women's mixed martial arts

In Japan, female competition has been documented since the mid-1990s. Influenced by female professional wrestling and kickboxing, the Smackgirl competition was formed in 2001 and became the only major all-female promotion in mixed martial arts.{{cite news|title= BREAKING BARRIERS|publisher= Sherdog|url= http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/1/Breaking-Barriers-59799|access-date=2014-10-14}} Other early successful Japanese female organizations included Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling, ReMix (a predecessor to Smackgirl), U-Top Tournament, K-Grace, and AX.{{cite book|last1=Green|first1=Thomas A.|last2=Svinth|first2=Joseph R.|title=Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation [2 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-Nv_LUi6KgC&pg=PA490|date=11 June 2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-244-9|page=490}}{{cite magazine|title=Are women fighters the future of MMA?|magazine=Sports Illustrated|url=http://fansided.com/2014/07/17/future-womens-mixed-martial-arts/|access-date=2014-10-08}}

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Ronda Rousey was a female fighter who sparked the popularity of women fighters. When she signed with the UFC in 2012, female fighting was not very popular and was not considered a sport for women. Ronda Rousey was able to open many people's eyes and prove Dana White, the president of the UFC very wrong. Ronda Rousey was the face of UFC and the highest-paid fighter for a very long time. In addition to being an Olympic medalist, Rousey also won back-to-back Pan American Championship gold medals. It was surprising to many people how charismatic and talented Rousey actually was. Every day, female MMA fighters are becoming more popular and getting more viewers{{Cite web |date=2021-07-08 |title=The rise of women in MMA: A decade of progress |url=https://mmasucka.com/2021/07/08/women-in-mma/ |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=MMA Sucka |language=en}}

In the United States, prior to the success of The Ultimate Fighter reality show that launched mixed martial arts into the mainstream media, there was little major coverage of female competitions.{{cite news|title= Why Season 20 of 'The Ultimate Fighter' might be can't-miss TV|publisher= Yahoo|url= https://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-season-20-of--the-ultimate-fighter--might-be-can-t-miss-tv-193924636.html|access-date=2014-09-10}} Some early organizations who invited women to compete included, International Fighting Championships, SuperBrawl, King of the Cage, Rage in the Cage, Ring of Combat, Bas Rutten Invitational, and HOOKnSHOOT.{{cite news|title= Julie Kedzie, Silvio Berlusconi, and the Early Days of Women's MMA |work= Vice|url= http://fightland.vice.com/blog/julie-kedzie-silvio-berlusconi-and-the-early-days-of-womens-mma|access-date=2014-01-12}} The first recorded US female competition was at an IFC 4 between Becky Levi and Betty Fagan on March 28, 1997.{{Cite web |last=Sherdog.com |title=IFC 4 - Akwesasane |url=https://www.sherdog.com/events/IFC-4-Akwesasane-783 |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=Sherdog |language=en}} This was soon followed by an IFC four women tournament sanctioned by the Louisiana Boxing and Wrestling Commission on September 5, 1997 in Baton Rouge.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sherdog.com/events/IFC-5-Battle-in-the-Bayou-548|title=IFC 5 - Battle in the Bayou|last=Sherdog.com|website=Sherdog|access-date=2016-04-14}} In 2002, HOOKnSHOOT promoted an all women's card labeled ‘Revolution’. It was headlined by Debi Purcell and Christine Van Fleet. In 2005 they held an all-women, one-night-only tournament featuring Julie Kedzie, Jan Finney, and Lisa Ellis.{{Cite web |last=Bissell |first=Tim |date=2017-10-30 |title=The Male Gaze in Women's MMA - Part 1: Genesis, Gina, and getting past Dana |url=https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/10/30/16535774/male-gaze-womens-mma-part-1-gina-carrano-ronda-rousey-miesha-tate-dana-wmma-ufc-mma-interview-news |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=Bloody Elbow |language=en}} From the mid-2000s, more coverage came when organizations such as Strikeforce, EliteXC, Bellator Fighting Championships, and Shark Fights invited women to compete.{{cite web|url=http://www.mmafighting.com/2014/8/14/6002761/bellator-signs-marloes-coenan-julia-budd-to-open-womens-145-pound|title=Bellator signs Marloes Coenen, Julia Budd to open women's 145-pound division - MMA Fighting|publisher=mmafighting.com|access-date=2014-08-25|date=2014-08-14}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mmafighting.com/2008/07/23/elitexcs-shayna-baszler-defends-womens-mma-i-dont-care-what|title=EliteXC's Shayna Baszler Defends Women's MMA: 'I Don't Care What Dana White Says' - MMA Fighting|publisher=mmafighting.com|access-date=2014-08-25|date=2008-07-23}}{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/news/women-fighters-excs-true-elites-073900327--mma.html|title=Women fighters are EXC's true elites - Yahoo Sports|date=5 October 2008 |publisher=sports.yahoo.com|access-date=2014-08-25}}

