R. Rousey, A. Nunes and C. Cyborg are three of the greatest female representatives in history. Photo: SUPER FIGHTS montage
International Women's Day is celebrated this Tuesday, March 8th. And the team at SUPER FIGHTS I couldn't help but pay tribute to the fighters, who help keep MMA competitive. With this, check out stories of overcoming and important brands built by women in sport.
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Like most combat sports, mixed martial arts were, historically, related to men and there was some resistance in female competitions in the past. However, several indices suggest that women's involvement in MMA is growing. The sport has evolved and, nowadays, they also stand out in the main events of the biggest promotions in the world.
First female MMA fight
S. Goundarenko was the first fighter to win an MMA tournament in the world. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook
Russian Olympic judoka Svetlana Goundarenko is considered the first female MMA fighter. In the franchise Ladies Legend Pro Wrestling (LLPW), she participated in – and won – the first major mixed martial arts event, held in July 1998, taking advantage of her large size advantage.
The event, at the time, mixed fighters from different disciplines to build the card. And that's why the Russian came to beat athletes from muay thai, karate and, like her, judo.
Women's MMA at major events
G. Carano was the first woman in history to win a Strikeforce fight. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @mmahistorytoday
The story began to be built, in fact, on December 8, 2006. On that occasion, the now-defunct MMA event, Strikeforce, promoted its first female MMA fight on the fourth card of its existence. And, at that time, former fighter and precursor Gina Carano defeated Elaina Maxwell by unanimous decision.
With a foundation in kickboxing, Carano successfully transitioned to MMA and was one of the main names that helped build female participation in major sports. She helped female fighters gain credibility while fighting for Strikeforce and EliteXC. Furthermore, thinking about 'broadening the horizons' of martial arts, Gina decided to venture into cinema, having success in the infamous Hollywood productions.
Women's fight promotion
Shannon Knapp (right) next to C. Cyborg (left). Photo: Disclosure/Invicta FC
In 2012, a revolution marked the world of fights, in the hands of Shannon Knapp, a businesswoman who had participated in Strikeforce. A revolutionary, she helped create the women's promotion 'Invicta FC', with the aim of providing a home for the sport's elite fighters.
'Invicta FC' is seen, to this day, as one of the great breeding grounds for training new athletes for competitions. Four of today’s top female fighters – Amanda nunes, Chris Cyborg, Rose namajunas e Kayla harrison -, who are champions of the most diverse organizations, have already made presentations at the event.
Overcoming prejudice
Dana (left) has already publicly praised the importance of Ronda (right). Photo: Disclosure/ UFC
Their path to notoriety as great athletes often ended up 'sidelined' by prejudices related to visual images and sexual objectification. Gender equality, especially in combat sports, has always been a distant reality.
Not surprisingly, in January 2011, UFC president Dana White declared that women would never fight in the UFC. And, despite having purchased Strikeforce, which already promoted women's MMA, the manager was keen to keep it up to date with Ultimate competitions.
But everything changed with the 'phenomenon' Ronda Rousey. A former Olympic medalist, the American caught attention in Strikeforce due to her playing style and ease in controlling and submitting her opponents. She therefore attracted the attention of Dana, who admitted, in November 2012, to hiring her.
Ronda made history by becoming the organization's first bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg) and, on February 23, 2013, she beat Liz Carmouche in the first female MMA fight in the history of the largest martial arts organization in the world. In her career, she had a record of 12 positive results and two negative results, in addition to defending her title six times. Today, she occupies a place in the 'Hall of Fame', among the greatest names in the sport of all time.
important brands
With the increasingly active participation of women, Ultimate began to frequently promote female fights on the main cards of the event. And this even contributed to the creation of new categories – straw (up to 52,1kg), flies (up to 56,7kg) and feathers (up to 65,7kg), which had Carla esparza, Nicco Montano and Chris Cyborg, respectively, as the first linear champions.
Despite still representing a smaller number of athletes, women also compete equally in some records in Ultimate. To give you an idea, UFC 190 – which marked the organization's first female main event in Brazil – won around 900 pay per view packages, entering the top 10 of all time at that moment.
In reports provided by the UFC, it is possible to observe an increase in the number of women's fights promoted by the organization. To give you an idea, there were only 16 in the first year of MMA, whereas, in 2020 – despite the pandemic year that made it difficult to hold events, there were 81 fights.
Brazilians on top
Currently, Brazil has three Brazilian women at the top of the world. First Tupiniquim representative, Amanda nunes not only is she the UFC featherweight champion (up to 65,7kg), but she also frequently leads discussions on 'GOAT' – term used to define the best fighter in history – for having 12 victories, in addition to having already defended the bantamweight belt (up to 61,2kg.) on seven occasions.
Holder of the featherweight belt (up to 65,7kg) at Bellator, Chris Cyborg is an example of pioneering and longevity in the sport. A professional since 2005, the Brazilian was the inaugural champion of three of the world's main organizations – UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC – and still spent 13 years without knowing what it was like to lose, a mark that represents the longest streak in women's MMA.
Representative of Paraná Vale Tudo (PRVT), Jéssica Delboni made history at Invicta FC, in January 2022, by becoming champion of the atom division (up to 48kg.) of Invicta FC. She dominated and beat Alesha Zappitella in a unanimous decision by the judges and is also recognized as one of the greatest realities in martial arts today.
Furthermore, in the UFC, there is the opportunity for 'complete dominance' in the divisions, as the Santa Catarina Taila Santos measures forces against Valentina Shevchenko by the fly belt (up to 56,7kg.), in the UFC 275 on June 11th. In the same way, Marina Rodriguez lives a streak of four consecutive victories and awaits the winner of Rose namajunas e Carla esparza for the chance to hold the strawweight title (up to 52,1kg.).
Congratulations, women!
The path is not easy towards the desire to get where you want, but what is missing now is opportunity. And that, increasingly, there is respect so that, consequently, female fighters also have equal pay and opportunities. And, yes, it is possible. Congratulations, women!
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