Women’s mixed martial arts has seen a boom over the past year thanks to the rise of its newest star.
Ronda Rousey unofficially became the new queen of MMA when she once again armbarred her way to victory over Meisha Tate to capture the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight crown this past March.
Rousey may be the biggest female star today, but MMA has a long history of talented women who have helped to change the landscape of the sport.
Here are the seven most important women in MMA history.