EliteXC: “Primetime” Weigh-In Pics
May 30, 2008 by Adam Morgan
Courtesy of Esther Lin (updated: Esther rules) at Combat Lifestyle, we have some great pics of the weigh-ins for tomorrow’s fight. See the difference between what a professional fighter who takes the fight seriously looks like (Kaitlin Young) and a fighter who is spoiled and can’t even make weight in a weight class that was created specifically for her (Gina Carano).
Kaitlin, if you’re reading this I <3 you.
That’s pretty harsh. Carano didn’t make weight but that makes her “spoiled”? Not only is this woman just starting out in her career as a professional athlete, she’s also had to carry the burden of being at the forefront of all media attention concerning female MMA. If you feel the urge to attack her, at least have the decency to do it over her lack of professionalism and not her willingness to take the sport seriously.
Attacking Carano is like picking on a third grader for not knowing algebra. Consider her small fight record vs. her massive media exposure before you judge too harshly.
Alan,
Spoiled is exactly the term I would use to describe her. Every need has been catered to by Gary Shaw. They’ve built a weight class for her and she’s missed weight twice now with no repercussions from the promoter. Remember how salty Dana White was when Travis Lutter missed weight? This is worse than that and still it doesn’t seem to matter when she misses weight by 4.5 lbs. It’s ridiculous. She is the definition of spoiled.
I hate to be a pain, but I’m the “and Co.” Thought I’d say hello — Tracy’s in Chicago covering Primetime Fighting Championships (oddly enough, the EliteXC CBS one is called Primetime too). I’m out here in Newark.
Thanks for posting these!
Dude, people are knocking Gina because she’s not professional and seemingly can’t make weight. She is getting spoiled because she’s become dependent on the fact that EliteXC doesn’t care if she makes weight or not. At least she could take those monster shades off. Those could account for maybe a pound. Being “spoiled” isn’t a knock on the mentioned person, it’s the people spoiling her.
ok, all the Gina bashing is rediculous, it is easier for men to shed weight than a woman, secondly, the men in mma have been involved in the sport for longer than she has, or atleast competitively, so they are used to shedding a few pounds at a blink of an eye, when she first started in the sport she was a little chunky and was able to shed the lbs a little easier, now that she has been competing and being on american gladiators she has put on muscle weight, maybe that plays a factor in the lack of the ability to shed the weight.. I dont think she would intentionally not lose the weight, like some of you are making it sound… I dont think she is spoiled, i honestly think she doesnt look like she could lose anymore weight without losing actual muscle mass
Then maybe she shouldn’t be fighting at 140?
There are repercussions against Gina for missing weight. She has to surrender 12.5% of her purse to Kaitlin.
Mike,
Yes, you’re right. But that’s commission-mandated. EliteXC could give a rat’s ass whether she makes the weight or not as long as her pretty face is on TV. That’s where the problem lies.
I have to agree with Adam, although his particular wording may have been a bit harsh. EliteXC has been making concessions for Gina for too long and it ends up making a farce out of Women’s MMA. There are plenty of female fighters, like Kaitlin Young, who work hard to get into fighting shape. This time, Gina had to give up a part of her purse, but she didn’t in the past.
Just wait for Gina’s fight in the “new” 150lb female weight class…
Wow. The claws are out. If she gives an interview, will Carano get the full “Dana White” treatment?
I’m sure Travis Lutter got the same comments from you guys.
You’re a fighter. Make weight. Defending her will not make her want to sleep with you. Just an FYI.
Thanks for the great pics Esther!
I like how angry Morgan is these days. I guess after the 8 billion response to his Dana column, he’s decided to take the journalistic low road, and just post “hip and edgy” flame-bait articles from now on. I imagine this is another example of “going where other sites wont” and “calling it like I see it”!! Good for you, Jim Rome.
Haha, won’t it be funny if Gina beats Young?
Again, I’d love a response as to how her not making weight is different from anyone else not making weight. When a guy doesn’t he gets ripped across the internet and by other fighters as a jackass. Lutter was ripped to the point of no return.
But when Gina doesn’t make weight it’s okay and we’re all being meanies and Morgan has no integrity.
Please someone give me a response as to how her not making weight is better than anyone else. They made a weight class SPECIFICALLY FOR HER that she can’t make. Stop kissing her pretty ass and tell me how this is any different.
Thanks Esther for the pictures. I don’t know where to go. I want to say that was a little heated and malicious to put those kinds of comments up out of nowhere. But, as well, deserved. But really, the second sentence? Maybe some nice things about the weigh in and the photos, then bashing?
It’s different to me because I have very little interest in women fighters. They don’t have the upper body strength or skills of their male counterparts. They’re a novelty item only, so who cares whether they even have weight classes?
Adam, what does this do to Elite XC credibility after they promoted Gina Carano as “The Face of Women’s MMA?” They also said, Robbie Lawler is the best middleweight along with Anderson Silva on Inside MMA.
