Scott Coker Shoots Down Rumor That Gina Carano Has Signed With Bellator

An instant buzz was created last night (Mon., August 11, 2014) when a rumor surfaced that former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Gina Carano would be signing with Bellator after a year full of speculation that ‘Conviction’ was headed to the UFC for an anticipated title bout with champion Ronda Rousey.

The speculation may have seemed a bit far-fetched on the surface, but Coker, who propelled Carano into stardom as Strikeforce CEO.

However, Coker, who recently took over for ousted Bellator founder Bjorn Rebney, spoke up to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani this morning, dispelling any notion that a reported ‘huge announcement’ from Bellator today involved Carano:

Coker told me yesterday Carano hasn’t signed w BMMA. Whatever the case, the reaction to yesterday’s rumors proves she’s still quite popular.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 12, 2014

There’s no doubt that Carano is still very popular, and she may make more waves in fighting than she would in her stagnating movie career, which now has her in straight-to-DVD purgatory.

UFC President Dana White has made several concerted efforts to get Carano signed, but has run into many roadblocks along the way. With most believing a match-up with Rousey to be a wholly one-sided one that borders on a straight money grab, will we still see the mismatch come to fruition?