Years ago, when the UFC was trying to get sanctioned across the country, Dana White decided that having women fight on his show would just create PR nightmares that he didn't need. He may have been right. It's easy to imagine legislators showing pictures of bloody girls in order to fight regulation efforts. Now that the sport is regulated in almost every state, that concern is gone for the most part, but it made no sense until this week for the UFC to even consider a women's division.
In a world where women's UFC is a constant uphill battle, both of these women had the opportunity to prove the professionalism of women in martial arts - and show that we belong in the ring. But now, thanks to this weekend's Elite Extreme Combat (EliteXC) event in Southaven, Miss. (which will be broadcast on Showtime), the debate about women in UFC/MMA has once again heated up. Carano, after all, will meet Julie Kedzie on the televised portion of the card tomorrow and bring women's UFC to a national audience.
Over the course of two major CBS shows, Gina Carano established herself as an elite-level draw. Her fights drew over a million new viewers each show, and she does incredible search numbers online. Nobody in the UFC has drawn those kind of TV ratings all year besides Anderson Silva in July. People are very interested in her. Even better, she actually has exciting fights and has the talent to carry the pressure put on her. With sagging TV ratings for live specials, featuring the women's division on Ultimate Fight Nights could be a boost.
While UFC gains momentum on the heels of UFC's rise in popularity, there are still a lot of people resistant to the idea of women's MMA. The reactions have been mixed at some of Carano's fights.
"Half of the people are fascinated, and then half the people are just kind of judgmental about it, most of those being guys in the sport," Gina Carano said...
Training with men is not a problem for Gina Carano. The problem, she said, is proving to some of those men that she belongs there.
"At first they look at you kind of crooked, like 'What are you doing in here?' They almost want to be like 'Do you really want to do this? Let's see if you really want to do this.' So you have to go through the pressure of being the new person, also female. Once they see that you're serious and you've actually got some skill, then those people's opinions change. It's really a beautiful thing, because they see it more as a sport, and not just a female trying to fight."
In Gina Carano's opinion, the idea that women are the "weaker sex" has given some men the false impression that women are in more danger than men are when they step into a cage or ring for a fight.
"Guys are just real protective over females for some reason," she said. "At least some of the guys I know. Here's what I think: I don't think they can handle the pressure of not being able to save the female. She's got to fight her own battle, you know?"
Another renowned UFC female fighter Tara LaRosa's skills have certainly been opening eyes. She won't disclose her exact purses, but says she'll make between $15,000-$25,000 per fight, and aims to fight four times a year. No, it's not Chuck Liddell money, but it's full-time pay, and that's definite progress, for males and females alike.
"I represent the common folk, I'm a common chick, not a stellar athlete, who shows that anybody can do it. I want people to watch me and say, 'Wow, that girl is good,' as opposed to, 'Wow, that girl is hot but her ground game stinks.' On the looks thing, unfortunately, that's the way society can be. I'm not the quintessential hot chick, but I bring a skill set. I'm not going to get implants to impress people." Tara Larosa said.
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