A few months ago in a comment thread, I suggested that promoting this show around Gina Carano was a smarter idea than promoting it around Kimbo Slice.  If the numbers are any indication, the ad blitz starting next week should focus on Carano just as much as Slice:

When news of the upcoming CBS mixed martial arts bout between Gina Carano and Kaitlin Young first hit the sportswire, some asked if mainstream America could handle a female MMA.

The country may not be ready for a female president, but bring on the girl fight. The Carano-Young May 31 bout will be the first MMA match ever seen on a mainstream network. Undefeated kickboxer Carano put a chokehold on the national spotlight as alter ego Crush on "American Gladiators." The NBC revival promptly established her as the Search favorite. Now Carano, who appeared on ESPN E:60 Tuesday, is the star fighter among boxing promoter EliteXC's plan to create a women's MMA title. 

Her searches have roared up 6,000% this week into the top 200, with every single state in the union studying up. To put that into context, Carano's buzz is:

    • about 19 times higher than what MMA icon Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell got for his high-profile beating last May 
    • 10% higher than Paris Hilton this week 
    • 25 times that of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards after his endorsement of Barack Obama.

The stat in relation to Liddell is really pretty amazing.  The idea of a beautiful woman fighting is going to appeal to all sports fans, and I think she really is going to be the biggest draw for this show.  I understand the need to build Kimbo up for future big fights, but some of the ads should really focus on Gina.  We have seen with Iron Ring's ratings demographics that there are a lot of women willing to give MMA a shot, and Gina may be the ticket to bringing that demographic in for Elite XC.