Women’s MMA has come a long way since its inception. It took a long time for the female athletes to get their due recognition in the sport, but there is no denying the fact that WMMA has now found its place in the sport.
There was a time when UFC’s head honcho Dana White said that the women would never fight in the UFC. However, today, one of Dana’s biggest assets is a female fighter – the former UFC Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey.
The popularity of WMMA did not grow overnight. It took years for the women to be taken seriously, and the likes of Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino have been instrumental in popularizing women’s MMA, before Ronda Rousey came along and grabbed the sport by its throat.
However, there is one organization that has been making all the right noises, and is home to some of the best female talent in the world. Invicta FC started with the intention of giving the female fighters a platform to perform on, and IFC’s President Shannon Knapp couldn’t be more pleased with the results of her hard work.
Challenges and the growth of the promotion
In an exclusive interview, Shannon and I talked about the growth of Invicta FC, and what the challenges for WMMA are today. “I think we’re still working to develop divisions, and groom young talent. But I think we’ve come a long way when it comes to breaking down the barriers and gaining acceptance that our athletes deserve”, Shannon added.
“I think the obstacles or the hurdles are less today than what we’ve faced in the past. We still have a lot of work to do in terms of grooming young talent, and building more divisions like you see on the male side of the sport.”
When asked about how she overcame the initial challenges or inertia while setting up an all female promotion, Shannon talked about the importance of having a strong will.
“Okay, you know, I like a good fight, I’m not going to kid you”, she quipped. “I like a good fight, and I think initially the odds were stacked against us. But I think all of that made me more motivated and gave me a purpose. So when we started (an all women’s promotion), I knew we had an uphill climb, but I was prepared for that.
I went in knowing that it was not going to be easy. To be honest with you, it has evolved so quickly – so much faster than I ever dreamed. I thought the fight was going to be even harder.
But to be honest with you, I think the credit goes to the female athletes, because the one thing I can always depend on the female athletes is that they come prepared to fight. They want to fight, and they know they’re fighting just because of the opportunity, so I think I’m pretty fortunate in that aspect.”
Giving the Indian fighters the opportunity to perform on the big stage
India, while not producing the same amount of fighters as the United States or Brazil has seen a spike in interest in the sport of MMA. When asked if someone from India was on Invicta’s radar, Shannon said while they don’t have anyone from India on their radar, they are more than willing to bring fighters from the country that show potential.
“You know, right at the top of my head I’m drawing a blank, but there was a girl – we might’ve freed her to be honest with you. But let me put it like this – we’re always interested. If there is talent no matter where they are, we’re always looking to put the best match ups that we possibly could.
In order to achieve that and accomplish our goals, we have to look everywhere. We have to be open to talents from around the world. I’m extremely interested in India, and to find anyone who is training and competing in that area.”
I then asked the President of Invicta FC how anyone could get in touch with her, and she did what no other promoter would do – she gave me her personal e – mail, and said either Julie Kedzie or herself would be interested to hear about Indian female fighters who have the potential to fight on the biggest stage!
“I will go a step further, how about this – because I am supportive of the talent, and wanting to be able to accommodate the fighters as well, what I will do during this interview is give you my personal email. You can feel free to reach out to me.
Most promoters don’t give out their personal email, but I do (laughs). I’m very interested; as I said, my goal is to get in here and make a difference in the sport. It gives me personal pleasure to be able to help someone who has a dream. I find it personally very gratifying. So people who are interested, whether it’s the athletes or the managers or someone we should be looking at, you can email me and I assure you, me or Julie (Kedzie) will take a look.”
What Invicta FC has in store in 2016
Finally, Shannon said she was optimistic about 2016, and has major opportunities lined up. She also thanked the fans who support WMMA, and said they make all the difference.
“For me, 2016 is going to be an amazing year for Invicta, and an amazing year for the females in the sport. And I thank all the fans that tune in and watch our shows and support us, and take an interest in what we’re doing and helping us push the sport forward for the female athletes.
We have some announcements coming up, so we’re working on reality series, and we’re working on opportunities that are going to be really exciting for the fans as well as the athletes. So I want to thank everyone, because it takes us all to make a difference, and the fans – we need their support to be successful, so thank you.”
