Should women fight?
As MMA has become more popular, a significant number of people are still against the idea of women’s MMA. Examples of some of the stronger arguments against women fighting are that women have thinner skin, women’s bodies clot blood slower, and they have less dense bones. People also point out that in general, female athletes have lower cardiovascular endurance and less muscle mass. This was often heard during Gina Carano’s run in EliteXC- she had trouble making weight on more than one occasion, which more than a few people blamed on her gender.
If you are going to talk about the disadvantages of something, you should probably also mention the advantages if you are actually trying to weigh validity. Unfortunately, most detractors of women’s MMA don’t bother to do this. The fact is that women have greater flexibility and a wider pelvis- this is particularly advantageous in MMA. Female skin is thinner, but actually heals faster and women recover more quickly from exertion and injury. Women have better immune systems and are more protected from infection- a particularly dangerous phenomenon in MMA. Also, women have a greater density of neurons in most of the brain- this may make them less susceptible to brain injuries. Additionally, male fighters at the lighter weight classes carry less muscle while fighters at the heavier weight classes have displayed more than the occasional problem with cardio (excitement does not ensue when 2 fighters are gassed out and resting on their laurels)- no one really thinks we should stop them from competing.
It’s true that Gina Carano missed weight for a few fights, but this likely has more to do with the fact that she had to drop below what would be considered a ‘regular’ weight class for her on more than a few occasions. This, in turn, was due to the smaller talent pool that existed at the time that forced fighters like Carano to jump around in weight in order to find opponents (notice how she makes weight just fine at 145 pounds). With the competition level increasing in both the professional and amateur ranks, this will probably be less of an issue. The vast majority of female fighters make weight without incident. Highlighting one example is like saying Thiago Alves has missed weight twice and tested positive for a banned diuretic another time, therefore we should stop all this madness of men’s MMA.
These are trained professionals who should have the same opportunity as other trained professionals to display their skills. Women compete in Olympic wrestling, judo, and tae kwon do (boxing is set to return in the 2012 Olympics). They also compete professionally in boxing and kickboxing. Now, no one forces anyone to watch, so hate on it all you want, but try not to throw out the sex card about how ‘lolz no 1 wants to see womenz fighting!!!!1’- it really doesn’t do anything for the sport.
And now here’s an obligatory video of Cyborg doing her thing courtesy of MMA Worldwide (skip to 4:30 if you are an impatient person):
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