The Evolution of Women's MMA: From Ronda Rousey to Now

When Ronda Rousey joined the UFC in 2012, the organisation had resisted women's MMA for years. Dana White's public statements opposing it are well documented. The commercial reality of Rousey's drawing power changed everything. A decade later, the story is far more complex and considerably more interesting.

The Rousey effect

Rousey was not simply an athlete who happened to be female. She was a judo Olympian who adapted her throwing and ground game to MMA with unprecedented success. Her armbar finishes, the speed of them, the inevitability, created a public narrative around women's fighting that transcended the sport.

Her losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes — decisive, disturbing — revealed the limitations of a one-dimensional game at the elite level. They also revealed her enormous courage in competing through circumstances that would have ended most careers immediately.

Amanda Nunes: the true GOAT

The argument for Amanda Nunes as the greatest women's MMA fighter of all time is straightforward: she has beaten every notable women's MMA fighter of her era, across two weight classes, including Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, and Cris Cyborg. Her striking power is extraordinary for her size. Her submission game is consistently underestimated.

The current landscape

Zhang Weili at strawweight, Valentina Shevchenko at flyweight, and the talent depth at bantamweight and featherweight represent the deepest women's MMA field in history. Pound for pound, the women's divisions in the UFC have never been more technically sophisticated.

The next decade, as the athletes who grew up watching Rousey and Nunes begin competing professionally, will be more impressive still.