Her Fight, Her Rules: The Women of Bare-Knuckle

UFC CEO Dana White infamously said, “Women will never fight in the UFC.” Two years after this statement, women started fighting in the UFC.

Women have been integral to the evolution of sports as a whole, challenging every societal norm and institutional policy possible to establish a place in disciplines that traditionally have been (and still are) dominated by men. Historically, female participation in sports was often marginalized or outright prohibited; women just attending the original Olympic Games in ancient Greece could face the death penalty. 

When it came to the Victorian age, CSP Global wrote, “Myths surrounding women included those that women could harm their reproductive organs if they participated in sports, which would make them unattractive to men, and that they only had a finite amount of energy in their bodies, and wasting that energy on sports or higher education would lead to weak offspring.” 

In Brazil, women were even banned from playing soccer from 1941 to 1979, despite clear evidence of their interest and capabilities in this discipline — and that’s recent!

In many cultures, martial arts and combat sports were reserved for men, with women discouraged or forbidden from training. This exclusion was rooted in patriarchal views that deemed specifically combat physically, emotionally, and morally unsuitable for women. However, even female gladiators existed — gladiatrix, though uncommon, were a real part of ancient Roman entertainment. 

There is enough evidence showing that women, both lower-class and high-born, chose to fight in the arena despite societal restrictions. These women were motivated by a desire for independence, fame, and financial reward, even at the cost of respectability. The Roman Senate attempted to regulate or ban female participation, as seen in an 11 CE law forbidding freeborn women under 20 from fighting and Emperor Septimius Severus’ decree outlawing all female gladiators. Despite this, women continued to fight, as inscriptions and artifacts, like the depiction of “Amazon” and “Achillia”, show. 

Bare-Knuckle Queens — Women Who Broke Every Rule

During the 18th and 19th centuries, women actively participated in bare-knuckle boxing, defying norms that dictated they embody modesty and domesticity. Though often overlooked, the women of this timeframe played a large role in expanding the perception of women’s capabilities in physical and public spaces.

In the Georgian period, female prizefighters competed alongside famous male boxers like Daniel Mendoza and “Gentleman” John Jackson. Women even fought men, such as the notorious fight where a female fighter defeated a man who later advertised in “The Times” in 1789 for a rematch. 

However, by the Victorian era, attitudes had shifted. Prizefighting moved underground, partially due to fears about public disorder and Victorian morality, which increasingly stigmatized women’s involvement. Female fighters were no longer seen as daring or skilled but instead criticized as a threat to social order. Despite this, women continued to fight, with evidence of over 160 prizefights involving women between 1850 and 1900, often held in secret locations like fields, pubs, alleys.

The fighters came from working-class backgrounds — market traders, mill workers, and domestic servants — using prize money to supplement their incomes, like a “side hustle”. While some did fight purely for financial rewards, others fought to build reputations or settle disputes. These fights were often brutal, arguably more so than bare-knuckle boxing today.

The backlash against female fighters reflected wider anxieties about women’s increasing involvement in public life. Dr. Grace Di Méo, the author of a study of female-perpetrated violence in the late Victorian and Edwardian period, noted: “In 19th-century reporting, you start to see these women portrayed as uncivilised. They talk about women who are no longer part of the fairer sex and that they start to act like men. They used terms like ‘wild beasts’, ‘impulsive’ and ‘unrestrained’.”

Nevertheless, these women left an enduring legacy. Bare-knuckle boxing served as a means of financial independence to some, and also became a symbol of physical and political power. Their participation in this male-dominated sport laid the groundwork for the later inclusion of women in modern combat sports. 

Many USA states outright banned women’s participation in boxing matches. Female boxing pioneers like Hattie Leslie, who fought in the late 19th century, encountered severe criticism and legal obstacles. Her 1888 fight with Alice Learie, held in a barn, was condemned by the press as a “disgraceful prize fight”, leading to their arrests and indictments.

