By: Richard Mendoza
For the UFC, 2023 marks 30 years of history for the mixed martial arts promotion company. Founded in 1993, the UFC has grown into the largest mma promotion company in the world. While the art and sport of fighting and mixed martial arts is popular amongst men, women athletes and fans have become increasingly drawn towards mma/fighting over the years, leading to the UFC’s implementation of women fighter divisions. The introduction of women fighters in the UFC has provided athletes and fans with the opportunity to witness both male and female fighters compete within the top divisions of MMA. But women fighters only share 10 years of the UFC’s history, as UFC president Dana white had openly refuted the idea of women fighters within the promotion, citing a lack of depth and talent within women divisions. That sentiment changed with the rise in popularity of women fighters in other mma promotions, most notably Ronda Rousey.
Rousey’s popularity as an athlete and a serious contender in all of women’s mma opened the door for the implementation of the women’s bantamweight division within the UFC. In November of 2012, Rousey was signed to the UFC and changed the outlook on the sport. One of the most notable moments in the UFC’s entire history include Holly Holm defeating Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 for the women’s bantamweight title.
Over the years, criticism has come towards the UFC and it's women led divisions over the talent within the divisions as well as the competitiveness of the fights put on. Some fans refer to a more recent fight between former UFC women's strawweight champions Rosa Namajunas and Carla Esparza at UFC 274 in May 2022 as reasoning to be rid of women divisions entirely or to be held at less illustrious times or events. The pair fought with very little action through 5 rounds and has been described by some within the community as the "most boring title fight ever". While the fight itself wasn't very noteworthy, there have been plenty of fights and fighters in the past and currently that continue to provide plenty of excitement for eager fans willing to support the women divisions.
For the hispanic/latino/a/x fans, some of the biggest stories within the women's divisions of the UFC hail from Hispanic/Latinx backgrounds. Some of these fighters include current (now former) women’s bantamweight and flyweight champion Amanda Nunes, who is the only UFC fighter to defend two UFC titles while holding both. Nunes announced her retirement from the UFC after her most recent bantamweight title defense vs Irene Aldana at UFC 289, leaving behind a grand legacy that could very well never be surpassed.
Along with Nunes, former strawweight champions Carla Esparza and Jessica Andrade as well as former bantamweight champion Juliana Pena all hail from Hispanic/Latinx backgrounds. On March 4, 2023, Alexa Grasso became the first Mexican-born UFC women’s champion of the flyweight division after defeating 8-time champion Valentina Shevchenko. A huge upset, Grasso became one of 3 current Mexican born UFC fighters who hold belts in their respective divisions, with the other two being Brandon Moreno of the men’s flyweight division, and Yair Rodriguez who holds the interim belt of the men’s featherweight division.
(PHOTO CREDIT TO Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
(WRITTEN March 2023)
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