Trish Stratus Comments on Strikeforce and Sex Appeal in Women’s MMA

http://www.diva-dirt.com/2012/03/12/trish-stratus-comments-on-strikeforce-and-sex-appeal-in-womens-mma/



Seven-time WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus recently gave an interview to Fighters.com in which she commented on Strikeforce, particularly discussions that Tate vs. Rousey was the main event of the most recent show due to their sex appeal with their male audience.

While she admits she didn’t catch the broadcast of Rousey’s title win, she says that MMA has definitely caught her eye.

I did not watch (Tate-Rousey) but I’ve been very keen on Strikeforce. That fight did catch my attention and those girls are hot. That is going to be the key to people sticking around and watching because there’s no doubt about it that sex sells. I hate to say it but you have to use whatever can bring you to the dance. With me, I started as a fitness model and made my transition into wrestling and I dealt with the same thing. People would say that I was just the hot chick but that is what caught their attention.

Stratus says that being good-looking is just a bonus if they can back it up in the ring, or, in this case, octagon.

Once I had their attention I was able to showcase my talents and as long as you can back up your looks with your talent, as both have proven, that is the key. The fact that these women went out there and proved themselves is awesome. We had the same thing in wrestling where we’d have the crowd chanting “puppies” but once we brought it and delivered some solid action in the ring, those chants stopped and fans began chanting for us and what we were doing in the ring. WWE Productions noticed that and ended up giving us more time and more devotion to our storylines and character development.

The article then goes on to note that while MMA and professional wrestling are two completely different sports, they do share similarities in terms of drawing an audience. They point out that when Trish was on the top of her game in the WWE, women’s wrestling was often the highlight of many shows – a very true statement.

The author of the article believes that with Rousey’s marketing ability and niche for creating pre-fight hype, there’s a high chance we may see more main event female fights in the future.

I agree a hundred percent that Rousey is a main event caliber fighter, and is a definite draw. The problem is, that unlike in wrestling where a female can be pushed and made to look talented, even if she isn't, that is not the case in MMA. The talent has to build to championship level, and there just aren't enough viable contenders in her weight class. Unless the talent pool increases dramatically, Rousey may not have many people left to fight that people would pay to see. That's not just a problem with her division, but women's mma in general. That's why the UFC has no plans to bring a women's weight class.

If anyone is interested in the fight, here it is.



Definitely a fun fight, with some intense moments. It's only about 4 minutes long, so check it out.