Overview (4)

Born April 16, 1982 in Dallas County, Texas, USA Birth Name Gina Joy Carano Nicknames Conviction

Crush Height 5' 8" (1.73 m)

Mini Bio (1)

From pioneering women's MMA to blazing a trail in movies, GINA CARANO is one of Hollywood's most unique rising stars. Carano began her training with Muay Thai to competitive MMA, where she competed in Strikeforce and EliteXC. Her popularity led to her being called the "Face of Women's MMA" and she was the fastest-rising search on Google and third-most-searched person on Yahoo and ranked 5th on a list of the "Top 10 Influential Women" of 2008. In August 2009, Carano fought Cris Cyborg in Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg, the first time two women headlined a major MMA event and at the time was the highest rated fight in Showtime history. Carano compiled a competitive record of 12-1-1 in Muay Thai and a 7-1 in women's MMA.[4]



Outside the ring, Carano served as a mentor to aspiring fighters in the 2007 Oxygen reality series Fight Girls and performed as 'Crush' in the revamped television series American Gladiators before her breakout performance in Steven Soderbergh's film HAYWIRE, holding her own against the likes of Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Bill Paxton and Antonio Banderas. Gina's authenticity to making the Action look real earned her performance a Critics Choice Award Nomination for Best Actress in an action film. Hot on the heels came a role in the worldwide hit FAST AND FURIOUS 6 for Universal Pictures opposite Dwayne Johnson furthering her appeal as an Action Star. Next up, she co-starred alongside Robert DeNiro, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Dave Bautista in Lionsgate's film HEIST followed by the role of 'Angel Dust' in the smash hit MARVEL/FOX film DEADPOOL opposite Ryan Reynolds based on the popular comic book. The film grossed over $870 Million dollars at the Box Office. After starring in the independent films DAUGHTER OF THE WOLF opposite Richard Dreyfuss and the dark comedy MADNESS IN THE METHOD with Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, Gina secured a lead role in Jon Favreau's highly reviewed Star Wars TV show THE MANDALORIAN for Disney +. Currently in production, Gina plays 'Cara Dune', a former Rebel Shock Trooper and has worked with directors such as Taika Waititi, Deborah Chow and Bryce Dallas Howard on the series.



Carano was born in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Dana Joy (née Cason) and professional football player Glenn Carano who played for the Dallas Cowboys and was the backup quarterback to Roger Staubach. She has two sisters, one older and one younger.



*Gina became the first recipient of ActionFest's Chuck Norris (Best Female Action Star) Award, given to the female action star of the year.



*Gina received the Artemis Action Warrior Award for her contributions to the female action genre and women's MMA. The award was presented to her by Action legend Zoe Bell

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Scott Karp

Trade Mark (1)

A large scar on her left arm



Trivia (27)

Muay Thai Record is 12-1-1 Wins/Lost/Draw. MMA Record is 7-1-0.



Defeated Kaitlin Young on May 31st, 2008 to achieve a 6-0-0 MMA record.



Defeated Kelly Kobold October 4, 2008 to achieve a 7-0-0 record.



Defeated by Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos on August 15, 2009 in the inaugural bout for the Strikeforce Women's Championship. Her current record is 7-1-0.





Her number one movie star crush is on the late Paul Newman

In April of 2012 received the first Chuck Norris Award for best female action star for her performance in the film "Haywire". The award was presented at the ActionFest Film Festival in Asheville, N.C. and recognizes a female star who exhibits "the attitude, spirit, athleticism and grit of Hollywood legend Chuck Norris." Carano called the award, "an incredible honor.".



She is one of the cover athletes along with Serena Williams for the October 19, 2009 edition of ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue. Carano and Williams are two of the athletes featured in a book by Dana Rasmussen.



In May 2009, Carano was ranked #16 in Maxim's Hot 100 list.



She was ranked as #5 on the "Top Ten Influential Women of 2008" list on Yahoo!.



