Most Important Women in MMA History That You Should Know Of

The popularity of women’s MMA is on the rise and the reason why this is happening is hidden in the fact that various amazing fighters are stepping on the fighting scene. And it’s hardly surprising that there is a growing interest in Women’s Mixed Martial Arts when the performance of some of these athletes is mind-blowing. 

Women like Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano, and Svetlana Goundarenko are just some of the talented fighters that brought the spotlight on the world of Women MMA and changed the landscape of this sport for good. In this article, we’ll go over some of the most influential women in MMA history. 

Svetlana Goundarenko

The first Ultimate L-1 Challenge tournament for women was held in 1995. The first woman ever to rule that ring, when it was in its beginning, is Svetlana Goundarenko. This Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling icon was a Russian Olympic judoka. One can say that it was a combination of her skills and built that contributed to her success in the ring. Svetlana weighed over 300 pounds and she easily dominated every opponent that was brave enough to face her. She also competed in ReMix World Cup 2000, which she ended up losing to Megumi Yabushita. Nevertheless, she’s remembered as one of the pioneers in Women’s MMA and the first one to show the true power of women fighting skills. 

Gina Carano

Some would say that the magnificent Gina Carano made it in the world of Women’s MMA for her extraordinary good looks. But those people couldn’t be further from the truth. While she was fighting for EliteXC and Strikeforce she was the main force behind the movement that helped women fighters gain their rightful place among other leagues. Moreover, she became the main reason why many women who decided to join a new casino online in the Netherlands and in all other European countries wanted to place a bet on MMA or any other sport that has a women’s league. Also, people like Gina Carano empowered many other women that visited these websites to try out different casino games and try their luck with an activity that used to be mostly male-dominated. Powerful ladies like Gina Carano not only inspire their fellow fighters but their fans as well. Even during the latest scandals that surrounded her being canceled by Disney, she showed true strength in the way she handled the situation and the accusations made against her. 

Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey was one of the biggest stars the MMA has ever seen. Same like Gina Carano, Ronda also had many fans that visited top online casino sites worldwide in order to support their favorite female fighter, since for them any match that she participated in looked like a safe bet. Ronda Rousey is an Olympic bronze medal winner in judo, and she managed to use those skills to her advantage when she made the transition into MMA. She made her debut in 2010, with a match that lasted only 23 seconds, because that’s how long it took for Ronda to submit Hayden Munoz. 

Shannon Knapp

Shannon Knapp made it on our list, but not because she was a fighter in the ring. But one of the few women who fought behind the scenes to take the Women’s MMA towards a better future. Knapp was a former IFL and Strikeforce executive, and today she’s the president of all-women Invicta FC.