Hitomi Akano ( 赤野 仁美 , Akano Hitomi , born July 27, 1974) is a retired Japanese female mixed martial artist . She announced her formal retirement from MMA on August 1, 2013.
34-496: Akano used a song she penned herself called "Between the Sky" as her entrance music. She is a former Smackgirl Middleweight Champion at 128 pounds. Akano made her mixed martial arts debut on November 26, 2004 against veteran Megumi Yabushita . Akano went into the fight with a broken foot, unwilling to pull out of the fight beforehand. She was defeated by Unanimous Decision. On August 17, 2005, Akano submitted Takayo Hashi at 1:19 of
68-439: A bout rescheduled for Jewels 15th Ring on July 9, 2011. She defeated Modafferi by Unanimous Decision. Akano faced Olympian Sara McMann at ProElite 3 on January 21, 2012. She was defeated by unanimous decision. Akano faced Alexis Davis at Invicta Fighting Championships 2 on July 28, 2012. She was defeated by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the second round. It was announced on August 2, that Akano has retired from
102-476: A number of EliteXC events. This was furthered by her appearances on MGM Television's 2008 revival of their game show American Gladiators . The UFC's decision to allow female fighters in the organization, to promote the dominant fighter Ronda Rousey, is often cited as the reason women's mixed martial arts became known to the general public. Rousey won the Best Fighter ESPY Award at
136-558: A place to call home and were able to fight on a consistent basis in their own weight class. One last important moment was when Primetime became the first mixed martial arts card to be broadcast on national television. Since its inception the role of women in mixed martial arts has been a subject of debate. Some observers have treated women's competition as a spectacle and a taboo topic. Mixed martial arts (MMA) fights have become increasingly popular among women. Women fighters needed to be represented and marketed with more equality for
170-431: A while. The average pay for women at the time was $ 15,000, compared to men's $ 38,000 per fight, which led to a lot of women being frustrated with their pay. Paige VanZant who is an MMA fighter spoke out about wage inequality in 2019 and said she wanted more money to "keep bleeding and sacrificing for this sport". US women's soccer players took legal action over the fact that their pay is significantly lower than men's. During
204-648: Is a change in both weight limits and weight classification. This has been seen in a number of organizations including, Strikeforce , Smackgirl, and Valkyrie . While men are required to wear a groin protector, women are forbidden from doing so. Women must wear a top and chest protector, while men are allowed neither. First female MMA fight in United States held on March 28, 1997 by the International Fighting Championships between Becky Levi and Betty Fagan. Strikeforce became
238-494: Is the president of the UFC stated that he would never allow women to compete in his organization. Although, after observing how many viewers are watching women's fights, he has since acknowledged that female athletes are "very good." Women are requesting more money from the UFC as more viewers start to watch women's fights. Female MMA fighters' earning potential has grown as they gain popularity and recognition. Even though it has changed,
272-749: The United States that invite women to compete are industry leader Ultimate Fighting Championship , the all female Invicta Fighting Championships , Resurrection Fighting Alliance , Bellator Fighting Championships , and Legacy Fighting Championship . Now defunct promotions that featured female fighters were Strikeforce and EliteXC . There has been a growing awareness of women in mixed martial arts due to popular female fighters and personalities such as Amanda Nunes , Megumi Fujii , Gina Carano , Ronda Rousey , Miesha Tate , Holly Holm , Alexa Grasso , and Joanna Jędrzejczyk and among others. Carano became known as "the face of women's MMA" after appearing in
306-637: The 2015 ESPN ESPY awards, beating out noted fighters such as Floyd Mayweather Jr. , and becoming the first UFC and MMA fighter to win the award. In Japan, female competition has been documented since the mid-1990s. Influenced by female professional wrestling and kickboxing , the Smackgirl competition was formed in 2001 and became the only major all-female promotion in mixed martial arts. Other early successful Japanese female organizations included Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling , ReMix (a predecessor to Smackgirl), U-Top Tournament, K-Grace, and AX. Ronda Rousey
340-609: The Cage , Rage in the Cage, Ring of Combat, Bas Rutten Invitational, and HOOKnSHOOT . The first recorded US female competition was at an IFC 4 between Becky Levi and Betty Fagan on March 28, 1997. This was soon followed by an IFC four women tournament sanctioned by the Louisiana Boxing and Wrestling Commission on September 5, 1997 in Baton Rouge. In 2002, HOOKnSHOOT promoted an all women's card labeled ‘Revolution’. It
374-611: The Nations. She was defeated by Unanimous Decision. Akano battled Takayo Hashi for the second time at Smackgirl – Queen's Hottest Summer on September 6, 2007. She was defeated by Unanimous Decision and lost the Smackgirl Middleweight Championship. Akano fought Vanessa Porto at FFF 3 – War of the Roses on November 3, 2007. She lost the fight by Split Decision. Akano rematched Megumi Yabushita in
