Issue 185

December 2019

An exodus from ring to cage is boosting women's MMA

The glut of female boxers arriving on the mixed martial arts scene is an indication of just how much the women's arm of the sport is now thrilling to the eyes of a largely male audience, which, in truth, rarely happens in many other sports. The lure, both in financial terms and in creating a greater audience, is causing an exodus of female boxers into MMA. 

From boxing in recent times, we have seen come Holly Holm, Ana Julaton, Heather Hardy, and recently, Ava Knight – a flyweight and super flyweight champion – who have immediately caught the eye, and have provided the media with a glut of fascinating background stories. Indeed, on a personal note, the stories of the women coming into MMA from many different disciplines have made for some of there most remarkable interviews I have ever had. 

Holm remains the standout crossover star from the ring to the cage. It is often forgotten that 'The Preacher's Daughter' had an extremely long and decorated career in boxing, being a three-weight world champion with 38 fights and 33 victories. The former UFC bantamweight champion defended her titles 18 times in the ring in weight classes ranging from 140lbs to 154lbs. 

Only the very best are named as a two-time Ring magazine Fighter of the Year (Holm won in 2005, 2006). She is also highly regarded by BoxRec – as respected as the bible of boxing, Ring – which ranked her the 10th-best female professional boxer of all time. Forget the record of late pertaining to Holm, now in her 38th year. She has lost five of her last seven. Holm's most notable win in mixed martial arts was dethroning Ronda Rousey and saddling 'Rowdy' with her first defeat at UFC 193 in November 2015 in front of that record-breaking gate of 56,215 fans in Melbourne. That fight is what she should always be remembered for. It will rank forever as one of the biggest upsets in the history of combat sports.

Julaton and Hardy, also both world boxing champions, were destined to fight in MMA, but it never happened of course in Bellator as they both lost. But the time is coming when more females, like Holm, will become world champions on both sides of the code. Yet look back in time, and we should be grateful to Cris Cyborg and Gina Carano, the two women who really started the mainstream excitement in women's MMA back in the Strikeforce days, and even more to Rousey who electrified the fight scene as a genuine crossover star in the sport, regardless of her gender. Though Rousey perhaps fell for her own hype, by the end of a brilliant run, she had paved the way for what women are now doing in the UFC and Bellator, as a staple part of sport, sometimes the main attraction, and often the main event.  

Perhaps it isn't surprising. Having a boot across the divide in both sports, I can vouch for the fact that women's MMA seems to have more of an immediacy and the fanbase appear more invested in both men's and women's fights. 

Now Knight has joined Bellator, having once been overseen by Floyd Mayweather's promotional outfit. She trained as a ballerina and is another destined for stardom.

Ava Knight-Salicka, to give her her full name, is known as the “Lady of Boxing”, and is from Chico, California. Knight is of Polish and African-American descent and is a former five-time boxing champion. She never played sports growing up, but she did practice ballet, as mentioned, in her younger years, and began boxing aged 13. The rest is history. Knight has featured in the top ten on the pound-for-pound best female fighter of the world lists from years 2011- 2015. Having interviewed her recently, I'm convinced she has the X-factor.

Heather Hardy embodies the reason why women crossing from boxing to MMA really does work. For the very best ones. The world of MMA, Hardy told me, treats women with more equality than boxing has for many years. 

“MMA is consistent and boxing isn’t,” she argued. “You have to wait on other promoters’ schedules. I went six months trying to get a unification fight that fell through at the last minute. Boxing can be a disappointing sport when you have so many conflicting forces in charge, trying to make things happen. Boxing is so political. Perhaps it’s been my time spent in the sport, but it’s really soured me. I love the pureness of MMA. I’m just looking to put on a good show and keep the fans happy.”