Right to fight

It's 100 years since the 1918 Act paved the way for women to vote in the UK. Even though there may be a way to go, there is no denying the rights for women have come a long way since then.

These rights extend to combat sport.

Whether you appreciate the skill and nuance of mixed martial arts or see it as barbaric cage fighting, there is no denying women who dedicate their life to the craft have the right to compete of the greatest platforms to the largest audiences.

Clean cut

In this respect mixed martial arts has come a long way since UFC president Dana White declared in 2011 that we would never see women in MMA.

The emergence of Ronda Rousey as a global icon in combat sport has helped make women fighting palatable to the mainstream. In many ways Rousey was the perfect crossover star. Apart from her dominance, it was the manner of Ronda's wins that made watching her fights easy to digest. They were generally quick, blood-free and by armbar submission. Audiences got the skill of martial arts with limited exposure to the brutality.

Honour in pain

I'll confess. As much as I love MMA, I can find it hard to watch at times. There are moments when watching fights that you appreciate MMA fighters aren't your average human beings. The punishment some of these athletes endure in pursuit of the 'W' is truly exceptional at timed. The W stands for warrior as much as it stands for win. In defeat the least a combatant wants to leave the cage with is the badge of honour.

It’s in our DNA

Without meaning to sound like an amateur anthropologist, I sometimes feel that as a species we revere warriors. And while there are certainly women that 'take care of business' in combat, deep in our psyche we look to the men in society to play the warrior role. To serve and protect the tribe if you will.

Modern comforts

We are fortunate to live (by in large) in a civilised, santised and somewhat pampered existence compared to other times in human history. A high percentage of us have never experienced war or had to literally fight for survival. For many watching a UFC bout is the nearest they'll get to witnessing the naked truth of hand-to-hand combat.

Best fighting the best

The reason why I like MMA is because it is a combination of something innate and elite competition. I like to see the best compete against the best in any sport. Watching two elite mma practitioners compete, both on the top of their game is almost like watching art unfold in front of your eyes.

Chalk and cheese

However there is a flipside. Watching a mismatched MMA fight is a bit like watching a car crash. On Saturday night we saw a car crash.

We had two fighters making their debut in the UFC’s Women’s Flyweight division. However they were almost polar opposites in terms of where they were in their career. Brazilian Priscila Cachoeira was an unbeaten novice making her debut in the UFC. Her opponent Valentina Shevchenko is widely acknowledged as pound-for-pound one of the best strikers in the world (man or women). The 125lb, Flyweight division is a natural fit for Shevchenko however as the division did not exist in the UFC until recently, Shevchenko has been fighting in the 135lb bantamweight division. Despite being undersized for the weight-class, Shevchenko rose to the of the ranking with a string of impressive victories. She only lost a razor-close split decision to the Women' bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes.

Two rounds too many

What unfolded was a relative novice against an elite athlete in her prime.

For me it was horrible to watch.

From the opening bell, it was clear that Cachoeira was out of her depth. Usually with such a massive discrepancy in skillsets you’d expect the contest to be over quickly. The trouble was that Cachoeira was so damn tough. It meant what should have been a short sharp thrashing turned into almost 10 minutes of one-sided slaughter.

Noise is deafening

Worse still Cachoeira was fighting at home, in Brazil. The Brazilians are brilliantly noisy when their fighter is winning however in defeat the atmosphere is like a morgue. Often the crowd noise can dilute the brutality of MMA. However on this occasion we could here the bone-crushing elbows bouncing off of Cachoeira skull as she lay helpless on the canvass.

Baptism of fire

It was a baptism of fire for the newcomer and it goes to the heart of the issue I have with women’s MMA. It’s nothing to do with sexism. It’s the lack of depth. In men’s MMA, generally speaking, you have to be elite to make it into the UFC. There is a basic level of know how you need to even compete at a regional level let alone in the big show. However, due to the sheer lack of numbers, the same doesn’t always apply to the women’s divisions. It means you can get a fighter like Priscila Cachoeira who was 8-0 and not know whether she is the next Ronda Rousey or a good scrapper at a local level. And with this lack of knowledge, she still ends up getting pitted against the best of the best in her first fight because, frankly there were few other possible matchups to make at this time for both fighters (at 125lb).

Going out on your shield

I get no pleasure in watching anyone getting beaten up, man or woman. I find it strange that the referee Mario Yamasaki justified letting the action continue to allow Cachoeira “to be a warrior and keep fighting.” However Cachoeira was being outstruck 201 - 3. She was on the receiving end of a one-sided beatdown and was not in a position to intelligently defend herself. I get the notion of 'going out on your shield' however Cachoeira was the proverbial lamb to the slaughter.

Are you not entertained?

The question for me is whether this is a one-off? I doubt it. I believe there will be very few legitimate challengers for Shevchenko at 125lb. She is just too good. In much the same way that there are only a handful of women that can mount a legitimate challenge to Cris Cyborg at 145lb. Cyborg is just to good. However I'd rather see the same challengers recycled than putting fighters that are out of their depth in with these trained killers.

It is no fun watching elite fighter vs novices not for me.

Rocky stories are fun however they are for the movies; the UFC is no place for a Cinderella man... or woman.