8 MMA Fighters You Didn't Know Appeared In Big-Budget Movies

It's not often that a relatively green actress receives the opportunity to headline her own big-budget film. Let alone amongst other established, A-list actors.

Which is precisely why Gina Carano was so revered amongst MMA fans, during her tenure as a competitor. Considered to be the face of women's MMA for quite some time, the former mixed martial artist was well-known by many during her days in Strikeforce. The height of her popularity saw her main eventing a card for the Featherweight championship alongside Cris Cyborg in 2009, which was the first of its kind. This, along with being ranked fifth on the 2008 list of Top 10 Influential Women, allowed her to naturally be thrown into the entertainment spotlight.

Most know her from her mainstream roles in Deadpool or Fast and Furious 6, however, she was given the green light to star in her own spy-thriller all the way back in 2011. Carano played black ops operative Mallory Kane in the 2011 thriller Haywire, in which she was forced on the run by her employers and targeted for assassination. The choreography was well received, especially as Carano was able to do her own stunts in fight sequences.

Carano has continued to receive mainstream roles since, as she currently stars on the Star Wars Disney+ show, The Mandalorian. As one of the most searched names on search engines back in 2008, it should come as no surprise that the Strikeforce alumni was able to receive the headlining spot on the movie, even if most were still not acquainted with her name yet.