(Photo courtesy Dave Mandel, Invicta FC)
We saw a boom in 2019 in terms of the growth of the women’s divisions as a whole.
After a somewhat stagnate 2018, which only say a growth of seven fights compared to 2017, 2019 saw an increase of 194. That is the biggest jump we have had in the history of the divisions. (We have statistics dating back to 2007).
The US saw very little growth overall, with only 9 more fights than the previous year. The biggest jump came internationally, with Brazil gaining 79 fights, and was second in terms of countries. Japan came in third, with Russia, Mexico, and Peru rounding out the top 5.
Thanks to InvictaFC, Kansas is the state that had the most female bouts in the U.S.
Division wise, strawweight saw a 85% growth in terms of bouts and a growth of 91% while flyweight also saw 85% in bouts, but a 92% growth in debuts. The two are the most popular divisions with strawweight seeing more bouts by 24.
There was a 13 bout drop in atomweight bouts, as many have decided to move to strawweight to improve their chances to get to the UFC. Conversely, the debuts for atomweights went up, which could mean the division will see growth in the coming years. This is prevalent in the amateur statistics as well.
It is the upper weights that saw the most growth. With the debut of the lightweights in the PFL, the amount of fights rose nearly 700% in 2019. Nineteen fighters debuted at lightweight in 2019, while only 2 did in 2018.
While there was only one fight at welterweight (170) in 2018, there were 7 in 2019. Most of these fights were in central Asian countries.
Finishes increased in by 4% in 2019. TKO/KO is still the most popular way to with submission staying a steady 4% behind.
Here is a quick breakdown of the year 2019:
Fight breakdown
| 2019 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fights | 979 | 785 |
| Finishes | 570 (308 TKO/KO); (262 Submissions) | 426 (226 TKO/KO); (200 submissions) |
| Decisions | 392 (308 unanimous); (80 split); (3 majority) | 341 (271 unanimous); (58 split) (12 majority) |
| Draws | 11 | 14 |
Division breakdown
| 2019 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimumweight (100 lbs) | 6 bouts | 2 bouts |
| Atomweight | 66 bouts; 27 debuts | 79 bouts; 6 debuts |
| Strawweight | 323 (287 bout @ 115lbs with 78 debuts); (36 bouts @ 110lbs. with 7 debuts) | 261 bouts (241 bouts @ 115lbs with 71 debuts); (20 bouts @ 110lbs. with 9 debuts) |
| Flyweight | 300 (263 bouts @ 125lbs. with 75 debuts ); (37 bouts @ 120 lbs. with 12 debuts) | 251 bouts (226 bout @ 125lbs with 81 debuts); (25 bouts @ 120lbs. with 14 debuts) |
| Bantamweight | 161 (140 bouts @ 135lbs. with 65 debuts ); (21 bouts @ 130lbs. with 6 debuts) | 129 bouts (120 bouts @ 135lbs with 34 debuts); (9 bouts @ 130lbs. with 3 debuts) |
| Featherweight | 82 (64 bouts @ 145lbs with 31 debuts); (18 bouts @ 140lbs. with 9 debuts) | 49 (40 bouts @ 145lbs with 17 debuts); (9 bouts @ 140lbs. with 3 debuts) |
| Lightweight | 31 (27 bouts @ 155lbs with 19 debuts); (4 bouts @ 150lbs. with 2 debuts) | 5 (4 bout @ 155lbs with 2 debuts); (1 bout @ 150lbs.) |
| Welterweight | 7 bouts @ 170lbs with 7 debuts | 3 (1 bout @ 170lbs with 1 debut); (2 bouts @ 165lbs. with 1 debut) |
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