“Watching the progression, the evolution of the sport for women, particularly in the UFC, has been amazing,” said Carmouche, who was the first woman to walk to the UFC Octagon. “It’s been something where it’s just a little seed that was planted, to now it’s the large seed that’s just growing more and more.”
Speaking to several current fighters about the growth of women’s mixed martial arts and the women’s divisions in the UFC, it’s almost impossible to go a few sentences without Ronda Rousey’s name coming up. It’s not without merit, either.
“I think her rivalry with Miesha Tate really just gave people an insight into women’s MMA, and I think the rivalry kind of got people interested,” UFC featherweight Megan Anderson said. “They disliked each other. The Ultimate Fighter, they coached against each other. That was the first season of The Ultimate Fighter that I had ever watched.”
Although Rousey hasn’t held the bantamweight title for more than two years, her impact still rings throughout all aspects of the sport.
“We just needed somebody to knock down that door, and she was able to do that,” UFC correspondent Megan Olivi said. “I feel like Ronda not only opened up doors for women in MMA, but she opened up doors for people like me because I was doing interviews with her, and now she’s headlining pay-per-views, and people are seeing us on camera together. It gave me a lot of opportunities.”
