Yo Feminists! Why Aren’t You Talking About Ronda Rousey? (ps. She’s the First Ultimate Fighting Championship Female Champion)

This weekend at UFC 157, history will be made as the first women’s title fight in the worlds largest MMA promotion takes center stage in front of millions on Pay Per View.  So why isn’t the mainstream feminist media talking about the championship event and its stars?  

For those of you that don’t know, Mixed Martial Arts is a mixture of kickboxing, boxing, martial arts, wrestling and jiu jitsu.  Up until now, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the premiere MMA organization, has only permitted male mixed martial arts fighters. That's why the upcoming match between Liz Carmouche and Ronda Rousey for the Women’s Bantamweight belt should be a big deal to anyone that purports to care about women’s equality. 

Ronda Rousey is the 2008 US Olympic Judo Bronze Medalist (first American female ever to place in Olympic Judo) and the current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.  Her challenger, Liz Carmouche, is a former US Marine and the UFC’s first openly gay fighter. 

The UFC, previously skeptics of women’s mixed martial arts, now believe that the they possess an equal, if not superior technical ability and positioning them as the main event, with male former champions as co-main events shows their commitment to that belief. This quick integration of female competitors in the same spotlight as their male counterparts is almost unheard of in any other sport.  The National Basketball Association (NBA), the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league began in 1946 and didn’t add the Women’s NBA, a completely separate league until 1996!  Does anybody watch the WNBA? By comparison, Mixed Martial Arts, which arose in 1993 then mainstreamed by adopting unified rules in 2000, is adding a women’s division in 2013.

However, it’s important to note the UFC’s progressive move is not driven by altruism.  They know there’s money to be made because the interest is there.  How many people can name a top-level women’s basketball player off the top of their head?  Even the most causal fans in MMA can list three other top-level female fighters.

There’s also a lot of interest in WMMA from the media. Rousey has received an unparalleled amount of attention, appearing on Conan, Jim Rome’s show, and on ESPN’s The Magazine “Body Issue”. Unfortunately, most WMMA fighters do not receive the same level of fame and pay as Ronda yet, but the title fight this weekend further opens the door for better exposure, pay and recognition for all female fighters.

And so again I must ask, why aren’t the feminists giving this event all the recognition it deserves?   There’s been virtually no coverage of the women actually fighting to change the social constructs of how women are viewed, paid and allowed to compete.

Ignorance to Mixed Martial Arts or the Ultimate Fighting Championship is no excuse.  Are feminists more comfortable aligning themselves with an online movement that’s focused on preventing victimization, rather than empowerment?  Or has Ronda’s/Liz’s chosen profession alienated them so much from feminist ideals that women simply don’t identify with them or see their own struggles reflected in their accomplishments? 

Real Sports 191: Ronda Rousey

Whether or not you identify with Ronda or Liz (though I’m sure many would if they watched the pre-fight Primetime series), if you’re concerned about women’s rights and creating opportunities for women in society, supporting them would be a good idea.  The willingness of the UFC to promote WMMA can signal changes in women’s pay and accolades in other areas of life.  Feminists, get your shit together. Write about these ladies, interview them, listen to their journeys and values, and treat them like the heroes they are. 

Or better yet, put your money where your mouth is, buy the PPV and see these women in action at UFC 157 - watch with an open mind...you might just have it blown.