If Carano returns, two things become apparent. For one, the urge to compete in MMA is a far cry from the poverty-as-entrapment motivations of many boxers. For another, both Carano and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson might be working as prototypes for a new kind of athlete/performer -- one who actually competes in between film shoots. (This might have applied to Michael Jordan at one time, but “Space Jam” numbed that possibility -- along with many, many brains.)

That path seems easier for Carano than Jackson for a simple reason: Jackson is constantly being thrown to the wolves in the UFC, whereas Carano is going to have the opportunity for novelty fights in Strikeforce. Scott Coker recognizes a boost to his economy when he sees one, and there’s little point in forcing Cung Le, Herschel Walker, or Carano to walk the plank when everyone seems perfectly happy to see them perform on other levels.

British film magazine Empire cornered director Steven Soderbergh recently. Did they punch him in the ear in critical response to “Solaris” or “Ocean’s Twelve”?

They did not. But they did ask about his recent casting of Gina Carano as the lead in “Knockout,” a spy thriller due to begin shooting in February.

“My feeling was, If I don’t do this, somebody else will,” Soderbergh said. “I felt, somebody is going to look at her and go, ‘She should be in a movie!’ And I felt like, ‘Why shouldn’t I be the person saying that?’...I’d been wanting to make a spy action film for a while, but hadn’t really determined what I was going to bring to it that would distinguish it from the traditional approach. Then I thought, ‘Why don’t I just build it around her?’ She can actually break people in half. I was interested in doing something ultra-realistic.”

Soderbergh added that Carano will play an “outsourced” government employee hired to take on dirty-laundry espionage work. His comment about her being capable off-screen is interesting, but do moviegoers really care whether an actor can really fight? Is “Rocky” a better movie with Gerry Clooney in the title role?

What’s the upside to getting gutted by a Brazilian she-demon with more muscle definition than a Marvel comic character? Taking some time off to roll with the punches: according to Variety, women’s MMA center Gina Carano will be assuming the lead role in director Steven Soderbergh’s “Knockout,” an action-thriller described as being “in the James Bond mold.” Carano will portray a troubled misfit granted a second chance.

Can Carano act? It may not matter. Soderbergh, who has chaired big, noisy Hollywood movies like the “Ocean’s 11” series, is fond of taking on experimental projects that buck convention. “Bubble” cast non-actors as assembly-line workers; “The Girlfriend Experience” featured adult film star Sasha Grey. This is Soderbergh’s idea of staving off creative boredom.

Good for Carano, not so great for her fans: on the heels of Quinton Jackson allegedly cast in an “A-Team” remake (drowning a December match with Rashad Evans) and Cung Le polishing his Strikeforce belt between takes, popular fighters are facing increasing distractions from ancillary opportunities. All told, it will ultimately mean fewer fights we want to see.

The thing about this exodus to Hollywood: while the majority of athletes simply cannot act --most can’t even handle a deodorant commercial without looking stilted -- these are people without pensions and financial mattresses outside of fighting. If Carano’s middle age is supported by something other than starting a gaudy clothing company or getting clocked in the head years beyond reason, fan disgruntlement is just white noise. Take what you can get, when you can get it.

Scott Coker must be cursing all of Hollywood over his morning coffee.

Variety.com is reporting that Gina Carano will star in Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh’s next project “Knockout,” which begins filming in February. A press release distributed Monday by Relativity Media (“Atonement,” “Step Brothers”), which will helm the project, said Carano “is in talks to join the cast” of the “female spy story in the vein of ‘The Bourne Identity.’”

Director Soderbergh hasn’t shied away from using unproven talent before, and guided Julia Roberts to her Academy Award-winning performance in “Erin Brockovich.”

The value of being a poster girl: Gina Carano, who suffered her first professional loss Saturday at the piston-pumping hands of Cristiane Santos, earned $125,000 for the effort according to numbers released by the California State Athletic Commission. Santos earned only a fraction of that, having to settle for only $25,000 and Carano’s still-beating heart.

Officially, the second-highest take-home salary on the card was Renato "Babalu" Sobral, who banked $75,000 for his efforts. Unofficially, the undisclosed salary of Gegard Mousasi was probably good for six figures, or something close to it.

Mousasi wasn’t good for a lot of mass media attention -- though that could change if he keeps beating people to the extent a coroner rushes into the ring instead of an EMT -- but Carano might be one of the best buys in the sport. For that weekend, at least.