Women’s mixed martial arts has come a long way since its inception, but it has not received as much mainstream exposure as male mixed martial arts has enjoyed. However, if Strikeforce women’s welterweight champion Sarah Kaufman has anything to say about it, that will not be the case for long. “I think women’s MMA has gotten a little more recognition lately,” said Kaufman, who will defend her title against Marloes Coenen at Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Noons 2” on Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. “After my last fight (a third-round slam knockout of Roxanne Modafferi in July), the knockout was on ESPN’s ‘Plays of the Week.’ I think women’s MMA just needs more exposure.
“There are a lot of stereotypes out there about boys doing things like fighting and girls doing girlie things, but the stereotypes are starting to change,” she added. “There are women out there now, like Marloes, who have been fighting for 10 years. I think it’s just a matter of time and getting more people to see women’s MMA is all.”
Strikeforce and Bellator Fighting Championships are two major promotions that have put an emphasis on women’s MMA, as Strikeforce has champions at 135 and 145 pounds in Kaufman and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos; Bellator is currently conducting a 115-pound women’s tournament that features Japanese superstar Megumi Fujii.
“Things are getting better with Bellator doing their tournament and Strikeforce having championships the way they do,” said Kaufman. “Things like that really help push it forward. Even though she’s doing acting now, having Gina Carano bring attention to women’s MMA helped, as well.”
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