All articles tagged with #womens mma
Valentina Shevchenko clapped back at Ronda Rousey’s critique of UFC fighter pay, defending her use of OnlyFans as a fan-connection platform and lightly mocking Rousey by referencing her 2016 loss; the piece notes Shevchenko joined OnlyFans in 2024 and frames the exchange as part of the ongoing pay discussion in MMA.
After Sean Strickland mocked women's MMA, Amanda Nunes hit back on Instagram, with support from other female fighters, ahead of Strickland's UFC Houston bout against Anthony Hernandez. The saga unfolds as Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano was announced and UFC boss Dana White defended Strickland's right to free speech.
Amanda Nunes publicly clapped back at Sean Strickland’s sexist comments about women’s MMA, sharing his remarks and stressing that women fighters are fighters too while adding 'Don’t cry, man' in Portuguese; Nunes, a former two-division champion planning a later-2024 return to challenge Kayla Harrison, sparked support and sharp rebuttals from fellow fighters as Strickland faced backlash for his comments.
Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano will fight in a women's featherweight MMA bout on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, streamed exclusively on Netflix and promoted by MVP; it marks Rousey's return to competition after years away and Carano's first pro fight since 2009, with a March 5 press conference to kick off the buildup.
Kayla Harrison underwent an intense 15-week training and diet regimen to make weight for UFC 316, where she won the bantamweight title after a tough weigh-in and a dominant fight, highlighting her resilience and marking a significant milestone in her MMA career.
The article discusses the ongoing search for the next face of women's MMA following Ronda Rousey's dominance, highlighting upcoming UFC 316 fights between Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison, and reflecting on the sport's history and current stars like Amanda Nunes and rising talents like Dakota Ditcheva.
Julianna Pena is favored to defeat Kayla Harrison at UFC 316, with Valentina Shevchenko predicting Pena will retain her title due to her versatile fighting style and ability to adapt, despite Harrison's dominance and aggressive ground game.
In a thrilling UFC Macau fight card, Shi Ming delivered a stunning leg kick knockout against Feng Xiaocan, earning her a UFC contract despite being at a disadvantage. Later, Gabriella Fernandes, a major underdog, shocked the MMA world by submitting Wang Cong with a rear-naked choke, marking one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. These unexpected victories highlight the unpredictable nature of MMA, especially in the women's division.
PFL CEO Peter Murray expressed disappointment that Kayla Harrison chose to leave the organization for the UFC, especially as it means missing out on a potential marquee fight with Cris Cyborg. Despite this, PFL will continue to support women in the sport and introduce a women's flyweight division while focusing on potential matchups between 2023 champion Larissa Pacheco and Cyborg.
Zhang Weili will defend her UFC women's strawweight title against Yan Xiaonan at UFC 300, marking the first time two Chinese athletes will fight each other in a title bout. The event, set for April 13 in Las Vegas, already has four current or former UFC champions booked for other matchups. Weili, ranked as the top pound-for-pound women's MMA fighter, has won three in a row, while Yan, ranked No. 7, is coming off a first-round knockout of former champion Jessica Andrade.
Miesha Tate admits that her move to the women's Flyweight division was a mistake, as the weight cut affected her performance. Now back at her natural weight of 135 pounds, Tate feels reinvigorated and ready to dominate. Despite doubters, she believes she is still one of the best in the world and has ambitions of winning the women's Bantamweight title. However, she acknowledges that retirement may be on the horizon and that each fight could potentially be her last.
Kayla Harrison, two-time PFL champion, called for a potential superfight against Bellator MMA champion Cris Cyborg after her dominant win over Aspen Ladd. The PFL recently acquired Bellator, making a matchup between Harrison and Cyborg more feasible. The PFL intends to continue operating Bellator as a separate league but plans to have a champion vs. champion event in early 2024. In other PFL news, Larissa Pacheco became the first two-weight champion, Olivier Aubin-Mercier defended his lightweight title, Renan Ferreira scored a stunning upset at heavyweight, Magomed Magomedkerimov won the welterweight championship, and Impa Kasanganay delivered a dominant performance at light heavyweight.
Julianna Pena declares herself the greatest female MMA fighter of all time, ahead of Amanda Nunes, citing her warrior spirit and submission win over Nunes in their first fight. Pena also dismisses Nunes' featherweight title reign as a "fake division." Nunes retired after her recent bantamweight title defense, leaving Pena to fight for the vacant title.
With Amanda Nunes retiring, the UFC women's bantamweight and featherweight titles will be vacant, leaving the rankings with new No. 1s across the board. Nunes beat 11 women who had been champions in the sport at one point or another, and set just about every UFC women's record there is. Nunes' retirement leaves a vacuum in her wake atop women's MMA, but the next icon in women's MMA is right in front of our noses now. Brazil no longer owns the sport, but it remains a prominent presence, a hotbed that produces high-level fighters and a fervent fan base that demands nothing less.
Amanda Nunes, the two-division UFC champion, has retired from MMA and called any future belts in her weight classes "fake." Nunes, who successfully defended her bantamweight title for the sixth time on Saturday, laid down both her bantamweight and featherweight titles in the octagon along with her gloves to signal her retirement. Nunes also dismissed any talk of a comeback and doubts that Julianna Peña, the only woman to defeat her during her championship reign, will become a champion again.