She was profiled in a feature story for the ESPN series E:60 and was voted "Hottest Woman In America" by Big Biz Magazine in the Spring 2008 issue. On May 13, 2008, "Gina Carano" was the fastest-rising search on Google and third most searched person on Yahoo!.





Carano started her career in the sport of Muay Thai. She credits ex-boyfriend Kevin Ross , a pro Muay Thai fighter, for getting her involved.

After achieving a Muay Thai record of 12-1-1, Carano received an offer from Jamie Levine to participate in the first-ever sanctioned female MMA bout in Nevada with World Extreme Fighting to fight Leiticia Pestova. She won the fight with a knockout in the first round.



Carano served as a mentor to aspiring female fighters in the Oxygen reality series "Fight Girls".



She is formerly the third best 145 lb (66 kg) female fighter in the world, according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.



She has been referred to as "The Face of Women's MMA" (Mixed Martial Arts).



In the movie "Haywire", Gina sports a green hoodie embroidered with the same name as her high school alma mater - Trinity.



She is literally a living doll. "Round 5 World of MMA" came out with a Gina Carano action figure in its "Champions of the UFC - Series 4".



She appeared on the television show "Sport Science" where she choked out host John Brenkus. This has led to many fans requesting photos with Gina clenching them in the Rear Naked Choke Hold. With the help of electronic monitoring it was determined that Gina's punches landed with 650 lbs. of force, her knees with 550 lbs. and her kicks at 800 lbs. for a combined force of 4,800 lbs. She landed all 8 blows in 3 seconds.



Ranked #39 on Maxim's Hot 100 for 2014.



In 2014 Rant Lifestyle ranked her at #29 on their "30 Hottest Women in the World" list.



Her paternal grandfather was of three quarters Italian descent. Gina's other ancestry is English, Scottish, and smaller amounts of Dutch and German.



Paternal granddaughter of Donald Louis Carano (son of Louis "Louie" Joseph Carano and wife Mildred F. Bisagno, paternal grandson of Benedetto "Ben" Carano (b. probably in Liguria, Italy) and wife Emilia Ferrari (b. probably in Liguria, Italty), and maternal grandson of Joseph Anthony "Joe" Bisagno (b. Genoa, Liguria, Italy) and wife Sarah Faye "Sadie" Tefft (b. Wisconsin), daughter of Henry B. Tefft and wife Alice Maud McIntyre of Clan MacIntyre, of English and more distant Scottish descent) and wife Paddy Creek (daughter of Thomas H. Creek and wife Patsy Velaris Jones, paternal granddaughter of George Washington Creek and wife Ollie or Alle Clay and of English and some German and Dutch, through which line she was eight times great-granddaughter of Ack-toch Caniachkoo, a Mohawk Native American).



Maternal granddaughter of Jack Edward Cason, Member of the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame (son of Vernon Dewey Cason and wife Dallas Smock, paternal grandson of Edward M. Cason and wife Maude E. Harrison and maternal grandson of James Smock and wife Melissa ...) and wife Maxine Yvonne Cobb (daughter of Theo Franklin Cobb and wife Julia Elizabeth Johnson, paternal granddaughter of Franklin David Cobb and wife Hattie Gertrude Garrison and maternal granddaughter of Alfred Thomas Johnson and wife Nettie Maybur Reasoner).





Daughter of professional football player Glenn Carano and Dana Joy Cason.

She has a birthmark on her left eye, which gives the impression of a black eye. Make-up is usually used to mask this.



Gina Carano's family manage and are a major shareholder in Caesar's Entertainment, the US' largest casino operator. Until recently, her grandparents, Don and Rhona Carano, owned the Ferrari-Carano Winery.



Personal Quotes (35)

[on dating] When you meet a guy the question goes through your head whether you can beat him up or not and I think that's an instant attraction. You know, if they can't take you then I don't think they're interested.



[on her one MMA loss to Cris Cyborg in August 2009] I wanted so badly to do so well for so many people. I wanted to do so much in that fight and I think I had an adrenaline dump or I just wasn't myself and I think a lot of people saw that, which kind of throws you off. You feel like the rug has been pulled out from underneath you. I trained so hard for that fight. I was in the best shape I've ever been in. It was kind of devastating.



