MARKHAM, Ontario, Canada -- Known to many as the "face of female mixed martial arts," Gina "Conviction" Carano has parlayed great ability in the cage and a glamorous look out of it to burst onto the MMA scene and in many ways transcended the sport.

Now, the unbeaten star has announced she will be working with Round 5, the leader in collectible MMA figurines, to produce a figure that reflects her stardom. Carano joins an All-Star lineup of 13 MMA standouts who currently work with Round 5.

Carano, 26, gained notice for her success in the cage and has earned additional attention with appearances as "Crush" on the NBC television series "American Gladiators" and by serving as a mentor/coach on the Oxygen network series "Fight Girls." She is also in many ways a pioneer in women's MMA, competing in the first-ever sanctioned bout in Nevada in September 2006 and in the first female bout (boxing or MMA) on the Showtime Network in February 2007. She currently owns a 7-0 record in MMA competition.

"Gina Carano has emerged as a star, not just in MMA but in the mainstream," said Damon Lau, Round 5 President. "As the first female in the Round 5 line, we expect her figurine to be popular among the sport's enthusiasts as well as those who have seen her on TV or in magazines."

"I'm incredibly blessed to be a part of so many wonderful opportunities and to now be included in Round 5's line up of gifted fighters is another exciting privilege," said Carano. "When I was a little girl my dad always joked about making a ‘Gina doll’ and I smile when I think it has become a reality. It is both humbling and invigorating to consider this is just the beginning with so many other gifted women whose figurines are yet to be made."

The Carano figurine is tentatively scheduled to be released as part of Series 4, which is planned for a summer 2009 release. As in the earlier Series, Carano will maintain creative control of her likeness, including the pose, facial design and shorts. She will have a major hand in creating the final design and will benefit from a royalty agreement that gives her a considerable portion of the proceeds from the sale of her unit.

Round 5 has announced partnerships with 13 mixed martial arts stars to date, with eight figurines already available: Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Quinton ‘Rampage' Jackson and Tito Ortiz (Series 1); and Rich Franklin, Sean Sherk, Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva (Series 2). Series 3 figurines are scheduled to be available in April, featuring Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski, "Big John" McCarthy, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira. International superstar Fedor Emelianenko has also signed on and will be in a future Series in 2009.

Round 5 collectible figures may be purchased at leading retailers such as Toys ‘R’ Us (Canada), Champs Sports and FYE. Other retailers can be found at www.Round5MMA.com/wheretobuy.php.

In addition to Carano, Round 5 plans to release collectibles of three more series of athletes in 2009, one during each quarter. Other athletes to be represented in those series are yet to be announced.

About Round 5
Round 5 (www.Round5MMA.com), headquartered in Markham, Ontario, Canada, is the MMA industry’s fastest growing worldwide collectible figure company. Committed to developing intricately detailed figures, Round 5 strives to remain true to the sport of MMA and its personalities.