The aim of the present study was to identify and prioritize the occupational challenges of professional female martial arts coaches in Iran using a gender-oriented approach. This study was applied in terms of purpose and employed an exploratory mixed-methods design (qualitative–quantitative) in terms of methodology. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 experts, including professional female coaches, international referees, sports managers, and faculty members in sport management, selected through purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Based on the qualitative findings, 37 initial items were extracted and used to develop the research questionnaire. In the quantitative phase, data were collected from 193 female martial arts coaches and analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, the Friedman test, and structural equation modeling. The results indicated that the occupational challenges of female coaches could be classified into seven factors: intrinsic challenges, insurance and welfare support, income-related challenges, cultural challenges, motivational challenges, structural challenges, and financial challenges. According to the Friedman ranking, challenges related to insurance and welfare support were assigned the highest priority, whereas cultural challenges received the lowest priority. The findings emphasize the need to reform the employment structure of female coaches, strengthen insurance support systems, and revise gender-oriented policies in martial arts.