There have always been women in mixed martial arts, but for many years, most MMA organizations did not sanction fights between female athletes. It took Dana White and the UFC 20 years to sanction a women's MMA bout, and if you do a search for women in MMA, you'll see the focus is still mainly on how the fighters look rather than on their skills and ability. Recently, female MMA fighters have made some important strides and have proven that they are as fierce as the men.
Clearly, the two recent women's bouts in the UFC have been key moments in the history of women's mixed martial arts. The first bout at UFC 157 was the main event of the night, a bout between Liz Carmouche and Ronda Rousey. At UFC 168, the women were still on the main card, although Rousey and opponent Meisha Tate were set as the fight prior to the big event of the night, the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. Of course, there probably aren't any fighters in mixed martial arts today who wouldn't have come in second to that bout.
Invicta Fighting Championships was created in 2012, and this also is a significant moment in women's MMA. Invicta FC features only female fighters in several different divisions. Most major MMA organizations only offer one or two divisions, so Invicta FC is opening up the doors to a wider variety of women fighters. Sadly, UFC grabbed a bunch of talented fighters from Invicta when it opened up a strawweight division, but hopefully Invicta FC will stand the test of time.
There are few people on this earth who dislike each other more than Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate. This is no doubt why Dana White decided to choose them as the coaches for season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. Whatever the reason and whatever drama exists between these two fighters, this was a milestone because it was the first time that women were chosen as the coaches of this show.
Women's fighting, in general, has progressed by leaps and bounds in the last few years, and not just with mixed martial arts but within specific categories of martial arts, such as Muay Thai. For instance, Lion Fight, one of the top Muay Thai organizations in the country, recently announced that Tiffany Van Soest and Caley Reece will be the headliners for their February, 2014, event in Las Vegas. Van Soest is considered not only to be one of the country's best female Muay Thai fighters, but also one of the best Muay Thai fighters in general.
Of course, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become enormously popular with women both as a skill needed for MMA and also by itself. One notable female Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star is Leticia Ribeiro, who not only has won a dozen or more championships, she has earned a World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu championship for four years now in her division, which is light featherweight.
Clearly, the two recent women's bouts in the UFC have been key moments in the history of women's mixed martial arts. The first bout at UFC 157 was the main event of the night, a bout between Liz Carmouche and Ronda Rousey. At UFC 168, the women were still on the main card, although Rousey and opponent Meisha Tate were set as the fight prior to the big event of the night, the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. Of course, there probably aren't any fighters in mixed martial arts today who wouldn't have come in second to that bout.
Invicta Fighting Championships was created in 2012, and this also is a significant moment in women's MMA. Invicta FC features only female fighters in several different divisions. Most major MMA organizations only offer one or two divisions, so Invicta FC is opening up the doors to a wider variety of women fighters. Sadly, UFC grabbed a bunch of talented fighters from Invicta when it opened up a strawweight division, but hopefully Invicta FC will stand the test of time.
There are few people on this earth who dislike each other more than Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate. This is no doubt why Dana White decided to choose them as the coaches for season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. Whatever the reason and whatever drama exists between these two fighters, this was a milestone because it was the first time that women were chosen as the coaches of this show.
Women's fighting, in general, has progressed by leaps and bounds in the last few years, and not just with mixed martial arts but within specific categories of martial arts, such as Muay Thai. For instance, Lion Fight, one of the top Muay Thai organizations in the country, recently announced that Tiffany Van Soest and Caley Reece will be the headliners for their February, 2014, event in Las Vegas. Van Soest is considered not only to be one of the country's best female Muay Thai fighters, but also one of the best Muay Thai fighters in general.
Of course, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has become enormously popular with women both as a skill needed for MMA and also by itself. One notable female Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu star is Leticia Ribeiro, who not only has won a dozen or more championships, she has earned a World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu championship for four years now in her division, which is light featherweight.
About the Author:
Rod Bourgoine likes blogging about mixed martial arts advantages. For more information regarding martial arts San Diego or to find San Diego boxing classes, check out The Arena MMA site now.
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