With increased participation, incredible pay increases, and a general growth in popularity, no sport is promoting the role of women more than mixed martial arts.
While some sports have long been inseparable from their female athletes – most notably tennis – the field is rapidly expanding.
Football, which since at least 1988 has had good international attention with the FIFA Women’s World Cup, is being joined by cricket, AFL, NRL and many other sports in embracing female participation.
However, no traditionally male-dominated sport is doing more for the future of women in their institutions than MMA.
When it comes to male-dominated sports, few are more ingrained with their masculine fan-base than combat sports. But, despite this, in the little over four years since Ronda Rousey was signed by the UFC, women have risen from almost complete obscurity to being some of the highest paid of all female athletes.
In fact, for the last three years, Rousey has been one of only four non-tennis players to feature in the top-ten earners.
Women now feature in almost all key events held by the UFC and Bellator. But, of course, the history of women in combat sports does not start in 2013.
Boxing has had strong female participation since the 1970s, really coming into its own in the ’90s. MMA, too, had women’s events in the ’90s, but it was not until the 2000s, with promotions such as the all-female Smackgirl and popular female bouts in Strikeforce, that they became a real draw.
AAP Image/Joe Castro
A key milestone was Strikeforce scheduling a bout between the first real female MMA star, Gina Corano, and Brazilian fighter Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino in 2009. This fight drew in more than 850,000 views, the second most in the history of the now-defunct promotion, as Cyborg knocked out Corano in the first round.
Women’s MMA really took off in 2012, as the popular all-female franchise Invicta Fighting Championship (or simply Invicta) held its first event. Also in this year, a young Rousey beat Meisha Tate for Strickfore’s bantamweight title – and started a tidal wave.
In November of 2012, UFC president Dana White met and signed Rousey. Until that meeting, White had refused point blank to include female fighters in the UFC, the most prestigious MMA competition in the world.
In February 2013, Rousey met Liz Carmouche for the bantamweight title, seeing one of the biggest ever crowd-draws for the UFC.
Rousey’s rise was huge for women’s MMA. At the end of 2013, 11 more female stars were signed full time to the UFC, a number that has only increased.
Since Ronda’s debut at UFC157, 41 of the 58 numbered cards (71%) have included at least one female fight, including eight headliners. Since UFC 190, that number goes to 84 per cent, with only four of the last 25 cards having no women’s bouts.
People may have thought that women in MMA would die with the downfall of Rousey, the supposed unicorn of women’s combat sport. However, since her knockout at the hands of Holly Holmes, and her 48-second outing against Amanda Nunes, women in MMA have flourished.
Nunes, the current UFC bantamweight champion, has an amazing story, and is the first openly gay champion in UFC history.
The latest event, UFC 214, included the anticipated UFC debut of former Strikeforce and Invicta champion Cris Cyborg, who won the newly minted featherweight championship. With Cyborg now tipped for an all-star fight against Holmes, and Nunes about to defend her title against Russian Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 215, women’s MMA looks stronger than ever.
The most remarkable thing about the increased prominence of women in MMA is that it comes through nothing more than a genuine desire on the part of the fans to see women’s bouts. They have seen the skills these women bring to the mat, and have overwhelmingly shown their support and approval.
The result is clear: women’s MMA is here to stay.
More than this, we now find ourselves in the odd position where perhaps the most traditionally male-orientated sport of them all, cage fighting, is leading the charge for women in sports. It is fantastic to see.
BigJ
Roar Guru
I really cant see why not women can be jockeys just like the men without too many dramas. Half the ones i work with would the 5"0 50kg soaking carrying a brick status no worries. Also car racing is another sport where women complete agsinst the men. When the v8 Supercars were on up in darwin there was a french lady driver, cant remember her name but she attracted quite a bit of attention for the sport and as a bonus she was quite a looker
BigJ
Roar Guru
I really cant see why not women can be jockeys just like the men without too many dramas. Half the ones i work with would the 5"0 50kg soaking carrying a brick status no worries. Also car racing is another sport where women complete agsinst the men. When the v8 Supercars were on up in darwin there was a french lady driver, cant remember her name but she attracted quite a bit of attention for the sport and as a bonus she was quite a looker
Jamie Mills
Roar Rookie
Excellent to hear regarding your daughters BigJ. We can certainly agree that Rousey is one of a kind and we will likely not see another female MMA star like her for quite some time.
Jamie Mills
Roar Rookie
Good point there BigJ, and that's another sport where women compete directly against men, instead of in their own division, which makes it a huge acheivement. Perhaps Michelle Payne will have inspired a generation of young women to take up horse racing.
