Ronda became a global superstar, transcending the MMA fanbase. Ronda Rousey, the undisputed pioneer of female MMA.Īs we mentioned, Ronda Rousey was the FIRST women’s fighter that the UFC ever signed, it was a historical signing that would prove to be HUGE in the development of the UFC, and MMA as a sport.
Nunes’ stunned the world by Ko’ing Cyborg in the 1st round, becoming only the 3rd fighter in UFC history to hold 2 Championship belts at the same time.Ĭyborg quickly bounced back with a win in her next victory, and she is still one of the most feared opponents in MMA today. No-one thought Cyborg could be beaten until Amanda Nunes stepped up a weight class from Bantamweight, and challenged her for the title. It took her a while to get on the UFC roster, and fans had long since called out for her to be signed to the promotion, due to her fast and entertaining fighting style.įinally, in 2016, Dana White confirmed her contract with the UFC and her first fight was the classic bout that everyone expected, with Cyborg winning by KO in round 1. At one point in her career she had won 8 MMA fights in a row by knockout (this run would’ve been 12 but there was a no contest bout in the middle of all this). She had racked up multiple, vicious knockouts over her competition. The ‘Bullet’ is without a doubt one of the most vicious, yet charming, fighters to ever step foot inside the Octagon and a potential trilogy fight with Nunes could offer her the revenge fight which is one of the only big fights left for her to emerge victorious over, unless she tries her hand at another weight class.Ĭris Cyborg was long considered the deadliest female MMA fighter to ever step foot on planet Earth. Since that fight, she has also earned a vicious head-kick KO over Jessica Eye at UFC 238. Valentina earned her UFC Flyweight belt when she defeated another all-time female great, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, by unanimous decision at UFC 231. Valentina joined the UFC in 2015 and quickly became a fan favourite, partly due to her famous dancing which she does after each victory she achieves in the Octagon, she also puts on fun dance routines in her open workout sessions which happen just before a scheduled fight. 2 of her 3 losses come from the incredibly talented, and dominant, Amanda Nunes (mentioned above). Valentina Shevchenko (18-3) is a female MMA fighter from Kyrgyzstan, who achieved the honour of calling herself the UFC’s Flyweight Champion. The fight ended in complete shock, with Nunes completely dismantling Cyborg within one round and getting a famous knockout.Ĭyborg left the UFC in the following weeks and moved to the promotion’s biggest competitor, Bellator. Originally the UFC’s bantamweight champion, she was slated to move up to Featherweight and challenge the divison’s fearsome, and seemingly unstoppable, champion – Cris Cyborg. After suffering from a KO loss to Cat Zingano, she went on one of the most famous tears in UFC history which saw her finish 4 of the biggest female MMA names in the sports history (Cyborg, Rousey, Tate, Holm). She is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is also in a relationship with fellow UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff. She also holds knockout wins over 4 of the other fighters on this list! She holds Octagon wins over Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Valentina Shevchenko, Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg and many others.
Of course, individual popularity depends on Octagon success, charisma and promotion, but this is just as true for the men in the UFC too.Ī few female MMA fighters have risen to the very top of MMA stardom, and in this article we will take a look at the top 10 female MMA fighters that have ever been signed to the UFC.Īmanda ‘Lioness’ Nunes (18-4) is arguably the all time GOAT of female MMA. She was made the bantamweight champion and made her 1st title defense against Liz Carmouche at UFC 157.Ī lot has changed since Ronda propelled female MMA into global recognition, and unlike many other sports, the female fighters in the UFC have just as much popularity as their male colleagues. Female MMA has come a long way since Dana White famously said that women will never fight in the UFC.Ī women’s UFC division was first created in order to promote the then dominant female MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, who was the first female fighter which the UFC ever signed.