Mixed Martial Arts spent its early years being a male-dominated sport before women transcended the industry and broke down barriers in the 21st century. The ascent of women’s MMA peaked over the last decade when women were brought into the UFC in 2013 and were allowed to share a global stage with their male counterparts.
They not only met but exceeded expectations, shattering stereotypes and elevating the sport to unprecedented heights with several women becoming some of the sport’s biggest stars. Today, women are routinely putting on the most exciting fights in MMA and headlining major events.
Although women’s MMA is still an adolescent to many fans, there’s enough history to define who are the best of the best. Here is ESPN’s list of the top 10 fighters in the history of women’s MMA:
Key accomplishments: UFC featherweight and bantamweight champion, consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world
Nunes retired from mixed martial arts in 2023 because she literally ran out of achievements to pursue. She defeated every legitimate title challenger the UFC could find at 135 and 145 pounds, and did so seemingly with ease. She closed her storied career on a 14-1 run. The one loss during that time was a submission to Julianna Peña in 2022, which she…
