Women in MMA

[pateticorecords]

Women should have an avenue to demonstrate their skills, there should be more organizations putting forth the effort to promote those events.

It would be very lucrative, too

[Jimbo]

If I remember correctly, UFC doesn't have female fights because Dana White doesn't like women fighting, period.

I personally like watching (good) female fights. A lot of times, they can be more entertaining/ skillful than watching a lot of the guys fight. IMO, there should be some opportunities for women who want to fight. Possibly, if there is enough demand, and if it could bring a lot more $$ to the UFC, DW might reconsider? Well, maybe not.

[Syn7]

Originally Posted by MasterKiller

Honestly, I just don't like watching chicks fight.

really, sometimes they make fight of the night IMO...

[Syn7]

Originally Posted by Jimbo

If I remember correctly, UFC doesn't have female fights because Dana White doesn't like women fighting, period.

I personally like watching (good) female fights. A lot of times, they can be more entertaining/ skillful than watching a lot of the guys fight. IMO, there should be some opportunities for women who want to fight. Possibly, if there is enough demand, and if it could bring a lot more $$ to the UFC, DW might reconsider? Well, maybe not.

yeah thats true, dana has no interest in womens fights... not just cause he dislikes female matches, theres more to it...

but dana white said time and time again that he would not interfere in cokers management of strikeforce and coker is very supportive of womens mma... we'll see, i guess... but if dana white is true to his word, he wont pressure coker to back off from womens fights... but if coker himself decides its not working out, thats another story...

[Zenshiite]

I find any fight with Cris Cyborg to be almost excessive, just because that woman is IMO a freak of nature. On the other hand, I also think the women's fights I've seen in Strikeforce have had a whole lot more heart than men's fights on many occasions, they are going out there to prove something to themselves and to the world about women and combat sports, and their fights can definitely be more technical than men's fights.

Alot of fights just turn into big looping punches and swinging for the fences and I can honestly say I haven't really seen that in a female fight.

[pateticorecords]

Originally Posted by Zenshiite

I find any fight with Cris Cyborg to be almost excessive, just because that woman is IMO a freak of nature. On the other hand, I also think the women's fights I've seen in Strikeforce have had a whole lot more heart than men's fights on many occasions, they are going out there to prove something to themselves and to the world about women and combat sports, and their fights can definitely be more technical than men's fights.

Alot of fights just turn into big looping punches and swinging for the fences and I can honestly say I haven't really seen that in a female fight.

I agree

[GeneChing]

A new league exclusively devoted to women's MMA

Invicta looks to build women's talent base
Bob Emanuel Jr., Correspondent
Created: 03/19/2012 09:40:02 PM PDT

When Strikeforce paired Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate for its bantamweight title earlier this month, the state of women's competition in mixed martial arts frequently was discussed.

Two of the three largest national promotions - Strikeforce and Bellator Fighting Championships - include women fighters on their rosters. Outside of a few top fighters in each promotion, the dearth of quality alternatives is bemoaned.

"When you think about the big picture, we need more women to have success," said Tate, who lost her title to Rousey. "We can't do it with one or two top females. We need a lot. More than one, so that everyone can have their favorite thing and we can have lots of diversity and lots of great matchups and lots of stylistic differences and a broad spectrum of wonderful female athletes that can put on amazing fights."

Shannon Knapp, a former matchmaker with Strikeforce, helped form Invicta Fight Club, a new promotion dedicated exclusively to women's MMA. Invicta will hold its first card on April 28 in Kansas City and feature 12 fights in its inaugural outing.

Knapp got involved with Invicta after Strikeforce was purchased by UFC's parent company Zuffa LLC last year. UFC president Dana White repeatedly has said women's MMA would not be part of the UFC, and the uncertainty cast a shadow over the Strikeforce women's division.

"When Zuffa came in and bought Strikeforce and I parted ways with them, I started getting a ton of phone calls from a lot of female athletes," said Knapp, Invicta's vice president. "I think a lot of the female athletes were concerned, `What's going to happen to us?' Nobody knew what was happening with the Showtime deal (with Strikeforce). Everybody was relying on those words that Dana had said publicly that there would be no women in the UFC and that kind of thing."

