The 9 Greatest Moments in MMA Herstory

(Carano and Cyborg: Godmothers of the game. / Photo courtesy of SI.com)

By CagePotato.com contributor Jim Genia

First there was the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution, which empowered the women of the United States with the right to vote. The Sexual Revolution of the 1960s followed, providing them with birth control and shifting values, and liberating them from the social constraints of a rigid society. Then came Gina Carano vs. Cris “Cyborg” Santos, which showed that when you put two well-trained ladies in a cage and pay them to fight, they can really beat the crap out of each other (or at least one can thoroughly whoop the other).

Yes, great strides have been made in equality for the fairer sex, and thanks to the likes of Carano and Cyborg, this equality has stretched into the realm of mixed martial arts. Now, there are impending all-female tournaments scheduled for Strikeforce and Bellator, and Sarah Kaufman’s recent violent KO over Roxanne Modafferi made ESPN’s “SportCenter”. Whether you love it or hate it, the female version of limited-rules combat is here to stay. So here’s a look back at some of the greatest moments in MMA herstory. (Get it? “His-story”, “her-story”? Yuk-yuk.)

Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young, EliteXC: “Primetime”

On May 31, 2008, EliteXC broke the live network-television seal with “Primetime”, a CBS-broadcast event that saw Kimbo Slice smash James Thompson’s ear, Robbie Lawler poke Scott Smith in the eye, and an overweight Carano batter a smaller Kaitlin Young. Overweight? That’s right, for the first-ever female bout on free TV, ultra-popular fighter and former American Gladiator Carano failed to make the contracted 140-pound weight limit, coming in instead at 144.5 pounds. This wasn’t the first time the “Face of Women’s MMA” had failed to make weight. In fact, EliteXC had tailor-made the 140-pound division for her because making the standard 135-pound limit would’ve required too much cardio and crystal meth. To ensure that she didn’t miss weight at her next fight, which was a pairing in Miami against Kelly Kobold, Carano stepped on the scale buck naked. Thankfully, the towel held up by her father to conceal her nude form from the crowd only slipped once.

Gina Carano vs. Cris “Cyborg” Santos, Strikeforce: “Carano vs. Cyborg”

StrikeForce: Gina Carano vs Cris Cyborg Fight - Watch more Funny Videos

EliteXC crapped the bed before they could see this eagerly-anticipated bout come to fruition, so Strikeforce wisely scooped it up and put it on one of their Showtime cards. The result: the most-watched MMA event on Showtime ever, and almost five straight minutes of Cyborg ruthlessly beating on Carano like Carano had stolen her purse. The referee stepped in before the bell to waive the bout off, making Cyborg the Strikeforce 145-pound champ and sending Carano into a downward career-spiral of Pepsi commercials and starring roles in Steven Soderbergh movies.

Tara LaRosa vs. Kelly Kobold, BodogFIGHT: “Alvarez vs. Lee”

As per the Unified Rules, male competitors in championship bouts have five five-minute rounds to do the dance. But this rule didn’t hold true for those of the opposite gender, who were sometimes allocated three three-minute rounds (possible reasons include no one believing women could last that long in a fight, or that women needed to get home in time to make dinner). Enter the dying BodogFIGHT organization, which, in July 2007, pitted New Jersey native Tara LaRosa against the Minnesota-based Kobold in a five-round scrap for the 135-pound belt. LaRosa needed just three and a half rounds (over 17 minutes) to tap Kobold out with an armbar, but her win proved that women could fight for the same duration as men and not collapse.

Shelby Walker vs. Angela Wilson, Ring of Fury 3

When the late Shelby Walker met Angela Wilson in the ring in May 2003, three things happened. First, Walker clocked Wilson with a right hook to the chin. Then Walker clocked Wilson with another right hook to the chin. Then Wilson fell to the canvas unconscious. This all took five seconds, and Walker’s record-setting KO still stands to this day. Wilson stands, too, although presumably with her chin tucked and her hands up.

Sarah Kaufman vs. Roxanne Modafferi, Strikeforce Challengers 9

Sure, male fighters can pick their opponents up and slam the bejeesus out of each other, but can women? The answer, which came when Strikeforce 135-pound champ Sarah Kaufman picked up Roxanne Modafferi and smashed her onto the canvas at this past weekend’s Strikeforce Challengers, is yes. Yes they can.

Cris “Cyborg” Santos vs. Hitomi Akano, Strikeforce: “Shamrock vs. Diaz”

Cyborg is a scary individual. So scary, in fact, that in her native Brazil children are told “Cyborg is going to get you” when they misbehave. In 2009, she and Carano were on a collision course, but first the Chute Boxe fighter had to get past an undersized Japanese fighter named Hitomi Akano. How undersized was Akano? She was the Smackgirl champ at 128 pounds, and was used to fighting in the 135-pound division when she agreed to take on Cyborg at 145 pounds. Too bad Cyborg weighed in at 150.5 pounds. In a first for women’s MMA, her excuse for the extra pounds was “female issues”, and athletic commissions nationwide wondered if they should consider PMS an unfair competitive advantage.

Rosi Sexton vs. “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba, BodogFIGHT: “Costa Rica”

Tim Sylvia, Corey Hill, Jose “Pele’ Landi-Jons… in terms of broken bones and stomach-turning injuries, the list of MMA’s victims of grievous bodily harm is dominated by dudes who dared to dream beyond what their bodies were capable of. Yet one female, Tomomi Sunaba, stands out amongst the wounded. At BodogFIGHT “Costa Rica” in February 2007, “Windy” went toe to toe with Brit Rosi Sexton, and after a grave misstep ended up with a foot twisted all the way around and facing backwards. This injury was so brutal and horrific that those watching from ringside — most of them fighters — retched and gagged. Thankfully, the Japanese fighter was promptly airlifted to the hospital, and she’s since returned to competition.

Zoila Frausto vs. Rosi Sexton, Bellator 23

BJ Penn shocked the world when he submitted Hughes at UFC 46, as did Matt Serra when he TKO’d Georges St. Pierre. But women’s MMA has had its upsets, too, not the least of which was Zoila Frausto’s knockout of Sexton at Bellator 23 on June 24, 2010. Frausto was unranked when she stepped into the cage against Sexton, who was herself the number one 125-pound female in the world. Yet sometimes all it takes is one takedown attempt with your head down (Sexton) and one well-placed knee to the dome (Frausto) to make those rankings irrelevant, and now Frausto is taking what was supposed to be Sexton’s spot in Bellator’s upcoming 115-pound tournament.

Carina Damm vs. Sophie Bagherdai, Fatal Femmes Fighting 4

It almost goes without saying that, in a male-dominated sport, the vast majority of the failed post-fight drug screenings belong to men. But the diminutive blonde Carina Damm has the distinction of being the first chick to piss hot. After defeating Sophie Bagherdai at Fatal Femmes Fighting 4 on April 3, 2008, the Brazilian “Barbie Doll” tested positive for the performance-enhancer Nandrolone. Hurray for equality!

Jim Genia can be contacted at mma_journalist@yahoo.com, and he thinks vampires suck.