5 best rivalries between female fighters in UFC history

#2 Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg

The rivalry between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg is as intense as it is curious. Years ago, when Rousey made her MMA debut, Cyborg suffered her infamous drug test failure.

The Brazilian was stripped of her Strikeforce title and suspended for a year. While Cyborg honored her suspension, Rousey captured her own Strikeforce title, garnering attention for beating all of her foes with 1st round armbars.

As the end of Cyborg's suspension neared, interest in a potential matchup between the two increased. Cyborg, however, fought at featherweight while Rousey was a bantamweight despite having fought at featherweight prior.

The fight never materialized. Cyborg accused Rousey of fearfully avoiding the matchup while Rousey accused Cyborg of abusing banned substances to gain a competitive advantage.

The insults grew nastier as Rousey questioned Cyborg's physiology, going so far as to call her an 'it' while UFC president Dana White joined in, claiming Cyborg resembled Wanderlei Silva in a dress.

The rivalry reached truly ugly heights, but the fight was never booked, even after Cyborg signed with the UFC in 2015, a year before Rousey retired from MMA.

---

#1 Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate

Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate fought each other for two different titles across two different promotions. Their first bout was for the Strikeforce bantamweight championship, which Tate held at the time.

After the 4th win of her career, Rousey openly challenged Tate, manufacturing a rivalry for what she claimed was for promotional reasons. Things, however, quickly became personal once the fight was booked.

Both fighters took aim at each other. Tate questioned the merits of Rousey's title shot, claiming the fanfare she garnered was due to her good looks, and that Rousey had been the recipient of favorable matchups.

In response, Rousey disparaged Tate's skills, even citing boredom at having to study her foe's past fights in preparation for their bout. The rivalry reached new heights when the weigh-ins of their Strikeforce bout led to Rousey shoving her head against Tate after Tate touched her forehead against Rousey's.

In response, Tate's then partner, Bryan Caraway, vowed to knock Rousey's teeth in. Rousey won their first fight, setting up a highly anticipated rematch when both fighters signed with the UFC.

Both were selected as coaches in The Ultimate Fighter, with Tate replacing an injured Cat Zingano. Incidents involving middle fingers, personal insults, and more defined that season.

When the two finally locked horns, the rematch was more competitive but Rousey still claimed victory. As Tate sought to shake Rousey's hand in defeat, her gesture was rejected, with Rousey humiliating her beaten rival.

Though they never fought again, Tate still took the time to celebrate Rousey's losses to Holm and Nunes years later.