In North America there must be hundreds if not actually thousands of male MMA fighters, in geographical Europe the same is true but if you take both areas together when counting female fighters there are literally only a handful. This makes it an uphill struggle to promote women's fights, to persuade promoters to take female fights and to market the female fighters we do have.
MMA is a big business now growing outside America at a tremendous rate, more promotions are turning up every day, someof course will fall by the wayside when they realise it's not easy money but a good many will stay and to have womens fights accepted as part and parcel of these shows we need to do several things.
We need to show that female fighters are up for fighting and don't demand special privileges. We have to show that we can entertain the audience with skill and aggression. I've seen a good amny, actually far too many male fights that were poor, boring and really were a waste of time but because they were male no one said anything. Every female fight has to be that bit better because if not people will say "oh women can't fight" Very unfair but women will tell you that's how it is in many jobs.
The promoting of female fighters has to be seen as more than "oh she's a babe!" Male fighters aren't judged on their looks so why should females? How many male watchers of female fights can honestly say they didn't think first about how the fighter looked?
I have made no excuses for any fighter nor have I slagged Gina off. The latest is that she is blaming her period for being overweight. this again will give rise to more reasons why women should not fight.
http://mma.tv/TUF/index.cfm?ac=ListMessages&PID=1&TID=1130643&FID=1&pc=68
Have a read and see what we have to put up with. How the hell can we ever be taken seriously as fighters when this happens?
of course Gina has guts for getting in there and fighting but can you honsetly say that if she were a man things wouldn't have been different?
I agree with binding contracts but the problem is that with so few female fighters it's hard to refuse a fight when offered and to be honest promoters of female fighters tend to try to get any fights they can. If they turn one down that could be it literally for years. I know of only two other females that could fight Gina, both from Europe. We face the women fighting each other half a dozen times with no new fighters coming in. that serves no one any good.I have a felame semi pro that has only fought once in two years because there is no once else her weight. The girl she fought is still looking for fights and has been doing grappling in the meantime, she did well in Turkey in the Worlds but she wants MMA fights. We can't affird to travel all across Europe and America to fight. the money simply isn't there for female fighters and won't be until we get more female fights. Catch 22.
Perhaps you will see my concerns as more than just making excuses for fighters who lost to Gina which I wasn't, we are working our socks off to present female fighters as being up to the job, as equal to the men. Gina's management are promoting her as a 'babe' and breaking all the rules of professionalism. This does immense harm except to them of course, they make the money.
artyon:
