The transcript below is from the video “10 Female Martial Artists You Dont Want To Mess With” by Brutal TV.

Brutal TV:

Hello and welcome to our YouTube channel. In today’s video, we’ll talk about some female martial arts masters that you don’t want to mess with. Before we begin, kindly hit the like button, subscribe to our channel and hit the notification icon so you don’t miss any of our videos. Let’s get right into the video.

Brutal TV:

Cynthia Rothrock

First on our list is Cynthia Rothrock. She’s an American athlete and martial artist, who later developed an interest in acting. She was born on March 8, 1957, in Delaware, USA. She started taking martial art classes when she was 13 years old and grew into the high-ranking martial artist she is today.

She began her acting career in martial arts movies in 1995 starring in “Yes, Madam” alongside fellow actress Michelle Yeoh. “Yes, Madam” was filmed and produced in Hong Kong. This was her big break in the movie industry as this movie became popular in Hong Kong. She continued her acting career in the U.S and starred in over 60 films.

Cynthia holds seven black belts in multiple martial arts disciplines, including Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Northern Shaolin, Wushu, Pai Lum White Dragon Kung Fu, Ying Kung Fu, and Eagle Claw. From 1981 to 1985, she maintained the world champion position in forms and weapons. She remained undefeated in the competitions and served as an inspiration to female martial artists in the movie industry.

Brutal TV:

Karen Sheperd

Next up on our list is Karen Sheperd. She is an American martial artist and actress, born in Greeley, Colorado on November 12, 1961. She played a notable role on the popularity of female martial arts as a competition because of her continuous excellence.

She became the first Women’s World black belt champion in forms and weapons. In 1980, she competed against males and females and was the first woman to win the title of the Grand Champion in the reputable U.S Open Karate Championship.

In 1981, she landed her first movie role because of her successes as a martial artist. She starred in Cyborg 2 alongside Angelina Jolie, among other movies in her career.

Karen Shepard is a seventh-degree black belt holder in the art of Wun Hop Kuen Do. You really do not want to mess with her.

Brutal TV:

Ronda Rousey

Rhonda Jean Rousey was born in California on February 1st, 1987. Currently, she is a professional wrestler. She was the first American female to win an Olympic medal in Judo by coming third place and winning the bronze in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

In 2011 she began her MMA career with King of the Cage. She then joined Strikeforce and was the last Women’s Bantamweight Champion until UFC acquired it. Ronda was the inaugural Women’s Bantamweight Champion and used to hold the record for the highest UFC title defenses by a female until it was surpassed in 2022 by Valentina Shevchenko.

In 2016, Ronda retired from MMA and was inducted in 2018 into the UFC Hall of Fame, making her the first female to reach this milestone. She had an MMA record of 12 and 2 and is 5 feet 7 inches, weighing 61 kg.

Brutal TV:

Maggie Cheung

Maggie Cheung Man-yuk is a successful actress who is mostly famous for her roles in top action movies in the 90s. She kicked off her writing career in 1984 but got her big break in 1985, starring in a Jackie Chan movie Police Story.

She showed her martial arts skills for the first time in the movie as tears go by. She starred in other martial arts movies like The Heroic Trio and Executioners, its sequel. She is widely recognized for her skills and contribution to the martial art and movie industries.

Brutal TV:

Rina Takeda

Rina Takeda was born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan on June 15, 1991. She is a Japanese martial artist, actress, and singer. She holds a black belt in Ryukyu Shōrin-ryū Karate.

When she was 10 years old, she witnessed her father lose a Karate match and she decided to avenge his loss and that’s how her journey to being a Karate black belt began.

Her Karate skills were so good at 17 that she got an acting role in the movie High-kick Girl in 2009. Her next martial arts action movie was Karate Girl and she showed off her skills as a true Karate Girl. She starred in other action movies, including Gothic Lolita Battle Bear, Attack on Titan, and The Kunoichi: Ninja Girl.

Brutal TV:

Jeeja Yanin

Next up is Yanin Vismitananda, popularly known as Jeeja Yanin. Jeeja Yanin is a Thai martial artist and actress born in Bangkok, Thailand on March 31, 1984. She specializes in the art of Muay Thai. Her martial arts skills got her roles in action movies like Chocolate, Raging Phoenix, This Girl is Badass, and others.

Yanin Vismitananda holds a fourth Dan black belt in Taekwondo. Really, this girl is badass, so you would not want to mess with her.

Brutal TV:

Gina Carano

Gina Carano, a former mixed martial artist, was born on April 16, 1982, in Dallas County, Texas, and was raised in Las Vegas. Her parents are Dana Joy Canson and former football player Glenn Carano. She has two sisters and is the middle child and was raised by her mom after her parents divorced.

From 2006 to 2009, Gina fought an Elite Xtreme Combat and Strikeforce, where she got a 7-1 record, winning by knockout three times out of seven. She is 5’8″ tall with a weight of 65 kg. Her final match as a professional fighter was against Cyborg, where she got her first-ever loss in her MMA career. Although she has not fought after this loss, she is still regarded as one of the best female fighters ever.

Brutal TV:

Michelle Yeoh

The eighth person on our list is none other than Michelle Yeoh. Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng is a Malaysian actress born in Malaysia on August 6, 1962. She’s an actress and dancer who started dancing ballet at the age of 4. She had a brief dance career then transitioned to acting.

She started acting in 1985 with “Yes, Madam” alongside martial artist Cynthia Rothrock. She was popularly known as the female James Bond because of her stunts and skills and Rotten Tomatoes named her The Greatest Action Actress of All Time. She featured in other action movies like Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger and Tomorrow Never Dies.

Brutal TV:

JuJu Chan Szeto

JuJu Chan Szeto was born on February 2, in Hong Kong. She’s a Chinese-American martial artist, actress, writer, and singer. She graduated from the renowned Tisch School of the Arts with a master’s degree. She is also a successful singer with an album that wanted two Music Awards.

Chan developed an interest in martial arts from a young age and kept it up until her adult days. She mastered the art of Taekwondo and she won several medals on the Hong Kong National Team. She also mastered the nunchaku and double nunchaku. She was even called the female Bruce Lee, which says a lot about her skills.

Brutal TV:

Shannon Lee

Last on our list but not least, is Shannon Lee. Shannon Emery Lee, born in California, USA, on April 19, 1969, is an American martial artist, actress, and businesswoman. Shannon is the daughter of late martial arts star Bruce Lee and Linda Lee Cadwell, who is a retired martial arts tutor.

She studied the martial art her father created Jeet Kune Do and she eventually mastered it in the late 1990s when she started training for parts and movies. She also studied Taekwondo under top martial artists like Dung Doa Liang and Yuen De, among others.

Her acting career kicked off with her appearance in her father’s biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. She also featured in other action movies, including Cage 2, High Voltage, and Enter the Eagles.

As a successful businesswoman, she’s the president of the Bruce Lee Foundation among other ventures. Shannon Lee is a master of various martial arts and is also the daughter of one of the greatest martial artists ever. Need I say more?

Thank you for watching this video till the end. Feel free to tell us what you think about the list. We’ll see you next time.