Following Zuffa's acquisition of Strikeforce in March 2011, there has been much speculation concerning the future of women's competition, in term both of relevance and popularity.{{cite web|last=Fowlkes |first=Ben |url=http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/03/15/zuffa-strikeforce-deal-could-mean-uncertain-future-for-womens-m/ |title=Zuffa-Strikeforce Deal Could Mean Uncertain Future for Women's MMA |publisher=MMA Fighting |date= 2011-03-15|access-date=2014-01-12}}{{cite web|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/237072-is-this-the-end-of-womens-mma |title=Is This the End of Women's MMA? |publisher=Bleacher Report |date=2009-08-16 |access-date=2014-01-12}}

The next step was for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to pick up women's MMA, however UFC President Dana White was resistant. He has said, "There is not enough depth to create a women's division."{{cite web|last=Ciapala |first=Derek |url=https://news.yahoo.com/women-mma-future-ufc-171800328--mma.html |title=Women's MMA and Its Future in the UFC - Yahoo News |publisher=News.yahoo.com |date=2012-06-30 |access-date=2014-02-03}} However, Dana White warmed up to the idea of including women in the UFC and solely credits Ronda Rousey as the reason women are fighting in the UFC.{{cite web|url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/dana-white-ronda-rousey-is-what-it-took-to-get-women-in-the-ufc|title=Dana White: "Ronda Rousey is What It Took to Get Women in the UFC"|publisher=mmaweekly.com|access-date=2014-01-23|date=2013-11-12}}

At the end of 2000s in Mexico, Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico (UWC), the oldest company in that country, hosted on May 30, 2009 an event called UWC: Furia Cacharilla that marked the first time there was a female combat in Mexican MMA. The protagonists were Margarita De La Cruz Ramírez and Cristina Marks, both debuting as professionals and with Ramírez taking the victory by submission.{{cite web|url=https://www.sherdog.com/events/UWC-Mexico-2-Cachanilla-Fury-10816|title=Ultimate Warrior Challenge (Mexico) - UWC MEXICO 2|publisher=Sherdog.com|date=2009-05-30|access-date=2024-05-27}}

In Europe some major organizations have held select female competitions, including It's Showtime, Shooto Europe, Cage Warriors in the United Kingdom,{{Cite web|url=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2013/07/cage-warriors-introduces-four-womens-divisions-signs-18-fighters|title=Cage Warriors introduces four women's divisions, signs 18 fighters|date=July 22, 2013}} and M-1 Global, major MMA organization in Russia.

ONE Championship is the leading MMA promotion in Asia and hosts many female professional mixed martial arts bouts.

Africa's first female professional mixed martial arts bout was held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2015. South Africa's Danella Eliasov defeated Zita Varju (Hungary) by first round submission.

The traditional MMA rules have often been adjusted for female competitions because of safety concerns. In Japan, ReMix prohibited ground-and-pound and featured a 20-second time limit for ground fighting. This rule remained following ReMix's 2001 re-branding as Smackgirl, though the time limit was extended to 30 seconds. The rule was abolished in 2008.{{cite web|url=http://frankp316.blogspot.com/2008/04/ward-tavares-marquez-arrive-in-tokyo.html |title=Frank Pozen's Big Bad Blog: Ward, Tavares, Marquez arrive in Tokyo for Smackgirl show |publisher=Frankp316.blogspot.com |date=2008-04-24 |access-date=2012-11-25}}

In the United States, women's bouts organised by EliteXC saw three-minute rounds while those of Strikeforce were originally of two minutes' duration.{{cite web|url=http://www.middleeasy.com/component/content/article/35-news/events/282-top-ten-reasons-there-should-be-5-minute-rounds-in-womens-mm|title=Rawesome Fight and MMA News|publisher=middleeasy.com|access-date=2014-08-25|date=2009-06-30}} These lengths compare to the more usual five minutes for men.{{cite web|url=http://www.mmafighting.com/2008/06/29/kim-couture-says-mma-rules-should-be-the-same-for-women-and-men|title=Kim Couture Says MMA Rules Should Be the Same for Women and Men, I Say She's Right - MMA Fighting|publisher=mmafighting.com|access-date=2014-08-25|date=2008-06-29}}{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/mma/post/_/id/899/gina-carano-cristiane-santos-to-go-five-five-minute-rounds|title=Carano-"Cyborg" to go five, five-minute rounds - MMA Blog - ESPN|publisher=ESPN|access-date=2014-08-25|date=2009-06-11}} Strikeforce later changed this rule to allow for five-minute rounds.{{cite web|url=http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2009/06/carano-and-cyborg-talk-5-minute-rounds/|title=Carano and Cyborg talk 5-minute rounds - Sports Update|publisher=blog.chron.com|access-date=2014-08-25|date=2009-06-19}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/carano-cyborg-women-get-5-minute-rounds-2|title=Carano, Cyborg, Women Get 5-Minute Rounds|publisher=mmaweekly.com|access-date=2014-08-25|date=2009-06-16}}

