Women’s MMA gets some flack and is sometimes even compared to WNBA. Sometimes that comparison may have some validity respective to all women’s MMA cards in terms of popularity and maybe skill.
Women’s MMA is a niche within what is still a niche sport. For that reason women’s MMA cards are not going to get a lot of viewers.
Where women’s MMA will grow is in places like EliteXC where women’s MMA is showcased within their regular cards (props to Bodog for this). When established promoters put on these co-ed fight cards viewers will slowly begin to appreciate quality women’s MMA.
One day we may even see co-ed fights. Although there is a lot of aversion to the idea of seeing a man raining punches down on a woman, MMA, unlike most other sports has weight divisions that can mitigate the disparities between men and women.