[Editor's Note: This post was submitted to me by our good friends at Bet Online while I was on vacation last week so I was not able to get it up before Saturday's event. As you will read, the guys were a tad off with their prediction as Cyborg took down Gina Carano. Â But on a week when Y.E. Yang proved everyone wrong, we can let one little prediction slip-up slide.]
 NFL betting fans or other sports lovers in general would traditionally scoff if we told them the most exciting sporting event of the weekend was not a football game, not a baseball game, perhaps not even the PGA Championship, but a women’s MMA title fight. But it’s the truth. In an historic Strikeforce fight card this Saturday, Gina Carano and Chris “Cyborg†Santos will become the first women to headline a major MMA promotion. Let’s break down the big fight.
 WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Gina Carano (7-0) vs Christiane “Cyborg†Santos (7-1)
Betting online odds: Carano +145, Santos -175
Gina Carano is famous for more than just MMA. After appearing as “Crush†on American Gladiators and posing in a racy Maxim spread, she’s earned more fans that your average fighter. However, her fame shouldn’t trick anyone into believing she isn’t the best female fighter in the world right now. This ain’t Anna Kournikova.
Carano is the total package – a true technician who combines surgical strikes with a capable ground game and the ability to submit opponents if need be. How surprising is it, then, to see her as the underdog against Cyborg Santos?
The odds may be related to fear – fear of what Cyborg can do if she lands even one clean shot. She’s a wrecking machine, having brutally knocked out five opponents in her seven wins. She combines the brawling style and heart of Forrest Griffin with the raw power and aggression of fellow Brazilian Wanderlei Silva. She’s also the bigger fighter in this title bout; she has at least an inch on Carano and reportedly walks around about 20 pounds heavier.
It’s thus understandable that the physically imposing Santos is the favorite. But that doesn’t mean you should pick her if you’re sports betting online. If true mixed martial artists like Gracie and St-Pierre have taught us anything, it’s that technique and intelligence trump strength. Carano is the faster, smarter, more versatile fighter. Cyborg will do damage if her punches connect, but what if they don’t? Carano can pick her apart and score points with accurate flurries.
On the ground, Carano may have the advantage too. She’s proven that she doesn’t have to stand up to win fights; she choked out Tonya Evinger at an EliteXC event in 2007. Cyborg, on the other hand, isn’t used to battling on the canvas and her only loss came via submission in her MMA debut.
The fight will clearly be Gina Carano’s toughest test yet and her undefeated streak could end if Cyborg corners her. But I think she’s more likely to outclass Cyborg and become the first Strikeforce women’s champion.
Best betting management pick: Gina Carano +145
