Fans in the MMA community know about plenty of the MMA sites which contain forums. But to those who do not follow women's MMA, a female mixed martial artist by the name of Debi Purcell not only fights hard but she also speaks for women mixed martial artists everywhere. Fightergirls.com is her brain child and the forum on her sight has comments from many top rated female fighters.
[Earth to MMA fans: Purcell should be given more credit than Gina Carano who does not hit the gym. Purcell could gladly hold the belt as "the female face of MMA."]
Understandably many avid fans are sick of hearing about how horrible of a job the EliteXC did of presenting MMA as a skillful sport full of hardworking fighters. But Kaitlin Young offered her two cents about the fight with Carano and MMA fans should know what she said.
[FYI: PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 2:34 am]
"My left cheek and area surrounding the eye are looking pretty ugly today, but there was no major damage," said Young. Though it may have looked like it on tv, I never actually had an open wound."
Even when watching the fight there was no blood coming from either fighter. The eye was swollen but in any male fight for any other organization the eye would have been cut and the fight would have continued.
Is this one way MMA organizations will treat women differently? Will women not be able to bleed because of society's feelings of abuse against women? Really women are not fighting men and are choosing to get into the ring or cage so it should not be an issue. If someone does not like it they just should not watch.
"What you didn't see was that the doctor actually cleared me to fight the third round but the commission said "no". I wanted to continue, my corner wanted to continue," said Young. "The cut likely would have opened in the third but it was under the eye. If I had to guess, I would say that they didn't want the visual of a woman with a bloody face on CBS."
If the commission did not stop the fight because they thought women bleeding on t.v. would be bad for business, are they just protecting Gina Carano's image of being the female face of MMA? After all, a loss for Carano would have meant a smudge on her record.
"They also chose not to do a post fight interview with me or to include me in the post fight news conference and after party," said Young. "I think the reason for that was my beat-up appearance after the fight because I was not seriously injured and was completely coherent."
Was this to protect the public from a "battered woman" or to protect Carano? Maybe Young is more personable and could have "stolen the show" so to speak at the press conference. Lets face it, personality is not Carano's strong point.
"I am very disappointed about that but can't help but wonder how people would have responded to that, as stupid as it is," said Young. "I think if people were shocked or upset by the look of it they may have been put at ease a bit by seeing that I was okay. I think some people probably assumed the worst because I basically disappeared from the camera after the fight."
"I'm not trying to be one of those people "Well, I would have won if they had let it go into the third round so it wasn't my fault. Yada yada yada...." Gina was obviously getting the better of me at that point in the fight, but I wasn't ready to be done," said Young. "It really bothers me that I didn't get a chance to thank my sponsors and all that jazz."
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4 months ago
Well Put.
4 months ago
It's too bad the fight didn't enter the third round, because Carano looked tired at the end of the second. Who knows what could have happened. Also, the three minute rounds for females is too short, and it is harder to finish a fight in that time, especially on the ground.
I think that the women could handle four or even five minute rounds in Elite XC. In SmackGirl, Bodog, MFC, and other orgs the women fight three five-minute rounds. Perhaps this is another ploy to protect Carano, to prevent her from gassing due to all the weight she cuts and her lack of time in the gym?
4 months ago
I am one who never tires of reading Jen Aniano's articles. She is a young new voice of MMA, being a recent college graduate and a genuine MMA up and coming fighter. Since I have joined the Bleacher Report, at first as an avid MMA fan, reading everything I could get my hands on about MMA. and later as a humble "scribe" I have enjoyed each 'Jen' article like a flavor of the month Baskin-Robbins lover. My first glimpse of Gina Carano came from reading a laudatory article by Jen "Big girls Don't Cry: In Praise of Gina Carano" with the teaser: "Never heard of Gina Carano? That's your loss, says Jen Aniano and you have Dana White to thank." Being impressed by the article I became a Gina Carano fan and wrote an article here about her joining American Gladiators. But tricky Jen changed flavors and wrote about the Young-Carano fight, even making predictions. Next she had a 'rocky roads' article that confounded me because it seemed to be about WEC but diverged to Elite XC and raked Kaitlin Young over the coals for "taking one hit and letting her arms drop", a Jen MMA no-no. And now using Deb Purcell as an expert on women's MMA, Jen is using an article I have read elsewhere to expound on Kaitlin Young again (because of the bruised left eye the flavor would be black and blueberry surprise, I guess). I have not been so entertained by manic changes since working as the night nurse on an Intensive Care Psychiatric Unit.
from 4 months ago
I guess I fell into the Gina "trap" in the beginning. And I stand by my comment about Kaitlin dropping her hands. I wouldn't call myself a maniac I would say I give both sides of the story on many occasions. That is the beauty of free speech in journalism, you get to change your mind when confronted by facts. That is also the beauty of learning, you have the privilege to draw new conclusions. you should try it.
