10 Greatest Female Fighters In MMA History
6. Megumi Fujii
Sadly, there are probably a fair number of readers who have never even heard the name Megumi Fujii. This is because she was at the top of her game during a period when women's MMA was very much in its infancy, and frankly, there weren't a lot of people watching it.
That being said, in her prime, Fujii was an absolute terror. The Japanese submission specialist won her first 22 professional fights. Much like a pro wrestler, she even had her own signature submission called the Megulock (a type of leg lock). Despite becoming (arguably) the sport's first female star, she never enjoyed the same kind of mainstream notoriety as fighters like Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano did, but was fairly big in Japan.
Fujii finished her career, which lasted from 2004 to 2013, with a 26-3 record. Her biggest win came against former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion Carla Esparza.
In truth, Megumi Fujii's career is a difficult one to rate. Simply put, there weren't a lot of high-level female mixed martial artists competing in her heyday — particularly during the early part of her career. That being said, she dispatched most of her opponents with relative ease and was clearly an elite-level fighter based on the skills she demonstrated.