter is nothing more than fantasy in the minds of some MMA fans and it never happened in the real world.
There are only two instances of Gina pulling out of fights and both are due to medical issues, not her inability to make weight.
The "Gina won't make weight" controversy followed her to her next bout, and this is when the famous "dropped towel" incident occured when Gina had to disrobe in order to make weight for her next EliteXC bout with Kelly "Blood Red" Kobold... but she did in fact make weight.
Again, Carano managed to silence her critics who were hoping for a Gina loss but instead Gina defeated Kelly "Blood Red" Kobold by another 3 round unanimous decision.
Kelly "Blood Red" Kobold is still fighting today with a record of 17 - 3 - 1.
Carano's last fight was against Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, who is the undisputed best woman fighter in women's MMA and who has only lost one fight out of eleven.
Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos' first fight is the only fight that she has ever lost, and even though Carano lost to the best woman in women's MMA she has totally been written off by her critics for suffering her 1st loss in her MMA career by TKO ref stoppage in the 1st round with 1 second left on the clock.
Now if Gina was a male MMA fighter, all sorts of excuses would have been made for that loss due to the fact that her opponent was at the top of the food chain... we hear that argument for male MMA fighters all of the time and most recently in the case of Dan Hardy as well as other male fighters who are granted leeway for the level of opponents that they have lost to.
So Gina's MMA record although not lenghtly is 7 wins and 1 loss, which is a record that most any MMA fighter would be proud to own, especially being that she's fought everybody that has been put in front of her and and not ducked anybody... including Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.
If we combine both of her records in combat sports, she has a very impressive record to be sure :
7-1-0 in MMA
12-1-1 in Muay Thai
For an overall combat sports record of 19-2-1
Not bad at all in my humble opinion, no matter how one chooses to color things.
There you have it... the accomplishments of Gina Joy Carano as a combat sports participant, which are nothing to make light of or minimize in my opinion.
This leads me to believe that those critics of Gina who demean and berate her are either not fans of women's MMA, are envious of her, misogynists, just enjoy knocking her as an MMA fighter that doesn't live up to their expectations of what Gina should be or just aren't fair individuals when it comes to applying their theories and ideas equally to both men and women fighting in MMA.
Rich Davie