These restrictions persisted into the mid-20th century. Women’s boxing was included as a display event in the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, but failed to gain traction. It wasn’t until the 1990s that significant progress was made. In March of 1993, the American Civil Liberties Union brought a lawsuit against USA Boxing, challenging the ban on women’s competitive boxing. As a result, USA Boxing lifted the ban, allowing women to box competitively.

But women’s MMA faced significant disdain as recently as the early 2000s. UFC President Dana White famously declared in 2011 that “women will never fight in the UFC”. However, this stance changed, leading to the first women’s fight in UFC history on February 23rd, 2013, when Ronda Rousey faced Liz Carmouche at UFC 157. Rousey secured a victory via armbar submission in the first round, ultimately leading to the introduction of women’s divisions in the UFC.

While the 1980s and 1990s saw a resurgence in women’s boxing, there is limited documentation of prominent female bare-knuckle boxers. The sport of bare-knuckle boxing had largely transitioned to gloved boxing by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the modern, publicized and regulated revival of bare-knuckle boxing has recently occurred, with increased visibility in the 2010s and beyond.

Mother of Boxing, Elizabeth Wilkinson

The most notable of mentions, Elizabeth Wilkinson, was active from 1722 to 1733 and is still celebrated as one of the earliest known female boxers — a pioneer of bare-knuckle fighting. Known as the “Championess”, Wilkinson earned her reputation in the prizefighting world of Georgian England. 

She began her career by challenging women to settle disputes in public fights. Skilled in both bare-knuckle boxing and historical European weapon arts like daggers and quarterstaffs, Wilkinson often fought in matches where anything was allowed. She made a name for herself in the boxing venues of James Figg, her era’s most famous male fighter, and her undefeated record is claimed to span across 45 fights.

Wilkinson was a self-promoter. She frequently issued public challenges in newspapers, talking trash to draw crowds. Later in her career, Wilkinson and her husband James Stokes fought as a duo, taking on other male-and-female pairs in boxing and weapons matches. Though Wilkinson’s known career ended in 1733 and she vanished from historical records afterward, her legacy has endured well.

Athlete and historian Alex Allred, author of “When Women Stood: The Untold History of Females Who Changed Sports and the World”, comments on Wilkinson as such, “The first big fight came about because her husband was hung as a thief. Elizabeth set her sights on the woman who testified against him and challenged her to a fight. And then after that, it was full on.”

“She was fighting anybody and everybody. She got herself a publicist and a coach, and she started traveling and fighting. When she fought, anything was allowed. You could bring weapons. She was MMA to the extreme.”

Fit for a Misfit — Christine “Misfit” Ferea

Five successful title defenses and BKFC’s 2023 “Female Fighter of the Year” — Christine Ferea is one of the top names in women’s bare-knuckle boxing. Starting her combat journey in Muay Thai, Ferea achieved an amateur record of 13–0. Transitioning to MMA, she went undefeated as an amateur with a 3–0 record before competing professionally in Invicta FC in 2017.

Ferea’s career reached new heights when she joined the Bare-Knuckle Fighting Championship, abbreviated to BKFC — her bare-knuckle record stands at an impressive 10–1–0. Her crowning achievement came on February 19th, 2022, where Ferea captured the inaugural BKFC Women’s Flyweight Championship by defeating Britain Hart in their rematch. Later, on August 27th, she successfully defended her title for the first time with a knockout victory over Taylor Starling in the first round.

Ferea continued, standing against Bec Rawlings. Their 2023 fight ended in a technical knockout via doctor stoppage after the second round. In their rematch later in December, Ferea won once again, this time earning a unanimous decision to retain her title.

On September 6th, 2024, at BKFC 65, Ferea made her fourth title defense against Jade Masson-Wong. It was a narrow fight, but she won by split decision with scores of 49–46, 49–46, and 46–49. Later, on December 21st, she defended her title for the fifth time against Christine Vicens. Ferea secured a technical knockout win due to a doctor stoppage in the fourth round, which earned her the “Fight of the Night” award.