[on her MMA career] I have gotten some of the most beautiful experiences that a person can possibly ask for so I'm not at all complaining. I got pushed out fast and I got to pave a beautiful way and there's a lot of great female MMA fighters out there right now and there will be more in the future and I've absolutely adored being one of those people that's helped that out.



[on the movie Haywire and director Steven Soderbergh] He saw me fighting, doing something that I loved -- that I still love. And he wanted to give me an opportunity. He wrote it for me with the idea in mind that it (Mallory Kane) would be a character close to me, that I could understand. But it ends up being not a character that I understood at all because she's organized and she's strict and she's an alpha female and I'm nothing like that.



[on the criticism that Female Fighters can advance their careers on looks more than talent] There's all sorts of different types of people. I think everybody's special. Of course the media wants to focus on 'sex sells' but I'm just not a believer in that. But I'm not afraid to take a nice sexy photo either. I'm okay with that. I'm not trying to run from being female. I think this world is moving past 'sex sells' a lot. I think we're getting to the point to where you have to look deeper into a person. Or maybe that's just me hoping.



[on Cris Cyborg testing positive for a banned substance] It hurt a little bit. That was my most important MMA moment and so I can't lie that it didn't sting. At the same time, she's a phenomenal athlete and whoever is around her telling her that she needs that is wrong. She doesn't need that. She'll be phenomenal without that. She has a bad time ahead of her. She's off for a year now. That's an emotional thing where you have to earn people's trust back in a way. I'm not rejoicing in it at all. I'm hurt but at the same time I sympathize with her and I know that she's great, one of the best female athletes that we've had in the sport. She'll come back.



I've done a *@$#load of work and pain and barriers that I've broken down so far. I'm making a career for myself and I'm doing the best I can. I'm not ashamed of anything I've done.



My first fight. I fought a girl that was a little bit heavier, a little bit more experienced and I was petrified because I didn't know what I was getting myself into. And I did really well against her and nobody believed it was my first fight. So I was like -- Damn! Okay! Here we go! I'm good at something! It just happens to be fighting. Go figure.



I walked into the gym and this little Thai man walked up to me and said, "Oh baby, you fat. You need to lose weight." I was chubby. I really needed to get back into shape and I started training with him, the same guy that called me fat.



[on how fighting is comparable to sex] It's a very real interaction between two human beings. It's like an energy that nobody else is going to share.



I know I don't look like all these other women. I know I don't look like the skinny slender model. I know I look a little different but people like to watch me for some reason. It feels good and I'm humbled by it.



I can't drive how I fight anymore because I almost got my license suspended. I'm two points away from getting my license suspended because cops never let me go for some reason. I was going 126 but I'm a really good driver at 126 and that's the thing. It's not really reckless if you're in control, right?



It's a very big deal to me to remain the same person because I know all of this is going to be gone one day and I'm just going to have myself.



A perfect date for me is beach, wine and laughter -- Flirtatious sexual energy.



MMA and fighting is not something you can really fake. When you're in a fight it's kind of easier to see a person for who they really are. I'm in the sport because I love it and I'm not trying to get famous. I do fight because I want to.



[on not being taken seriously as a fighter because of her looks] I've been like seriously laughed at, to the point where they're just looking at me up and down and like, laughing at you in front of crowds. And I just stood there. And that is probably the worst thing to do with me I realized because I've never punched somebody so hard in my life.





[on how she began training in Muay Thai] I was dating somebody [ Kevin Ross ] who loved Bruce Lee. One day we were drinking 40s of Old English and he decided, "Hey, I'm going to lose this girl if I don't clean up my life". And he walked into a gym the next day and became completely sober and is now one of the best Muay Thai guys we have in America. He changed my life just by wanting to be a better person for me.

[on her possible return to the MMA] My last fight wasn't the way I wanted to go so there's a hole there, so I wouldn't count me out.



