To begin with, I think that it is worth noting that women competing in MMA matches have been around much longer than most people realise.  It is not the relatively new sport that people believe, only materializing to join its male counterpart in the last three or four years.  In reality, women’s MMA has existed for as long as men’s, and possibly even longer.  There have been competitions held in Japan and Latvia since 1993.  One organization, White Dragon, held three events in Latvia, featuring both men’s and women’s MMA bouts.  Their first show was held in October 1993, a month before the UFC debuted on the scene.

So why has it taken this long for women’s MMA to become mainstream?  If you ask many of the professionals, it is due to the fact that, until recently, fighting was not something that women were “supposed” to do.  In fact, to many people, it still isn’t.  It doesn’t take much research to find scores of comments criticising the sport.  Notable fighters such as Matt Hughes and Karo Parisyan have spoken out against women fighting in the sport, and comments like this do little to improve the credibility of these competitors.  The notion of men’s and women’s roles should be something that has long since become outdated, but this doesn’t seem to be the case.  Fighting is considered unladylike and brutal, which is currently causing more harm than good.

You must remember, however, that as men’s MMA became more main stream, it received a hail of criticism from members of the public, right up to member of the U.S. Senate.  Senator John McCain went so far as to call the sport “human cockfighting”. This was a comment that was echoed by the media and anyone else opposing the sport. It is only now, fifteen years later, that the sport has become more widely accepted, and Senator McCain has changed his opinion.  The same cannot be said for people’s opinions on female competitors.

The fact still remains, however, that women in MMA are genuine athletes and competitors just like men.  Regardless of people’s beliefs and morals, these women put in just as much effort as their male counterparts.  Due to the popularity of some of the female competitors, women in the sport are becoming more widely recognised, although in some cases it is more for the way they look than there fighting ability.  Some fans see these women as nice people to look at, but don’t really see them as fighters, which many women find offensive.  There are many interviews with fighters such as Gina Carano and Julie Kedzie, where the women almost plead to be taken seriously as an athlete.

In fairness, some people do take these women seriously.  Fighters such as Randy Couture and Josh Barnett have long been advocates of women’s MMA, training female fighters at their gyms and helping them train for fights.  Barnett often appears in the corner of his female fighters when they are fighting, and Couture even goes as far as training his wife Kim, and helping to find her fights to further her career.

It is fair to say that female MMA is becoming more widely accepted, but there is still a long way to go.  Companies like Elite XC are doing a stellar job of showcasing the talent emerging from the female side of the sport. Their Saturday Night Fights on CBS have done wonders for these women, especially their latest event featuring two fights with a wealth of talent. Gina Carano’s fame continues to grow with the help of Elite XC, and fighters such as Kelly Kobald-Gavin and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos have become much more recognised with their help.

Companies like the UFC, however, refuse to embrace women’s MMA, with their President Dana White publically stating that the UFC will never fights between women.  This is a huge blow to the progression of the sport, as the UFC a household name in the MMA world, and their lack of support can only hinder the spread of women’s MMA.

So what is the problem with women’s MMA? Why is it not as popular as men’s MMA? The answer here is time.  Men’s MMA has taken more than fifteen years to become as popular and widespread as it is now.  Whilst women’s MMA has been present for the same length of time, it has not been as prominent and as well advertised as its counterpart, and this is what has caused the damage.  Given time, and the right promotion, women’s MMA could be just as strong.  If the marketing and publicity isn’t done as well as it should be, it could mean the end of mainstream women’s MMA, forcing it back behind closed doors.  The MMA world needs to think very carefully about their next move with such a fragile sport.

After the fight, the Dana White - Tito Ortiz saga continued when Tito Ortiz was not allowed into the formal UFC press conference. Details are still emerging on this situation but sources tell me that Dana White was quoted saying “ The press conference is for winners only”. This was a low blow to Tito Ortiz as we all know that yes, even the losers, are allowed in press conferences and have been in past UFC bouts. Dana White was also recently quoted from more than one source as stating “Tito's heart is not in fighting anymore and he wants to be a star”. If there is any statement that will build a foundation in disagreement with Dana White , that would be it. Just because Ortiz can be seen on The Apprentice and dating Jenna Jameson does not mean his heart is not in the sport anymore. Of all sports, UFC is not one that you can half-heartedly stagger into. To say Tito Ortiz is the same fighter he once was would be a lie, but in reality all of the fighters in the octagon train, and train hard. I am sure Tito put a lot of heart into this considering this ongoing dispute between he and the president of the UFC.

