Beyond those two, though, there are precious few well-known women who are on the rise or boast the opposing, must-see traits of Santos or Carano. While it's true the sport has grown immensely over the past two years (thank you, Gina), it might be awhile before we see an overall uptick in the quality of female fighters.

We may never see it.

Nothing will change how boys are sent out in the dirt to play rough, while girls are handed dolls and put into frilly outfits. Whether you believe in nature or nurture, it doesn't bode well for a sport that's predicated on inflicting physical pain.

Women's sports have come a long way, sure, but society will probably never reach a point where it's enthralled with watching girls pummel one another.

There will always be a few stragglers like Santos and Carano. So, for companies like Strikeforce, women's MMA will continue being a nice interlude presented a few times a year with one of the two queens carrying a male-dominated card. There will be an occasional mega fight, but that's all it will be - occasional.

Tiger will hold on more often than not; Bolt will keep getting faster; and women's MMA will remain a minor attraction with a few major interruptions.

There's really nothing wrong with that.