Oregon-based striker Emily Whitmire said on March 7 that she was bothered by comments recently made by MMA legend Tara LaRosa, who boldly declared that most of the "sexy" ladies of MMA are unskilled.
LaRosa explained via Twitter that she felt female fighters who play up the sexy angle are generally lacking in skill, and those comments rubbed some in the women's MMA community the wrong way even though no one in particular was called out.
"I don't think Tara should say anything about sexy women lacking skill because her last fight for Invicta was not what I was expecting, to say the least," Whitmire said of LaRosa's last bout.
LaRosa is coming off a sluggish performance at Invicta FC 3, where she dropped a unanimous decision to Vanessa Porto.
Despite the loss, LaRosa wasn't afraid to chime in on the state of women's MMA, as she said that there has always been a divide between fighters who use sex appeal to enhance their careers, and those who do not.
"@EricHolden Growing?... Its always been there! It used to be worse too. Your newb is hanging out again, tuck that back in bro," LaRosa said via Twitter.
LaRosa took it one step further by claiming fighters who play up the sexy angle are generally lacking in skill.
"@EricHolden @sarahdalelio @modifiedmind @jessicapenne @babesofmma In general, those who play up the sexy angle are those lacking in skill," LaRosa said on Twitter.
It's hard to find any validity to LaRosa's point, as Ronda Rousey is considered by most media sources to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, yet she has posed artistically nude and appeared in promo shoots in tight-fitting leather.
And then there's Herrig, who has posed for numerous ads campaigns in sexy bikinis and tiny sports bras. Herrig is the No. 5-ranked strawweight in the world, and she has beaten veteran strikers such as Amanda LaVoy and Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc.
LaRosa also forgot about Michelle Waterson, the No. 3-ranked atomweight in the world. Waterson is a skillful submission expert who fights Jessica Penne for the Invicta FC atomweight strap on Apr. 5, yet she has played up the sexy angle in the past by appearing in bikini-clad photo shoots.
Rousey, Herrig and Waterson are just three examples of skillful female fighters who play up the sexy angle to enhance their careers. Newly-signed UFC bantamweight Miesha Tate made a name for herself by posing in booty shorts for Fight! Magazine, and talented Invicta FC pro Paige VanZant is a part-time model when she's not punching faces inside the cage.
"@TaraLaRosa: There is a difference between feminine and sexual. You don't have to be sexual to be feminine," LaRosa posted on Twitter.
To sum it up, there is room for all kinds of female fighters. It would be disastrous if all female fighters marketed themselves as models, but the fact that a small percentage do will help the sport more than hurt it.
Many fans may not have ever discovered LaRosa's fights had it not been for fighters like Felice Herrig and Miesha Tate drawing them in with the "sexy" angle.
"No such thing as anyone being bad for the sport," Herrig said. "Every sport takes a variety and all walks of life to draw attention from all angles."
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