4 months ago
oh and I just read the forum I did not realize big news organizations pay attention to the fightergirls forum or I would not have written the article. So your attempt at calling me a plagiarist is unwarranted. I haven't read any other article about that specific post
from 4 months ago
The fact that I read Kaitlin's statements defending herself BEFORE you had written this article does not mean that I was suggesting that you plagiarized anything. I simply read her defense of herself and then you wrote the article quoting her. No inferences made concerning plagiarism there, I quote too.
After you reaming her out in your last article, I am surprised that YOU wrote this one. In fact I had considered writing an article further defending her after I read her side of the story--I always look at both sides of a story.
4 months ago
ok so the fight was definitely stopped prematurely. If it were on Showtime im pretty sure it would have went on. CBS didnt want the sport to look bloody, hence all the stoppages. Thats an easy conclusion to draw.
As for Carano, I just dont see Young beating her if they fought again so whats the point? Carano was beating her at the time of the stoppage, and if she had a full training camp I could see the fight being more one sided the second time. Im not calling Carano a world beater or the best in womens MMA or anything, but she appears to be bigger, stronger, and hits harder than Young.
I cant wait to see her pushed to the limit though.
from 4 months ago
Couldn't have said it better myself. Agree 100%.
4 months ago
lol..jen this is the last time i read your articles..your a biased idiot.. any layman could see that young maybe valiant- but was getting beat down..she was finished..you could see it in her face..the comment that they were afraid that young might win..hahaha..reminds me of the fight scene from monty pythons holy grail were the black knight with only a torso left calls out the victor as a coward. young was bleeding,her total face was frigging mess and by the end wasnt exactly putting up a fight..what was youngs strategy in r3 going to be? bleed on her? jen i think you've taking to many punches.
from 4 months ago
call me a biased idiot if you want to but anyone who watched the fight know her face was not bleeding. Get some glasses or a bigger TV
from 4 months ago
@Boston: it's always funny when people call others idiots but have absolutely no idea how to use the english language to formunlate these things called sentences. O, and you're* on the second 'your' you used.
@Jen: I still agree that Young was losing the fight and wasn't going to win. So the idea that they were afraid of her losing doesn't make sense to me, being that after two rounds Gina was starting to completely dominate the fight.
4 months ago
Being the chivalric type of guy that I am, I will come to Jen's aid in this argument. Carano looked pretty tired at the end of the second round, due to her weight cut and lack of preparation. And Young landed a couple of good shots on her.
Anything could have happened in that third round, but if you don't think that Elite XC wanted Carano to win that fight, then you're just fooling yourself. They called her the face of female MMA in the intro right before the fight! There have been plenty of comeback victories in the third round, especially when the person who was winning the fight has gotten tired.
They stopped the Kimbo fight early because they wanted him to win. And Young was not bleeding, she just had a bruise and a bit of swelling, which does not warrant a stoppage. The doctors at that event sucked (Lawler-Smith stoppage). It is not a stretch to think that they stopped the fight at that moment in order to ensure a Carano victory. I would like to see a rematch.
On a side note, Young doesn't look too bad in that picture. She's still no Carano though when it comes to the looks department.
from 4 months ago
haha. thanks for the Chivalry. In this day and age that is had to come by ;)
4 months ago
1st .admittedly the term idiot was unnecessary 2. my comments are thoughts..not essat meant to be turned for english comp 200 3. of coure elite wants carano to win. every promoter does 4. young nose is bleeding..i know blood when i see it. 5. carano is flawed, and wasnt in shape. that being said young wasnt putting up much of a fight on the ground nor was she exactly skipping back to her corner ...to make the assumption that not only would she magically rejuvenate after getting beat down, but that carano would totally fold is very,very long stretch at best.
my point is that carano is flawed, but has some serious talent. she is not obama of mma public speaking, however she seems genuine in her modesty. i have yet to see her as an arrogant self promoter..ny badass style. She again seems sincere in giving credit to those around her coaches,family,opponents, friends, and fans while admitting her flaws.
jen, you and other like minded people can continue to bash carano in a pious fashion, but she is doing an infinite amount of good for her peers. if it wasnt for her, i like many,many others wouldnt know who young,larosa,baszler,buckner, and yes even aniano were.
