Gina Carano: Photos of MMA Fighter, Star of Steven Soderbergh's 'Haywire'

Gina Carano, mixed martial arts fighter turned movie star, will take center stage in Steven Soderbergh's new movie Haywire.

The film, which is set to hit the box office on January 20, 2012, is about a black ops super soldier who seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission. Carano is the perfect woman for the role. She will star opposite A-list actors Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas and Ewan McGregor.

But this is no boys club. Carano is ready to show them what she's got.

The Texas native recently gave an interview to GQ magazine about how a champion MMA fight who can take on Hollywood. On-screen, I'm just giddy, she told the magazine. My whole face is shaking.

At 29-years-old, Carano has excelled in her genre of Muay Thai. But she is not just a star in the ring. She was ranked No. 5 on the Top Ten Influential Women of 2008 list on Yahoo! that year. In May 2009, it was announced that Carano was ranked #16 in Maxim's Hot 100 list.

Her win in 2006 inspired Soderbergh to give her a call. He was searching for the girl who looked like she really could beat them up.

Michael put my head through the wall, and my adrenaline kicked in. I grabbed a vase and slammed it right in his face, she told GQ. He just said, 'It's cool. I saw a twitch in her eye and knew it was coming.'

Take a look at photos of the kick-butt Gina Carano.