Miscellaneous News

Congratulations to InvictaFC atomweight Laura Sanko who have birth to a baby boy, Burke, at 5:17 mst Friday night. He weighted in at 6.9 pounds.

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Courtesy TheMat.com

Team USA women’s wrestling sweep Team Russia, taking the 6-3 win in the second meet of a double header this past Thursday. The second set of matches were held in Windsor, CO Thursday; with the Team USA taking the first duel 7-4 in Albuquerque Tuesday.

With a lack of wrestlers available, Alyssa Lampe and Helen Maroulis fought twice in the same night, with both receiving back to back wins. Lampe got a pin and technical fall during the meet.

Here are the complete results:

• 48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Alyssa Lampe (USA) pin Elena Vostrikova (Russia), 3:35
• 55 kg/121 lbs. – Helen Maroulis (USA) dec. Irina Olognova (Russia), 8-2
• 48 kg/105.5 lbs. –Valeria Chepsarakova (Russia) dec. Emily Webster (USA), 9-3
• 59 kg/163 lbs. – Alli Ragan (USA) dec. Svetlana Lipatova (Russia), 1-0
• 67 kg/147.5 lbs. –Svetlana Babushkina (Russia) dec. Julia Salata (USA), 10-1
• 67 kg/147.5 lbs. – Veronica Carlson (USA) tech. fall Darima Sangeeva (Russia), 10-0, 4:02
• 51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Alyssa Lampe (USA) tech. fall Stalvira Orshush (Russia), 14-4, 2:28
• 59 kg/130 lbs. – Helen Maroulis (USA) dec. Jargalma Tsyrenova (Russia), 4-4
• 72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Natalia Vorobieva (Russia) dec. Adeline Gray (USA), 6-5

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Pacheco def. Aldana

Undefeated bantamweight prospect Larissa Pacheco gained her 9th pro win this past weekend with a solid slugfest against Irene Aldana at Jungle Fights in Belem, Para, Brazil. Pacheco handed Aldana her first loss as Pachesco got a highlight reel TKO in the third round to gain the Jungle Fights bantamweight title. She has finished all of her opponents.

You can watch the full fight here.

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Shevchenko

Valentina Shevchenko picked up her 2nd official win in MMA Wednesday with a first round KO win over Priscilla Orellana at FFC 5 in Peru. Shevchenko is a top kickboxer and had her MMA return to the cage after a three year hiatus. She lost to UFC fighter Liz Carmouche in 2010.

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As suspected, the Shooto Brazil match between male fighter Emerson Falcao and female fighter Juliana Velasquez did not take place. The fight was a publicity stunt to make awareness of domestic violence.

There was, however, a female bout on the card. Luciana Pereira defeated Paula Baack by unanimous decision.

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In boxing, IBF super flyweight champion Debora Anahi Dionicius successfully defended  her title for the third time, getting an unanimous decision win over Guadalupe Martinez in Buenos Aires, Argentina Friday. Dionicius improves her undefeated streak to 15.

On the same card, Alejandra Soledad Morales defeated Norma Elizabeth Diaz Caucota by points.

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On another boxing card in Buenos Aires, Maria Elena Maderna successfully retained her WBO lightweight title, defeating Diana Ayala by unanimous decision.  Maderna improves to 11-8.

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Nicole Boss won the vacant EBU lightweight boxing title by getting the unanimous decision win over Kremena Petkova in Berne, Switzerland. Boss wins her 4th straight and improves to 11-4.

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In other boxing action this weekend:

• In Santa Fe, Argentina, Gabriela Marcela Zapata defeated Maria Eugenia Quiroga by unanimous decision
• Marisa Gabriela Nunez defeated Katia Alvarino by unanimous decision in Montevideo, Uruguay
• In Los Angeles, California, Celene Roman defeates Crystal Morales by majority decision
• Maria Magdalena Rivera defeated Vanesa Lorena Taborda by unanimous decision in Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Sexton

Rosi Sexton tweeted she has officially been cut by the UFC this past week. To complicate matters, Sexton has a neck injury and will have to have surgery to repair it. She will be out at least 6 months.

Even if the surgery is a success, there is a pretty good chance she won’t be able to fight again, speculating rumors  of her appending retirement.

We will wait and see.

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French atomweight Morgane Delagnau has stepped up to face Catherine Costigan at Cage Warrior’s New Years Eve event in Dublin, Ireland. Delagnau is replacing fellow French fighter Elodie Puget who dropped out due to injury.

Hometown girl Costigan (2-0) started her MMA career in 2009, with a semi-pro win over Shona Maguire. Costigan has defeated both of her pro opponents by submission.

Morgane Delagnau will be making her MMA debut, and is a multiple time ISKA European champion.

Costigan versus  Morgane Delagnau joins Amanda English verses Slavka Vitaly on the Facebook prelim stream which starts at 2:30 p.m. est/11:30 a.m. pst. on New Years Day.

