Over the last twelve years, the UFC has showcased women`s fights as headliners for sixteen different pay-per-view events. Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes significantly led this trend, each headlining six main events.
However, with the upcoming UFC 315 featuring a women`s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot positioned as the co-main event, it will be nearly two years since a women`s bout last topped a PPV card (Nunes vs. Irena Aldana at UFC 289). Adding to this, there`s a notable lack of young talent; currently, only three female fighters (Erin Blanchfield, Natalia Silva, and Maycee Barber) under the age of 30 are ranked in the women`s pound-for-pound category, and all current champions are 35 years old or older.
Regardless of whether this situation stems from a lack of star power or the absence of a significant youth movement driving interest, UFC veteran Matt Brown believes the core issue is that the initial fascination with women`s MMA has simply diminished in recent years.
Appearing on the podcast The Fighter vs. the Writer, Brown suggested it was “like a little bit of a honeymoon thing.” He explained, “When women`s MMA first came in, everybody was so excited about it… But then as they get more into it, I`m not trying to hate on women`s MMA, they`re great for what they are, but you can`t compare it to male MMA.”
Brown continued, stating, “After the honeymoon period kind of faded off, I think everybody`s just started to realize they`re not as great of fights. That`s all there is to it.”
Brown genuinely feels that the skill level displayed in women`s fights is simply not equivalent to that seen in men`s bouts, leading to decreased interest among a large segment of the overall UFC fanbase.
“I don`t know how to say it politically correct, but women are just not as good as fighters as men,” Brown frankly stated. “I don`t know if that`s a controversial thing to say. They`re in a different division for a reason, right? They`re just not as good.” He speculated that once fans move past the initial “drama and the excitement,” they begin to desire seeing “the real motherf*ckers fight.”
Expressing awareness of potential backlash, Brown added, “I don`t want to hate on them. I don`t want to put them down or anything. I`m not saying that in an offensive way… I think we can all recognize they`re simply not as good. It`s not as exciting to watch the ones that are not the greatest. The UFC is the Super Bowl of MMA. We want to see the greatest fighters in the world, period. That`s what excites us.”
While acknowledging that many memorable moments exist in the history of women`s UFC fights, Brown feels the frequency of truly exciting bouts has decreased recently, contributing to the lack of overall interest.
Since June 2023, the last time a women`s fight headlined a UFC pay-per-view, only four women`s fights have received Fight of the Night honors. Only two of these occurred on a pay-per-view card, and neither was featured on the main card.
“I don`t find the fights nearly as exciting,” Brown reiterated. “Because I want to watch the baddest human being in the world, it could be male or female, but I want to watch the baddest motherf*ckers in the world do best techniques in the world and f*ck each other up.”
The departure of Ronda Rousey`s star power is undeniably a significant factor that cannot be overlooked, especially considering the immense attention she garnered, becoming one of the biggest names on the entire UFC roster during her peak.
Brown believes Rousey`s dominance and controversial persona fueled discussions that amplified her legendary status. Since her retirement, he feels no one has truly emerged to fill the void she left.
“A few years ago one of the biggest conversations was Ronda talking all kind of crazy shit, like she`d beat up Cain Velasquez or some shit, but that was a legit conversation going around bars and stuff,” Brown recalled. “`Like `Ronda would f*ck you up!` That got people hyped up and excited and it`s dramatic and something to talk about.” He noted that the reality for most female fighters is different, acknowledging few exceptions like Kayla Harrison, who he believes could potentially compete effectively in the men`s division.
Brown fully expects his opinions to be met with criticism but remains firm in his stance regarding women`s MMA in the UFC.
He concluded, “We want to see the baddest, we want to see the best… in MMA, we want to see the big knockouts… We want to see the peak level of human violence. No hate at all, you don`t see it in women`s MMA, period. It`s just a fact.” Despite anticipating negative reactions, Brown stated, “It is what it is. F*ck, it, I don`t even care, I just say the truth.”
