MMA dates back to ancient times and, for at least 2,000 years, has been a male-dominated sport. Modern MMA started in 1993. Surprisingly, women’s MMA started not long after that, with the first US female fight taking place on March 28, 1997. 

Since that first fight between Betty Fagan and Becki Levi, a lot has changed about the sport – namely, women have become a lot more dominant in this type of combat. Records have been shattered, boundaries have been broken, and attention has shifted from male to female. 

Sportsbooks have also switched their focus from basketball and football to MMA. As Graziella Calleja points out, many of the best crypto sports betting sites now allow bettors to wager on MMA fights. 

This change to crypto gambling is thanks, in part, to the excitement caused by female fighters. In this guide, we’ll define the key women in MMA who have changed the sport for the better. 

Ronda Rousey 

While she may not have the same winning streak as the likes of Amanda Nunes, Ronda Rousey is a veritable pioneer of female MMA. The CEO of UFC, Dana White, famously said that UFC women would never fight in the UFC – until he saw Ronda Rousey. 

Rousey actually convinced White to set up the female division of the UFC. So, without Rousey, there wouldn’t even be a female UFC division. Once established, Rousey became the best female fighter in the world, with many holding the belief that she could take on and beat many male MMA fighters. 

In terms of achievements, Rousey was the first ever female bantamweight champion, a title that she successfully defended for several years. She was also the first-ever female to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. 

Rousey has accrued a considerable $14 million net worth from her MMA career. 

Amanda Nunes 

Next, we have to talk about Amanda Nunes. Better known as ‘the Lioness’, Nunes has beaten some of the best players in the game, broken several records, and achieved some of the top titles in MMA. In fact, she was the undisputed champion of female MMA up until her 2023 retirement, closing with a 14-1 run. 

Her achievements led her to become the UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion simultaneously, as well as the number one pound-for-pound female fighter in the world. She remains the only female fighter to have retired as a UFC Multi Divisional Champion. 

She’s also the only fighter to have beaten Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, and Cris Cyborg. In total, Nunes retired with 23 career wins and 5 career losses. Overall, Nunes is arguably the best female MMA fighter of all time and has undeniably contributed to the expansion of female fighters in the sport. 

Cris Cyborg 

Cris Cyborg is another female fighter who will undeniably have a massive influence on the next generation of female MMA competitors. Hailing from Brazil, Cyborg currently competes in the Bellator MMA and is the promotion’s current Featherweight Champion. She has also been the Featherweight Champion in the UFC, Strikeforce, and Invicta FC at various points in her two-decade-long career. 

Given that she’s been crowned champion of all these different promotions makes her the only female Grand Slam Champion. Her fighting style has been described as powerful and aggressive and is particularly good at knocking out her opponents. She’s also successfully beaten such big names as Cat Zingano and Holly Holm. 

In total, Cyborg has had a total of 27 wins and only 2 career losses, which is an impressive ratio. 

Valentina Shevchenko

Valentina Schevchenko is best known for her technique, which normally consists of spinning wheel kicks, spinning back fists, and fast right hooks. Her strikes are noted as being amongst the best and most powerful out of all the current female UFC fighters. This has garnered her the nickname ‘the bullet’. 

Her technique is mostly influenced by Muay Thai, a sport that Schevchenko formally competed in professionally. In 2017, Shevchenko competed in the UFC’s bantamweight championship. Despite being underweight, she nearly beat and took the title from Amanda Nunes. 

Schevchenko proved herself as a formidable component during this match. Her resilience and the fact she was undersized (she currently weighs 125 pounds) at the time of the fight will definitely go down in the MMA history books. 

She switched to flyweight in 2018, where she has won numerous title fights. Overall, Schevchenko has had a successful MMA career consisting of 23 wins and 4 losses. 

Final Thoughts 

There’s been too many influential figures in the world of female MMA. Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Rose Namajunas, and Miesha Tate all deserve a mention too. In terms of which fighter is the most influential overall, Ronda Rousey definitely made the sport what it is today, so can be heralded as the biggest influence on the sport. However, Amanda Nunes, Cris Cyborg, and Valentina Shevchenko have also influenced the game in their own way.