A MOMENT CAPTURED

Tiffany Brown, Las Vegas Sun

Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007 | 7:19 a.m.

From tomboy to professional fighter, Gina Carano didn't plan it that way.

Girls pick fights with her, the 24-year-old Trinity Christian High grad says as she rests on the cage mat during a training session.

"I don't know if I have a guilty look on my face or I just look like trouble or something, but they always want to fight me," she said. "Maybe being quiet made it look like I had a problem instead of just being quiet and keeping to myself. It got me into some trouble, just being myself."

She took up Muay Thai, a form of martial arts also known as Thai boxing or the "Art of the Eight Limbs" - because it uses hands, feet, shins and elbows. Now, she is devoting herself to mixed martial arts (MMA).

"The day I got into it is the day I never stopped," Carano said. "I hit it full speed and it just felt right and it is right and I haven't stopped. That was 3 1/2 years ago. It's the only thing I have ever stuck to and now it's my job, so I guess that's a good thing."

She's riding a wave of success with a 12-1-1 record in Muay Thai and 3-0 in MMA. Her next MMA fight - Feb. 10 in Southaven, Miss., on the EliteXC's "Destiny" live card - will be the first women's bout ever shown on Showtime.

"I love the life that (professional fighting) makes me lead. It keeps me in line. With fighting, you have to get to know yourself on so many different levels because you get humbled every day. And the bigger I get and the more people start recognizing me, the more I need to stay true to myself because that's the only thing that has gotten me here."

Mixed Martial Arts "makes me fit spiritually, mentally, physically I love it. I love training, I love fighting, I love my life."