Myths about female mixed martial artists – BUSTED!
By Kale Havervold
Women’s mixed martial arts (WMMA) is quickly gaining popularity and coming to the forefront of the sports world. However, there still exist some misconceptions and myths about WMMA that are held by a large portion of the population.
1) WMMA is all hype
Not true. WMMA competitions date back to the mid-1990s and there has also been multiple female-only MMA organizations that have been active for years.
WMMA has not been getting as much press or attention as male MMA throughout the years, but it has been around for almost as long and is quickly growing in popularity. In Asia, there are a large number of rising WMMA stars that are putting the sport in the forefront such as ONE Championship’s Angela Lee, Kirstie Gannaway, Ann Osman and Ana Julaton.
2) WMMA is not as skilled as the men’s
Not true. All of these women who compete in pro MMA are extremely skilled and have put years and years into honing their craft, just like the men have. There have been numerous black belts, Olympians and other champions that have competed in WMMA and are fully capable of competing on the same stage that men are. For example, ONE Championship’s Ana Julaton is a two-time world boxing champion and is currently competing in both pro boxing and MMA.
3) WMMA is nothing but a spectacle and a taboo topic
This myth has the central idea that WMMA was introduced to provide a spectacle to fans or to simply use the gender to sell the fights. Ridiculous. The top MMA organizations in the world today have rosters full of extremely talented female athletes that, without a doubt, are deserving of their spot. Like their male counterparts, the female athletes in MMA today are extremely qualified as they range from former Olympians, boxing world champions and more.
4) WMMA fighters are “too manly”
This is a myth that surrounds most female athletes who compete in male-dominated sports and MMA is no different – that they are tomboys or they look too manly. Yes, they may have more muscles than the average girl and they boast very toned bodies but that doesn’t make them manly. Take for example, ONE Championship darling Ann Osman. She cannot live without her heels and out of the cage, she makes the effort to dress up and put on makeup.
5) WMMA fights aren’t as exciting
WMMA fights are NOT more boring than men. Of course, not every single women’s fight is exciting, just like every men’s fight isn’t exciting. There are exceptions on both sides, and to simply say that women’s MMA fights aren’t as exciting is simply wrong. If you want proof of that, check out ONE Championship’s Angela Lee’s last fight in the cage.
