Dayne Fox · Sherdog Fri, November 6, 2026 at 3:01 AM UTC · 5 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Women's MMA has proven its ability to produce mainstreamstars. | 📷: Dave Mandel/Sherdog Editor's note: The views and opinions expressed below are thoseof the author and do not necessarily reflect the views ofSherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company,Evolve Media. * * * Let's start with the classic good news, badnews trope. First, the good news: It's rare for an Ultimate Fighting Championship Apex card to feature a potentialtitle eliminator, but we're fortunate to get one this weekend at UFC Vegas 124 . The bad news is that hardly anyone seems to care, including theUFC. Despite VirnaJandiroba and TatianaSuarez being among the best at 115 pounds, they aren't gettingthe main event treatment for such a high-stakes contest. Such isthe state of women's mixed martial arts today. The UFC refuses to address the issue head-on, but women's MMA is ina major lull. Follow enough MMA talking heads on social media andyou'll inevitably encounter someone wishing the UFC would eliminateits women's divisions. Given the number of people who agree withthem, the idea isn't as fringe as you might think. I'm sure some ofyou reading this are nodding along.
It isn't as though the UFC is unaware of this, either. In the pastthree years, only one numbered card has been headlined by women:UFC 332 last month. Given how recent it was, I don't think I needto remind anyone how many fans and pundits called it the worstnumbered UFC event ever before it even happened. The cardultimately delivered 11 knockouts, a UFC single-event record, butthat entertainment came despite what I found to be an uninspiringmain event between NataliaSilva and CongWang . I don't think the UFC is right to downgrade women's fights thisway. I don't like it at all. But I understand the businessrationale given where women's MMA currently stands. Thoseadvocating for the UFC to abandon it altogether, however, are beingfoolish. Don't they remember that one of the UFC's biggest starsbefore ConorMcGregor was a woman?
RondaRousey was a generational talent who captured mainstreamattention in a way I doubt we'll see another female MMA fighterreplicate. It would be foolhardy to assume the next Rousey isaround the corner. I'm not expecting that, and neither shouldanyone else. But is a fighter who can capture even a fifth of thatattention too much to ask for? That would be a boon compared withthe attention today's top female fighters receive. That isn't intended as disrespect toward KaylaHarrison and AmandaNunes — the top two female stars on the UFC roster, in myestimation — but they aren't drawing viewers in droves. Regardless of how many viewers women bring to the UFC now, historyshows they can attract a substantial audience. Eliminating theirdivisions isn't the answer. Promotions such as the PFL wouldhappily scoop up the talent and benefit from doing so. Even ifwomen's MMA isn't that popular at the moment, it still has anaudience. Add the possibility of another Rousey or Gina Carano emerging, and there's no way in hell the UFC abandons women's MMA.That's before considering the public relations nightmare such adecision would create.
If women's MMA isn't going anywhere, what can the UFC do? Push ittoo hard without someone fans embrace, and its detractors mayresent it even more. What made fans latch onto Rousey? Winning wasan obvious factor. Before Holly Holm ended her unbeaten run, Rousey had gone beyond the first round onlyonce. But her attitude mattered, too. She wasn't afraid to say whatshe thought about her opponents, and her hostility seemed genuine.Some might call that immaturity — I would — but it felt authenticand made people take notice. Even those desperate to see her losecared about the outcome. Her looks didn't hurt, either. Speaking of looks, Carano was one of the first women to attractmajor mainstream attention in MMA. She didn't reach Rousey's levelof fame through fighting, but she attracted enough attention tolaunch a Hollywood career. Rousey didn't necessarily shy away fromher sex appeal, though she didn't make it the centerpiece of herimage. Could some women on the roster use that approach? I'm notsuggesting anything pornographic, of course. But using sex appealto attract male viewers, then letting the fighting keep theirattention, is a promotional option. A fighter's own sexualorientation need not determine whom she markets herself to.
Everyone has different talents, gifts and boundaries, so thatapproach won't suit everyone. Nor is it the only way to getattention. Authenticity helped Rousey, but it isn't a prerequisitefor building an audience. Just ask ChaelSonnen , ColbyCovington or Josh Hokit .Hokit's performances have earned him a title shot just over a yearinto his UFC career, while his trash talk has helped keep him inthe spotlight. Next week, he headlines ahead of Harrison and Nunes.Even people who dislike him may tune in hoping someone forcefullyshuts his mouth. As the television show "Dynasty" taught us,viewers enjoy seeing a villain get slapped, too. I understand that these suggestions would push many women faroutside their comfort zones. In my experience, growth oftenrequires that. Rousey's unwillingness to change her approach afterlosing her title remains, to me, a cautionary example. Given howstale women's MMA feels right now, fighters willing to trysomething different could separate themselves from the pack. Afterall, success rarely comes cheaply.
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