Karla Benitez versus Aisling Daly will be featured on the main card, which will stream on MMAJunkie.com.

The match will stream for free on MMAJunkie.com New Years Eve Day.

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Parker

Lopez

Two strawweight prospects are set to face off at Gladiator Challenge in El Cajon, CA on January 18. Five year veteran of the sport Tyra Parker will be taking on pro debuter Kristi Lopez in a 120 catchweight bout.

Parker (3-3) is coming off an armbar submission over Michele Gutierrez this past August. Parker had started her pro career at strawweight, losing back to back submissions. She has won all her fights with armbars.

Tuff-n-uff vet Lopez (3-1 ammy) has wins over Rachael Cummins and Kari Lichtenwalner.

No word on if the match will be streamed.

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Stephanie Alba announced she will be taking on Jamie Moyle at Tuff-n-uff amateur MMA January 24th in Las Vegas. Also on the card, Cheyanne Vlismas will take on Amanda Rainville.

Both matches will stream on Tuff-n-uff’s Ustream Channel for $10.

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Oregon prospect Katie Howard will make her pro debut February 8th as she will take on fellow pro debuter and BJJ blackbelt Miriam Cardoso at CageSports MMA in Washington State.

Howard (4-5 ammy) spent most of her ammy career out of FCFF in Portland, and has been a title contender for their belts. She has win over pro prospect Kyra Batara.

Cardoso is a 5 time world BJJ champion and  will be making her pro MMA debut. The BJJ black belt owns her own school out of Redmond, Washington.

Also announced, undefeated amateur Regan Bennedetti will face make her pro debut as she takes on Cheryl Chan.

No word on if the fight will be streamed.

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RFA announced a battle of 3-0 fighters, Justine Kish will face Randa Markos Thomas on January 24th in Los Angeles. Kish will be making her strawweight debut in the bout.

Kish has a submission win over InvictaFC and Bellator vet Munah Holland. She won he debut in RFA over Christine Stanley.

Canadian fighter Thomas started her pro career with back to back armbar submission wins and got a unanimous decision over Kara Kirsh this past October.

The fight will air in AXS TV January 24th.

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The previous announced title match between Holly Holm and Juliana Werner has changed from being at Holm’s home promotion of Fresquez Productions to LegacyFC. It will still happen in April and it will air on AXS-TV.

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Storm Damage tournament finalist Kate Da Silva will be dropping to 135 and she takes on Tanya Stevens for the promotion’s bantamweight title in Australia on March 22.

New Zealand’s Da Silva (5-1) has been on a roll as she won he first five fights before losing int eh Storm Damage featherweight finals to Faith Van Duin. Da Silva had won her quarterfinal and semi-final matches by submissions.

Australia’s Stevens (1-0) made her debut at Brace’s all female card last year, getting a majority decision over Mae-Lin Leow.

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Two female bouts are signed for Paradise Fighting Championship in the Virgin Islands March 22.

In a battle of lightweights, Amanda Charlene will face Angela Whitney. In a second female fight on the card, Laura Keefe faces Milady Pena

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Roxanne Modafferi’s first book chronicling her first years training and living in Japan is available for pre-ordering. The book is only $13 and can be purchased at BurningHorseMedia.com.

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As we head to the December 28th rematch between UFC champion Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, an unique trailer for the fight popped up that has been the best yet. Watch a video of how two “best friends” came together on “The Ultimate Fighter” here.

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If you want to relive some of the great moments at InvictaFC 7, All Elbows have some video highlights of Tecia Torres taking on Felice Herrig and the title match between Lauren Muprhy and Miriam Nakamoto here.

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Jessica Eye’s father Randy has been battling cancer since November and the Eye family needs your help.

The 55 year old Randy had just retired when he had been diagnosed with a  life threatening brain cancer called Giloblastoma and had surgery to remove the tumor. Even though the removal was a successful one, he still isn’t out of the woods.

The Eye family set up an oinline fundraiser to help with expenses. You can go here to donate: gofundme.com/5sv2uw.

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If you didn’t check out the WMMA Press Awards nominations you can see them here.

Also make sure to vote daily for your Fan Favorite fighter on our main page on the right side. With 30 nominated, it maybe a hard choice…

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Rumors

Bec Hyatt will be moving to the US in early 2014 to train for TUF 20. She hasn’t decided on where she is heading, but most likely it will be California or Florida.

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After a long layoff due to knee surgery, Kim Couture will be returning to fighting March 8th at Planet Hollywood in a kickboxing match. More info in the coming weeks…

Miscellaneous News

Friday night both UFC Champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Miesha Tate made weight for their rematch at UFC 168 in Vegas. The match will co-main event Saturday.

In a UFC first, both fighters entered from opposite sides of the stage, seemly being sequestered away from each other.

You can watch the weigh-in here.

The heated battle will air on PPV.

