Strikeforce Women's Tournament: Who Presents the Biggest Threat?

For centuries, female athletes have struggled to receive the same amount of recognition as their male counterparts.

It didn’t matter how particularly talented or passionate they were about their chosen sport, women weren’t supposed to compete in a “man’s game”.

Unfortunately that has always been the stereotypical attitude that has held women back from achieving equality in professional sports.

Men will make up every excuse in the book to discredit female athletes such as “they are not as athletic as men” or “they’re boring to watch.” The truth is, females are every bit as capable of accomplishing great athletic feats as men.

In the sport of mixed martial arts, some of the most gifted and hungriest competitors are women. You would never know this because despite working extremely hard in the gym and fighting even harder in the ring or cage, women just don’t get promoted the same way as men.

However, over the past three years Women’s MMA has slowly but surely seen its stock rise and the future looks very bright. This Friday night live at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona, Strikeforce is going to promote a one-night four woman tournament to determine the next contender to champion Sarah Kaufman’s 135-lbs title.

Miesha Tate, Hitomi Akano, Maiju Kujala and Carina Damm will make history in the first ever single night female tournament under the Strikeforce banner.

All four competitors are hungry as could be to fight for that female welterweight title that is currently wrapped firmly around Sarah Kaufman’s waist. The question is who will walk out of Phoenix with the guaranteed title shot?

It’s difficult to analyze the tournament without knowing the first round matchups. The fighters themselves won’t even know their opponents until the weigh-ins the day before the event.

On paper, one would have to favor Akano and Damm in the experience department. They both have over 15 professional MMA fights on their resume and have competed against some of the toughest females in the world.

Not only does Damm have a ton of experience, she also presents dangerous threats both on her feet and on the ground. The Brazilian is a terror to deal with standing up and if you need proof check out her destructive knockout victories over Ana Maria and Lashonda Knox.

Damm is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt so even if she can’t finish with strikes, she can surely get the job done on the floor. She has to be considered one of the biggest threats heading into this tournament.

However, while Tate may not have the most experience, she will enter this tournament with the most athletic ability. Out of the four she is the only one to have already been in a cage against Kaufman once before—losing by decision in a very close fight.

“Takedown” Tate also has the wrestling pedigree to give all three of the girls in this tournament problems. Her wrestling base will give her the advantage in the sense that she will be able to dictate where her fights will take place, be it on the ground or standing up.

With her name recognition and popularity among fans, Tate is the early favorite to win this tournament. Nonetheless, the other three tournament participants should not be overlooked, especially Kujala.

Due to her inexperience and low-profile status in MMA, it is easy to underestimate Finland’s Kujala but that could prove to be a huge mistake.

Kujala may just be the dark horse in this tournament simply because she isn’t expected to win. In fact, many believe that she is the weakest of the four and while that may ring true on paper, MMA isn’t a paper sport.

Anything can happen once that cage door closes, especially with all the unique factors that come with a single night tournament. Kujala has the skills and the heart to pull off a big upset but stylistically it’s hard to favor her over the others.

Another factor that could come into play is the possibility of a competitor suffering an injury. In which case, the winner of a tournament reserve bout between Liz Carmouche and Colleen Schneider will step in. Carmouche and Schneider are vastly inexperienced compared to the four tournament participants but as we’ve seen time and time again, upsets do happen in MMA.

Regardless of who wins the tournament or who is “expected” to win, one thing that is for sure is that the fans are guaranteed a night of great female fights. If you’re the type of fan that believes women can’t cut it in combat sports, your opinion will change if you gave these girls a chance.

Watch the event on Showtime this Friday night at 11:00 p.m ET/PT and you will begin to understand the talent and versatility of high level female mixed martial artists.

Mitch Ciccarelli is an MMA columnist contributing to both Heavy.com and Bleacher Report and he will be covering Strikeforce Challengers cageside this Friday for B/R MMA. Follow Mitch on Twitter if you’re looking to read some interesting tweets about MMA, hot chicks, hot dogs, hot plates, hot wings, and other hotness: @mitchciccarelli