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UFC what? Brock Lesnar who? This weekend, Gina Carano, Cris "Cyborg" Santos and Strikeforce own the world of mixed martial arts.
The biggest female stars of the sport will finally collide this Saturday night, in a Strikeforce event to air on Showtime. Carano, a former American Gladiator, with supermodel good looks, has ascended to the top of sport and become the female face of mixed martial arts. The 24-year-old Cyborg is the perfect antagonist for Carano. Rugged, and known for her knockout power, Cyborg, will be looking to knock Carano off her perch as MMA's top female star.
The battle between Carano and Cyborg comes as Strikeforce is breathing down the UFC's neck for mixed martial arts superiority. While UFC is the more successful, financially lucrative brand, Strikeforce has steadily gained in popularity and influence in the last year.
The recent signing of Fedor Emelianenko was a huge coup for Strikeforce. Emelianenko is widely regarded as the best heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter in the world. UFC failed in its attempts to sign the Russian to set up a major fight between him and Lesnar.
To combat Strikeforce's surge in popularity, the UFC is airing UFC 100 for free on Spike TV Saturday night, in an attempt to pull viewers away from watching the Strikeforce event on Showtime. UFC 100 featured a main event of Lesnar and Frank Mir. Although it will now air for free on Saturday night, UFC originally charged fans $44.95 to watch the event on pay-per-view.