[on acting] I want to see an athlete cross over correctly and do it well. It's like a challenge to me.



I'm really proud of my sport. I'm really proud to have come from such a beautiful thing. It changes people's lives. It changed mine.



Success and social life is interesting because one part of you wants to stay extremely real and talk to everyone and be friends with everyone. And the next part of you understands that some people don't have the same mind frame.



[on being labeled] I'm Gina Carano. You can label me that.



We all have different places that we fit in life. I'm trying to find my fit. It seems to be physical violence. [Laughs]



I am a recognized female in the sport [MMA]. I'm not going to take the whole burden or the glory of female fighting on because, first of all, there's females that have come before me and there's females that will come after me. There's better females out there. I'm just trying to hang in and see where I measure up.





[on Ronda Rousey becoming the new face of women's MMA] I think she's wonderful. I think she's talented... she's so talented. To have somebody in our sport from the Olympics, I think is a really big deal. So, I have a lot of respect for her and I think she's wonderful for us and the sport. Not one of her fights has gone out of the first round... the first minute of the first round. That's incredible. That's awesome that our sport is attracting people like that.

[on MMA fighting not being for women] We're obviously different creatures, but I think women are great fighters. Training just to train is a completely different thing than living a lifestyle of a fighter. Why would anybody want to restrict somebody from doing something that they're passionate about, a way of life? It kills me. I can't even believe it's actually a question. If we want to fight, we're fighting, guys.



I want to be a positive influence, and I want people to look at me and see that this is me, this is my heart. It's me out there and that's all that I can give. I'm not trying to conquer or prove anything. I'm just being myself.



My two sisters are so beautiful. I always felt like I was not the pretty one. I felt like I was picked on a lot. Not to like, have a sob story because I'm actually thankful for everything I felt then even if it was true or not. I came home crying every day from school, or whatever. I'm glad it happened. It just makes you stronger.





[on her historic Showtime fight with Julie Kedzie ] After that fight, I grabbed her and I hugged her, and I was like, you know... that felt like something special happened tonight. It really did feel like we'd conquered something. It felt like we did something good here that not a lot of people had ever seen before. I think that's when I realized that I was starting to become a part of something that was really, really special.

It wasn't always easy to walk into gyms as a female. People were like, "What? Women are doing this now? This is insane!" I was blessed enough to be that person to break down walls and it wasn't easy. And I'm not saying it was easy at all.



[on being labeled the Face of Women's MMA] There's more people more deserving out there than me. I really appreciate it and I don't mean to be rude in denying it or anything, but I just feel like... "I've got five fights. Give me a chance to grow." You can't just put me up there already. I still have to fight the best and I haven't fought the best yet. I feel like there's better girls out there and a lot better than me. And I want to fight them.



[on her early "Fight Club" like bouts] I walked up in a gym once and I saw this dude weighing-in on the scale, and it was like a six-foot, something dude. And I was like, "Oh shit! Whoever has to fight that person's in trouble." And then she turned around... and I was like, "Oh no. Why do I have to fight this girl?" And then we started fighting. I punched her twice and hit her twice, and the girl didn't say anything. She just got out of the ring, walked straight out of the gym. Her corner was looking at me like... "What the hell just happened?" She just walked out of the gym and left. That's the last time I've ever seen that girl on the circuit.



I'd rather have a career that was short and meaningful than a career that was long and full of bullshit.



[In 2007 on Dana White's refusal to allow women into the UFC] We are doing what we want to and there are plenty of other promotions that are up and coming and even that haven't popped up yet that we're going to be able to shine in. Whatever happens, happens. He'll catch up eventually, I'm sure. [Five years later, in August of 2012, the UFC signs Ronda Rousey as its first female fighter]



When I meet people I don't see the same person that other people see. I see past that. That's why I've been good at fighting because the girls don't intimidate me. I kind of see through and see who they are. And it's also hindered me too because... I see who they are. If they're a nice person, I have problems.