I hate when fighters don’t make weight. Completely unprofessional. You signed a contract. Live up to it
I love the ignorant comment above mine.
i don’t know why
but i really want to punch gary shaw in the face
i think gary shaw is pregnant or maybe that shirt has a compartment to hold a beanbag chair.
now who’s gut is bigger…gary shaw or tank abbott?
This is probably a dumb question, but here goes… Why doesn’t Gina just fight at 145lbs? A ton of reasons are going through my mind: fewer opponents available? Embarrassed to weigh that much? because she knows she is so much heavier pre-weigh in that she will have an edge? I know nothing about making weight but as a woman, my opinion is that she start a month out to cut the weight and stop eating all the goodies in the “green room” on the set of Gladiators. Since this is the second time she didn’t make weight, and she is only giving up 12.5%, what will they do next time? Seems to me, whatever your passion in life, or in some cases bread and butter, you give it your all to excel and achieve the end result desired. Part of “your all” is sacrifice and commitment. Gina appears to be lacking in that department.
And one other thing while I am venting, if you look at this as a career,(which it is to most fighters) what company would continue to employ someone who is not up to par? As someone mentioned above, you signed a contract now fulfill it. I can see it happening once;Gary should have given her a letter of reprimand. This go round I am thinking pink slip. Not. The almighty dollar weighs even more than Gina.
LOL at Gary Shaw firing Carano. You have to be kidding me. No way. I’ll give her a spanking and straighten this whole mess out if you want.
JollyDV -
From my understanding, the most common weight class for women’s MMA is 135lbs. There are other fighters out there who compete at a higher and lower weight classes, but the majority are in that weight frame. EliteXC already made a weight class (140lbs) essentially for Gina…and yet she hasn’t been able to make the cut.
I’m not a major fan of female MMA, but I can see why many of the fighters are getting fed up with it. I think pushing up her weight class to 145lb would be just another blatant attempt from EliteXC to adhere to Gina rather than Gina adhering to the very rules of the sport in which she is supposed to respect. The more leeway Gary Shaw gives her essentially represents that he doesn’t really care about women’s MMA, he just cares about promoting one person (Gina) at any cost. Even if that cost undercuts the general acceptance of women’s MMA. He says he wants to help it grow, but his actions say something completely different.
Gina needs to have a talk with BJ Penn about commitment and dedication. Cutting weight is not as hard as people think. If Joe Riggs can walk around over 200 lbs and fight at 170, or Forrest Griffin can walk around at 230+ the week of the fight, Gina can make 140lbs. No excuses. She may be a commodity, but she’s also a fighter.
No i wasnt saying this would happen on another entry`s comment. im not talikng that this is the same old story around that American Gladiator girl.
No i dont shout like ” She aint a Professional fighter!” nor i wont call her just a ” F@TTY!”.
But i wonder about “the winner of this belt will be the contender of new 140 lbs female title”. 144.5 lbs girl who has NEVER made 140 lbs can fight for the 140 lbs belt?
144.5? got bigger than last fight in HAWAII? 144.5? over 3.5lbs??
144.5 !!!????
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 144.5 POUNDS ?????
The one thing that stuck out the most was Fatty Shaw’s big fat belly.
He reminds me of a double crossing, money grubbing, boxing promoter. Oh wait, Thats what he did before he realized he couldn’t cut it in boxing and jumped ship. I think its retarded that he claims he’s been an MMA guy since forever. Mixed Martial Arts is a commitment, a life style, and with Fatty Shaw looking like he hasn’t done a pushup since forever, I’m starting to doubt Fatty’s commitment to the sport. If he actually cared for the sport and its image he would first change his.
R,
Thanks. I have only seen a few female MMA fights. I think it is great for those women who can and want the chance. I though, have caught myself cringing as I watch a female fight. This is something I never do when I watch their male counterparts. Weird huh? There is just something about a woman being punched that makes me queasy, no matter that it is a woman doing it. I am and have always been a chicken when it comes to personal injury. As a child I learned to run fast!
Gina is most likely enduring self induced hell at the moment. She knows what she did/didn’t do, she knows her fan base has just shrank, and she knows that she is going home Saturday night short 12.5% of her yearly income. Life is just one big lesson that we sometimes don’t learn the first, or second time around. Maybe for Gina, the third times a charm!
My bad, she is not short 12.5% of her yearly income. Temporary short circuit of the brain.
Who cares? Hardly any orgs are doing female fights right now, in the US EliteXC is the only big org doing female fights, at least they’re doing them at all.Hell, Gina’s presence is the main reason to even have female fights in EliteXC right now, she is probably the biggest or second-biggest star in all of EliteXC and in fact female fighting (not saying she’s the best, obviously). She is a huge draw for the female bouts and I don’t think they can really risk kicking her off a card over weight issues. Maybe in a few years when female fighting is more established in the mainstream.
