Is there a Future for the Women’s MMA Game?
Published by on May 22nd, 2008 in Operation Cleanup

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By Charles Jay
Commentary on MMA history….as it’s happening
IS THERE A FUTURE FOR THE WOMEN’S GAME?

Elite XC is about to expand the women’s end of its MMA operation – in a major way. The organization is looking to establish championship belts for women, and is undergoing plans to have a women’s-only card at some point, probably next year.

This comes with a little skepticism from me. I don’t have anything against women fighting. They work hard at it. They fight hard. And there are some of them who have some talent. They shouldn’t be denied the opportunity to make money with it. But when you’re talking about all-women’s cards, I’m not sure they’re not barking up the wrong tree in the mixed martial arts culture.

There is a gimmick at work here, being pushed from people who are currently riding one of the biggest gimmicks in MMA history; this latest one probably comes as a result of someone around the ProElite offices figuring out that CBS or Showtime had a lot of female viewers. I appreciate the exploitative aspects of this, but I don’t think it’s not going to work too well.

I’ve seen this happen in boxing. Women’s boxing had to struggle for legitimacy, and at this point there is little doubt about the seriousness of that side of the sport and its participants. And it became accepted, to a certain extent, in the boxing culture. A lot of the fights have been good. And one of those fights – the Laila Ali-Jacqui Frazier fight, was the only pay-per-view boxing match ever previewed with a TV Guide cover story.

But that was for its value as spectacle more than anything else. And it was a one-off proposition. For the most part it’s been accepted only as a side attraction and not necessarily as main event material. Were there stars created? Well, the female Ali might be an example, but she’s really been the only legitimate “crossover” star. Some would argue that Mia St. John became a star in boxing, but of course she had a certain degree of notoriety beforehand as a model. And because of that, throughout the early part of her career, there were so many laydowns to facilitate it that it really cheapened the product. The problem is, the ranks are so thin that if you want to develop and steer someone toward stardom, you’re going to have an awful lot of mismatches.

Is that what MMA fans want?

Women’s tennis and golf work resonate with the fans, but these are different crowds than the crowd for MMA. It’s simply a different demographic. I’m not trying to sound chauvinistic but rather realistic when I say that this particular fan base, which is overwhelmingly male, prefers the women around the sport to be modeling T-Shirts and other apparel, wearing bikinis at press conferences, and carrying ring cards. In other words, being “ornamental.” If you have ever watched an event or picked up an MMA magazine, you know exactly what I am talking about.

This audience wants something that is “sexy,” and men as a rule just don’t consider women fighting each other to be sexy.

If that sounds politically incorrect, it’s not meant to be. Personally, I don’t mind it.