It was reported in Variety that director Steven Soderbergh has committed to directing a spy thriller starring the face of women's MMA, Gina Carano. Which means less time in the gym for Carano and that it will probably be awhile before we see another women's MMA fight headlining a major card.
In instances like this, it's always fascinating to see how the hardcore fans take it. When a tennis player like Anna Kournikova decides to spend more time posing seductively for cameras than working on her overhand, "true fans" go ballistic. They feel she's tarnishing everything she has done for the sport with her visibility and that she's doing nothing to show young girls out there that they can be successful without becoming a model at the same time.
Those people are annoying. They are wrong. And, most importantly, their opinion doesn't matter.
I don't know how Carano's fans will take the news. If they are reasonably intelligent, they should be happy for her. But I'm sure you will have plenty of fans question her dedication to the sport and her desire to be a great fighter. And it's true that this move for her will mean women's MMA takes a step back from the spotlight, at least while she's involved in this project (and maybe longer, if it does well).
I really hope her hardcore fans don't vilify me for this, because you don't see too many people upset with Randy Couture, Rampage Jackson or Rich Franklin (among others) when they take movie parts.
I'm sure a lot of people will call her a sellout but she's done more than her fair share for women's MMA and she deserves a payday bigger than what she's getting currently. She should do what's right for Gina Carano, not what's right for women's MMA.
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