“We went out their to prove women could do it”: Rosi Sexton on her incredible journey to the UFC
October 2012: British female fighter Rosi Sexton is preparing for one of her biggest fights to date. Impressive performances have landed her a spot in the final of a tournament designed to crown the Cage Warriors 125-pound women’s champion.
Just 8 days out from the fight, disaster strikes. Rosi’s opponent, Sheila Gaff, withdraws from the fight due to illness, shattering Rosi’s chances of championship glory. Rosi’s future was uncertain, and she was running out of options. Then, she received a call from her manager that would change the course of her life forever.
“Are you sitting down?” Sexton’s manager asked.
“Yes,” Sexton replied.
“Do you want to fight in the UFC?” her manager inquired.
“Yes, yes I do,” Sexton replied with elation.
Up to this point, there had only been two female fights ever within the UFC, making it seem nearly impossible for aspiring female fighters to achieve UFC greatness. And yet, Rosi Sexton would not only compete in the third-ever female fight within the iconic promotion but would also become the first female from British shores to do so.
Just last month, the UFC celebrated the landmark event of UFC 300, which gave UFC fight fans a chance to reflect on some of the iconic moments that laid the foundations for the promotion. The addition of female fighters back in 2012 not only highlighted a shift in mentality regarding female MMA fighters but also gave new hope for female athletes like Rosi that one day they would be given the opportunity to reach the pinnacle of competitive mixed martial arts.
At UFC 300, the co-main event between Women’s Strawweight champion Weili Zhang and fellow countrywoman Yan Xiaonan signified the strides the UFC has made to represent and champion female fighting.
“Looking back, it’s nice to say I did that. Looking at where women are now, that’s been a collective effort. We went out there and fought to prove that women can do it,” how Rosi responded when asked about the very beginning of female competition within the promotion.
Rosi made her UFC debut at UFC 261; however, she had fought for multiple different MMA organizations for over a decade before making the move to the UFC.
“When Cage Warriors came back around the end of 2010, that’s when I peaked with the shows in Ireland. I’ve fought all over the world in America, St. Petersburg, Canada, but to come back and fight in front of a basically a home crowd, that’s something special,” Sexton shared.
Rosi’s talent didn’t go unnoticed, with all MMA promotions that allowed female competition, wanting her to fight on their shows.
In 2012, President of the UFC Dana White famously U-turned on his claims that women would never fight in the organization and signed Olympic judo bronze medallist Ronda Rousey as the first female fighter in the company’s history. Within a couple of months of Rousey signing, Rosi’s opportunity also came.
At UFC 161, Rosi made her debut in Canada against hometown Canadian Alexis Davis, who had already picked up an impressive victory against Liz Carmouche in her UFC debut.
Despite eventually losing the bout via unanimous decision, Rosi put on an impressive display, describing her performance as,
“one of the performances I’m most proud of in my career.”
Rosi had just one more fight within the UFC against current number 4 ranked strawweight and former Strawweight champion Jessica Andrade, who at the time was also making the walk to the UFC octagon for just the second time.
After another decision loss, Rosi moved back to Cage Warriors in 2014 to face UFC Hall of Famer and former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Joanna is now widely considered one of the greatest female fighters of all time, whereas at the time, she was a 5-0 prospect with high ambition. For Rosi, this was her last fight before retirement, whereas for Joanna, she was signed to the UFC just one month later.
Joanna became just the second female after Ronda Rousey to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame back in March. Rosi described her feelings towards female athletes now getting the recognition they deserve.
“It’s very good to see women getting more recognition. We are now getting recognition on our terms rather than just a token woman fighter.”
Rosi’s decorated fight career is now over; however, she hasn’t lost that competitive spirit, taking up a passion for rock climbing. She also spends her weekdays as a fully qualified osteopath working alongside many fighters in muscle and bone rehabilitation.
As fight fans, it’s very easy to look at the current state of MMA and look ahead at what the landscape might look like in years to come. But instead of always looking at where we want to be, let’s give ourselves a chance to look at how far we’ve come.
Fighters like Rosi are pioneers, and without female fighters like her, who knows how different the landscape might look?
