7 Female Athletes Who Should Pursue MMA

The sport of women's MMA is a young one, much comparable to MMA when Royce Gracie dominated with the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu early on for the men. Because of that, there is a need for talent, and women from other disciplines can certainly fill that need.

Combat sports have some talented athletes who do not participate in MMA but in their respective base sports. These sports include Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing, muay thai and judo, among others.

Strong involvement in those sports leads to a good base for those athletes to build on. Look what it's done for athletes like Ronda Rousey, a former Olympic judoka-turned-UFC champion.

With that, let's take a look at seven female athletes who should give MMA a shot, as they could potentially be great fighters given time and development.

Kayla Harrison

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Style: Judo

Accomplishments: Pan-Am Judo Championship gold medalist, World Judo Championship gold medalist, First American Olympic gold medalist in judo

Potential Division: Featherweight/Bantamweight

Kayla Harrison is a high-level judoka, a martial art that has gained recognition because of UFC champion Ronda Rousey. If you thought Rousey was a great judoka, watch Harrison, who is the most decorated female judoka in terms of accomplishments.

That is because Harrison is the first-ever Olympic gold medalist in judo from the United States, male or female. That's a huge accomplishment and something to market herself upon.

That's why a potential MMA career would be huge for the American. She's marketable and skilled, and after training for a certain amount of time, she could be a force in the sport.

She used to compete at 63 kg (138 pounds) but decided to move to a higher weight class, which is why she could potentially fit the mold of a bantamweight. It would be a similar move to the most famous of the judokas, Rousey.

Women's MMA is still in an early period right now without enough stars, and Harrison would have a huge opportunity to become a top fighter if she put in the time.

Adeline Gray

Tibor Illyes/Associated Press

Style: Wrestling

Accomplishments: World champion

Potential Division: Featherweight

Adeline Gray is one of the best female wrestlers in the United States. She would be a great athlete to have in WMMA, though talks with her in the past have her split on a potential move. 

Gray has talked about her disdain for weight cutting, which would likely take her away from the UFC bantamweight division. However, she could grace a featherweight division in need of stars.

She is athletic and has good physical strength. Her takedowns alone could make her dominant.

She could easily be a star, but the Olympics are in her cross hairs first.

Tiffany Van Soest

Style: Muay thai

Accomplishments: WBC Muay Thai champion, Lion Fights champion

Potential Division: Flyweight

OK, so Tiffany van Soest does have one professional MMA bout. However, that was in 2011, and she is far more popular now due to her exposure with Lion Fights than she was back then.

A muay thai stud, Van Soest is an excellent kicker and puncher, which can be credited to great technique and underrated power. She has become a centerpiece of the Lion Fights women's division, where she is the best female draw.

The fact that she has MMA experience and training puts her in a great spot as well. She knows what to expect in an MMA bout and can actually be quite successful given further improvements.

The flyweight division has been thinning out because the divisions above and below it have been included in the UFC. Women have left for those divisions, which leaves an opening for a star like Van Soest.

Elena Pirozhkova

Misha Japaridze/Associated Press

Style: Wrestling

Accomplishments: World champion

Potential Division: Bantamweight

Elena Pirozhkova has consistently been one of the best female wrestlers in the better half of the last decade. That success and work ethic could easily translate to the cage.

An immigrant at a young age from Russia and one of nine children in her family, Pirozhkova has spent eight years on the American national team. That type of longevity and time in the elite ranks shows she is an extraordinary athlete.

She's the perfect size for the bantamweight division as well. That division is in the UFC, which means Pirozhkova could join the biggest promotion with some early success.

Gabi Garcia

Style: Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Accomplishments: ADCC champion, Pan-Am champion, world champion

Potential Division: Middleweight/Light heavyweight

I have never been so afraid of a woman until I saw The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, when Wanderlei Silva unveiled a guest trainer of massive proportions: Gabi Garcia.

She's a mammoth of a woman, possessing incredible muscle mass, hands like frying pans and a head like a toaster oven. Her physical presence is intimidating, and she has become a juggernaut of women's BJJ. 

The problem we run into with Gabi Garcia is there are few female mixed martial artists her size. Finding her fights would be hard, but she would still be a draw based on her dominance in BJJ and uncanny size. Think Chyna in the WWE.

She was set to make her MMA debut recently, but that was put on hold for unknown reasons. Her move to MMA is imminent but still yet to be seen in a competitive manner. 

Laila Ali

Omar Vega/Associated Press

Style: Boxing

Accomplishments: Undefeated record, multiple-time world champion

Potential Division: Lightweight?

Even if it's just a one-off fight for the 37-year-old boxing legend, Laila Ali should attempt MMA. She's a draw with name power, something that could make her an attraction in the cage.

Ali is boxing royalty and one of the greatest women of all time. She was a knockout artist who seemingly downed women on command.

Obviously, age is a concern for her. She's past her athletic prime, has not competed since 2007 and has yet to train in MMA. However, given the right matchups, money and exposure in her return to combat sports, one lucky promoter would have a diamond in the rough to generate revenue.

Bellator and UFC should look into this at the very least.

Kyra Gracie

Style: Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Accomplishments: ADCC champion, Pan-Am champion, world champion

Potential Division: Bantamweight

It's hard to think about MMA without the last name Gracie coming up. Whether it's Royce, Renzo or Rickson, there always seems to be a Gracie where there's a fight.

It's not just the men who have graced (no pun intended) the combat sports world. Female legend Kyra Gracie is one of the most decorated BJJ players in the world and has the name value to market herself in a big way.

Gracie has talked about making the jump to MMA, but a recent pregnancy put that on old. However, when she is free and available, she'd be a huge star for the MMA world to build upon.

She's a multiple-time world champion and has the physical looks that are marketable to places like the UFC. She's a beauty yet a beast, a proven formula to sell tickets and draw eyes.