While men have certainly been dominate in mixed martial arts, women have taken an interest in the sport since the very beginning. It has taken many years for women's fighting to become truly acceptable, and it wasn't even until 2013 that the UFC finally realized that women's MMA could be interesting and profitable. During these last few years, women have emerged as true players in mixed martial arts and not just eye candy holding up round signs.
The recent UFC bouts between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche, and Rousey and Meisha Tate certainly have been high priority fights and not just for women's MMA. The first fight between Rousey and Carmouche was the main event of UFC 157. Rousey's second UFC appearance was also on the main card, but the main event, of course, was the bout between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. Pretty much any fighter, male or female, would have been a secondary fight to Silva-Weidman.
The creation of Invicta Fighting Championships in 2012 is definitely a mark showing that there is enough interest in women's MMA to warrant the creation of an organization solely for female fighters. Whether or not Invicta has staying power remains to be seen, but it generated enough interest for Dana White to open up a strawweight division and sign nearly a dozen of Invicta's best strawweights to UFC contracts.
Pairing up enemies Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate for The Ultimate Fighter was another big step in women's MMA. Obviously the tension between these two fighters made for interesting TV, but it's noteworthy because it is the first time that women were chosen as coaches for this popular TV program. People have strong emotions regarding Ronda Rousey, but there is no doubt that she has pushed women's MMA into the limelight.
It's not just in mixed martial arts where the women are gaining steam. Other specific martial arts have seen a boom in the number of women heading to martial arts gyms and competing. Muay Thai, for example, has become quite popular for women, and the fights are drawing a lot of interest. One of the country's top organizations for Muay Thai, Lion Fight, set a bout between Tiffany Van Soest and opponent Caley Reece as the headliners for an event early in 2014. Van Soest is considered to be on the nation's best Muay Thai kickboxers, regardless of gender.
Not surprisingly, there are many women enjoying success in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well. This is fundamental part of mixed martial arts, and BJJ and Judo are two martial arts where many MMA fighters first learn their skills. There are many notable female BJJ fighters, such as Leticia Ribeiro who is currently a five-time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion and has more than a dozen championships in general. Young girls and teens watching women such as Ribeiro, Rousey, Tate and Van Soest can envision a future for themselves either in martial arts or mixed martial arts.
The recent UFC bouts between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche, and Rousey and Meisha Tate certainly have been high priority fights and not just for women's MMA. The first fight between Rousey and Carmouche was the main event of UFC 157. Rousey's second UFC appearance was also on the main card, but the main event, of course, was the bout between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. Pretty much any fighter, male or female, would have been a secondary fight to Silva-Weidman.
The creation of Invicta Fighting Championships in 2012 is definitely a mark showing that there is enough interest in women's MMA to warrant the creation of an organization solely for female fighters. Whether or not Invicta has staying power remains to be seen, but it generated enough interest for Dana White to open up a strawweight division and sign nearly a dozen of Invicta's best strawweights to UFC contracts.
Pairing up enemies Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate for The Ultimate Fighter was another big step in women's MMA. Obviously the tension between these two fighters made for interesting TV, but it's noteworthy because it is the first time that women were chosen as coaches for this popular TV program. People have strong emotions regarding Ronda Rousey, but there is no doubt that she has pushed women's MMA into the limelight.
It's not just in mixed martial arts where the women are gaining steam. Other specific martial arts have seen a boom in the number of women heading to martial arts gyms and competing. Muay Thai, for example, has become quite popular for women, and the fights are drawing a lot of interest. One of the country's top organizations for Muay Thai, Lion Fight, set a bout between Tiffany Van Soest and opponent Caley Reece as the headliners for an event early in 2014. Van Soest is considered to be on the nation's best Muay Thai kickboxers, regardless of gender.
Not surprisingly, there are many women enjoying success in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well. This is fundamental part of mixed martial arts, and BJJ and Judo are two martial arts where many MMA fighters first learn their skills. There are many notable female BJJ fighters, such as Leticia Ribeiro who is currently a five-time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion and has more than a dozen championships in general. Young girls and teens watching women such as Ribeiro, Rousey, Tate and Van Soest can envision a future for themselves either in martial arts or mixed martial arts.
About the Author:
Rod Bourgoine enjoys writing about mixed martial arts benefits. For more information regarding martial arts San Diego or to find San Diego boxing classes, go to The Arena MMA website now.
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