Interview with Bodog Fighter Rosie Sexton

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By Pete Mills, on 16-03-2008 16:56

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Interview with Bodog Fighter Rosie Sexton
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Women in Mixed Martial Arts

How would you like to see women’s Mixed Martial Arts progress?

In an ideal world, I’d like to see it alongside the men’s sport, just as any other weight division. The biggest limiting factor at the moment is the lack of good female fighters. There are some excellent fighters both in the UK and abroad and hopefully there will be more women getting involved in the sport but obviously before you can get women’s fights in all of the shows there has to be enough fighters to support them.

I think it feeds back on itself really as the more women see other women doing this and they will think, yes, I can do that too, and then more women will be encouraged to become Mixed Martial Arts fighters. To me that’s one of the biggest things; if by doing this you can get other women involved then I hope I will have achieved something.

Do you feel you are taken seriously as a female competitor and athlete?

Yes I think so. In my experience the attitude over here in the UK towards female Mixed Martial Arts is very healthy. I’ve never really felt any prejudice against serious female Mixed Martial Arts but I think on some of the American forums you do notice a bit more prejudice going on. In the UK and Europe it’s a slightly different culture and I do think we’re a bit ahead of the Americans on that one. I feel the female fighters in the UK, particularly since I’ve started fighting professionally, have always been respected as any other fighter.

How do you feel female martial artists are portrayed in the media on both television and in films?

I think it’s interesting because in more recent years it’s become a popular theme. It is a good thing in some ways but at the same time all films are unrealistic to some degree. The way female martial arts are portrayed might give an unrealistic expectation for some women starting out in martial arts; when they find it’s not as easy as it looks on the film, disillusionment can set in. I think that’s true of male martial artists as well as female but perhaps it’s an additional factor with women because we’re going in there with a disadvantage in terms of size and strength and that can exacerbate the problem. If you go in there with the expectation that you are going to be able to chuck all the guys around then it can be a bit disheartening when you find it is actually quite difficult. That’s not to say that women can’t be excellent martial artists as obviously I believe they can, but sometimes it makes it look a bit too easy.

As a serious competitive martial artist, how do you feel about the ‘bodog girls’ on the website?

The thing about the bodog girls is we are in the entertainment industry. It is a serious sport but at the same time there’s a spectacle to it, much the same as boxing. It’s about putting on a show for the audience and having nice looking ring girls is part of the spectacle and drama of it and I don’t really have a problem with that, especially since bodog have always been very good about treating their female fighters with respect, I’ve never felt anything other than that.

It’s very obvious when you’re there that they see the female fighters as they see the male fighters and we’re not treated or thought of any differently and that’s important to me. So with regards to the showbiz aspect to it I think it’s really a bit of a laugh; I have to appreciate that and just roll with it.