Mixed martial arts, in fact, most martial arts in general, have always been dominated by men. While there are MMA fans who believe this is the way it should always be, there are many tough women competing in professional bouts who attack the sport with the same ferocity as the men. Beginning with the Carano-Maxwell fight in 2006, women have made their presence known and are not going to leave MMA anytime soon.
Strikeforce has been most groundbreaking organization in terms of promoting women's MMA fights. While some suggest that these bouts don't pack the punch of the men's fights, more than 850,000 viewers watched the Strikeforce bout between Gina Carano and Cristiane Santos in 2009.
Gina Carano is arguably one of the sport's top fighters and boasts a 7-1 record with her only loss being during the Santos fight in 2009. She also fought professionally as a kickboxer, earning a 12-1-1 record. Carano is known as "the face of women's MMA," although she has not entered the arena since her loss against Santos.
Santos earned the title of Strikeforce Women's Featherweight champion after defeating Gina Carano. Santos is definitely one of the key figures of women's MMA, boasting an impressive 10-1-1 record in professional bouts. Her last fight, a TKO against Hiroko Yamananka in 2011, was overturned after Santos tested positive for steroids and suspended. She appealed this suspension on the basis that she did not knowingly take any illegal substance, but was shut down by the California Athletic Commission. She will, however, be eligible to fight in late 2012, so she is sure to become a force in MMA again.
While Ronda Rousey might not have the strong record of other top MMA women, she is definitely one of the sport's most entertaining competitors, both in and out of the arena. In addition to an undefeated record of five wins, she is the currently women's bantamweight champ after defeating Miesha Tate. She is also a two-time Olympian, competing in Judo and both the 2004 and 2008 games.
While Miesha Tate lost her bantamweight title to Rousey, she still holds the Freestyle Cage Fighting bantamweight title and has an overall 13-3 record in her MMA career. She also won five of her six fights as an amateur. A Washington native, she competed on the boys wrestling team in high school and also won the Washington women's state wrestling championship.
Tara LaRosa is another notable MMA fighter, considered the best ever by many fans with 21 wins and two lost bouts. While she is clearly a strong competitor, she has not yet competed in Strikeforce due to her lighter weight. However, she has defeated some of the sport's toughest opponents, including Megumi Yabushita, Takayo Hashi and Shayna Baszler.
Strikeforce has been most groundbreaking organization in terms of promoting women's MMA fights. While some suggest that these bouts don't pack the punch of the men's fights, more than 850,000 viewers watched the Strikeforce bout between Gina Carano and Cristiane Santos in 2009.
Gina Carano is arguably one of the sport's top fighters and boasts a 7-1 record with her only loss being during the Santos fight in 2009. She also fought professionally as a kickboxer, earning a 12-1-1 record. Carano is known as "the face of women's MMA," although she has not entered the arena since her loss against Santos.
Santos earned the title of Strikeforce Women's Featherweight champion after defeating Gina Carano. Santos is definitely one of the key figures of women's MMA, boasting an impressive 10-1-1 record in professional bouts. Her last fight, a TKO against Hiroko Yamananka in 2011, was overturned after Santos tested positive for steroids and suspended. She appealed this suspension on the basis that she did not knowingly take any illegal substance, but was shut down by the California Athletic Commission. She will, however, be eligible to fight in late 2012, so she is sure to become a force in MMA again.
While Ronda Rousey might not have the strong record of other top MMA women, she is definitely one of the sport's most entertaining competitors, both in and out of the arena. In addition to an undefeated record of five wins, she is the currently women's bantamweight champ after defeating Miesha Tate. She is also a two-time Olympian, competing in Judo and both the 2004 and 2008 games.
While Miesha Tate lost her bantamweight title to Rousey, she still holds the Freestyle Cage Fighting bantamweight title and has an overall 13-3 record in her MMA career. She also won five of her six fights as an amateur. A Washington native, she competed on the boys wrestling team in high school and also won the Washington women's state wrestling championship.
Tara LaRosa is another notable MMA fighter, considered the best ever by many fans with 21 wins and two lost bouts. While she is clearly a strong competitor, she has not yet competed in Strikeforce due to her lighter weight. However, she has defeated some of the sport's toughest opponents, including Megumi Yabushita, Takayo Hashi and Shayna Baszler.
About the Author:
Nolan Barias loves blogging about mixed martial arts benefits. For further information about a boxing gym San Diego or to find San Diego mixed martial arts lessons, click here to visit The Arena MMA website now.
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