Gina Carano's Return, Melendez vs. Masvidal Slated for December 17 Fight Card

After a quiet exit from her scheduled June 18 bout with Sarah D'Alelio, Gina Carano is finally ready to make her MMA return.

According to Dave Meltzer in an update on the Wrestling Observer, Carano is expected to compete on the December 17 Strikeforce card, which also features the lightweight title bout between Gilbert Melendez and Jorge Masvidal.

Carano's last professional fight was over two years ago against Strikeforce featherweight champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. After getting stopped in the first round, Carano took an extended leave from her MMA career to go shoot the upcoming Hollywood film Haywire.

In February, Carano officially announced she would be returning to MMA. Strikeforce lined up D'Alelio as an opponent on the June 18 card, but Carano was pulled from the card for unknown reasons a little over a week out from the event.

The last time fans heard from Carano was in a prepared statement from her camp two months ago.

"Gina is feeling much better after having undergone some medical attention and is looking forward to getting back into training very soon. She would like to express thanks to Team Jackson for a wonderful training camp, Strikeforce and the fans."

Carano has avoided all media attention since the release of the statement.

News of her December return should not only excite fans, but it should also clear up a multitude of rumors, including the proposed "Face of Women's MMA" being pregnant.