While Ronda Rousey recorded the first win for a woman in the UFC and became the leading mixed martial arts promotion’s first female champion as well, she wasn’t the only member of the farer sex breaking down walls and crossing otherwise uncrossed barriers. Sheila Gaff has also earned the distinction of attaching her name to two firsts in the UFC, as the first woman to lose her first two fights and the first woman to be fired because of it.
Showing that cutting dead weight and dumping undeserving fighters isn’t something that is limited to the men, Dana White and Co. served the German Tank her walking papers this week, and while we all saw that coming after her quick and pointless loss to my favorite new female fighter, Amanda Nunes, at UFC 163, we can still be a little sympathetic for at least the next 30 seconds.
“Disappointments and defeats belong to every fighter in this career, but I will go on,” said Gaff. “Most of all I am sorry that I could not show my fans what I can really do. In the last two weeks the love and uplifting words from many of my fans have helped. Thanks also for the support of sponsors MMA Spirit, Geva and Olimp.” (Via MMA Diehards)
Maybe she can join Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino in Invicta FC and help bolster the women’s rankings there, so Cyborg can tell her all about how Rousey is still too afraid to add 10-pounds to fight her, even though she’s not employed by the UFC and would never get the fight anyway. Then Gaff would probably sigh and pretend that she only speaks and understands German.
By the way, here’s Gaff’s last victory, a first-round knockout of Jennifer Maia at CWFC Fight Night 4. It was interesting, to say the least. I don’t want to say that she didn’t even deserve a chance in the UFC, but there’s just something strange about the way Gaff handles herself. Maybe it’s maturity, I’m not sure, but either way best of luck to her.
