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.
Cristiane Santos, a former Strikeforce featherweight champ, has an impressive record all her own with 10 wins and just one loss. Her last bout, which was against Hiroko Yamananka in 2011, was technically a win but was overturned after she failed a test for anabolic steroids. While she did appeal her suspension, Santos won't be able to fight again until December of 2012. After that, she no doubt intends to come back into the arena with a vengeance.
Another top woman competitor is undoubtedly Ronda Rousey, although she still will need to have a few more fights under her belt before being considered as one of the greats. So far, she holds an undefeated record with five pro wins. She won the bantamweight title after defeating Miesha Tate. In addition to her MMA career she also competed in Judo at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic games, earning a bronze medal in Beijing.
Despite her loss to Rousey, Miesha Tate holds an impressive 12-3 MMA record and is considered one of the best women in the sport. A former wrester who competed on her high school's boys wrestling team, she became interested in MMA during college. Before turning pro, she won five or her six amateur bouts.
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.
Cristiane Santos, a former Strikeforce featherweight champ, has an impressive record all her own with 10 wins and just one loss. Her last bout, which was against Hiroko Yamananka in 2011, was technically a win but was overturned after she failed a test for anabolic steroids. While she did appeal her suspension, Santos won't be able to fight again until December of 2012. After that, she no doubt intends to come back into the arena with a vengeance.
Another top woman competitor is undoubtedly Ronda Rousey, although she still will need to have a few more fights under her belt before being considered as one of the greats. So far, she holds an undefeated record with five pro wins. She won the bantamweight title after defeating Miesha Tate. In addition to her MMA career she also competed in Judo at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic games, earning a bronze medal in Beijing.
Despite her loss to Rousey, Miesha Tate holds an impressive 12-3 MMA record and is considered one of the best women in the sport. A former wrester who competed on her high school's boys wrestling team, she became interested in MMA during college. Before turning pro, she won five or her six amateur bouts.
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 enjoys blogging about mixed martial arts advantages. For more details regarding a boxing gym San Diego or to find San Diego mixed martial arts lessons, click here to go to The Arena MMA site now.
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