Knapp envisions working with other promotions to build the talent base.

"I can take all this information that I acquired over the years and try to build a platform and bring some organization to this side of the sport so that I can create depth," Knapp said. "One thing I will say is that Dana, when he says there is no depth on this of the sport for divisions, he's actually making a very true statement. But there is a rebuttal to that and argument as well. The argument is there is nobody on this side of the sport that's working hard and rolling up their sleeves to make a difference."

Invicta signed several notable women, including former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen, who lost her title to Tate last year, and former Strikeforce contender Liz Carmouche. Coenen will headline the inaugural event against Romy Ruyssen.

[GeneChing]

Rachel Wray, Chiefs Cheerleader turned MMA Fighter.
Photography: Jerry Chavez
Contributer: Dave Jackson

Last year, she was a professional NFL Cheerleader, this year, she is a Mixed-Martial
Artist. Why would a Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader want to become a fighter? KCMMA sits down with aspiring MMA fighter Rachel Wray to find out. Rachel makes her MMA debut against Aleigh tillman at Blue Corner this Friday night at Harrah’s in North Kansas City.

KCMMA: Obvious first question Rachel. How and Why did you get in this sport? I think we both know that you don’t exactly fit the bill for the stereotypical MMA fighter.

Wray: Last year, I was a Chiefs Cheerleader. I have been a cheerleader or dancer my whole life and I moved here from arkansas to Cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs. I started working out at Title Boxing Club with some of the girls for an alternative workout. I really enjoyed it and started taking private lessons after a little while. One day,. I came in and they wanted me to spar. I was nervous about someone actually punching me in the face, but I did it.

I was absolutely horrible. This drove me to want it even more. I knew I had to make a choice between fighting and cheerleading. I chose fighting. I trained harder and took more private lessons. In the same shopping center was HDMMA and I wandered in there to see what was going on. Everyone was so nice and just not what I expected from a MMA gym. So, I started training there too. One thing led to another, and now I feel comfortable enough to compete in the cage.

KCMMA: What do you work on at HDMMA to get you prepared?
Wray: I work on everything there. I have a strength and conditioning coach named Travis Conley. He is also my Jiu Jitsu coach. My Mauy thai Coach is Brian Carroll. I also work with LC Davis and Jason High on my wrestling. I am a personal trainer at Lifetime Fitness too, but most of my work is with my team. Jason and LC will be in my corner on Friday.

KCMMA: How are you getting ready for the fight?
Wray: I practice 5 times a week, 2 hours a night. Running and sprinting. A few private lessons. Drinking 2 gallons of water per day. This has to be your top priority over everything else, sometimes including your job.

KCMMA: What do your parents think about you fighting?
Wray: Mom hates it and Dad loves it. My mom just doesn’t understand it. She will be there at my first fight but I think she is really nervous.

KCMMA: What is the best part of your game?
Wray: I would probably say my striking.
Being your first fight, what do you expect?
Wray: Well, I plan to win. I am glad I have done the grappling match so I not quite as nervous. I want the knock out and hoping that I won’t let the crowd get to me.

KCMMA: What are you wanting to do with this sport?
Wray: Right now, I am just going with it. I hope to fight 4-5 times over the next year. Of course, I would like to be good enough to be professional, but that just seems away right now.

KCMMA: What does it mean for you to be a fighter?
Wray: Everyone says “I would never expect you to be a fighter. Being a cheerleader fits you more”. “Why would you give up cheerleading to roll around with sweaty boys?” Well, I have never enjoyed working out so much in my life. I love fighting and am having so much fun with it. I want to be an inspiration to other girls out there that want to fight but don’t think they can.
There are negative perceptions of the sport? Why would you want to mess up your pretty face.

KCMMA: Who inspires you?
Wray: Well, my idol is Rhonda Rousey, but I would say my mom is who really inspires me. She is really successful at her job, she is beautiful, and she can still come home and be a great mom. Sometimes I think “she is just too good to be real”. Also, my coach Jason High, really inspires to me. He is such a great fighter and has taught me everything. He always eats healthy, trains, and is just someone I really admire.

Here's a vid: RW1 Mostly boxing. I would have liked to see more grappling.