The push continues for women's fighting to get on a bigger platform. With EliteXC gone, the sport is in a holding pattern. We keep hearing that women's fighting is legit, often steals the show at mixed martial arts events and may be better than the men's side. If so, why hasn't someone stepped up to give the sport more exposure? Is sexism blocking the effort? Or is the sport simply not at a high enough level lacking the depth to really put forth a consistently good product?

Fox's Fight Game did a pair of pieces on women's fighting featuring star Julie Kedzie (pictured on the left). Mike Straka presented a good angle -- is women's fighting better because they can't knock each other out? Promoter Jeff Osborne says that the women trump the men:

"It's more about fighting [with the women]. With the men, it's more about an ego fighting not to lose. The women may not have the big arms and shoulders and punching power of the men but the women can take a lot of more punishment. And their gas tanks are better."

I'm not buying the gas-tank argument. I've seen too many women's fights where even with three-minute rounds both women were out of steam by the middle of the second round. Now watching fighters drop their hands and take bigger shots because they're exhausted may be more entertaining to the masses but I'll take a pass. Women do seem to take a lot more clean shots. Maybe that's because of slower defensive reflexes. But I do believe Straka is onto something. There is a bloodlust with many fight fans who prefer a sloppy three-round slugfest to a well-executed knockout.

Strikeforce and smaller organizations like Palace Fighting Championship, which just signed Erin Toughill (pictured on the right), may be as high as female fighting rises anytime in the near future.