WORKOUT QUOTES AND PHOTOS

MMA SUPERSTAR GINA CARANO,

TOP LIGHTWEIGHT MITSUHIRO ISHIDA

 Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009,

American KickboxingAcademy (AKA), San Jose, Calif.

SAN JOSE, CALIF. (Aug. 11, 2009) – Female MMA superstar Gina Carano and Japanese wrestling expert Mitsuhiro Ishida participated in a media workout Tuesday at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif. 

Two of the top female fighters in the world, the undefeated  Carano and Brazilian powerhouse Cris Cyborg will battle for the first-ever STRIKEFORCE Women’s Championship title on Saturday, Aug. 15 live on SHOWTIME® at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. 

Ishida will face San Francisco’s Gilbert Melendez in a rematch of their Dec. 31, 2007 fight for the STRIKEFORCE Interim Lightweight Title.   Melendez will try to avenge the unanimous decision loss to Ishida, which was the first of his career.  

Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Gegard Mousasi will fight for the STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight Championship in a showdown fans have been salivating for. 

Carano, who is trained by MMA legend Randy Couture, has achieved larger than life status in the past year.  In a Yahoo! online poll that named the “Top 10 Most Influential Women of 2008,” Carano ranked fifth, placing ahead of First Lady Michelle Obama and famed journalists Katie Couric and Barbara Walters.  Carano has also been selected No. 16 on Maxim’s Hot 100 List and profiled by ESPN’s newsmagazine show E:60. 

Confident of ruining Carano’s eagerly awaited return to the cage is the rugged Cyborg, who’s been known to devastate foes with her strength and has been calling out Carano for several months. 

What Carano had to say on Tuesday:

GINA CARANO:

“I train, realizing that I haven’t reached my potential and knowing that she probably hasn’t reached hers yet. 

“This is going to be really tough.  I’m not going to lie.  But, I’m going to try to make it as easy as possible.  I predict a really tough fight. 

”Five rounds is going to be difficult.  It’s 16 more minutes than I’m used to.  But, I feel like it gives you a different mentality.  At the beginning, I was like ‘What did we ask for?’   But, now I’m happy with it and I think that (my preparation for the extra time) could help me in the long run. 

“A quick knockout or submission would be nice.  I don’t think this fight is going to go the distance. 

“I really respect Strikeforce.  They aren’t afraid to put on really good fights and they’re making moves.  I feel honored to be a part of this and I’m glad they are doing what they’re doing.  They are very professional.

“I think Cyborg said it best – (the winner) is going to be determined by the person who makes the least amount of mistakes or the one who gets caught first.

“Her muscles might look bigger, but I am strong (laughed).  I know I smile and I joke around now, but when it comes fight time, I take it very seriously and know how to get down.”

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Strikeforce

Carano_answers_questions – All eyes will be on MMA superstar Gina Carano (pictured) and her opponent, Cris Cyborg, this Saturday on SHOWTIME (10:30 p.m. ET/PT delayed on the west coast). 

Gina fields questions – MMA and mainstream media have embraced the history-making fight for the first STRIKEFORCE Women’s World Championship.  Saturday will be the first time female fighters have headlined a major MMA event. 

Gina laughing –There’s only five days left before the highly anticipated showdown that has been brewing for almost two years. 

mitsuhiroishida – Japanese wrestling expert Mitsuhiro Ishida (pictured) will face San Francisco’s Gilbert Melendez in a rematch of their Dec. 31, 2007 fight for the STRIKEFORCE Interim Lightweight Title.

Ishida_wrestling_kawajiri – Ishida, who has won by decision in more than half of his professional fights, faces a knockout artist in Melendez.

kawajiri_ishida – Melendez has been on a quest to regain the Strikeforce lightweight title since dropping the strap to Josh Thomson on June 27, 2008. But Ishida, who handed him his first career loss, stands in his way.

Carano_and_Tate – Carano chats with fellow female MMA fighter Miesha Tate during Tuesday’s workout.  Carano has become the face of women’s MMA, raising awareness for the sport as she fights for the first time in five, five-minute championship rounds. 

Ishida_resting – Ishida is fighting in one of three televised world title fights this Saturday from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.  Tickets starting at $30 and are available at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070), all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com and the official STRIKEFORCE website www.strikeforce.com).

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