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#1732801102746408-582: The Queen Paint the Shinjuku Red on Mar 11, 2007 Women%27s mixed martial arts While mixed martial arts is primarily a male dominated sport, it does have female athletes. For instance, Female competition in Japan includes promotions such as DEEP Jewels . Now defunct promotions that featured female fighters were Valkyrie , and Smackgirl . Professional mixed martial arts organizations in
442-681: The ReMix brand, the promotion morphed into Smackgirl in May ;2001 ( 2001-05 ) . 1. def. Maiko Ohkada at Smackgirl: Dynamic!! on Aug 17, 2005 2. def. Cami Hostetler at Smackgirl: Queen’s Triumphant Return on Apr 22, 2006 3. def. Tomomi Sunaba at Smackgirl: Top Girl Battle on Jun 30, 2006 4. def. Thricia Poovey at Smackgirl: The Dance of the Taisho Romance on Apr 28, 2007 5. def. Seo Hee Ham at Smackgirl: Starting Over on Dec 26, 2007 1. def. Misaki Takimoto at Smackgirl: Will
476-458: The UFC 241 event, the highest-paid man earned $ 700,000, while the highest-paid female fighter earned $ 30,000 according to FINCHANNEL statistics. The top female earner in 2020 was Amanda Nunes, who earned $ 350,000 plus $ 100,000 if she won the fight. Conor McGregor is thought to have gotten about $ 3 million for each of his most recent fights. Another male MMA fighter, Alistair Overeem has recently been paid $ 800,000 for each match he has. Dana White, who
510-451: The UFC picked up the contracts of 11 female fighters to fill up their 115-pound division. The Strawweights took part in the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter , the season winner will be the first UFC women's strawweight champion. Some of the fighters include Felice Herrig , Claudia Gadelha , Tecia Torres , Bec Hyatt , Joanne Calderwood , and even Invicta FC's Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza and many more. Carla Esparza became
544-406: The fight by Split Decision. Akano was part of the one-night Strikeforce 135-pound women's tournament on August 13, 2010 at Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor . A random drawing was held on the day of the weigh-ins to determine first-round matchups and Akano faced Carina Damm in the opening round of the tournament. Akano submitted Damm with a triangle armbar in the second round to advance to
578-492: The fight. Akano originally rejected the fight due to Cyborg failing to make weight but later accepted the fight. She lost the fight by TKO due to strikes in the third round. Following the Strikeforce bout, Akano returned to Japan and faced Miki Morifuji at Jewels 4th Ring . She defeated Morifuji by armbar in the second round. Akano faced Hiroko Yamanaka for the second time at Jewels 7th Ring on March 19, 2010. She lost
612-454: The first UFC strawweight champion after defeating Rose Namajunas at The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned finale. Esparza lost her title to Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 185 . There are many important moments that occurred with women's MMA. One of those moments was when Bellator added Women's tournaments, and this was important because it gave a place for top fighters in the smaller weight division to be broadcast. Another moment
646-416: The first major promotion in the United States to have held a female fight as the main event on August 15, 2009 . The fight between Gina Carano and Cristiane Santos , known professionally as Cris Cyborg , attracted 856,000 viewers. Santos made history with her victory over Carano as she became the first Strikeforce Women's 145 lb Champion. Invicta Fighting Championships in early 2012 became one of
680-531: The first major women's pro mma organisations. Ronda Rousey became the first woman fighter signed to the UFC in November 2012, and was promoted to the division's bantamweight champion. She successfully defended her title in the first UFC women's fight against Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 . Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano fought at the Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on April 13. On December 11, 2013
714-447: The first round at Smackgirl – Dynamic !! Akano faced Tara LaRosa at MFC – USA vs. Russia 3 on June 3, 2006. She lost the fight by Unanimous Decision. She faced Molly Helsel at Smackgirl – Women Hold Their Ground on September 15, 2006. She won the fight by armbar submission in the second round and became the second Smackgirl Middleweight (128-Pound) Champion. On April 14, 2007, Akano faced Amanda Buckner at BodogFight – Clash of
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#1732801102746748-484: The future of women's competition, in term both of relevance and popularity. The next step was for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to pick up women's MMA, however UFC President Dana White was resistant. He has said, "There is not enough depth to create a women's division." However, Dana White warmed up to the idea of including women in the UFC and solely credits Ronda Rousey as
