On Saturday, February 23rd, the UFC will be including women on it’s fight card. Even better, fighters Liz Carmouche and Ronda Rousey won’t just be ON the card, they are actually headlining it and while I am extremely excited that these two ladies get to showcase their incredible skill and talent on the greatest stage (Octagon) in MMA, I find it unbelievably frustrating that there’s still so much ignorance surrounding it! The ignorance I’m talking about involves both fans of MMA and those who are opposed to the sport in general. Let’s start with non-fans first:
I just read a post written by a bible thumping, mixed martial arts hating, woman underestimating blogger who talked about all the reasons why violence for the sake of violence is never the right thing to do and that that was especially true for women. Let me point out, that we aren’t talking about a bar brawl here, this is the UF friggin’ C! I realize that mixed martial arts isn’t for everyone, but it is a sport and should be respected as one. These ATHLETES train hard for what they do and even if it’s not something you enjoy, to judge it morally or ethically is just ridiculous. I happen to like it. A lot. Maybe it’s because I’ve watched my sons train and compete in Martial arts since they were five years old and I understand the discipline, dedication and enormous amount of hard work that goes into being successful at it. I don’t expect everyone to understand MMA, but a little respect would be nice.
When it comes to women in the sport, I think it’s just really hard for people to imagine them having what it takes to put on a good show. There are too many people who still believe that the only women who should be allowed in the octagon are the ring girls. They’re wrong. Why does it have to be one or the other? There are so many ways to be a girl. One way is to walk around the ring in teeny tiny outfits announcing each round and the other is to compete. There is nothing wrong with either.
I find it incredibly frustrating that I’ve heard a lot of comments from fans criticizing the UFC for giving Liz and Ronda their shot at the big time just because they’re women as well as just as many people completely ignoring the fact that they’re athletes and choosing instead to focus on how they LOOK! I’ve seen banter on MMA websites where every comment about Ronda is centered on her “Hotness”. It’s became less about what she can do and more about how she’ll look while doing it! Come on guys, you’re more evolved than that, aren’t you? This woman is good for the sport because of what she’s been able to achieve and what she’s had to battle to achieve it, not because she’s looks good in heels and a tight dress.
Truth be told, while I never miss a UFC fight, I have yet to watch a fight between to women and I’m honestly not sure what to expect. Because of my sons’ involvment in Martial Arts, I’ve watched the girls on their team compete plenty of times and think it’s empowering to see females putting their time and energy into how their bodies work instead of on how they look, but MMA is different. While I’ve seen plenty of kicks to the head, I have not witnessed punches to the face and there’s a chance I’ll find it disturbing; I guess I’ll find out tomorrow night. But whatever my reaction ends up being, my support of women in the UFC will not waver.If they can perform their jobs the way they’re expected to, they deserve to be there.
Take my advice, if the only female fighting you want to see involves pillows or mud pits, look somewhere else this Saturday, because these women are gonna kick ass!
