Gina Carano –ESPN Magazine Cover.

I think Gina has come a long way. I think she has her Dad's help throughout her career to achieve certain roles she has been able to appear in. She has a beautiful face, she loves MMA and that's why she fights in the industry. I can't imagine holding all the weight of being the "Face of female MMA". She is exploring her options in life like anyone else would do given the opportunity. I do think the public and press has given her that "over-rated" attention. Gina being on the cover of ESPN in that sexy but tough look is all publicity for herself and for this new movie. I personally think there's nothing wrong with it. Sure I get sick of just hearing about her and not all the other great female fighters that work just as hard and deserve more attention. I say hire a great PR agent and get your name more out there! I think sexy, confidence, and strong all together makes an awesome woman.

I would like to add to my earlier post. First, Sodebergh is still a douche. Second, it is pretty clear to me that women's MMA is never going to be popular in the same way that women's boxing and the wnba never caught on. MMA is a physical sport and the men who watch it are looking to see people get knocked out with force. that strength is missing from all of these sports. people watch the nba to see all of the crazy high flying dunks. that doesn't happen in women's basketball. a woman getting knocked out in a boxing or mma match doesn't have the same force as a guy getting knocked out. for those of you who think people watch these sports for the science of it, then why was mike tyson so popular?

Gina Carano should continue to do what is good for her, which is showing off her t&a. sex sells and she could make a lot of money for herself with her fame. why should she care about the sport? she didn't invent women's mma. she just moved over to it to get more exposure for herself. do you think danica patrick cares about racing to the point of putting it above making money? in 2009, if you are a hot chick and end up gaining some sort of fame, you can take advantage of it and make a lot of money without really showing a true skill (paris hilton, kim kardashian, the rest of the kardashians, jessica simpson, britney spears, jessica beil, jessica alba, megan fox, etc). yes, a couple of those women have marginal talents, and gina can fight, but she's not babe ruth, muhammad ali, or something like that.

In summation, gina needs to keep doing what she's doing, not worry about building the sport, and earn the money off of her fame so she doesn't have to worry about anything when her looks fade.

here's an interesting read...http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johnny-benjamin/gina...

Both Ancientwolf13 and Jedihillis make very good points.

Now folks for a woman's take - I for one am a big Carano fan, and I believe that while her (over) exposure imay be good for the sport, I think it is also detracting from what women fighters are going for - and that is equal rights to the sport in general. How come they didn't put Cyborg on the cover? Obv. b/c people dont think she's "hot" - but she still is the champ and deserves more exposure than #2 Carano right now - her body is just as athletic and cut as Gina's. How can they get men to take their fights seriously if all you are thinking about is how hot "the face of women's MMA" looks in her sports bra and muay thai shorts?? Are you even looking at that sprawl or overhand right?? Probably not. You are looking at her ass in the air or her cleavage....let's be honest.

I am all for the ESPN covers showcasing strong athletes...although I dont feel naked pics were necessary (personal preference), but that was the issue's whole point. (Also showcased on the covers are Wiliiams, NASCAR guy Carl Edwards, the Magic's Dwight Howard, Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson and Sarah Reinertsen, who is is the first woman amputee to have competed in the Ironman Triathlon, so it's not just women.)

I seriously think Gina needs to stop famewhoring herself and worry about going back to the drawing board - she needs get back to where she was when her fights were awesome...not like the last two where she appeared lost. A. Gladiators, movies, photo shoots, etc. all need to take a backseat for a while if she really wants to help grow the sport - show why women's MMA is awesome by putting on great fights where people will HAVE to take notice.

Good blurb Akuma. I was actually going to ask you about this on your next show (or whenever I could get in touch with you.)

There's the old saying "there's no such thing as bad press" and I think in this case, it applies. If it were JUST Gina then maybe I would say this is a bad thing. But due to the fact that MMA is still a relatively new sport, womens MMA in particular could use the exposure. I'm not sure most people even know that women's MMA exists at this point. Now, if it became a regular thing and Gina became the 'Megan Fox' of MMA, then I'd change my tune. As long as she can keep a steady career going, she's going to attract followers.

good post. it's a good topic but i think the response is going to be that most of your listeners like seeing her half naked (me included). women's mma is not taken seriously by the public. even men's mma is not accepted by the mainstream. it is still somewhat on the fringe. women's mma has a long way to go to make it, if it ever does.

sodebergh is a douche.

For some reason, the cover shot of Gina Carano looks way too much like Makoto Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell. It's still hot and all, but just has that look about it that makes it look way to Photoshoop'd.

Hotter than the Serena Williams nudie pic they have though. Ironic though, because Serena is actually way hotter in person than her photo makes her out to be.

The Feature photo should of been the Cover IMO. I like Carano the fighter and her sex appeal should remain secondary when it comes to her career.