782-495: The head while in a grounded position. There was also a 30-second limit for ground fighting but it was abolished by 2008. There were four weight classes: flyweight (under 48 kg), lightweight (under 52 kg), middleweight (under 58 kg), and openweight (no limit). Before being Smackgirl, the ReMix banner was used and held its first event in December ;5, 2000 ( 2000-12-05 ) . After another event with
816-535: The opening round of the 2008 Smackgirl World ReMix Grand Prix. She defeated Yabushita with a heel hook in the second round. Akano advanced to the finals of the ReMix tournament by submitting Hiroko Yamanaka on April 25, 2008, but Smackgirl closed its doors soon after and was later renamed Jewels. On November 16, 2008, Akano submitted Mika Harigai with an armbar in just 38 seconds at Jewels 1st Ring . Akano faced Cris Cyborg at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz on April 11, 2009. Cyborg came in six pounds overweight for
850-522: The reason women are fighting in the UFC. At the end of 2000s in Mexico , Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico (UWC), the oldest company in that country, hosted on May 30, 2009 an event called UWC: Furia Cacharilla that marked the first time there was a female combat in Mexican MMA. The protagonists were Margarita De La Cruz Ramírez and Cristina Marks, both debuting as professionals and with Ramírez taking
884-474: The sport of MMA. List of female mixed martial artists Smackgirl Smackgirl was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion focused solely on female fighters . The promotion also held grappling and amateur events along with its main line of professional MMA cards. After financial difficulties throughout 2008 the promotion was sold to Marverous Japan Co., Ltd. and rebranded JEWELS . Unlike conventional MMA in Japan, Smackgirl did not allow striking to
918-406: The time limit was extended to 30 seconds. The rule was abolished in 2008. In the United States, women's bouts organised by EliteXC saw three-minute rounds while those of Strikeforce were originally of two minutes' duration. These lengths compare to the more usual five minutes for men. Strikeforce later changed this rule to allow for five-minute rounds. Another form of rule differentiation
952-555: The tournament final. She faced Miesha Tate and was defeated by Unanimous Decision. Akano was scheduled to face Roxanne Modafferi at World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight on December 30, 2010, but the fight was cancelled after Modafferi suffered a stomach illness and was unable to compete. Akano faced Chisa Yonezawa at Pancrase Impressive Tour 2 on March 13, 2011 in Osaka , Japan. She defeated Yonezawa by armbar submission in just 40 seconds. Akano then faced Roxanne Modafferi in
986-591: The victory by submission. In Europe some major organizations have held select female competitions, including It's Showtime , Shooto Europe, Cage Warriors in the United Kingdom , and M-1 Global , major MMA organization in Russia . ONE Championship is the leading MMA promotion in Asia and hosts many female professional mixed martial arts bouts. Africa's first female professional mixed martial arts bout
1020-488: Was a female fighter who sparked the popularity of women fighters. When she signed with the UFC in 2012, female fighting was not very popular and was not considered a sport for women. Ronda Rousey was able to open many people's eyes and prove Dana White, the president of the UFC very wrong. Ronda Rousey was the face of UFC and the highest-paid fighter for a very long time. In addition to being an Olympic medalist, Rousey also won back-to-back Pan American Championship gold medals. It
1054-505: Was headlined by Debi Purcell and Christine Van Fleet. In 2005 they held an all-women, one-night-only tournament featuring Julie Kedzie , Jan Finney , and Lisa Ellis . From the mid-2000s, more coverage came when organizations such as Strikeforce , EliteXC , Bellator Fighting Championships , and Shark Fights invited women to compete. Following Zuffa's acquisition of Strikeforce in March 2011, there has been much speculation concerning
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1088-482: Was held in Johannesburg , South Africa in 2015. South Africa's Danella Eliasov defeated Zita Varju (Hungary) by first round submission. The traditional MMA rules have often been adjusted for female competitions because of safety concerns. In Japan, ReMix prohibited ground-and-pound and featured a 20-second time limit for ground fighting. This rule remained following ReMix's 2001 re-branding as Smackgirl, though
1122-488: Was surprising to many people how charismatic and talented Rousey actually was. Every day, female MMA fighters are becoming more popular and getting more viewers In the United States, prior to the success of The Ultimate Fighter reality show that launched mixed martial arts into the mainstream media, there was little major coverage of female competitions. Some early organizations who invited women to compete included, International Fighting Championships, SuperBrawl, King of
1156-401: Was when Ronda Rousey won the title because of the impact she had on many other women looking to be involved in this sport. Another very important fight was when Gina Carano fought Cris Cyborg since it was the first big women's MMA fight and the first time an MMA card was headlined by a women's fight. The implementation of Invicta FC was a very significant time period because female fighters had
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