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'Total stoner moment': Gina Carano's viral lip bite meme explained
TL;DR
Gina Carano's lip bite meme originated from a 2009 event where she attended a Strikeforce fight. The moment became viral years later, and Carano recently explained its context during an interview.
Key points
- Gina Carano's lip bite meme originated in 2009.
- She attended Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz to watch a fight.
- Carano explained the meme's context years later.
Gina CaranoStrikeforce: Shamrock vs. DiazCris Cyborg
The year was 2009, and Gina Carano's mainstream appeal was rapidly rising thanks to her successful mixed martial arts career and girl-next-door looks. She'd been out of action for several months to film a reboot of the competition series "American Gladiators," appear as a character in the videogame "Red Alert," and pose for a pictorial spread in Maxim.
Then, with a potential highly anticipated showdown against Cris Cyborg looming, Carano attended Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz on April 11, 2009 to watch Cyborg's fight with Hitomi Akano. Naturally, Carano's presence drew constant attention from a cameraman working cageside at HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif.
Of all the close-up shots of Carano that night, there's one that stands out among the male-dominated MMA audience – and that years later would become a viral meme: the Gina Carano lip bite.
Gina Carano's explanation of the viral lip bite
Why did she stare into the camera and bite her lip like that with a big smile on her face? Seventeen years later, Carano explained during an appearance on "The Ariel Helwani Show" – and her answer might surprise you.
"I don't smoke weed, but I had smoked weed (that night), and I was just living in my head," Carano said, with a laugh. "The cameraman just kept on putting (the camera on me) – and I thought it was in my head because I was a little bit stoned. … I was just in my head. I was like, 'Is this guy putting the camera on me a lot, or am I just being super paranoid?' It turns out he was putting the camera on me a lot. So what was going through my head: Just like, 'Act normal, act normal.' And that happened. It was a total stoner moment."
And there you have it: the story behind the viral Gina Carano lip bite.
Carano, 44, is returning to the cage for the first time since her August 2009 loss to Cyborg, when she takes on UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey in a highly anticipated showdown of women's MMA pioneers. The fight will headline Netflix's first live-streamed MMA event, which takes place May 16 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: The story behind Gina Carano's viral lip bite meme as told by her
Q&A
What event led to Gina Carano's viral lip bite meme?
The meme originated from Gina Carano's appearance at the Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz event on April 11, 2009.
Why did Gina Carano bite her lip during the fight?
Carano explained the context of her lip bite during a recent interview on 'The Ariel Helwani Show,' revealing surprising details about that moment.
How did Gina Carano's lip bite become a meme?
The close-up shot of Carano biting her lip became iconic among MMA fans and eventually went viral, gaining popularity years after the event.