This article was not to serve as a play-by-play of the fight or any of the fights, this article is to say as an avid UFC fan I was sad to see Tito Ortiz go down for the second time in his last three fights. Yeah, it does happen especially in this sport, but a part of me was routing for the comeback of Ortiz, as I am one for comeback stories. It didn't happen and I am not sure it will happen , at least in the UFC. To say Tito Ortiz has not already built a name for himself that is able to be marketed in another MMA league would be misleading. He does still have a name for himself , but his name will also always carry the “almost factor”. He never defeated Chuck Liddell and Machida got the best of him and unfortunately this is what fans will remember. That is life as a professional athlete I suppose and the industry is just as much of a “what have you done for me lately” industry as there is.

The growing number of veteran fighters that end up in a battle with Dana White can be seen from two lights, like all disputes. On one end you have Dana White, who came from nothing, and knows what financial distress is. I am sure every bit of this man is pushing to ensure that his days of financial woes as a person, and for the UFC as a business will never come about again. He has business interests and who can argue with that. I can totally side with Dana on the issue of sponsors and sponsors clashing with those of the UFC itself as all fighters must put the brand ahead of themselves. Come on, this is fighting! To think that these fighters want to put their own egos and sponsor deals aside for the good of the UFC would be speculative at best. Who can blame them, as they literally put their life on the line ever time the lights come on for a UFC event. They want to be compensated and rightfully so but in all fairness let's shed the light from another angle. Let's assume that a John Q. Public works for Corporation Big and Corporation Big just signed a deal to give Ford vehicles to it's workers, fully clad in company advertisements. John Q. Public does so much business with his best customer who also owns a Chevy dealership and he wants to drive a Chevy not only because this customer gives him a great deal but because he wants to advertise for his customer by pulling up in a Chevy since this customer puts food on the table. Who would be right? I doubt you would get hired at Corporation Big if you side with John Q. Public but it is certainly debatable. Of course the second you signed up to work for Corporation Big, you know that the good of the company is first and foremost. While that may seem a bit off track, there are several fighters who sacrificed large sponsorship deals for their fights, because of clashes with the interest of the UFC. From the fighter's perspective they are losing the chance to be compensated fairly and from Dana White's perspective this act would certainly not be in the best interests of the sponsors cutting the large checks to fly their brand name on fight night.

While the UFC must do what is in the best interest of the UFC , these world-class athletes deserve to be compensated fairly as well. After all they are the building blocks of this industry, no matter how fast the turnover ratio is or how many bigger, faster, stronger guys are in line to knuckle-up in the octagon. The fact is that fans get attached and acquainted with big names like Ortiz, Lidell, Couture, Arlovski and such. While fans want the most competitive blood-hungry athletes that their $50 can buy, they also are paying to see their favorite fighters. If you look at any of the major sports, their roster is the largest franchise overhead. While profits are important, so is justice. I venture to guess that there will always be unhappy athletes and pushy bosses. To be honest it is fun to watch, read and buy!

In summary I have watched the UFC since it's original days and I just think the list of greats that are finding a problem with the way business is transacted by the UFC is exactly that, a list of greats. Greed seems to be a common word when these fighters express their feelings. While some of these fighters are still under their old contracts, this is not the UFC of old.

My father got his training over in Japan when he was stationed there when he was in the military. From the ages of twelve to sixteen karate and jujitsu are what I learned.A the age of sixteen I started training in a style called capoeira. At the age of seventeen until the age of twenty-three I studied Jeet kune do and Filipino martial arts and Muay Thai. I have also studied some unconventional Hand-to-Hand combat tactics as well.

As far as offensive tactics goes we will be using tactics from Karate, Jujitsu, Muay Thaiand a couple of unconventional tactics.

As far as defensive tactics goes we will be using Jeet KuneDo methods. The offensive tactics that we will discuss are as follows:

• Reverse punch
• Palm strike
• Elbow
• Side kick
• Front kick
• Hip Throw
• Outer Reaping Throw

As far as defensive techniques goes here they are as follows:

• Stance
• Parrying
• Covering
• Footwork

Now to start off with we will be discussing the stance. Here is a proper stance. To start off with stand on which side is most comfortable with you ( me I use my left side.)Your body should be at a forty-five degree angle for better protection. The feet should be a comfortable distance apart so that you can move easily and more agility. Your front hand should be about chin level and a comfortable distance from your body. Your rear hand should be slightly lower than your front hand and closer to your body. The front heel should be raised slightly off of the floor.

