Former Strikeforce star Gina Carano lands role in upcoming Star Wars series

Former Strikeforce star and women’s mixed martial arts pioneer Gina Carano now has another high-profile acting role on her schedule. According to a report from Variety, the former fighter will star in an upcoming Star Wars spinoff series titled “The Mandalorian.”

The details of Gina Carano’s role in the series are not yet known.

For all of you Star Wars fans, Variety explains that The Mandalorian will be “set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. It follows the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic. It will air on the Disney streaming service, which has officially been dubbed Disney+.”

The series will be written by actor/producer/director/ screenwriter/extraordinaire Jon Favreau.

We’ll see if UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington spoils the end of this one. 

Gina Carano has not fought since September of 2009, when she was knocked out by reigning UFC featherweight champ Cris Cyborg under the Strikeforce banner. Prior to this loss, Carano boasted an undefeated record of 7-0, highlighted by wins over names like Tonya Evinger, Kailtin Young, Julie Kedzie and Rosi Sexton.

While it’s been many years since Carano fought, she was instrumental in the boom of women’s mixed martial arts — long before Ronda Rousey pulled the female side of the sport into the limelight. In fact, its arguable that, if it weren’t for the work of Gina Carano and Scott Coker in Strikeforce, women’s MMA might not be where it is today.

Since retiring from MMA, Gina Carano has starred in several high profile films, such as Haywire, Fast & Furious 6, and Deadpool.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/15/2018.