Sherdog’s Top 10: Female Mixed Martial Artists

10. Tara LaRosa

LaRosa was one of the top grapplers in women’s MMA when she was at her peak. The Woodstown, New Jersey, native was a three-time gold medalist at both the North American Grappling Association World Championships and the FILA Grappling World Championships. She was a silver medalist at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships in 2005 and 2007.

Those ground skills made for a smooth transition to MMA, as LaRosa racked up 18 wins in her first 19 bouts. During her run, she captured titles in the Bodog Fight, Ultimate Cage Wars and Locked in the Cage promotions, while securing victories over Alexis Davis, Julie Kedzie, Shayna Baszler and Hitomi Akano. However, by the time the Jackson-Wink MMA rep reached Invicta Fighting Championships in 2012, her best days seemed to be behind her.

LaRosa, 38, was upset by Sarah Moras in a qualifying match for Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter” -- she was one of the pre-show favorites -- and has not fought since she improved her record to 22-5 with a unanimous decision over Katie Howard at a Fusion Fight League event more than a year ago.

Continue Reading » Number 9