so unless you have a master plan to keep the sport to only the true purist..you might want to lighten up!!
from 4 months ago
well you don't know who I am because of Carano. You know who I am because I signed up for an account and write stuff. That being said she is doing as much damage as she is good. The people outside of the MMA universe who saw EliteXC prob believe women are garbage fighters since Carano was slated as "the female face of mma" to the general public. And no one is suggesting she was not winning most of us are simply suggesting that the fight needed to go the distance.
from 4 months ago
oh and as far as lightening up it pisses me off that people like Carano get the chances they do when admittedly they don't hit the gym. I bust my ass to go to school full time, work full time, and hit the gym full time. And it costs a lot of money. Given her opportunities I would be the best female fighter in my weight class and would deserve to be one of the female faces of MMA. So I can't really ;lighten up the truth. It is all about where I am coming from
4 months ago
Yes, we in fact do have a master plan to keep the sport to only the true purist. However, the plan is confidential (for our eyes only).
from 4 months ago
Careful Jad, say to much about the plan and we may be forced to make you disappear!
4 months ago
jen, i admire anyone who makes the sacrifices, and puts in the hardwork to achieve their goals. i sincerely wish you success in achieving them.
I became a fan yrs ago of liddell, and now recently carano for those exact same reasons. I admire them in that the pressure of having tons of people around you, pulling in all different directions, combined with all the demands on their time, the pressure to not only compete but excel in winning is at a level none us have come close to.
womens mma needs carano a hell of alot more than she needs it. she could make more in entertainment than she does in mma. the fact that she wants to fight at all shows her true competitive spirit.its easy, and popular to criticize high profiles... but until any of you get to their level..its all talk
jen, you should get rid of the envy. life isnt about radical egalitarianism- we all start at different places. being pissed off about caranos opportunities doesnt get you anywhere.
@ jad/half baked: i may not be a true hardcore mma expert like you..happened to read your bio: "lots of tv, videogames" you forget the weeeeeeeeeeedddd part!! iam bummed i ll never get to be as knowledgeable because i graduated from a top 20 business program, and have a career with a top equities/investment firm that takes up alot of my time. iam just confused about how being a Doper/ dd player with a no where major makes you an expert? i can appreciate that jen participates in the sport..unless i am missing something Half Baked you are just blowing your parents money.
from 4 months ago
Are you referring to my profile picture? That's just how the picture turned out from my webcam. I don't smoke anything or even drink alcohol, let alone do other drugs. Funny how you could infer that I was a doper from my profile.
Your ignorance amuses me Boston. I just included those hobbies to fill out my profile. I'm busy with school and work these days. And I don't profess to be an MMA expert; I'm just a big fan of the sport.
You don't know anything about me. I was offered admission to the University of Toronto, one of the top 25 schools in the world, but chose Mac because it was closer. And in a couple of years when I start my career as a teacher, I'll be raking in 50k a year, and 80k after ten years (plus benefits and bonuses).
Did I mention I'm going to be teaching in Sydney, Australia, near my relatives? I've already spent a year in Australia and plan on going back once I finish teacher's college. Then I'll get my papers so I can become a citizen, while you're stuck working in a cubicle at a firm (wherever the hell you live).
So have fun with your business degree and mediocre life. I'll be chilling at the beach Down Under, teaching history and writing MMA articles in my spare time. You'll be wishing that you were me. Have a nice day!!!
4 months ago
i understand the carano hate to a minimal degree. Not making weight is a pretty big deal, I'm just not sure what she's suppose to do when she's offered to fight on the most historic stage female MMA has ever been given, when she has prior obligations to American gladiator. I'm not so sure what she could have done differently in the fight to prove to people she is a very capable fighter. I think all the negative talk about the stoppage, takes away from not only her but Kaitlin Young as well . People keep saying Gina is protected. I think thats derogatory to Young, who is an up and coming fighter just like Gina. She never asked to be the "face of women's MMA" and repeatedly has said that many other females are just as deserving. But there's something about her that America loves, and therefore EliteXC and female MMA as a whole has to take advantage of that. To say she's equally bad for MMA is hard for me to believe. She brings in the casual fan, and their attention is the hardest to grab. I know I wasn't too into female MMA before her. In any event I do appreciate your alternate perspective on things, and respect that you have more knowledge about the sport than I do. I just disagree with some of your points. Don't let the criticism stop you from writing more articles like this!
