Feb. 23 is poised to be a pivotal night for the Ultimate Championship, as its arena, the trademark “Octagon,” will be graced by a female touch that has never been experienced before — one of pure, 24-carat violence. Female fighters are going to battle for the first time in the UFC’s history. Furthermore, they will be headlining the event, which takes place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The fight will feature Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche.

Rousey is probably the most striking combination of danger and beauty on the planet. The first American to medal in women’s judo at the Olympics, Rousey is ranked as the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in mixed martial arts by the Unified Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Rankings. Her professional record is 6-0, and the total stretch of all six of her professional fights, plus her three amateur bouts, is an unprecedented nine minutes and twenty-eight seconds.

When she isn’t hyper-extending peoples’ elbow joints, Rousey can be found posing naked on the front cover of ESPN Magazine’s 2012 “Body Issue.”

But Rousey’s beautiful external features hide a story of a little girl with a severe speech impediment who spent her childhood isolated from other kids. Additionally, after her father broke his back in a freak accident and his spine slowly deteriorated over the ensuing months, he took his own life instead of letting his children see him as a quadriplegic. Today, she walks the tightrope of balancing her title as the first women’s UFC champion, one of the most in-demand media attractions in the history of the sport, and still outworking all of her competition in the gym.

As for Carmouche, it is no secret that she’s the underdog in this match. With a record of 8-2, she is ranked at No. 6 in the bantamweight division by the UWMMA Rankings. Carmouche gave No. 12 Marloes Coenen a brutal beating but made a slight mistake in the fourth round that Coenen capitalized on for a submission victory. Carmouche has never been a victim of a knockout or technical knockout in her career. But she’s already handed out five of them.

Although Carmouche is a top-level fighter, she is relatively unknown – she has never been a champion in another major organization and is not listed on the UWMMA Rankings’ top fifteen pound-for-pound list.

“That’s who wanted to fight [Rousey]. People aren’t — believe me — people aren’t kicking the doors down to fight her,” said UFC President Dana White.

Outside of the cage, the two women are equal in their individual journeys of struggle, determination and resilience.

Carmouche spent five years in the U.S. Marine Corps where she completed three tours of duty in the Middle East. She has publicized thehardships of being a closeted lesbian throughout her active duty due to the military’s then “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. She is now an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights, and is the first openly gay fighter in UFC history.

Of all current female fighters, there are few more deserving of debuting female fighting on the world stage than Rousey and Carmouche.

A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, Feb. 21 print edition. Eli Kurland is a contributing writer. E-mail him at [email protected].