Comments on: Someone Give These Girls A Fight! http://www.mmaopinion.com/blog/2009/07/09/someone-give-these-girls-a-fight/ MMA Opinion and Cheap MMA Gear Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:47:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Yael Grauer http://www.mmaopinion.com/blog/2009/07/09/someone-give-these-girls-a-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-7258 Yael Grauer Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:30:36 +0000 http://mmaopinion.com/?p=3336#comment-7258 Yeah, it is really sad... I know a lot of women will fight at a catch weight, but usually it is when they are at least somewhat close in size. It'd be crazy to fight at a catchweight if the other person outweighs you by more than say 30 lbs IMO. As far as women fighting men... It has certainly happened. Sunshine Fettketther (sp) in boxing, Molly Helsel beat a guy in BJJ, etc. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5615976419910054798 I'd want the guy to weigh a little less for sure just to account for strength. I'm not sure it'd be commissioned either. The weight thing is such an issue for women in combat sports... There is a BJJ STATE tournament in AZ this weekend that hundreds of people have signed up for, and only 14 women. In fact there weren't even women's divisions set up for brown and black belts, and no female purple belts signed up. In the white belt women's division, nobody at all signed up at 118 or 152. And in the blue belt division nobody signed up at 129, 152, 163 or over 163. I was toying with the idea of signing up but heard everybody cuts a ton of weight for States and since I haven't done a test run and have a heavy gi I'd have been the one woman at 152 with nobody to fight. It sucks for sure. Aaron, I agree... Scott Coker, make it happen. Yeah, it is really sad… I know a lot of women will fight at a catch weight, but usually it is when they are at least somewhat close in size. It’d be crazy to fight at a catchweight if the other person outweighs you by more than say 30 lbs IMO.

As far as women fighting men… It has certainly happened. Sunshine Fettketther (sp) in boxing, Molly Helsel beat a guy in BJJ, etc. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5615976419910054798

I’d want the guy to weigh a little less for sure just to account for strength. I’m not sure it’d be commissioned either.

The weight thing is such an issue for women in combat sports… There is a BJJ STATE tournament in AZ this weekend that hundreds of people have signed up for, and only 14 women. In fact there weren’t even women’s divisions set up for brown and black belts, and no female purple belts signed up. In the white belt women’s division, nobody at all signed up at 118 or 152. And in the blue belt division nobody signed up at 129, 152, 163 or over 163. I was toying with the idea of signing up but heard everybody cuts a ton of weight for States and since I haven’t done a test run and have a heavy gi I’d have been the one woman at 152 with nobody to fight. It sucks for sure.

Aaron, I agree… Scott Coker, make it happen.

]]> By: Bob Donaghy http://www.mmaopinion.com/blog/2009/07/09/someone-give-these-girls-a-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-7248 Bob Donaghy Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:09:43 +0000 http://mmaopinion.com/?p=3336#comment-7248 There's isn't a commission official in North America who will even talk about mixed fights. Maybe in Japan. She spars often with men in her size range, and more than holds her own. As for the observation that no one will fight her, that's perfectly true. I tried for 2 years to get her fights, and we did get a few early on.. but word spread fast (it's not a big community), and offers dried up. The shame is one of the best female fighters on the planet is relegated to coaching. There’s isn’t a commission official in North America who will even talk about mixed fights. Maybe in Japan. She spars often with men in her size range, and more than holds her own. As for the observation that no one will fight her, that’s perfectly true. I tried for 2 years to get her fights, and we did get a few early on.. but word spread fast (it’s not a big community), and offers dried up. The shame is one of the best female fighters on the planet is relegated to coaching.

]]> By: Aaron http://www.mmaopinion.com/blog/2009/07/09/someone-give-these-girls-a-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-7245 Aaron Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:28:56 +0000 http://mmaopinion.com/?p=3336#comment-7245 However, the reason for my visit to this article is to ask the same question as the author... Why are we not seeing Roxanne Modafferi fighting regularly on promotions such as Strikeforce? Her name is not "that" hard to spell, she has a proven fight record, is extremely entertaining and willing to fly across the world for a good fight! She is also in a very popular weight class. It is a crime that she is not on the card set for August 15th. That event is going to be a tremendous leap forward for Women's MMA. In looking at the Strikeforce history of stepping up to the plate, their planning, excellent strategy and ability to put together the fights that fans want to see, I just can not believe Modafferi is not on that card. A match between Roxanne Modafferi and Shayna Baszler would have been perfect if Roxanne had been given time to prep for it (and Baszler had not fought so recently)... Could Strikeforce still put that one together and make it happen by August 15th? I think so... If the fans want it and let them know NOW! *** Take one minute of your time, go to their website today and tell them you want to see it, Strikeforce has proven that they care and listen to the fans.*** However, the reason for my visit to this article is to ask the same question as the author… Why are we not seeing Roxanne Modafferi fighting regularly on promotions such as Strikeforce? Her name is not “that” hard to spell, she has a proven fight record, is extremely entertaining and willing to fly across the world for a good fight! She is also in a very popular weight class. It is a crime that she is not on the card set for August 15th. That event is going to be a tremendous leap forward for Women’s MMA. In looking at the Strikeforce history of stepping up to the plate, their planning, excellent strategy and ability to put together the fights that fans want to see, I just can not believe Modafferi is not on that card. A match between Roxanne Modafferi and Shayna Baszler would have been perfect if Roxanne had been given time to prep for it (and Baszler had not fought so recently)… Could Strikeforce still put that one together and make it happen by August 15th? I think so… If the fans want it and let them know NOW! *** Take one minute of your time, go to their website today and tell them you want to see it, Strikeforce has proven that they care and listen to the fans.***

