Several questions arose when Zuffa, the UFC’s parent company, bought Strikeforce early in 2011. What did the move mean for the future of the sport and the two organizations? Will there be crossover fights? As to the second question, not yet. But it will be easier for fighters to jump organizations. Nick Diaz vacated his Strikeforce welterweight belt to challenge the UFC’s Georges St. Pierre for his.
Will the UFC simply swallow the Strikeforce name and roster, spitting out any fighters not needed? Another unknown, but it’s a possibility. If it did, would that list of fighters not kept include the entire female roster? Women’s MMA is certainly in danger of taking a step back. What does its future hold?
The answer may be found by simply looking at women’s boxing. Wait, is there still women’s boxing? I absolutely believe that women’s MMA can someday be as popular as women’s boxing, provided that’s still breathing. That should be their hope – not to thrive, but to survive. To expect the women to be as popular as the men is unrealistic. Just to be able to make a living doing what you love is nothing to sneeze at.
Dana White’s not much interested in the women, saying there’s simply not enough depth. And he’s right. There are just a few names recognizable to the average fan. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos is the pound-for-pound best of the women, but hasn’t fought in over a year and is in a contract dispute at the moment. Gina Carano is another popular name, but she hasn’t been seen in the cage since 2009 when she lost to Santos. A name doesn’t make a great fight, but it does interest viewers, and there aren’t enough names to consistently do so.
The truth is, men aren’t attracted to women when they’re fighting. It doesn’t have the same appeal as Anna Kournikova grunting in a short skirt. It’s not a cat fight, it’s a real fight. It’s not fair that women’s sports should depend on factors such as this, but that’s the case. Not to mention the alternatives to viewers. It’s the same problem that the WNBA faces – there are men who are better at the sport that you can watch. And if people don’t want to watch, where do you go from there?
The appeal for the best female fight is not as high as for just an average male fight in the sport. If you’re not attracting eyeballs, it’s harder to stay in business. Being included with a primarily male organization was a huge bonus for the women.
If you’re rooting for women’s MMA, you’re rooting for Strikeforce to stay Strikeforce. As long as the organization is owned by Zuffa but conducts their business separately, the women are likely to be kept on. If, however, the powers-that-be decide to combine the two rosters, it’s far less likely the women will come along.
The sale of Strikeforce prompted questions that could be answered in many different ways. There are many unknowns. The future of women’s MMA, however, is an easy one to answer. It won’t be extinct. It will live on in some form, for some organization, as long as there are some athletes and some interest. Just don’t expect much more. The WNBA has struggled in relation to the NBA. Women’s boxing has struggled in relation to men’s boxing. The real question is, why should we expect anything different from women’s MMA?
