Strikeforce champ Rousey welcomes Carano fight but gunning for 'Cyborg' grudge match

by John Morgan on Aug 16, 2012 at 3:25 pm ET

And while Rousey currently has Sarah Kaufman to contend with, the Strikeforce female bantamweight champion said she welcomes future fights with both Carano and Santos.

Of course, the motivation would be completely different. After all, Rousey considers herself a Carano fan. "Cyborg" is just somebody "Rowdy" would love to beat up.

"I would like to fight both of them," Rousey said on Thursday. "I would say I would equally like to fight both of them, but I strongly dislike Cris 'Cyborg,' whereas I really like Gina Carano. If I was to pick which one I would actually want to beat up, I would want to beat up Cris 'Cyborg' the most, whereas I would just want to win over Gina."

Both fights are more fantasy than fact right now. Carano hasn't competed since an August 2009 loss to Santos and has instead been focused on a budding film career. Still, many view the Strikeforce and EliteXC star as a sort of groundbreaker in the women's division after attracting mainstream attention during her three-year MMA run.

But there are always rumors that Carano could one day fight again, and Rousey said she would honored to oppose her.

"Gina is a cool chick," Rousey said. "I have so much respect for her."

Meanwhile, former Strikeforce female featherweight champion Santos tested positive for stanozolol metabolites following her December 2011 win over Hiroko Yamanaka. She was then stripped of the title and placed under suspension for one year.

Prior to "Cyborg's" suspension, MMA pundits and Strikeforce officials alike had already begun to consider the possibility of a Santos vs. Rousey affair. However, Rousey, who began her career at 145 pounds, has since dropped to bantamweight, where she promptly earned Strikeforce gold.

Santos has remained non-committal about a potential drop to 135 pounds to meet Rousey, and the two have since engaged in a very public war of words.

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Strikeforce champ Rousey welcomes Carano fight but gunning for 'Cyborg' grudge match

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