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You are here: Home > Boxing classes > Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey’s Argument Belies A Bigger Point: Looks Matter in Women’s MMA

Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey’s Argument Belies A Bigger Point: Looks Matter in Women’s MMA

Posted in Boxing classes | November 30th, 2011

One of a some-more enchanting things this week was a sincerely enchanting “showdown” between Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate and wannabe challenger Ronda Rousey during MMA Fighting’s “MMA Hour.” Ariel Helwani, fast apropos a sport’s chronicle of Howard Cosell, got both on a line and struggled to get a word in corner correct as a champion and a judoka bantered about possibly or not Rousey deserved a pretension shot 4 fights into her career. It’s a sincerely customary review we can have with a immature awaiting being pushed to a front of a line they might or might not deserve.

Anderson Silva famously got a pretension shot opposite Rich Franklin after dismantling Chris Leben in his entrance in a approach no one has finished before, or since. It seems stupid in review given how widespread of a champion he’s been though it was argued that Silva didn’t merit a pretension shot opposite Franklin after one victory. We demeanour behind it now and retrofit story to fit a account of “The Spider” entrance in and immediately winning though his pretension shot so fast after his entrance wasn’t something everybody concluded on as it happened.

Brock Lesnar leveraged some widespread moments opposite Frank Mir in a detriment that unprotected his newness to a competition and an equally winning win over Heath Herring into a pretension shot opposite Randy Couture. Lesnar’s ability to boost a box bureau profits on both live events and compensate per perspective had something to do with his chain in a categorical event; his feat over Couture and dual pretension defenses rewarded Zuffa immensely.

You could disagree that Rousey, who has some of a best if not a best jaunty certification in women’s MMA, ought to be pushed into a pretension shot only as fast after some harmful tutorials on how to request an arm bar. Undefeated during 4-0, all discerning stoppages, Rousey might not have a abyss of resume to quarrel for a pretension though she has that “it” cause that creates her clearly estimable of a pretension shot. It’s a same feeling that was in a atmosphere after Lesnar broken Herring and Silva knocked out Leben.

But afterwards something enchanting came up: Tate went on a descent about Rousey leveraging her looks alongside her record, as good as some bravado, into removing a pretension shot that a champion feels undeserving. It’s rather comical a champion would review to pulling that account deliberation Tate’s Twitter feed has an interest picture of her to go along with a several print spreads over a years gain on her looks. But it brings adult a bigger point. Do looks matter in WMMA? Absolutely. How so?

If looks didn’t matter in women’s MMA, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos would be as heavily promoted as Gina Carano is/was.

One of a enchanting things about a graduation of women’s fighting so distant has been that Carano has been a open face of WMMA whenever it’s deliberate by sports media, et al. Carano has visibility; she was prominently featured on a Hulk Hogan hosted “American Gladiators” reboot that unsuccessful to constraint an assembly and is clearly transitioning into an behaving career with a lead purpose in a Steven Soderbergh helmed “Haywire” that has a estimable expel and budget. And after a sincerely light career as a warrior she came into a inhabitant spotlight some-more on how she looked than what she did. Even after Santos broken her on a label designed to spin Carano into a champion and into maybe a draw, Carano is still noticed as a face of women’s MMA notwithstanding not carrying fought given that biased mauling to a Brazilian. Yet she’s still referred to by many in that capacity.

Indeed her biggest fulfilment in MMA seems to be carrying voted into a Top 20 of Ask Men’s “Hot 100” list. But since is she still featured prominently as a warrior first? Because of her looks, initial and foremost, as it can’t be argued that her fights have continued to constraint a MMA world’s imagination.

That’s what Santos has finished in brief order; a fact that she’s had a year and layoff since they can’t find someone rival to quarrel her is a notable fulfilment in a possess right. Santos’s drop of Jan Finney was unpleasant to watch since Finney was outclassed in each aspect. It was a ideal feat for Santos, and one that should still be replayed on prominence reels, though instead a women’s MMA universe is clearly endangered with others besides her. Why so?

Because she’s not a prettiest lady in a multiplication and unfortunately partial of a seductiveness of WMMA is in a sex appeal.

Rousey and Tate are both extensive fighters though this review wouldn’t matter as most if possibly warrior weren’t possibilities to be in Maxim’s “Women of MMA” issue. It’d be only another challenger and champion sarcastic behind and forth, stirring adult seductiveness in a quarrel down a road. Rousey wouldn’t be in her stream position if she wasn’t a means contestant and fighter, of course, though being appealing in WMMA matters some-more than anyone is giving credit for.

If it didn’t matter afterwards Tate wouldn’t poise in child shorts for a “sexy” print spread.