Female MMA Fighters On The Rise

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For decades, women have been taking on untraditional roles in all aspects of society.

One pioneering woman who is diving head first into a sport that has been dominated by men is local MMA fighter Andrea Fennern.

Chokeholds, arm bars, and throwing punches. All part of what many used to refer to as a testosterone-fueled sport.

“It’s definitely growing on the women’s side. Even the fight that we’re fighting on May 16th there’s about three or four girls fights so it’s getting more popular,” says Andrea Fennern.

Weighing in at 125 pounds, 27-year-old Andrea is training for her first ever mixed martial arts fight. It’s a blend of fighting skills from boxing and karate. And it’s not easy.

“You know most people say that when you’re in there and you get hit in the face you don’t even feel it that much so it’s an adrenaline rush,” Fennern says.

But she is no stranger to competition.

“I wrestled in elementary but yeah there were not a lot of girls there. I’d be paired up with the guys and they would say ‘Andrea’ and they’d look at me and be like ‘Oh, you’re a girl?’ I’m like ‘well, yeah,'” she explains.

A two-sport college athlete at Southwest in Minnesota, Andrea wasn’t ready to give up the thrill of competing once she graduated. After several years of working as a personal trainer, she met a local professional MMA fighter here and was hooked ever since.

“I think sometimes we get stuck in life that we’re just like hamsters in wheels so it’s nice with MMA there’s so many different facets that come into play. So it’s personal growth, mental growth, physical growth and then always wanting to take it to the next level,” says Mariah Prussia, Andrea’s coach and a professional MMA fighter.

In the past, MMA was dominated by men. But thanks in part to the rise of the top female fighter Ronda Rousey, the sport is changing.

“Now if you start to watch MMA, UFC, so on and so forth, you start seeing that women are becoming the main event,” Prussia says.

In addition to making several big screen cameos, Rousey is a current UFC champion and is undefeated in MMA.

“She’s helping the sport kind of grow in the women’s eyes and you know women can kind of look at it and go oh if she’s doing that then I can do it,” says Fennern.

Even the men that Andrea trains with say that good fighters, no matter what their gender, are respected in the world of MMA.

“I wouldn’t say it’s too much different than training with guys you know. They do the same things. Actually I think Mariah tends to be a little more aggressive then a lot of people I train with,” says MMA fighter Nik Austermiller.

As for Andrea, she’s not thinking about the fact that she is breaking ground in the world of female sports. All she’s focused on is what’s going to happen when she steps in that cage for the very first time.

“You’re actually working just for one fight. You’re not having one game and then you can learn from your mistakes. You have to wait for five weeks until you fight,” Fennern says.

Without knowing it, Andrea has already won the fight against gender boundaries and will surely inspire many to do the same.

“I think everybody in life should work at something,” Fennern explains.

Andrea’s first fight is on May 16th in Detroit Lakes. Tickets are available to the public. You can get them at www.cagetix.com.

On Thursday night at 9, hear about a local family of women who are shooting and gun enthusiasts.