The Problem With Women's MMA

[PurpleStorm]

Jimmy Smith explains that the big problem with women's MMA is the shallow-talent pool, and how that negatively impacts the development of top-level fighters.

Do you agree?

Agree with his premise that a bigger talent pool will develop more top-level fighters. Not sure I'd categorize it as a problem. More as an opportunity.

 

[Ravelife]

Valentina can out fight and out shoot 99.99 percent of you fat fucks.

 

[Marianne]

If a WMMA-only promotion existed, no one outside of soya-munching hippies would watch.

Can you even imagine a WMMA-only promotion existed? I bet they'd call it something that sounds like a women empowerment slogan, something like... Invicta.

 

[VodkaDrunkenski]

A lot of you are deeply disturbed by the fact there are some women who would kick your ass.

This isn’t gonna get you laid, just friend-zoned, mkay?

 

[kwijyboy]

Those dipshits didnt mention Zhang. Or Roxy. Average Sherdogger could do their jobs better.

 

[Melas Chasma]

The supposed no1 MMA org is spending like 30 minutes or so of practically every card showcasing fights between fighters that would lose to most of the people in the crowd watching them.

Wrong.

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

Wrong.

Imagine genuinely believing that PVZ, Rose, Roxanne Modaferri etc could actually beat up men. My goodness.....

 

[blaseblah]

Jimmy Smith explains that the big problem with women's MMA is the shallow-talent pool, and how that negatively impacts the development of top-level fighters.

Do you agree?

This is not necessarily an actual problem. Nunes and Valentina smashing fighters easily can make them legitimate stars. People love to see dominant fighters. Aside from Conor and Brock, all the UFC's stars became popular by clearing out their decision. Silva, GSP, Ronda, Jones, etc.

I also disagree about Nunes. She has a clear flaw in cardio that someone is eventually going to expose at some point. If de Randamie had even decent TDD it would've ended her run right there. Holly could do well in a rematch, or a tough veteran wrestler like Cat.

 

[A.S. Deep]

Jimmy Smith explains that the big problem with women's MMA is the shallow-talent pool, and how that negatively impacts the development of top-level fighters.

Do you agree?

For once, all of Sherdog agrees haha.

The WMMA talent pool is super shallow, but it's getting better for sure. We went from Ronda/Holm/Tate to Nunes/Shevchenko/Rose/Joanna/Zhang, etc.

Women's 135 has stagnated, but that's because Nunes is super dominant. The women are getting much more well rounded too. And some women like Andrade and Zhang are just on another level physically compared to the rest.

If I had to compare WMMA with MMA, I'd say the women are in the very early 2000s right now. Most of the roster are one dimensional and not that athletic, but the cream of the crop are well rounded, athletic and physically impressive.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if in 5 years WMMA catches up to where MMA was in the mid 2000s.

 

[LHWBelt]

Jimmy Smith explains that the big problem with women's MMA is the shallow-talent pool, and how that negatively impacts the development of top-level fighters.

Do you agree?

The problem is women aren't as athletic as men so it's like watching the minor leagues. Most people who are watching the ufc are trying to watch the best athletes. Adding women make us watch the WNBA in the middle of an NBA game. Makes no sense.

 

[blaseblah]

They only made the women's 145 lb weight division to try to get some return on investment in Cyborg and to shut her up about making a division for her.

Now, after Cyborg got KTFO by the women's 135 lb champ and got cut from the org because she still wouldn't shut up, they should really just do away with that division since there's nobody there worth a damn.

They won't get rid of it because there's no downside to having another belt on Nunes. It's just another marketing tool. And the best part is the division is non-existent so Nunes doesn't have to actively defend on a regular basis. It's pretty much the only division where having a double champ makes sense.

 

[Tito Tapped]

The problem is women aren't as athletic as men so it's like watching the minor leagues. Most people who are watching the ufc are trying to watch the best athletes. Adding women make us watch the WNBA in the middle of an NBA game. Makes no sense.

Here we go with that stupid basketball analogy again. There are plenty of sports where female competition is just as exciting as the men's and that includes MMA.

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

Very true.

I’m all for all the women fighters going to Invicta. If it can last on its own, so be it.

But I don’t want it in UFCs cards, and I don’t want it in Bellators cards. Give it to Invicta.

WMMA would developed SO MUCH quicker in one big org dedicated to it, yet the suggestion seems to upset the WMMA fanboys here

 

[ConorFacts]

WMMA is like a shit movie = sharknado

UFC fans will still watch it.

 

[Misanthropist]

They’re not biologically capable and do not have the strength to perform which is why all women sport sucks and gets toyed around by teenage boys (US national team vs u15s boys and Williams sisters vs amateur teens comes to mind).

 

[Thepaintbucket]

WMMA is essentially a gimmick.

