The Future of Female MMA

Cannon Jacques over at The Bloody Elbow has posted an article about why the ProElite situation has hurt MMA.
And the third reason he listed was the effect on female MMA.

The ProElite Debacle Hurts the Sport of MMA
3) Female MMA is being hindered along with its most recognizable stars. Saying that Gina Carano is important to the future of female MMA is like saying that Michael Jordan was a pretty decent basketball player. For better or worse, she is currently the public face of the female version of the sport.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/1/10/716540/the-proelite-debacle-hurts

Of course I agree with him and I've pointed this out several times.
The build up for the Gina Carano and Cristiane 'Cris Cyborg' Santos fight has lost most of it's momentum.
And as I have also pointed out before, Carano and Santos are probably the closest figures this part of the sport has to a Tito Ortiz or a Chuck Liddell as far as being recognized.
But without actually getting into the ring and fighting where are they going to wind up?
Doing advertisements for clothing and equipment?
And it's not just Carano and Santos. There are a ton of talented women out there that need the chance to get into the ring.
Why would amateurs compete knowing there's nowhere to go if they turn pro?
The schools, equipment, all cost money.
Okay I know there's the love of the sport, and many will continue because of that.
We have seen several female boxers turn to MMA.
If this continues, we may see female MMA fighters turn to boxing, where the female side is getting more and more press, and more opportunities.

Female MMA Moving into the Spotlight?

It's a bit early to say, but I think the Gina Carano / Kelly Kobold fight may have finally been the event that has pushed female MMA into the spotlight.
The amount of articles referencing women in MMA has picked up considerably.
Here's just a couple of examples......

First, this article at MMA Funhouse by Michael David Smith....
Gina Carano's Toughest Fight: Getting Recognition for Women's MMA
Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin was honored at the Women's Sports Foundation's annual Salute to Women in Sports on Tuesday night in New York City. So was softball player Jessica Mendoza. Dozens of female athletes from sports ranging from basketball to skateboarding were lauded from the podium.
And Gina Carano sat in the audience, wondering if her fellow athletes even know that her sport exists.
http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/10/15/gina-caranos-toughest-fight-getting-recognition-for-womens-mm/

And this article at SFGate by Kelly Mills....
Women taking their place in kickboxing ring
At the Best of the Bay kickboxing event Aug. 16 in San Francisco, there were three women in the ring for one bout, and no one batted an eye. One of the women was the "ring girl," scantily dressed and wearing heels, who walked along the ropes with a sign signaling the round number. The two other women were fighters, dressed in traditional satin muay Thai shorts, tank tops and boxing gloves. As the bell went off, the ring girl teetered off the canvas, and the two fighters emerged from their corners, trading ferocious punches and kicks. The crowd cheered as one fighter landed a hard right cross, while the other threw a whiplike kick aimed at her rival's head. When the bell rang again, the two women returned to opposite sides of the ring, sweaty and slightly bloodied, awaiting coaching from their corners, as the ring girl picked up her sign.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/LV8P13GQHV.DTL

Sometimes it's difficult to even find anything on female MMA fighters, but now that seems to be changing.