An MMA Christmas List: 2014 Edition

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Mike Fridley, managing editor: Heading into 2015, all I ask for is gender equality and fairness in mixed martial arts.

Ladies and gentlemen, females can bring the violence: In 2014, women’s MMA was given a wonderful platform by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and it delivered. Ronda Rousey established herself as a pound-for-pound talent on par with dominant men in this sport. “The Ultimate Fighter 20” ushered in a new division and two potential stars in Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas. Herica Tiburcio, at the ripe age of 21, became the new face of Invicta Fighting Championships on UFC’s Fight Pass platform with a brilliant performance against Michelle Waterson.

For Christmas, I ask that Bellator MMA and World Series of Fighting follow the UFC’s lead and give women a more robust platform on which to display their talents.

To both promotions’ credit, strides were made in 2014. With Scott Coker taking the helm at Bellator, women’s MMA returned with a familiar face in Marloes Coenen. Jessica Aguilar, the top strawweight in MMA continues to wreck shop in the WSOF. It’s a great start, but it’s not enough. Despite the vast untapped resources of talent, women simply are not getting the same opportunities as men.

Both Bellator and WSOF’s rosters are void of depth that will challenge these stars. Go to any major mixed martial arts gym in America or Brazil, and you will see women just as hungry to make their mark as the young men with whom they share the wrestling mats and mitts. Ask any respected coach and he or she will tell you the same: An eagerness to learn their craft and become the best is no less present between the ears of a female.

I hope changes come in 2015. The talent is there, people; the ladies of this sport just need the stage to show the world. Promoters: If you just give them a shot, they will not let you down.

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