Meet Gina Carano, professional mixed martial arts (MMA) exponent turned lead action heroine of spy thriller Haywire.

The film, directed by Steven Soderbergh and featuring several brutal no-holds-barred brawls, sees Carano in the thick of it all.

The 29-year-old muay thai specialist plays top-notch covert ops agent Mallory Kane, who works for a government security contractor.

Carano's big-screen debut is a star-studded affair.

Aside from actors Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender, the movie also features veteran actors Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas.

If there were any first-time jitters, the showbiz rookie showed none of that during the film's press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

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