The Casual Fan's Guide to Women's MMA

The hype of Ronda Rousey and company have finally gotten you interested in women's MMA? Are you trying to expand your horizons outside of the UFC?

Women's MMA burst in to the limelight in December of 2006 when Gina Carano debuted in Strikeforce on Showtime. Since that time, the women of the sport have seen interest go up and down despite a plethora of exciting fights.

2012 has been a banner year for women's mixed martial arts. Rousey became the first star since Carano, and the Invicta FC, an all-women's promotion, debuted. The future certainly seems bright for females looking to compete in MMA.

Here is a simple guide to women's MMA for the casual fan.

Weight Classes

When Carano made her mark on women's MMA, it took a little while to find the proper weight classification for her. Carano, and Cris Cyborg, cemented the 145-pound division. Today, that is the highest premier weight class in mixed martial arts.

Lightweights, 146-155 pounds, do have their place in MMA, but the talent is few and far between. At this point in time, it is unlikely that the division becomes a staple in the world of MMA.

The bantamweight division is the sport's biggest and most marketable. On Saturday night, Rousey defends the Strikeforce bantamweight crowd—the sport's holy grail—against former champion Sarah Kaufman.

There are three other premier divisions in women's mixed martial arts: atomweight (96-105), strawweight (106-115) and flyweight (116-125).

These are the five divisions to keep an eye on.

The Organizations

For the purpose of giving you, the casual fan, a guide, we will focus strictly on the U.S. promotions.

There are three promotions offering high level women's MMA right now.

Bellator

Bellator currently only has a champion in the strawweight division. However, they also feature competitors in the flyweight division.

The flyweight division has seen talent such as Jessica Eye and Marianna Kheyfets.

Zoila Gurgel is the reigning Bellator strawweight champion. The division in Bellator has seen some of the top talent around the world compete in their tournament and for a shot at the title. Megumi Fujii and Jessica Aguilar are just two of the big names in the division.

Invicta FC

The all-women's promotion concluded its second show in late July and has already scheduled their third show for October.

They have had fights in all five of the sports premier divisions. Invicta President Shannon Knapp and matchmaker Janet Martin have brought in well-known veterans and up-and-comers to the promotion. Both cards have been successes with numerous exciting fights and finishes.

Strikeforce

While Strikeforce only has two weight classes for female fighters, it is seen as the top promotion in the world for women's MMA.

The featherweight division is headlined by Cris Cyborg. The champion is currently serving a suspension for testing positive for "stanozolol metabolites."

The cream of the crop, and the sport's biggest prize, is the bantamweight championship. The title is currently held by Ronda Rousey.

Strikeforce houses some of the top competitors in the division and it is quickly becoming the organization's biggest draw with Rousey at the helm.

The Fighters

Who are the fighters to watch out for in these weight divisions?

Atomweight

At Invicta FC 3 in October, two of the top women in the division will square off for the promotion's championship strap. Naho Sugiyama will battle Jessica Penne.

Other fighters to watch are: Kikuyo Ishikawa, Michelle Waterson, Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada and Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc.

Strawweight

This division may be the most overlooked in all of MMA. Bellator champion Zoila Gurgel has been inactive due to injury, but that hasn't stopped others from entertaining. Jessica Aguilar defeated Megumi Fujii in a tight battle via a controversial decision. Both remain at the top of the division.

Ayaka Hamasaki, Carla Esparza, Katja Kankaanpää and Ashley Cummins highlight some of the other talented strawweights across the globe.

Flyweight

The 125-pound division is likely the most-forgotten-about in terms of talent. There are plenty of excellent fighters in this division just now getting their chance at their natural weight thanks to Bellator and Invicta.

MMARising.com ranks Sheila Gaff at the top of division.

Rosi Sexton, Barb Honchak, Aisling Daly, Jessica Eye and Marianna Kheyfets are also included in their rankings. All fighters continue to make their mark in the division as the sport continues to grow.

Bantamweight

You cannot begin to talk about the bantamweights unless you start with current Strikeforce champion Ronda Rousey.

Strikeforce contenders include Sarah Kaufman, Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche. Other top talents are Alexis Davis, Shayna Baszler and Sarah D’Alelio.

The top prospect in the weight class, 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann, could be the next legitimate challenger to Rousey's gold. However, she is not currently signed to Strikeforce.

Featherweight

The featherweight division does not have as much depth as the other weight classes do, but they do bring in some excellent fighters.

Cris Cyborg is at the top of the list. Julia Budd is another strong, up-and-coming 145-pound fighter. Rejoining the ranks of featherweights is former Strikeforce bantamweight champion Marloes Coenen. She made her return to the division in the main event of the first Invicta card.

Until Cyborg returns, the marquee fights in the division are put on hold, but there are still some exciting fighters throughout the world.

Upcoming Fights

The biggest difficulty with women's MMA currently is finding fights to watch live. In the coming months, there are two key cards that will be televised nationally with various high-profile female bouts on the card.

Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman, Aug. 18, Showtime
Strikeforce Bantamweight Championship: Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Kaufman
Miesha Tate vs. Julie Kedzie
Hiroko Yamanaka vs. Germaine de Randamie

Invicta FC 3, Oct. 6, Live Stream on InvictaFC.com
Invicta Strawweight Championship: Jessica Penne vs. Naho Sugiyama
Shayna Baszler vs. Sarah D’Alelio
Barb Honchak vs. Aisling Daly
Tara LaRosa vs. Vanessa Porto
Leslie Smith vs. Cat Zingano
Michelle Waterson vs. Lacey Schuckman
Julia Budd vs. Elaina Maxwell
Carla Esparza vs. Lynn Alvarez
Ashley Cummins vs. Joanne Calderwood
Amy Davis vs. Stephanie Frausto
Jessamyn Duke vs. Marciea Allen
Tecia Torres vs. Kaiyana Rain
Katalina Malungahu vs. Taylor Stratford