This past week in class, we have discussed the importance of Title IX. Title IX has changed college women’s sports. But throughout all the celebration of this law, what’s lost is that women’s sports are still not taken seriously today (there are few notable exceptions). What is also lost is that unless one is a superstar like Serena Williams, female athletes don’t sell tickets.
But perhaps on February 23, a new superstar will emerge in the UFC when female fighter Ronda Rousey steps into the octagon for the UFC and competes in the main event the UFC 157 pay-per-view against Liz Carmouche. This is the one of the most historic fights in UFC history because this will be the first female fight in company history.
UFC President Dana White has been on record in saying that women would never compete in the UFC. However, during the All Access: Ronda Rousey documentary on Showtime, White said “"in the next 10 years, if there's a woman in the octagon, it's probably going to be Ronda Rousey." Also during that documentary, White when discussing female MMA said the current class of female fighters made him take a “different mindset” when it comes to them fighting in the UFC.
There is an impressive list of female fighters in the UFC especially with the merger of rival MMA promotion Strikeforce. But make no mistake; the main drawing power that White is putting his marbles into is Rousey. She is the current UFC 135lb Women’s Champion (her current UFC record is 0-0). She is dominant, a trash talking queen, and is attractive. She is the new Hulk Hogan of female MMA. On February 23, she must destroy Carmouche in order to justify White’s decision to put Rousey in the main event of a pay-per-view and more importantly justify women belonging in the UFC. If Rousey loses, than women’s MMA fails because the UFC can just move without missing a beat. But if she wins, women’s MMA takes the first step of being taken seriously by fans and society.
But until then, the main reason why the young male dominant UFC audience would ever watch women is MMA is because of sex appeal. According to Dana White, “it doesn't hurt when they're beautiful too."
By: Taylor Cook
ReplyDeleteFirst off I would like to say that this is a really good blog entry Anthony! I am a huge MMA fan and I follow the sport religiously and I have followed Ronda Rousey's career very closely. She is an exceptional fighter and I have been waiting years for Dana White to finally get off his "no women" kick in the UFC and sign her to a fight deal. Just because they are female does not mean that they do not belong in the sport of mixed martial arts. I know for a fact that some of the critics who reject this decision would want know part of fighting any of the women who were signed to the UFC, especially Ronda Rousey. It is not only going to be a huge money maker and PPV draw having Ronda headline a main card, but it also shows women around the world that if they love mixed martial arts that they can achieve the ultimate goal of getting a contract in the UFC. I have said it before and I will say it again this was one of the best decisions Dana White has ever made, both personally and business wise.
I've never even watched MMA but I found this blog to be very interesting! I didnt event know that mixed martial arts existed. I'm not even a big fan of the UFC fighting but those YouTube videos you posted did a great job of showing what it entails. Unfortunately, women's sports are not as highly recognized as male sports. But I feel as though see these fights would encourage more viewers from both males and females. Ronda Rousey seems like she is a very good fighter and seems to win every time. Mixed martial arts is very interesting. I would definitely like to take a few classes on how to flip people over like Ronda could. After watching the video and reading your blog, I am definitely interested in seeing this fight.
ReplyDeleteBy: Angel Akinkuoye
I think the key to women's MMA growing is not dependent as much on who is fighting, but that they are fighting in the UFC. There have long been women's MMA competitions in less prestigious leagues that have even led to some of the fighters gaining national acclaim (Gina Carano is a name that comes to mind) however the sport really has not come to national prominence. The same could really be said of men's MMA until White took over the UFC and turned it into the juggernaut it is today. If White can promote women's MMA with the same fervor and success that he has had with men's MMA using the the UFC brand name then the sport may finally start to take off.
ReplyDeleteBy Max Perry
By: Taylor Brown
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting blog entry! I think it is going to be very interesting to watch a women in MMA. In my honest opinion, I never thought that this would happen. I think this could be very good for the sport because it can expand their audience to more female's and not be known as just an "all male" sport anymore. I think that many sports today that are known as "all male" sports are being pressured into allowing women to compete in large part because women have proven that they can be superior athletes and it is unfair to keep them from playing the sports that they desire. I am now very interested in watching this and hope for the sake of MMA that this will catch on and help the sport out some more. Today we are still seeing the lasting effect of title IX and I think this is a perfect example. Women continue to gain more and more entry into sport and I think it is great. This is a great promotion for the sport, espcially for women who are interested in this at a young age and want to pursue it. I think this is a great move by the MMA that end up paying huge divedends for them in the future. Hopefullly the fight will be as good as advertised!