By Joey Alarilla
INQUIRER.net

ONE of my guilty pleasures is watching the new “American Gladiators” — heck, I used to love the original show, too. And I’ve got to admit that one of the main reasons I love the show is seeing the gladiator Crush in action.

In case you didn’t know, the beautiful Crush is a badass not just in the gladiator arena but in real life as well. She’s mixed martial arts fighter Gina “Conviction” Carano, a Muay Thai specialist who remains undefeated. Together with Julie Kedzie, Gina made history on February 10, 2007 in the first women’s MMA match to be televised on a premium TV network, Showtime. I saw that bout but so far I can’t find a copy posted online; it was a great fight and you should try to watch it if you can.

MMA fans know they’re in for a treat whenever Gina steps inside the EliteXC cage. Gorgeous and deadly. How gorgeous? Check out her gallery on Maxim.

Here’s a “Meet Gina Carano” video.

Here’s a highlight video.

And here are clips from “American Gladiators.”