Another form of rule differentiation is a change in both weight limits and weight classification. This has been seen in a number of organizations including, Strikeforce, Smackgirl, and Valkyrie.{{cite web|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2163304-bellator-re-launches-the-next-era-of-the-womens-division|title=Bellator Re-Launches the Next Era of the Women's Division|last=Talavera|first=Samantha|publisher=bleacherreport.com|access-date=2014-08-25}}

While men are required to wear a groin protector, women are forbidden from doing so. Women must wear a top and chest protector, while men are allowed neither.

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First female MMA fight in United States held on March 28, 1997 by the International Fighting Championships between Becky Levi and Betty Fagan.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sherdog.com/events/IFC-4-Akwesasane-783|title=IFC 4 - Akwesasane|last=Sherdog.com|website=Sherdog|access-date=2016-04-14}}

Strikeforce became the first major promotion in the United States to have held a female fight as the main event on August 15, 2009. The fight between Gina Carano and Cristiane Santos, known professionally as Cris Cyborg, attracted 856,000 viewers.{{cite web|last=Meltzer |first=Dave |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=AjG53rLVLHtywuQDe5b5eZw9Eo14?slug=dm-ratings081809&prov=yhoo&type=lgns |title=Carano-Santos a ratings hit|publisher=Sports.yahoo.com |date=2009-09-08 |access-date=2009-09-12}} Santos made history with her victory over Carano as she became the first Strikeforce Women's 145 lb Champion.

Invicta Fighting Championships in early 2012 became one of the first major women's pro mma organisations.{{cite news|title= Fightland talks to Shannon Knapp |work= Vice|url= http://fightland.vice.com/blog/fightland-talks-to-invicta-president-shannon-knapp|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140220113806/http://fightland.vice.com/blog/fightland-talks-to-invicta-president-shannon-knapp|access-date=2014-01-12|archive-date= 2014-02-20}}{{cite news|title= Life, Death, and Cool Girls |work= Vice|url= http://fightland.vice.com/blog/life-death-and-cool-girls|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140112211321/http://fightland.vice.com/blog/life-death-and-cool-girls|access-date=2014-01-12|archive-date= 2014-01-12}}

Ronda Rousey became the first woman fighter signed to the UFC in November 2012, and was promoted to the division's bantamweight champion. She successfully defended her title in the first UFC women's fight against Liz Carmouche at UFC 157.

Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano fought at the Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on April 13.{{cite news|title= Women really arrive in the ufc |work= Vice|url= http://fightland.vice.com/blog/women-really-arrive-in-the-ufc|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130216171457/http://fightland.vice.com/blog/women-really-arrive-in-the-ufc|access-date=2014-01-12|archive-date= 2013-02-16}}

On December 11, 2013 the UFC picked up the contracts of 11 female fighters to fill up their 115-pound division. The Strawweights took part in the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter, the season winner will be the first UFC women's strawweight champion. Some of the fighters include Felice Herrig, Claudia Gadelha, Tecia Torres, Bec Hyatt, Joanne Calderwood, and even Invicta FC's Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza and many more.{{cite web|url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-picks-up-11-female-fighters-to-create-115-pound-womens-division |title=UFC Picks Up 11 Female Fighters to Create 115-Pound Women's Division |publisher=MMAWeekly.com |date=2013-12-11 |access-date=2014-01-12}}{{cite news|title= The UFC Introduces Another Women's Division, and the World Takes a Great Leap Forward |work= Vice|url= http://fightland.vice.com/blog/the-ufc-introduces-another-womens-division-and-the-world-takes-a-great-leap-forward|access-date=2014-01-12}}

Carla Esparza became the first UFC strawweight champion after defeating Rose Namajunas at The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned finale.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/12021159/ufc-tuf-20-finale-carla-esparza-becomes-first-strawweight-champion|title=Carla Esparza Becomes First Strawweight Champion|work=ESPN|access-date=2014-12-12|date=2014-12-12}}

Esparza lost her title to Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 185.{{cite web|url=http://www.mmamania.com/2015/3/17/8231885/ufc-185-results-joanna-jedrzejczyk-trash-talk-broke-carla-esparza-before-fight-mma|title=Joanna Jedrzejcyk Trash Talk Broke Carla Esparza|publisher=mmamania.com|access-date=2015-03-17|date=2015-03-17}}

There are many important moments that occurred with women's MMA. One of those moments was when Bellator added Women's tournaments, and this was important because it gave a place for top fighters in the smaller weight division to be broadcast. Another moment was when Ronda Rousey won the title because of the impact she had on many other women looking to be involved in this sport. Another very important fight was when Gina Carano fought Cris Cyborg since it was the first big women's MMA fight and the first time an MMA card was headlined by a women's fight.