The average UFC viewer is a 39 year old male fan who isn't interested in most female fights and for a good reason; They simply suck. I don't mean all WMMA fighters suck but the majority do. These divisions are as thin as it gets in this sport. Throw in the lack of finishes by KO(or the potential of a ko) and this has disaster written all over it.

So why is it a gimmick? Well Johnny, I am glad you asked. The reason why it's a gimmick is because as some have already suggested; You need a polarizing figure like Honda Rousey to steer the boat. Then you must hype her up like no tomorrow by forcing feeding it down every fans throat. Oh yeah! Don't forget to hype up those Beth caliber fighters for maximum cheese.

In the end is it worth all the trouble? I don't know man, you tell me.

I feel like the UFC got super lazy with trying to recruit more women the moment Honda went pillow mode on us. It's likely cause they refuse to dedicate money and time to a weak link. Kinda like with all the mighty mouse drama.

 

[LHWBelt]

Here we go with that stupid basketball analogy again. There are plenty of sports where female competition is just as exciting as the men's and that includes MMA.

Name one

 

[Kyojiro Kagenuma]

Outside of the sloppiness of it all it's hard to get really invested in woman's MMA when I know most of the same weight men would own whomever was the female champion.

It's kind of like watching minor league fighting. It's fun. It's entertaining. But don't try and serve me a full card of that shit, because I ain't buying it for 60 bucks.

That's like saying you don't want to watch men's featherweight cause the male heavyweight would own that champion. See how stupid that sounds?

 

[No Skill Gap]

Each division has decent fighters up to about the top five, but usually after that (and sadly sometimes before as in the case of the Flyweight division as there's not much talent there beyond the Champ) there is a significant drop-off of female fighters who shouldn't really be in MMA let along fighting in the "prestigious" UFC.

It wouldn't matter so much if there were stars to carry these weak division, as has already been said Rousey drew huge numbers & media attention facing very weak opposition, until Holm & Nunes. But no-one else has got anywhere close to that level of interest. Nunes should be a megastar, a lesbian, two-weight champion who is killing all opposition but hasn't really crossed over into the mainstream. Best option is Zhang, an exciting fighter, Asian heritage & has by far the best run of possible contenders of all the female division.

The UFC needs to cherry-pick the best fighters out of Invicta & swap them with promising fighters who are in the UFC but really shouldn't be yet, then use Invicta as a development company where fighters can gain the experience & skills ready for the Octagon rather than throwing them in the UFC before they are ready & making a mockery of the fighter, the division & WMMA in general.

The sad part is that when done well with the top talented fighters WMMA can be genuinely exciting & pull the fans in. Even those who post on here just to dismiss WMMA can't honestly say they weren't looking forward to Nunes vs. Cyborg or that the fight wasn't exciting.

I don't think being a "lesbian" is some huge + factor for star-power outside the minds of social justice folk, niche groups, and politically driven interests.

Being serious here. Yes ~50% of the world is women, but what percentage of those women watch the UFC? Pay for PPVs? Tune in regularly / are hardcores? I doubt very many at all. How many women watch the NFL? I bet it's less for the UFC/MMA.

What I am saying is the reality of the situation is: Straight + attractive female = $$$. That sells way more than someone like Nunes, who isn't "clasically" attractive and is a more masculine lesbian sexually and aesthetically. Nunes is a great fighter, obviously the GOAT as of right now in WMMA and I'm not saying she isn't a draw either, but specifically on that one point...being lesbian.

I'm just not sure that in the real-world "being lesbian" is some trophy. Yes it's a talking point for a political slant or being inclusive or "SJW" in some way, but I don't think it sells fights or gets views at all. Pennington and Torres are lesbians too, I mean fuck, half the women's roster is probably bi/lesbian - Andrade, Gadelha, etc.

I agree with most of what you're saying and I'm not trying to myopically zoom in on a single point. I just don't think Nunes is some awesome star. here's why:

She can't speak english well, she simply can't. Yes she can talk unlike Anderson Silva for example, but it's broken english. She isn't classically attractive or pretty, and wears masculine clothing, is a lesbian - aka the appeal for men sexually isn't there. She isn't outlandish or a showman, she is respectful, she doesn't do exciting things outside the cage.

Simple as that. She's great and exciting inside the cage, and that's why she has some drawing power even for a WMMA fighter. But if she was all these things and never beat the shit out of Rousey she would have far less star power than she currently has, Cyborg and Holm factored in too. If she was a lesbian who was a great fighter and exciting in the cage but never crossed paths with Rousey, less so Cyborg, and even less so Holm, and never had the belt let's say, she would be a nobody. Even with the belt minus Rousey, she would basically be a nobody.

 

[Mcountry]

That's like saying you don't want to watch men's featherweight cause the male heavyweight would own that champion. See how stupid that sounds?

I typically lose interest in the lighter weights.