Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino vs. Gina Carano
At the time this was the biggest fight in the history of women’s MMA. It was supposed to launch women’s mixed martial arts into the mainstream of the sport, but instead it sent it back by years.
Gina Carano had a 12W-1L kickboxing record, and a 7W-0L MMA record heading into the bout. She had one previous fight in Strikeforce, and had won 4 straight in EliteXC at the time. Cyborg was coming in with a 7W-1L record, her only loss coming in her MMA debut when her opponent caught her in a knee bar.
The fight was for the inaugural Strikeforce featherweight (145lbs) title. It was supposed to be a big night for women’s MMA, but Cyborg made things all too clear that she was a level above any other woman fighter. She pounded on Carano so badly that the popular fighter would never again decide to step in the cage. It would be years before two women fighters would be placed in a high-profile main event again.
