Gina Carano is a bonafide Muay Thai kickboxing star. The first American woman to win a title in the mecca of Muay Thai, Thailand, Carano has been a force from her onset in the combat sports.  Laying waste to one opponent after another, she is hard not to notice. It doesn't hurt that she looks more like a model than a brawler. Most recently, she has parlayed her fame into a spot on the new "American Gladiators" as "Crush".

Many months ago, when boxing mega-promoter Gary Shaw started a mixed martial arts company, and stated that one of its pillars would be women's MMA, the few people who did pay attention, didn't pay much, and they thought he was crazy. This includes me. Sure it works in Japan, but American views of what's mainstream, and what's not are quite different from the Japanese.  Shaw did not care, every time he could get Carano ready, she'd be fighting on pay-per-view with her male counterparts. First, she dismantled Tonya Evinger in what was called the "fight of the night". Then it was Julie Kedzie. Now it was Kaitlin Young. Carano is quickly becoming the media darling and superstar that Gary Shaw and Elite XC always dreamed of her becoming.

The world is not all as it seems, however. There is one glaring difference between Carano's fights, and every other fight on any card she has ever participated in, she never makes the contracted weight.  In every fight, she is scheduled for the 140 lb. weight class, and every fight she winds up dehydrated and over her weight. This past weekend being the worst yet, Carano came in an astounding 4.5 lbs. over. This may not seem like a lot, but in the male side of the sport, if a competitor came in 4.5 lbs. over weight, they would not be allowed to compete by the athletic commission. Somehow though, Carano's fights always go off without a hitch. This time with some convoluted story of Carano giving Young 12% of her paycheck for the fight. If a male competitor did this, they would be ridiculed forever, and yet no one seems to care about Carano breaking the rules.

The real question is why, and what will this do in the long run. There are a host of reasons that could be why this is taking place. It could be that Shaw is just guarantee that Gina will be the larger fighter and therefore have the advantage. If so, its just plain cheating. It could be that Shaw is fixated on this 140 lb. weight class for the ladies, and no matter who his star is, that weight class is where she will fight. This would just be stupid. It could be as simple as Carano being stubborn, and unwilling to admit that she just can't hit that weight. If so she needs to grow up. Whatever the reasons, this is a dangerous precedent.   

These are problems that seem to plague her in her everyday life as well. In 2007, while in training for a fight, Carano had to rushed to the hospital for dehydration as she sat at a World Extreme Cagefighting event as a spectator. These things don't happen to healthy people, and that is no secret. This sets a dangerous standard for girls. Carano has the possibility to be a fabulous role model for young girls. She is smart, funny, articulate, beautiful, and a devastating fighter. So why does she have to struggle with her weight. A slightly higher weight class would legitimize all of her future accomplishments, and do away with the image that is currently developing, that of a woman in constant struggle with her weight. She is by no means a big girl, and doesn't need to lose anymore weight, so why does she keep trying?