The implementation of Invicta FC was a very significant time period because female fighters had a place to call home and were able to fight on a consistent basis in their own weight class. One last important moment was when Primetime became the first mixed martial arts card to be broadcast on national television.{{Cite web |last=McCarter |first=Nathan |title=5 Most Important Moments in Women's MMA |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1301076-5-most-important-moments-in-womens-mma |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}

{{expand section|date=October 2020}}

Since its inception the role of women in mixed martial arts has been a subject of debate.{{cite web|url=http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2015/11/1/9651050/the-martial-chronicles-fighting-like-a-girl |title=The Martial Chronicles: Fighting Like a Girl |publisher=Bloody Elbow |date= November 2015|access-date=2015-11-05}}{{cite news|title= Pioneers of Asian Women's M.M.A. Step Into the Cage|work= The New York Times|date=2014-03-12|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/sports/pioneers-of-asian-womens-mma-step-into-the-cage.html|access-date=2014-04-09|first=Joe|last=Cochrane}}{{cite news|title= Women's mma comes of age |work= Vice|url= http://fightland.vice.com/blog/the-impresario-of-womens-mma|access-date=2014-01-12}} Some observers have treated women's competition as a spectacle and a taboo topic.{{cite web|last=Pollack |first=Seth |url=http://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/8/6/1610045/mma-womens-tournament-strikeforce-phoenix |title=Cat Fighting: MMA Women's Tournament Coming To Phoenix - SB Nation Arizona |publisher=Arizona.sbnation.com |date= 2010-08-06|access-date=2014-04-25}}{{cite news|title= Mma meets third-wave feminism |work= Vice|url= http://fightland.vice.com/blog/mma-meets-third-wave-feminism|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140626090344/http://fightland.vice.com/blog/mma-meets-third-wave-feminism|access-date=2014-01-12|archive-date= 2014-06-26}}

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fights have become increasingly popular among women. Women fighters needed to be represented and marketed with more equality for a while. The average pay for women at the time was $15,000, compared to men's $38,000 per fight, which led to a lot of women being frustrated with their pay. Paige VanZant who is an MMA fighter spoke out about wage inequality in 2019 and said she wanted more money to "keep bleeding and sacrificing for this sport".{{Cite journal |last=Gregory |first=Jeanne |date=1982 |title=Equal Pay and Sex Discrimination: Why Women Are Giving up the Fight |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1394781 |journal=Feminist Review |issue=10 |pages=75–89 |doi=10.2307/1394781 |jstor=1394781 |issn=0141-7789}} US women's soccer players took legal action over the fact that their pay is significantly lower than men's. During the UFC 241 event, the highest-paid man earned $700,000, while the highest-paid female fighter earned $30,000 according to FINCHANNEL statistics. The top female earner in 2020 was Amanda Nunes, who earned $350,000 plus $100,000 if she won the fight. Conor McGregor is thought to have gotten about $3 million for each of his most recent fights. Another male MMA fighter, Alistair Overeem has recently been paid $800,000 for each match he has. Dana White, who is the president of the UFC stated that he would never allow women to compete in his organization. Although, after observing how many viewers are watching women's fights, he has since acknowledged that female athletes are "very good."{{Cite web |last=Ordoñez |first=Milan |date=2022-09-02 |title=UFC's Julia Avila: 'Fighter pay is great' but Women's MMA is 'a dog and pony show' |url=https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2022/9/2/23333754/ufcs-julia-avila-fighter-pay-is-great-but-its-a-dog-and-pony-show-womens-mma-news |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=Bloody Elbow |language=en}} Women are requesting more money from the UFC as more viewers start to watch women's fights. Female MMA fighters' earning potential has grown as they gain popularity and recognition. Even though it has changed, the most well-liked male fighters like Conor Mcgregor continue to attract larger audiences and earn more money although it definitely won't be long until women are just as popular, and it is truly equal.{{Cite book |date=2021-09-07 |chapter-url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/mma52675.2021.9610861 |pages=c1 |publisher=IEEE |doi=10.1109/mma52675.2021.9610861|isbn=978-1-6654-4537-5 |s2cid=244441514 |chapter=[MMA 2021 Front cover] |title=2021 XXXI International Scientific Symposium Metrology and Metrology Assurance (MMA) }}

• Mixed martial arts
• List of female mixed martial artists

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• Global Perspectives on Women in Combat Sports:Women Warriors around the World, Alex Channon, Palgrave Macmillan, August 2015, {{ISBN|9781137439352}}

{{Women's sports}}

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