It appears there might be a case of mistaken identity, or so thinks Amanda Nunes’ manager.
Chris Vender, who’s worked with the Brazilian-based Nunes for more than a year, today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Nunes (6-1 MMA, 1-0 SF) is not under consideration to meet Gina Carano (7-1 MMA, 0-1 SF).
“This fight is not happening,” Vender said. “Strikeforce has not contacted us about Gina at all.”
A report today from Brazilian MMA website Tatame stated that Nunes’ manager was in negotiations with the California-based promotion for a fight with the female MMA star.
But Vender said he manages Nunes, and that’s simply not the case.
“If they did offer us Gina, obviously we would take it in a second,” he said. “But they have not. I just got off the phone with (Strikeforce representative) Shannon Knapp, and she said Amanda is not even on the short list of opponents for Gina. I didn’t think they were going to give Gina (to) Amanda in her first fight back.”
Carano made a lot of MMA fans happy when she announced this past month that she will return to the cage sometime in the summer, possibly in June, which Strikeforce officials ultimately confirmed.
This week, Strikeforce announced the second quarterfinal event of its heavyweight grand prix will be held June 18 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. That would, of course, lend speculation to Carano’s participation on the card.
But other than a pair of tournament quarterfinal bouts and the return of former light-heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, there’s not much set in stone for the June 18 event.
Vender said he’s requested a return date for Nunes in either April or May, and ideally, it will be in the women’s welterweight (135-pound) class.
“Obviously, this is going to hurt her a little bit because this is totally false,” he said. “It’s not making her look good.”
Carano hasn’t fought since an August 2009 fight for the vacant women’s middleweight (145-pound) title against Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, which she lost via first-round TKO. It was Carano’s first professional defeat after she opened her career with a perfect 7-0 mark, which included a successful four-fight stint with the now-defunct EliteXC organization.
Recently, the 28-year-old fighter concluded the filming of “Haywire,” a major movie directed by Steven Soderbergh. Carano plays a significant role in the action-thriller, which also stars Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas. It hits theaters in April.
Nunes fought this past January at Strikeforce Challengers 13 and delivered a highlight-reel knockout of Julia Budd in 14 seconds. She has not been beaten since her professional debut in March 2008 and has earned four of her six victories via first-round stoppage due to strikes.
For more on the Strikeforce in Dallas, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Gina Carano)
