Women Fight Their Way Into Mixed Martial Arts - NAM

Women Fight Their Way Into Mixed Martial Arts - NAM:

"SAN FRANCISCO -- As mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting continues to draw capacity crowds to arenas and sports bars from Tokyo to Las Vegas, many commentators see its appeal in its similarity to street fighting. Legal MMA moves such as 'take downs,' 'choke holds' and 'ground and pound' techniques (where a fighter pins his opponent down and beats him with his fists and elbows) can come across more like barroom brawl strategies than practiced moves and give MMA a reputation as a male-dominated, testosterone-driven sport.

However, a growing number of women fighters like Katrine (pronounced Katrina) Alendal paint a different picture. 'Mixed martial artists are some of the most conditioned athletes in the world,' says the 36-year-old fighter who studies muy-thai kick-boxing, jiujitsu, Western boxing and judo. 'It takes a lot of skill, a lot of training and a lot of conditioning.' She emphatically denies any relationship between MMA and street fighting."