The Wasteland of Women's MMA Pt.2
Forging Valkyrie's
Improving Women's MMA , Expanding Global Scouting Efforts
In order for WMMA to evolve, promotions need to focus on discovering untapped talent across Asia, where martial arts like Muay Thai, judo, and sanda are deeply ingrained. By recruiting athletes with strong foundational skills and training them in MMA, organizations can inject fresh talent into women’s divisions similarly to ONE championship. This approach has already proven successful with fighters like Zhang Weili, who transitioned from sanda to MMA and became a dominant champion in the UFC.
Investing in Developmental Leagues
Creating feeder leagues or tournaments specifically for women can help develop talent before they enter the major promotions similarly to the WWE’s Nightmare Factory or Ohio Valley institute where amateur talent learn the craft and hone their skills and cage personas before the big time. With such developmental traditions in place women's MMA would become much more competitive and exciting at the highest levels.
Focus on Fight Night
Until the quality of women’s divisions improves, promotions should prioritize placing women’s fights on fight night cards rather than main events. This approach reduces the pressure on female fighters to carry a pay-per-view while still giving them valuable exposure to build their brands and help inject some added value into those fight night cards.
Encouraging Personas and Gimmicks
Promotions and management teams should work with fighters to develop marketable personas that resonate with fans. Whether it’s through embracing cultural identities, creating rivalries, or leaning into unique interests, fighters need to stand out in an increasingly crowded market. Social media can play a pivotal role in amplifying these personas and open the doors to greater financial opportunities.
Building Stacked Divisions
Promotions must commit to signing more fighters across all weight classes to avoid repetitive matchups. This means actively scouting and signing fighters from smaller promotions, international markets, and even crossover athletes from other sports.
Increase Cross-Promotion Opportunities
Organizations like the UFC, PFL , Bellator , and ONE Championship should consider cross-promoting female fighters to create compelling matchups. High-profile inter-promotion bouts can generate excitement and draw attention to women’s MMA long-term.
The Future of Women’s MMA
Women’s MMA has immense potential, but realizing it requires a strategic and sustained effort to address its current shortcomings. By investing in global scouting, developing talent through feeder leagues, and focusing on marketing fighters effectively, promotions can elevate the women’s divisions to new heights. While it may take some time, these changes could ensure that women’s MMA becomes as dynamic and respected as its male counterpart.
The journey to improvement starts with recognizing these challenges and taking actionable steps to overcome them. If promotions make these changes, fans can look forward to deeper divisions, more exciting fights, and a new generation of female fighters who captivate audiences worldwide.
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