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ROUNDTABLE (pt. 2 of 3): Should UFC add a Women's Division as Strikeforce has done? Pelkey, Walker, Amadi, Leet, Shelby
They will when it's time, but that time isn't now. Women's MMA is still five years away from having enough quality competitors to justify the UFC having a full-fledged division, and they shouldn't have any women's fights until it reaches that point. There's also the issue of weight classes. The two biggest stars of women's MMA - Cyborg Santos and Gina Carano - also happen to be the only two quality fighters their size. Marloes Coenan belongs at 135, not 145. There's almost enough depth for a 135 lb. division, and there's plenty at 125, but the problem is most of those fighters are Japanese and its tough to create stars when they don't speak the language.
JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
The UFC should absolutely not have a Women’s Division. Strikeforce is an excellent guinea pig for the UFC. They are trying it, and proving what Dana White said to be true. There are just not enough good women to have a division with. Cyborg is far and away the most dangerous woman on the planet, and she’s tearing through opponents faster than Strikeforce can produce them. That isn’t really conducive to the deep competitive divisions the UFC aims for.
LARAMEY LEET
Most definitely not! There are just not enough women at the moment. I do think that Zuffa does need to get into a little competition with Strikeforce on the women’s league. I think that WEC needs to offer the Women's Division. It would make more sense to have the women participate in a smaller promotion until there are several women in the division. Who doesn’t want to see The Ultimate Fighter for women!
WESLEY WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
No way should the UFC add a Women's Division. There is only one fight anyone cared about in the Women's Division - Santos vs. Carano. No one cares about other fights in the Women's Division. Plus, as you saw, no one can compete with Santos as she killed Carano and her last opponent. There is not enough parity to add a Women’s Division to the UFC.
TOBEN SHELBY, MMATORCH AUDIO COHOST
In an ideal scenario, we’d see a Women’s Division in the UFC at some point. However, at the moment most of the talent is attached to Strikeforce and makes that organization stand out. Women fighting inside the Octagon would, I believe, propel women’s MMA to another level. But for now, I don’t think there’s the wealth of known talent out there to make it feasible for the UFC. If the UFC really wanted to take a shot at it, a season of The Ultimate Fighter featuring a female cast could be appealing.
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