Jamie Mills
Roar Rookie
Haha, she really does, you're spot on. I must say, motorsport is a tough sport to crack as well, with all competitors, regardless of gender competing directly against each other unlike a lot of other sports. Patrick's certainly done herself proud in IndyCar as well as NASCAR and no doubt inspired a lot of young girls to get into motor racing, as with Rousey and MMA.
BigJ
Roar Guru
Thanks for your reply mate, i m all for women defening themselves my two older girls are already doing self defence classes. While i want my girls to be athletes as the eldest girl is a powerhouse as a shot put champ the second girl is a runner there are three things i dont want them to do, be a prize fighter, be a lingerie footballer or be a solider. Rousey is a lady and a bad arse and she pulls it off nicely. But she is one of a kind and it well be a long time before another Rousey comes along. Rousey wins were mostly by submission and as soon as she came up agsinst a striker she got ko twice. As i said before she was a great fighter until she got punched in the face. Trust me mate if you had daughters you would want them to be ladies and treated as such.
BigJ
Roar Guru
What was the name of the first lady to win the Melbourne Cup?? Oh hang on Michelle Paine. She has done very well in that sport and i cant figure out for the life of me why more women are not in horse racing ???
Jamie Mills
Roar Rookie
BigJ, I enjoy reading your views. While Ronda Rousey's beauty may have played a very small part in the emergence of women's MMA, I disagree that it had as much bearing as you say it did. Heading into the fight with Holly Holm at UFC 193, Rousey boasted a record of 12-0 with all 12 wins coming inside the distance and all bar one of those being stopped in the first round. People watched Rousey because she was an exciting fighter, and an extremely skillful and talented athlete. I continue to watch the likes of Holm and Amanda Nunes, among others, because of their abilities, not because of how they look. There is fights and fighters in both women's and men's MMA that are bigger drawcards than others, and I think Rousey was just one of those fighters for women's MMA who was exciting, as Conor McGregor is for men's MMA. I don't have daughters, but my line of thinking is that I would be extremely proud if they wanted to make a career out of MMA or any professional sport. I would feel better knowing that, firstly, they could defend themselves and secondly, they weren't being held back by society's views on what women can and can't do or should and shouldn't do to be 'ladylike'. To me, Ronda Rousey is a lady, and she's also badarse.
Sideline Commentator
Roar Guru
Thanks Jamie, appreciate it. I suppose I should give an honourable mention to Danica Patrick as the only female racer in IndyCar, but she really does seem like a unicorn.
Sideline Commentator
Roar Guru
I respect your views mate, it's not for everyone. But in my opinion women's fighting is good to watch, not for the brutality of it but for the skills they have. Many female fighters have slightly different skills to men (besides arguably Cyborg), maybe because they're not as strong, so it makes the fight interesting to see the different ways they go about combat. Ronda Rousey is without a doubt the biggest female MMA star ever, and in fact is probably a top 3 draw card (along with McGregor and Brock Lesnar) regardless of sex. There is certainly a little bit of a void without her, but women's UFC will rebound. Cyborg is a star, as is Holly Homes; their fight will be very big. I'm glad you mentioned Rousey's looks too. Despite what people might want, it IS a factor in her fame. Have a quick google of Gina Carano too, the first female MMA "star". It's not a coincidence. However, I will say that the UFC is moving away from female stars needing to be lookers (although fighters are always going to be fit). But the simple fact is that better looking fighters are usually more marketable, with men too. Just a heads up for any readers, there's a knew MMA fighter coming up through Bellator called Heather Hardy. She's a pro-boxer with a 20-0 record, and just won her first MMA fight. A very entertaining fighter, with an engaging back story. If she keeps winning, she'll be a star.
Jamie Mills
Roar Rookie
Nice article Edward. It is quite ironic that, as you said, the most traditionally male-oriented sport of them all is leading the way for women in sports. It is even better to see, as you also said, that it is successful because of the genuine desire of fans to see these women's bouts. Great job mate.
BigJ
Roar Guru
Its very simple why the UFC's women division is so successful at the moment, Rousey. Not just a good fighter,(well until she got punched in the face). but a pretty face. If Rousey was not as beautiful as she is the womens the division would not be as big as it is, (that may sound sexist but that is the reality of it people, deal with it!!!!!). Besides this did Holmes' next fight after she defeated Rousey or any womens fight not including Rousey drawn as much attention???? I think not. Now Im all for women's sport i think its great, and most of the women's sport is better to watch then the men's, surfing, tennis, AFL, rugby and of course the best one of all beach volley ball. But two ladies kicking the crap out of each for the pleasure of a blood thirsty mob is not he way to go. I have four daugthers and i would want any of them fighting for a living, its just not ladylike.