4 months ago
my sole opinion in this string was that jen, and others vitriol attack on carano while commonplace was unwarranted. i dont agree with jen, but i can understand her viewpoint.
what i dont understand, are supposedly fans like yourself jad who without proof imply that caranos fights are orchestrated in order to guarantee her victories. when offering a critique of anothers effort the fair thing is to stick with what you know..not the if, and maybes. the idignation you felt by my mischaracterization of you.. extrapolate that out many times, and you can get an idea of how people like carano might feel.
in regards to wanting to be you.. with all due respect but hahaha. i grew up in dana point,ca. i not only got accepted but actually received my business degree from carlson school of mgmnt..rated #12 2007. i work as a project analyst for piper jaffray..its not goldman sachs but it doesnt exactly suck either... no cubicles sorry. and oh by the way i live in del mar, ca where if you make 50g it means you live @ home with your parents. iam not a balla!! but i think i ll keep my life anyway.
from 4 months ago
Fair enough, but how come your name on here is Boston if you're not from there?
Anyways, the only way to settle this whole ordeal is to have Young compete head-to-head on American Gladiators versus Carano (both of them as contestants). If Young wins, then she should get a rematch. If Carano wins, then Young should have to do community service or something as penance.
Like I said earlier, I'd rather see an all-female promotion rather than just Carano fighting random women for Elite XC. If Carano wasn't pretty, she wouldn't be getting half as much attention right now. With all the female talent pooled in one organization, we could find out who the best fighter is.
Gary Shaw is marketing Carano as much for her looks as for her fighting ability. But what happens when she loses? Her appeal will drop, and she may be replaced by another pretty face. That is why it is important for female MMA to be recognized as a legitimate profession rather than as a sideshow on a male-dominated card.
Elite XC doesn't have a women's division: they have Carano and they bring in other fighters for her to face. But this is not how you make female MMA appear as a real sport, and a certain amount of credibility is lost with this kind of approach.
I just wonder if Shaw is using Carano more as a cash cow because of her looks rather than as a talented fighter in her own right; and I want to see her fight the best female fighters out there, with as little controversy as possible. And Carano definitely beat Young for those two rounds, but I am not wrong in thinking that Elite XC preferred a Carano win (seeing as how they called her the face of female MMA), and I wouldn't mind seeing a rematch in the future.
4 months ago
First, I'd like to say, Jen I like your articles and think it's great that you know so much about our sport. But, please don't use the female card. My opinion was that of pretty much everybody, EliteXC is just a MMA whore. Case in point, went over time limit from long winded announcements and commercializing. Another point being the obvious that you pointed out, Gina is a face that was already exposed and Kimbo being well played by youtubers. And the Lawler/Smith fight was stopped on an eye poke with Smith begging to continue. Which in my opinion was a closer fight at stop time. Let this be known, Gina is hot. They maybe were trying to protect her face from getting hit too much in the third giving how gassed she was. And I don't believe that her doing a show is reason for getting winded. Not training maybe, but, she could have made more time for cardio. Give us 3-5's to watch also. Lastly, I don't know where you get all the energy to do training and work and give us articles and responses. I applaud you for that, and wish you great success. Maybe you can be the next Gina, but tell the promoters the fans want to see a true finish. Tell the world that women in the MMA want to fight victory, not a W!!!
4 months ago
Oops, at the end it's suppose to say "fight for victory, not a W."
2 months ago
Thats what sucks about the American public. Where most rational people would sit at home and enjoy the fight, there are plenty of head cases that would of called up CBS and complain. It's just a shame that the networks feel that they have to cater to those in that freak-show minority. I bet they were sweating there asses off watching Cyborg decimate Baszler. This also could have been potentially avoided with five minute rounds, because Gina would of had time to finish her off. I mean I thought Young was on her way out.
2 months ago
hmmmm ..... with a gorgeous body and terrific looks ..why would a female want to mess that up? jen?
2 months ago
eh I am not worried about it. and u can't see my face but thanks
about 1 month ago
That night was filled with premature stoppages, the irony here is that the women were being treated _just like the men_. *gasp*
The refs, the doctors, the judges, are hired and controlled by the New Jersey State Athletic commission, a political organization that basically 'inserts' itself because the public demands it (most states have something comparable; Japan has nothing like this btw). EliteXC has no control over them (besides whatever cronyism this kind of thing breeds), and unless ExliteXC specifically choose New Jersey as the venue because they knew that the athletic commission there was squeamish, then none of this is EliteXC's doing (not that they don't suck for other reasons, like perhaps not investigating this before and holding the event somewhere else).
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