Combat sport is believed to date back to about 2,600 years, although the training was exclusively reserved for male soldiers. The training went on until about 1,600 years ago when a Roman emperor burned the sport.
It made a comeback in the early 19th century but remained a men’s sport until a few years ago when women began to be actively involved in the sport. Since 2013, more women have taken a leading position in combat sport and have changed the myth that women can never participate in the sport.
Women proved men wrong
In 2011, UFC boss Dana White made a statement that cannot be forgotten by women in sports games. He said it would never be possible to see women in the ring competing in combat games. He could have been partly right because, for many centuries, no woman had taken part in combat sport. After all, men had forbidden them to do so.
Some women like Ronda Rousey didn’t take the comment lightly and she rose to prove that men can make it in combat sport. Within two years, there were several women taking part in UFC combat games. Ronda later left the UFC and joined WWE.
Other women who pioneered the sport were Julianna Pena, who won the season 18 UFC title in 2013 and Carla Esparza, who was the first strawweight UFC champion. More women go encouraged and begun to join the championships.
A long journey becomes a reality
For many years, women around the world have been fighting for equality in every sphere of life, including leadership positions, doing men’s jobs, owning property, and participating in sports. Some first-world nations have embraced women's equality and allowed them to take part in these roles.
The 2013 inclusion of women in combat sport was described by some women as a whirlwind journey that came to reality. Today, women can participate in mixed martial arts, including boxing, judo, karate, taekwondo and wrestling. Ronda appreciated the fact that she was finally able to achieve a goal that she had always desired for many years.
Along with combat sports, it is important to excel in education. After all, it’s a combination of fitness and studies that make you stand out in the crowd. College students experienced in writing create high-quality papers hoping to shine bright in their university education goals. However, most of them have mastered the structure of writing from the topic to the conclusion but have often failed to cite correctly. The APSA citation maker by EduBirdie has helped many students correctly cite in APSA reference. Students need to know the source of their information and after typing in the citation generator, they get the correct citation with the click of a button. Using the citation generator makes student’s work easier and they get better grades in their university education.
21st-century combat sport women champions
The MMA has to date, enrolled the largest number of women fighters in history. Among them is Cris Cyborg, the current holder of the Bellator featherweight UFC title after she won 6-1. Her stiff competitor is Amanda Nunes, who has dominated several MMA games in recent years after defeating all her opponents. It is hoped that another woman will join the ring and take away the title from her.
In the boxing arena, Claressa Shields has won Olympic gold medals twice and she recently broke the record when she became the first female fighter to hold two different weight titles in the four-belt era. Katie Taylor is another woman in the boxing arena who is yet to face an equal or greater opponent in the ring. So far, she holds four belts in the lightweight division.
More women in combat sport
Each year, more women are coming from their training schools to join professional combat sport and they are surprising men who thought the sport is reserved for males. Those that have dominated the kickboxing scene are Jorina Baars, Tiffany Van Soest, and Stamp Fairtex, just to mention a few.
The dominating female has been Jorina and Stamp recently joined MMA. Kayla Harrison has won two gold medals in judo before transitioning to MMA. There are many more women on the list, including those who recently joined and they are all playing an important role in proving that women can perform well in any field.
Conclusion
Within the last decade, women in combat sport have proved without a doubt that they can participate in any game and rise to global champions. Different women have done marvelously in boxing, Judo, Karate, and many other MMA games. They have wholeheartedly defied all odds and helped encourage more women to join the ring for combat games. Considering the pace of new women recruits in MMA games, it is hoped that the next few years will see an entire shift in combat sport.
