Fighting to be the Best
Often the women’s divisions are a bit forgotten when talking about the greatest fighters of all time and the most violent fighters.
They are still young in terms of the UFC and there hasn’t been a lot of time for the women’s divisions to really show what they can do.
Of course, they are some of the most popular divisions right now and they put on some great fights on a consistent basis.
That still won’t put anyone fighting in those women’s divisions a major talking point when speaking about the UFC world in general.
There was only one fighter ever able to break through into the conversation about the biggest star and the best of all time.
That as Ronda Rousey who was the reason for the UFC to bring women into the promotion after being one of the biggest athletes in North America while fighting for smaller promotions.
Rousey’s era is done though and she doesn’t seem to be coming back anytime soon leaving the only conversation about women’s MMA resting on her shoulders.
To some, she is still considered the best of all time and is certainly one of the only names in the female divisions that is recognizable.
The sport moves on though and although the names aren’t as big there were two fighters heading into the main event at UFC 219 that could easily already have the crown of greatest of all time.
Cristiane Justino, or just Cyborg, is widely considered by many to be the best female fighter in the history of the sport.
She is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who grapples only with men but is better known for her violent striking.
She has only been beaten once in her career and has a staggering 18-1 record in a side of the sport where there is so much evolution.
Women’s MMA is still really young and talented women continue to enter the sport making things better, much like it was for the men when the UFC began to grow.
Being able to beat all comers and take them out in violent fashion makes her one of the greatest to ever do it in the octagon.
She has had her issues though as she did fail a drug test years ago, leading to plenty of rumours, while also struggling to find opponents that are will to fight her.
It has left her inactive for the most part and since signing in the UFC she has been unable to find opponents keeping her on the sideline.
She finally got one in Holly Holm who has her own argument for being the best to ever fight in the sport and possibly in combat sports in general.
The multiple time boxing and kickboxing champion is one of the most decorated fighters in the UFC regardless of gender.
She brought years of experience in combat sports into MMA and proceeded to run through most of the women in the sport.
That included her run up to Rousey and her massive head kick to beat the biggest name in women’s MMA history.
It was a massive win and although she has had some tough losses with controversy in a few of them she is still one of the best ever.
If she could beat Cyborg there would be little doubt in her reputation as a world-beater and the true debate could start about her place in the history of women’s MMA.
Already a boxing Hall of Famer, Holm could solidify her spot
at the top of women’s MMA with a win over the woman most consider to be the most dominant fighter in the world.
With that win, there would be little denial that Holm could be considered the best ever as she not only would have beat a dominant fighter but would become the first woman to win multiple titles.
That is what was on the line at UFC 219 with two of the best to ever set foot in the octagon fight for the featherweight prize.
The fact that both fighters were vying for that title was clear right from the start as this was by far the toughest fight Cyborg had ever had.
Both fighters traded in the stand-up game not giving much either way but as the fight went on Cyborg proved to be the better fighter.
She landed more and better shot throughout the fight but the interesting part was that she simply couldn’t put Holm away.
Cyborg has a long history of finishing fighters and doing it violently which is why she is the most feared fighter in women’s MMA.
She couldn’t do that to Holm though as the former bantamweight champion stood in front of the shots and kept coming.
Although the fight was a clear win for Cyborg it wasn’t as dominant as she is used to and that showed just how tough and how good Holm is as one of the most decorated female fighters.
The win for Cyborg leaves little options in the featherweight division with not many fighters wanting that fight.
The only real option for the champion is to fight Meagan Anderson, who some consider to be the only fighter that can challenge Cyborg.
Taking out everyone, even in women’s MMA is enough to name Cyborg the best female fighter ever and one of the best in the UFC regardless of gender.
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