]]> By: Aaron http://www.mmaopinion.com/blog/2009/07/09/someone-give-these-girls-a-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-7242 Aaron Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:06:20 +0000 http://mmaopinion.com/?p=3336#comment-7242 I agree Lana is a great fighter, but the pool of talented heavyweight women fighters is small by nature and comparison. That being said, I am from the days before weight classes (which at 265lbs ripped was to my benefit), and feel that the catch weight idea is valid. Or, if allowed and sanctioned, allowing a fighter from a lower weight class that can not be beaten in their class to fight, if one is looking for a challenge. Another avenue for her could be something I have not followed and know nothing about, the proposed male vs female fights? I do not know how that is viewed by the commission, but personally I believe that the only way that will come about and make it to mainstream promotions would be for a board of experts (a questionable term at best) to use specific male/female criteria in both sedentary folks and fighters such as upper/lower body strength ratios, relative muscle fiber and bone density per pound, average striking power and maximum contractile strength per pound, etc to create a fight weight chart for a male vs female class. I don't really know if that is a good idea; that is up to the fighters, fans and commission to ponder. An age based pro masters division becoming mainstream long before the male/female idea is more likely. So the 2 big hurdles for Lana remain, finding the smaller fighter willing to take the fight, and the fight being approved... There is little doubt that this is the year Women's MMA is taking giant leaps forward "finally" and hopefully financially. I hope to see all the fighters in all weight classes get the respect and pay they have been waiting so long to get. I agree Lana is a great fighter, but the pool of talented heavyweight women fighters is small by nature and comparison. That being said, I am from the days before weight classes (which at 265lbs ripped was to my benefit), and feel that the catch weight idea is valid. Or, if allowed and sanctioned, allowing a fighter from a lower weight class that can not be beaten in their class to fight, if one is looking for a challenge. Another avenue for her could be something I have not followed and know nothing about, the proposed male vs female fights? I do not know how that is viewed by the commission, but personally I believe that the only way that will come about and make it to mainstream promotions would be for a board of experts (a questionable term at best) to use specific male/female criteria in both sedentary folks and fighters such as upper/lower body strength ratios, relative muscle fiber and bone density per pound, average striking power and maximum contractile strength per pound, etc to create a fight weight chart for a male vs female class. I don’t really know if that is a good idea; that is up to the fighters, fans and commission to ponder. An age based pro masters division becoming mainstream long before the male/female idea is more likely. So the 2 big hurdles for Lana remain, finding the smaller fighter willing to take the fight, and the fight being approved… There is little doubt that this is the year Women’s MMA is taking giant leaps forward “finally” and hopefully financially. I hope to see all the fighters in all weight classes get the respect and pay they have been waiting so long to get.

]]> By: Yael Grauer http://www.mmaopinion.com/blog/2009/07/09/someone-give-these-girls-a-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-7236 Yael Grauer Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:45:03 +0000 http://mmaopinion.com/?p=3336#comment-7236 I can't think of anybody that would fight her. I can’t think of anybody that would fight her.

]]> By: Bob Donaghy http://www.mmaopinion.com/blog/2009/07/09/someone-give-these-girls-a-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-7235 Bob Donaghy Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:18:05 +0000 http://mmaopinion.com/?p=3336#comment-7235 Availability isn't the issue, it's talent. Give her a catch weight or absolute fight.. Dream could do it. She submitted her way through the heavyweights and the absolutes this year at the Mundials, and beat Kyra Gracie in the final 5-2. Her striking is phenomenal, and no ones even managed to get her in trouble in her 7 MMA fights.. Availability isn’t the issue, it’s talent. Give her a catch weight or absolute fight.. Dream could do it. She submitted her way through the heavyweights and the absolutes this year at the Mundials, and beat Kyra Gracie in the final 5-2. Her striking is phenomenal, and no ones even managed to get her in trouble in her 7 MMA fights..

]]> By: Yael Grauer http://www.mmaopinion.com/blog/2009/07/09/someone-give-these-girls-a-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-7232 Yael Grauer Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:33:23 +0000 http://mmaopinion.com/?p=3336#comment-7232 There is hardly anyone in her weight class. Who's she gonna fight at 210 lbs? Hiroko? There is hardly anyone in her weight class. Who’s she gonna fight at 210 lbs? Hiroko?

]]> By: Bob Donaghy http://www.mmaopinion.com/blog/2009/07/09/someone-give-these-girls-a-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-7231 Bob Donaghy Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:30:14 +0000 http://mmaopinion.com/?p=3336#comment-7231 You need to do some research on Lana Stefanac. You need to do some research on Lana Stefanac.

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