The 12 Gauge, Paige VanZant

Paige VanZant transitioned from a background in dance to becoming an MMA fighter and bare-knuckle competitor. Her professional MMA debut came in 2012 at just 19 years old, defeating Jordan Nicole Gaza by split decision at UWF’s Tournament of Warriors finale.

In 2013, Dana White, the UFC’s president, called VanZant personally and asked if she wanted to be a part of “The Ultimate Fighter”. She agreed and joined the show to become one of the 16 strawweight fighters competing for the UFC championship. Her participation was cut short in 2014 due to the UFC’s age restriction of 21.

However, later that year, VanZant debuted in the UFC strawweight division, earning a win against Kailin Curran. She moved to the flyweight division in 2018 but faced a back injury and a loss to Jessica Rose-Clark. VanZant rebounded in 2019 with a victory over Rachael Ostovich.

Currently, VanZant competes as a wrestler with All Elite Wrestling and as a fighter in the BKFC. In 2020, VanZant signed a four-fight deal with the BKFC reportedly worth over $1 million. Though she faced early setbacks, including a unanimous decision loss to Rachael Ostovich in BKFC 19, she remains a key figure in the promotion and continues to draw significant attention.

Bec Rawlings Never Bec’s Down

Bec Rawlings began her MMA career in 2010 in Tasmania, leveraging the sport to overcome personal adversities. Her dominance in Australia’s MMA circuit, highlighted by a series of submission victories, secured her a contract with Invicta Fighting Championships in 2012. 

At Invicta FC 4, she faced Carla Esparza for the Strawweight Championship, a bout that, despite her loss, significantly elevated her profile — at the 2012 Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Awards, she was voted 2012 Favourite Female Fighter with 265 votes by WMMA fans, 70 more than Ronda Rousey. Rawlings later claimed a first-round submission victory over Jasminka Cive at Invicta FC 5.

In 2013, Rawlings joined the UFC via “The Ultimate Fighter” season 20, competing against high-profile opponents like Paige VanZant and Tecia Torres. Transitioning to the flyweight division, she faced losses to Jessica-Rose Clark and Ashlee Evans-Smith, before being released in 2018.

Shifting to bare-knuckle boxing, Rawlings debuted at BKFC 1 in 2018, defeating Alma Garcia and claiming the inaugural Police Gazette Women’s Featherweight World Championship. She defended her title successfully at BKFC 2 and BKFC 4 but later suffered notable defeats, including two title losses to Christine Ferea at BKFC 41 and BKFC 56.

Rawlings has also ventured into professional boxing, making her debut in 2022 against Natasha Kurene. Despite a loss via unanimous decision, she continues to push her boundaries as a combat athlete. 

Rawlings is currently scheduled to face Taylor Starling at BKFC KnuckleMania V on January 25th — a major highlight in her bare-knuckle career.

First Strawweight Champ, Britain Hart

Britain Hart is an American professional boxer and bare-knuckle fighter. Hart currently competes in the BKFC, where she holds the title of inaugural BKFC Women’s Strawweight Champion and is the first woman to do so.

Hart began her professional boxing career in 2016 in the featherweight division. Over four years, she claimed a record of 4–4–3. In 2018, Hart transitioned to bare-knuckle boxing with a BKFC 2 debut against Bec Rawlings, but lost. She later avenged this loss in a 2022 rematch.Britain returned to the BKFC in 2019 to face Christine Ferea, which also ended in a defeat. Despite two consecutive losses, Hart turned her career around with a four-fight winning streak, starting with a victory over Randine Eckholm in 2020. Her breakout moment came when she defeated the UFC veteran Paige VanZant. She followed this up with wins against Jenny Savage and Pearl Gonzalez. As of now, her BKFC record stands at 9–3–0.