Queen of Sports

Ronda Rousey: The New Face Of Women’s MMA?

When Ronda Rousey won the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title earlier this month, by submitting Miesha Tate in brutal fashion, she opened a floodgate of media attention.

The latest and most mainstream of such attention comes with word she will be appearing in the next issue of ESPN The Magazine’s annual Body Issue. The issue, which will hit shelves sometime in the fall of 2012, will feature some of the year’s most prominent and relevant athletes. Rousey will join only a small number of MMA fighters who have been featured in the issue in the past: including Gina Carano and Jon Jones.

Gina Carano is known as the “face of women’s MMA” but lately she has spent more time on the big screen than in the cage. In fact, she hasn’t fought since 2009. Rousey seems to tout more accolades and is more relevant in the sport than Carano. While Carano may have paved the way, with her big screen-worthy good looks and killer moves in the cage, Rousey is stealing that spotlight. Rousey is not only the bantamweight champion, but she holds an Olympic medal in judo.

What do you think? Is Ronda Rousey the new face of women’s MMA?

Spike TV Hires Kimbo Slice To Compete With TUF

Spike TV, who lost the programming rights to new episodes of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, is competing with FX by airing “The Ultimate Fighter Fridays,” a new series that will use old UFC footage.

The series will use heavyweight fighter Kimbo Slice, one of the UFC’s biggest draws known for his street fighting past, to try to leverage viewership. Slice will discuss never-before-revealed details about his experiences on the show and what the camera didn’t catch. Kimbo appeared on season 10 of the show, which was the highest-rated of all the 14 seasons. The Friday night series will air beginning March 9.

The Ultimate Fighter 15 airs on the same night, on FX, with a new live format. The bantamweight series features coaches Dominic Cruz and Urijah Faber.

Gina Carano Set To Star In Another Hollywood Film

Gina Carano won’t be seen fighting in the cage anytime soon, but fans will get to see more of her on the silver screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Carano will be starring in an action thriller film called In The Blood, directed by John Stockwell.

Carano made her acting debut in the Steven Soderbergh film Haywire which was released in theaters last month.

In The Blood is about a husband who disappears while vacationing in the Caribbean with his wife (Carano). Carano goes on to recklessly pursue the men she believes are responsible for her husband’s disappearance. Carano will again be showcasing her fighting skills, and may work with the same stunt team used in Haywire.

Filming is set to begin in Puerto Rico this summer.

Photo: GQ

Rashad Evans: Hot Or Not?

“Suga” Rashad Evans will be stepping into the Octagon this weekend, facing Phil Davis in a light heavyweight bout that will be aired on Fox.

Evans is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with six years experience in the UFC. Many know him not only from his fights, but as a frequent host on ESPN’s “MMA Live.”

Evans was born in Niagra Falls, New York where his athletic prowess found him as a two-way player on his high school football team, and as a two-time All-State wrestler. Evans went on to wrestle at Michigan State University where he earned a degree in psychology and later became assistant coach of the school’s wrestling team. His amateur career in MMA started out with five wins and no losses, which he led him to be selected to complete the UFC’s competition reality show, The Ultimate Fighter 2. Evans defeated his opponent on the show’s finale, earning a three-year, six-figure contract with the UFC.

Evans currently holds a record in the UFC of 16 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw.

Evans is married, with three children. He calls Lansing, Michigan home but fights out of Boca Raton, Florida.

So, what do you think? Rashad Evans…hot or not?

Photo: TitoMedia.com.au / Splash News

Chuck Liddell To Apear In Kia Super Bowl Commercial

Kia will be joining the ranks of automakers ready to dole out $7 million for 60 seconds of airtime during the Super Bowl this year.

What will they do to draw the attention of the audience? They’ve employed retired UFC legend Chuck Liddell, Motley Crue, and supermodel Adriana Lima. The theme of the commercial is a “man’s dream.” The 60-second commercial will debut in movie theaters on February 3, and 15-second teaser ads will air before the Super Bowl. The people at Kia also said they will employ Facebook and Twitter to create a buzz about their brand and the commercial.

We can’t wait to see what commercials the Super Bowl will bring this year. Will anything beat last year’s Darth Vader commercial by the folks at Volkswagen?

Sports Date Of The Week: Haywire

This Friday, action-thriller film Haywire directed by Steven Soderbergh starring MMA star Gina Carano is coming to theaters. We got a chance to catch the film last night, and can vouch for the quality of Carano’s high-adrenaline stunts which were all performed by her.

Carano makes her film debut as Mallory Kane, a former Marine who now works as a covert operative for a government security contractor. Kane performs jobs the government won’t authorize. She travels all over the world, getting into dangerous situations but always finding a way out. After she is betrayed and left for dead, she must attempt to make her way home safely to protect her family and exact revenge on those who betrayed her.

Other stars of the film include Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Channing Tatum.

Carano prepared for her role with an intense six-week tactical training course taught by an ex-Israeli special ops fighter. She went to target practice, so handling a gun would feel like second-nature when filming.

Carano was introduced to directer Steven Soderbergh in 2009, shortly after a big loss to Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. In the film, Soderbergh seeks to reimagine the spy drama by stripping away many of the special effects, stunt doubles, and quick film cuts. He envisioned Carano and her fighting capabilities would make the film look more real.

If you get a chance to check out the film, we want to hear what you thought of it! Let us know in the comments section or hit us up on Twitter at @QueenOfSports.

Photo: Suntzulynn for LE / Splash News

*Special thanks to Jeff Freedman for the invite

Athlete Sighting: Rampage Jackson

UFC star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson ran into some members of the cast and crew of The A-Team while on the red carpet for the premiere of Liam Neeson’s latest starring role in The Grey. Jackson starred alongside Bradley Cooper, and Neeson in the film. Director Joe Carnahan and producer Jules Daly, who were also in attendance, stopped to greet Jackson.

The Grey takes place in Alaska where an oil drilling team becomes stranded. The film is a story of man’s survival and the tests of leadership. The Grey comes out in theaters Jan. 27. To promote the film, FOX is giving away two free tickets to the Daytona 500. NASCAR fans can enter here.

Photo: thanks to Jeff Freedman

Jon Jones: Next MMA Star To Appear In A Movie?

Jon Jones posted the above photo on his twitter, saying, “I could get used to all this acting stuff.” The MMA star was working with action director Joseph Khan, but we’re not sure what for. He retweeted something about shooting the UFC on FOX promo campaign, but we won’t be surprised to see Jones follow in the footsteps of Rampage Jackson and Gina Carano.

Tito Ortiz Making Guest Appearance on CSI:NY Tonight

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UFC veteran Tito Ortiz will be making a guest appearance, playing a cage fighter on tonight’s episode of CSI:NY on CBS. According to the network, Ortiz will play fictional cage fighter Derek Petrov in the episode titled “Clean Sweep.” The plot of the episode? “A charred body turns into a hot mess for the CSIs when it appears a cage fighter has been murdered by his stalker.”

Catch it on CBS tonight at 10 pm PST.

Athlete Sighting: Gina Carano At Haywire Premiere

The face of women’s MMA, Gina Carano, was spotted on the red carpet last night at the premiere of the upcoming Steven Soderbergh movie Haywire. Carano stopped for a photo with her co-star, Channing Tatum, at the Director’s Guild in Los Angeles.

The film also stars Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, and Michael Douglas. Also spotted on the red carpet: Georges St-Pierre, Sasha Grey, Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed, and Hugh Hefner’s son Cooper.

Photo: Suntzulynn for LE / Splash News