It appears Georges St-Pierre and Gina Carano are going to stick to taking fake punches for paychecks...at least for a bit longer.
The former MMA champions were both recently cast in the remake of the 1989 Jean-Claude Van Damme classic Kickboxer, which ultimately played a large part in the action star's rise to popularity. According to a press release from JAZO PR, the two mixed martial arts superstars will join an ensemble cast of additional standouts from the combat sports realm that includes Bellator's middleweight knockout artist Joe Schilling and former WWE star Dave Bautista.
"JCVD" will not be rehashing his role as Kurt Sloane in the film, but the action movie staple has signed on for a major role in the remake. And while the role St-Pierre will play in the Thailand-based movie has yet to be made public, the former Strikeforce women's featherweight champion will play a fight promoter per a press release from the production company to MMA Mania.
The film began shooting this week in New Orleans and will put some distance between talk of St-Pierre and Carano returning to the cage. While the talk around the pound-for-pound great coming out of his self-imposed retirement has been loose and noncommittal, there has been substantially more heat attached to Carano coming back to MMA.
Back in July, UFC president Dana White teased that the promotion was close to signing "Conviction" to face dominant 135-pound champion Ronda Rousey later in the year. With Rousey's growing popularity and Carano's already established star power, the bout would undoubtedly be the biggest fight in the history of WMMA, yet after White was unable to lock down an agreement with the former women's champion, the deal that was tabled apparently dissolved.
Carano last fought back in 2009, and with Hollywood continuing to offer movie roles, her potential return to mixed martial arts still remains uncertain.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
