I hate watching the heavyweights and I made that clear. I think welter to light heavy is the best because they're not too slippery and not too slow. Yes I did. Some of them I thought were pretty bad and some blew me away. Actually the striking I enjoy, especially when you get a few gals with KO power. It's when it goes to the ground that I find it's not as enjoyable.
1) You hardly made it clear that you "hate" watching HW's. You said "heavy guys have a ton of power but it's never seemed quite as technical or lively on the ground". That seems tollerable, at least. Or maybe you were just being really nice to them in that initial passage. 2) I find it very surprising that you enjoyed the stand-up more than the ground work. Most of them are much, much better on the ground than ANY of them are on the feet. Out of curriosity, have you trained any grappling for an extended period of time?
Good collection CallSign.... dont forget Rosi Sexton. Am a fan of hers...altho doesnt do great here, is a good fight though. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gkhHVu7ykQ"]Zoila Frausto vs. Rosie Sexton - YouTube[/ame]
Who knows you may see me in the UFC someday. Maybe after a couple years training in BJJ, develop a good ground game and bulk up a bit.
I agree with Sketco. Women's sports just aren't as relevent as male sports. I especially hate female combat sports, I don't enjoy seeing women beating up eachother, not my cup of tea. Maybe at some time in the future will have a cultural shift to accepting women's sports, however at this time point there just isn't a large enough demand to provide a sufficient supply.
Well, they don't generate as much revenue in other other sports, but it's different in MMA. Women do not get treated as a sideshow, Rousey is regularly MAIN EVENT material, with many men on the undercard. Rousey vs Kaufman drew in 900,000 viewers. Most viewers Strikeforce has had this year. maybe you don't like the thought of knowing there are women out there who can kick your ass :lowblow:
I forget the name but there was a show called Invictus or something like that that had only female fighters. From what I hear it did respectably well and showed there is a talent pool. A female TUF is needed I think, although I fear it'll be a lot more sex appeal than fighting skill.
No need for ad hominems. But the skill of the fighter saddly is not really that important. Most people veiwing these events are males that don't participate in MMA training themselves. There are two points that I see limiting the success of female MMA from that observation. 1.) They don't train in MMA so they aren't too hard pressed on technique and the like, so their main interest is KO's and if "their guy" wins. 2.) The veiwership of MMA events are mostly male. Most guys can't relate to a female as a hero figure and so they would rather watch male MMA events. Furthermore with a lack of female fans there is a great limitation in female MMA viewership. And I would guess that most women veiw MMA like men veiw volleyball; and excuss to look at fit, half naked, members of the opposite sex move their bodies. Now I'm not against female MMA, I'm just doubtful that our culture (Europe and USA) is ready for female MMA on the same scale as male MMA. Don't get my opinions messed up. Sketco touched on this already, maybe she's the exception to the rule? You're only talking about Rousey, but is this only Rousey, or are there a lot of other females that pull in crowds?
There are theories that a TUF Womens division would help boost the sales of the idea, just like how Bonnar/Forrest helped. However a downside is that TUF is a victim of its own success and is starting to over saturate a bit. Previously it was once a year...this year you have Brazil, TUF and TUF UKv Aus all at the same time. Also Rousey cannot hold the entire division by herself. There has to be at least 3-5 more female fighters who can pull similar ratings to make it work and viable to have. Gina Carano was one such crowd bringer, she set the pace for WMMA. Which was just breaking out and then she retired. Chances of her returning are slim unless Zuffa/UFC makes a place for her. Cris Cyborg didnt bring as many ratings but she was hell of an athlete despite her current situation. There is an audience for it and I know quite a few female fighters itching to get into MMA in the UK but are finding it hard to get fights. Theyre stuck with boxing/mt or grappling tournamengs. Needless to say..they are itching to "mix it up"
You say that as though WE play no part in dictating that cultural shift. If martial arts enthusiasts made more effort to give women's MMA a chance, we might just kickstart that shift. Rather than wait around for more open-minded sorts to do it so we can amble over afterward.
Thats my fear too, I'm hoping though that women's MMA will go down the path of women's Boxing rather than as a sideshow attraction for watching 'sexy' women grappling. Unfortunately our culture still has a stigma towards women's sports, in particular, combat sports. If its all fighting skill, then unfortunately they called derogatory names by the general public (or at least viewed in the that frame). If its all sex appeal then its considered to be a sideshow for individuals with fetishes. As it is its only been recently that women's Boxing has been accepted by society as legitimate with its debut in this years olympics (it only took 135 years since women's boxing was practiced and worldwide recognition didn't take place until the 1990's). Unfortunately, have to agree with Sketco and Lad_gorg to an extent, as a woman myself doing boxing, I do think that considering how long it took for women's boxing to finally be recognized, Womens MMA in the UFC might be too much, too soon for the tiny brains and large egos of general male population to handle.
Of course you're right. But WE aren't the only variable at play here. Saddly the fact is that MMA practionares are most likely a minority group in the MMA fanbase. So pull all the strings you like, the effect may only be minimal compared to what the larger veiwer base wants. Optimism is a great thing, but don't let it cloud reality. Anyway those were my last two cents. I see there's a band-wagon here, no point arguing with so many like minded people.
Looks like both Rhonda Rousey and Meisha Tate have signed on with UFC. http://www.tmz.com/2012/11/08/ronda-rousey-female-fighter-ufc-fighter/ http://www.5thround.com/130527/miesha-tate-becomes-ufcs-second-female-fighter/