Offensive Tactics

Now on to our first offensive tactic. The first offensive tactic we will be discussing is the Reverse Punch.

1. Start off in your stance.
2. Bring the front hand back (If you are doing this off of a defensive tactic do not bring your front hand back so as to have a way to keep your self-protected.), then twist your hip and bring your rear hand forward with your fist held vertically striking with the bottom three knuckles of your fist.(I incorporated that last part from my JKD training.) Then bring your hand back, and return to your stance.

The second offensive tactic we will be discussing is the Palm Strike. This is how you do the Palm Strike. The Palm Strike can be done with both the front hand and the back hand.

1. Start off in your stance.
2. Bring your rear foot forward, while at the same time bringing the rear hand forward bent at the wrist as so you can strike with the fleshy part of the palm.
3. Bring your rear foot back so that you are in the stance that you started in.

Now on to the third offensive tactic that we will be discussing which is the elbow. The elbow strike can be done vertically, horizontally, and downward. We will be discussing the vertical elbow.

1. Start off in your stance.
2. Lower your rear arm slightly.
3. Bring your rear foot forward
   while you bring your rear arm up to perform the elbow strike with.
4. Bring your foot back so that you are in your original stance. (Note: Use the corner of the elbow to strike with.)

For the fourth offensive tactic we will be discussing the side kick. Here is how you do the Side Kick:

1. Start off in your stance.
2. Bring your rear foot close to your front foot( This is so that you can gain distance.)
3. Raise your front foot slightly.
4. Bring your front foot down using a stomping motion, as well using the heel of the foot to strike with.
5. Return to your original stance.

This is the fifth offensive tactic that we will be discussing. It is the Front kick. Here
is how you do the Front Kick:

1. Start off in your stance.
2. Turn your hips forward while raising your rear foot.
3. Bring your rear foot forward striking with the ball of the foot.
4. Bring your foot back and return to your original stance.
   

Moving on to the sixth offensive tactic which is the Hip Throw. Here is how you do the hip throw:

1. Start off in your stance.
2. Place your left hand on the attackers right arm at the elbow while placing your right arm around the attackers left waist.
3. Move so that you are in front of him slightly bending your knees and pulling the attacker onto your hips.
4. Bend forward and straighten your hips to throw your attacker.

For the seventh offensive tactic we will be discussing the Outer Reaping Throw. Here is how you do the outer reaping throw.

1. Grab your attackers right arm with your left arm while your attackers left lapel with your right arm.
2. Step forward and place your right leg behind your attackers right knee.
3. Sweep your attackers right leg throwing him to the ground.

Defensive Tactics

In this section we will be discussing defensive tactics which I have chosen to incorporate from Jeet Kune Do.

For the first defensive tactic we will be discussing is Parrying. Parrying is a quick move that gets the opponents punch out of the way from hitting you. When you parry the palm of the hand to parry with. The parry is good for defending against straight punches. Here is how you parry.

When your attacker goes to attack with a linear punch you simply take the lead hand and slap the attackers hand off to the side. You can also slap the attackers hand downward.

For the second defensive tactic we will discuss the Cover Up. The Cover Up can be done to protect the head and the body. The Cover Up is good to defend against circular punches. Here is how you do the Cover Up.

When your attacker comes at you with a circular punch you simply bend the arm at the elbow and raise to cover the head or lower it to cover the body.

The third and final defensive is footwork. Footwork is the most important part of self-defense for without footwork all the tactics in the world will do you no good. We will discuss the forward step, the backward step, side step right, and the side step right.

First we will talk about the forward step. Here is how you do the forward step.

1. Start off in your stance.
2. Bring your rear foot forward immediately followed by bringing your front foot forward.

Now for the backward step. Here is how you do the backward step.

1. Start off in your stance.
2. Bring your front foot backward immediately followed by bringing your rear foot backward.

Now for the right side step. Here is how you do the right side step:

1. Start off in your stance.
2. Step to the right with your right foot immediately followed by stepping to the right with your left foot.

Now for the left side step. Here is how you do the left side step:

1. Start off in your stance.
2. Step to the left with your left foot immediately followed by stepping to the left with your right foot.

Conclusion

In conclusion I would like to say that when you practice these tactics practice them by your self to start off with and train them separately as well as in combination. Be careful when training with a partner and use proper protective gear so that neither you nor your partner get injured. Please note this is only a tutorial and not a replacement for a qualified instructor nor does the writer of this article accept liability for any injuries do too training with these tactics. Be safe and train hard.