Adam,
I was just reading that she had to weigh anywhere from 155 to 170 (or more) for her role on American Gladiators only three weeks ago. I’d say that she’s doing an excelent job of making herself well known and promoting the sport. Does she fight in an organization that seems more concerned with making headlines than it does staying true to the sport of MMA? You betcha. I’m not sure how much of this is her fault though. She’s doing her best to be everywhere at once but seems to be falling short. Sounds to me like she’s burning the candle at both ends and not just sitting around not caring if she makes weight or not like you’re trying to make it seem like.
Being a pro MMA fighter is hard enough. Now throw in a demanding job like American Gladiators must be on her time and energy-wise. Then top it all off with the job of being “The face of womens MMA” and all of the promotion that’s required for all of it. Maybe she’s just overburdened instead of spoiled.
Alan. You are lame. If you sign a contract to weigh in at a certain weight, shouldn’t you “woman-up” and make weight? It’s not like EliteXC put Carano in American Gladiators to promote the sport. They don’t want her doing it! In a recent interview, EliteXC said if she did season 2, she HAD to fight on May 31. They felt like she wasn’t being committed to fighting, because she wasn’t. It doesn’t seem like much has changed. Just because you don’t want to take Travis Lutter out to dinner and a movie doesn’t mean you should thrash him when he doesn’t make weight, but not come to Carano’s defense when she does the same thing… not once, but every time she fights…. …. in a weight class that was made for her…. … made to make it easy for her to make weight. If she can’t get motivated for a fight live on network TV, she should stick to her NBC job.
Great job of being an apologist for her Alan. A professional fighter losing a whole 15 pounds in 3 weeks. The horror of it all. What’s your excuse for her for missing weight the previous times?? Lame indeed….
# 34 Paul Balsom Says:
May 30th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Alan. You are lame. If you sign a contract to weigh in at a certain weight, shouldn’t you “woman-up” and make weight?
Paul, for what its worth, it’s not like she is has broken her contract or something by being too heavy. The contract she signed has a provision specifically for when a fighter does not make weight and that provision has been incurred. So she has paid the price.
Blame the industry in this case, she is too big a star to pull from the card over a weight issue but the penalty she paid is more or less the industry standard for an mma bout agreement. And even Dana wouldn’t get rid of someone who composed such a huge chunk of his organization’s starpower based on a missed weight.
It sucks that she came in over weight, but hell you people need to get a life. She tried and now she pays by giving up some of her fight purse. I’m sure Elite XC asked her to fight on this card even if it was 3 weeks after doing american gladiators.I think she agrees and does’nt cut the weight like she thought she could. You people sit back her behind a computer and attack fighters charectors because of what you see on the internet and not find out the the actual truth. Take time to find out the facts before judging someone just because you read a article on a website doesnt make it fact. (Learn your facts before you make a comment and you might help do your part, in making this world a better place).
Oh fuck off about this - Gina fighting is about how hot she is, not about weight. How many fucking catch weight fights have these shitty ass orgs like elite xc had to do in the past year? And made up weight classes for fighters? Gina not making weight is just one in a string of shity unprofessional, barnyard moves of elitexc. She shouldn’t be singled out.
Looks like Muscle & Fitness magazine showcased the wrong female MMA fighter! Young looks pretty shredded at the weigh in.
Comparing the two, it is pretty clear that Carano could still lose some water/fat. Just look at the tone/definition Young has! If Carano had that kind of tone then I could understand more the argument that it is not physically possible.
I just want to see both these hottie rolling around on top each other.
People should stop blaming Gina for not making weight. It’s not fair to her that her boobs weigh 4.5 pounds more than the other fighter. ^_^
My female fighter crush just shifted hardcore from Gina to Kaitlin. Goddam I’m in love!!!
I think all women could stand to lose about 5 pounds.
totally beside the point… but lol at mayhem miller on cbs sports show here in southern cali… fool found a way to scare the suits lol…. the hosts got rattled when mayhem said dry humping….lol..
This is a ridiculous argument. You can question Gina’s commitment and such, but to get incensed about how EliteXC is catering to her and becoming “corrupted” because of money? As opposed to what? MMA, as the “sport” and event that people know it to be today, exists because of people trying to make money off it. Weigh-ins are the result of the attempt to make MMA more of a “sport”, like boxing, so that it could make money. Why outlaw the dangerous moves? Not just for safety, but for the same reason boxing gloves were introduced- to prolong fighter’s careers so more money can be made. The origins of MMA as we know it were the old UFC, where if your opponent was bigger than you- tough luck- thats fighting. And even then it was really about money. The UFC was developed by the Gracies to showcase themselves, so is it any wonder that they dominated until they no longer were choosing their own opponents? Then they began to win some (because they are good) but also lose some, as they had been in K1 and Pride. To act as if MMA had some glorious past where it wasn’t about money, or that EliteXC or UFC aren’t totally dependent and motivated by money, is ignorant.