WMMA on life-support

Miesha Tate, right, has become a well-known figure in MMA,
but can she save women's MMA on her own? 

When Zuffa had purchased Strikeforce this past March, many in the mixed martial arts community believed that would signal the end to women’s MMA. Zuffa, which also owns the UFC, has never been inclined to make WMMA divisions in its promotions and nobody could see a reason why they would do so now.

To say Zuffa’s purchase of Strikeforce signaled the end of the WMMA brand is a little over the top, but it did put the growth of female fighters on life-support. There are a mere handful of female fighters that are well-known throughout the fight world and even fewer that fans want to see fight.

Two of those fighters, if they choose to, could save the sport and garner the attention of mainstream fans.

Santa Monica, Ca. native Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey (4-0-0) and Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion Miesha “Takedown” Tate (12-2-0) are two of the sports most notable female fighters. Many are speculating that a fight between these two could do a lot to sway the minds of Zuffa executives and help keep WMMA around.

Rousey, still considered a newcomer, has won all four of her professional fights by way of submission. The last win came at Strikeforce Challengers on November 18 over Julia Budd. All four submissions have been armbars and the armbar she put on Budd dislocated Budd’s elbow.

Tate, on the other hand, is a veteran that has worked her way up to the top. Her last victory was over Marloes Coenen at Strikeforce/M-1 Global – Fedor vs. Henderson. It was a fourth-round submission via arm-triangle choke that helped Tate win the match and the welterweight title.

These women fight in separate weight classes, but if it can save the women’s division there should not be anything keeping these two from agreeing on a catch weight fight. 

Follow me on Twitter @NiteshDutt.