UFC analyst and coach Din Thomas has made some provocative observations about the current state of women’s mixed martial arts. He recently suggested that female competitors may be receiving too much attention during training, which could be impacting their performance inside the Octagon.
During a recent podcast appearance, Thomas reflected on what he perceives as a significant shift in women’s MMA over recent years. “There was a time where I thoroughly enjoyed watching women fights,” Thomas explained. “They were just, and actually I was in the gym because obviously not sure what happened to women’s MMA. All just became so so stale, like they stopped taking chances. They stopped fighting with their heart that there was a time where women fought with their heart first.”
The veteran coach and analyst theorized about the root cause of this change, pointing to a fundamental shift in gym dynamics. “I think it might be just due to maybe now they’re getting too much attention in the gym cuz before they was fighting to get attention in the gym and they was fighting hard. They go fights and be fighting hard. Now it’s like they go in fights and just skate by.”
Thomas’s comments suggest that the increased focus and attention female competitors now receive during their training camps may have inadvertently created a comfort zone that doesn’t translate well to the intensity required during actual competition.
According to his theory, when female fighters had to compete for recognition and attention in training environments, they developed a hunger and intensity that carried over into their performances.
