When we enjoy watching MMA fighters trying their utmost to kill each other inside the Octagon, it’s easy to forget that they’re human beings as well, who have lives outside of fighting. You know normal things like watching movies, eating food, having loved ones.
That last one seems especially true and today, we’re here to dispel those notions. MMA fighter or not, everyone has a basic human need for love and many times, they find their better halves working in the same industry as they do.
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In the same vein, there are a lot of MMA fighters who are dating and/or married and with that in mind, today we explore the softer side of fighting: Power couples in the world of mixed martial arts.
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So, without further ado, here are 5 MMA power couples:
#5 Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne
Ronda Rousey’s stock might have fallen drastically following her back-to-back defeats to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes via vicious knockouts but her personal life has been on the up since Travis Browne walked into her life.
Browne has always been a mid-tier fighter who has made a name for himself as a decent Heavyweight fighter. Nowhere near the UFC Heavyweight Title picture but always a solid competitor, one might say that he has performed better in his love life than inside the Octagon.
The two have been dating since after Rousey’s loss to Holm when Browne moved his training gym to Glendale and the much-maligned Edmond Tarverdyan who is Rousey’s long-time coach. Browne’s up and down form, coupled with Rousey’s crushing loss to Nunes has led Browne to change up from Edmond to a different coach for his next fight.
Whether this has any effect on the Rousey-Browne relationship remains to be seen.
#4 Rose Namajunas and Pat Barry
Rose Namajunas has established herself as one of the top fighters in the UFC’s Women’s Strawweight division as she climbed through the ranks with a very good run until she succumbed to the UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion, Karolina Kowalkiewicz. At her corner through her days in MMA has been her boyfriend, Pat Barry.
Barry is now a retired MMA fighter who has enjoyed a good career that never quite hit the realms of great and the two met during a sparring session where Namajunas apparently struck Barry in the head and the two have been inseparable ever since.
They are one of the most genuinely well-loved couples in the world of MMA and this is down to their friendly personalities and all-action style of fighting which has endeared them to fans all across the world. With Namajunas planning a return to action soon, there is little doubt that Barry will be in her corner yet again, cheering her on through her fights.
#3 Miesha Tate and Bryan Caraway
Miesha Tate is one of the most well-known female MMA fighters in the world due to her status as a former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion when she defeated Holly Holm via technical submission for the belt.
She has gone on to retire following back-to-back losses against Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington but enjoys a great personal relationship with Bryan Caraway. Caraway is a UFC Bantamweight fighter held in high regard as evidenced by his ranking as the #4 contender for the UFC Bantamweight title.
Caraway and Tate actually met at an MMA fitness club owned by Caraway and have been pretty inseparable since. They are the quintessential “in love” couple in MMA, especially given the fact that Tate even saved Caraway’s mother’s life during a scuba diving lesson. These two are probably the Golden Couple in MMA.
#2 Cindy Dandois and Gegard Mousasi
Cindy Dandois is a pretty potent Featherweight fighter who plies her trade in Invicta’s Women’s division and boasts a pretty impressive record of 8-2. She is a Belgian which is not that surprising when you learn that her boyfriend is Dutch MMA fighter, Gegard Mousasi.
Mousasi is one of the most respected fighters to ever grace the Octagon with a staggering record of 41 wins and just six losses. He is currently one of the top fighters in the UFC’s Middleweight Division and should be in-line for a title shot in the near future.
While Dandois is definitely capable of making the jump over to the UFC, it remains to be seen if Dana While and co. would be interested in bringing in someone who is already 32 to a stacked Women’s division.
With the kind of influence Mousasi has with the UFC, though, don’t be surprised if he does his girlfriend a solid favour and helps in bringing her to the major leagues.
#1 Amanda Nunes and Nina Ansaroff
Amanda Nunes is, along with Cris Cyborg, the most devastating woman fighter in the whole of the UFC following her dismantling of Ronda Rousey on the latter’s return to the Octagon after a year away.
Nunes is also the first-ever openly lesbian champion in the history of the UFC and her girlfriend is Nina Ansaroff. Not as devastating as Nunes but a good fighter in her own right, Ansaroff has had an up and down career, although, she did register a great victory in her most recent fight with Nunes in her corner.
It is great to see a homosexual couple making their mark in the world of MMA and we hope this opens more doors for people of different races, sexes, and sexualities to make take part in and excel in mixed martial arts. Here's to you, Amanda and Nina.
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