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In boxing action from Friday:

• In Tartagal, Salta, Argentina, Cecilia Sofia Mena defeated Angelina Mirta Padilla by unanimous decision
• Silvia Torres got the TKO over Gabriela Martinez in round 2 in Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico
• In Šturovo, Slovakia Alexandra Vlajk defeated Zsanett Lacko by unanimous decision
• Kledpetch Lookmuangkan defeated Kanittha Kokietgym by points in Mukdahan, Thailand

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The AXS TV Inside MMA’s Bazzie Awards were announced Friday. Female Fighter of the Year went to Ronda Rousey, while Holly Holm won the Rising Star award.  (You can watch Holm receive her Bazzie here).

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Reminder that the WMMA Press Awards Fan Favorite voting is still going on. By popular demand we added three more names to the voting: InvictaFC champ Lauren Murphy, UFC signee Rose Namjunas, and Invicta Star Miriam Nakamoto.

You can vote once a day on our main page (right hand side).

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Awakening Female Fighters has relaunched their website on Christmas Day and the design is stunning.

They have voting up for their Muay Thai Awards and WMMA Awards voting will start December 29.

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Nagano

In a surprising announcement, DEEP-JEWELS star Mika Nagano has announced she will be retiring after the promotion’s third event in February. The CJ Report posted the announcement on their site Saturday.

Nagano (14-9) was a top prospect in strawweight division before the announcement, having won four straight before losing a decsion to Emi Tomimatsu in a rematch this past November.

She will be fighting an exhibition bout at DEEP-JEWELS 3 February 16th in Tokyo against a yet-to-be announced opponent. No word on why Nagano decided to leave MMA, with some speculating she may still focus on her pro-wrestling career.

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To add to the multiple retirements of Japanese fighters this year, 44 year old Yasuko Mogi (3-10) who was a solid grappler outside the MMA, has decided to leave the sport after losing 7 straight.

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Sugiyama

Sato

DEEP-JEWELS added two more matches to their February card.

Bantamweight prospect Shizuka Sugiyama (10-3-1) will take on Mizuho Sato (6-5-1) in what will be an open-weight contest.  Sugiyama is unbeaten in her past five fights, having fought to a draw in her last match with Korean fighter Ji Yun Kim on November. Dato is also coming off a draw in her previous fight. The journey-woman fighter has yet to string a series of wins.

The other announced match this week sees Sachiko Fujimori (2-0-0) against pro debuter Shiori Hori.

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The scheduled bout this weekend between Lina Länsberg and Barbara Nalepka has been rescheduled to the next Trophy MMA in Sweden. Nalepka pulled out due to injury.

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Deanna Bennett is looking for her third straight win when she faces Sharon Jacobson at Showdown Fights in Orem, UT Januardy 24.

Bennett (2-0) most recent win was over Ultimate Fighter winner Julianna Pena this past February. She was also undefeated in her amateur career.

Jacobson (1-0 amateur) is making her pro debut in the fight. She debuted in November of 2012, getting at decision win over Rianne Whiting. The Army Reservist was a champion in the military wrestling league.

No word on if the match will be streamed.

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A pair of amateur bouts were announced this week:

• Disorderly Conduct announced an amateur 150 catchweight fight for their January 11 card. Janie Konyek will face Mercedes Timmerman
• On January 18 at Shamrock MMA in St. Louis, MO, Nikki Smith will face Amanda Barron

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The documentary “Glena”, which follows Glena Avila’s transition from amateur MMA to pro MMA and her life outside the cage, has official showtimes foir the SlamDance Film Festival in Park City, UT.

The film will show on January 18 at 10:20 p.m. and January 22 at 4:25 p.m.

You can get tickets here.

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Rumors

No rumors this week.

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Scheduled Fights

Pro MMA

Besides the UFC 168 encounter between Rousey and Tate, two more pro bout is scheduled.

• In PLMMA 26 in Poland, Lena Tkhorevska faces Anna Moldavchuk in an atomweight bout.
• Tracy Higgins faces Shannon Gunville in what will be both fighters pro debut at Turtle Mountain Throwdown III in Belcourt, North Dakota.

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New Years Eve day will see three pro female bouts at Cage Warriors in Dublin, Ireland:

• Aisling Daly vs Karla Benitez
• Catherine Costigan vs.  Morgane Delagnau
• Amanda English vs Slavka Vitaly

Costigan versus Delagnau and Amanda English versus Slavka Vitaly will be shown on the Cage Warriors facebook page starting at 11:30 a.m. pst/2:30 p.m. est. Daly versus Benitez will be streamed on MMAJunkie.com starting at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est.

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Boxing

In boxing action Saturday

• In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Maria Eugenia Lopez faces Silvia Fernanda Zacarias
• In three bouts in Novi Pazar, Serbia, Mirela Baradzic takes on Sonja Soknic, Aida Halac battles Radana Knezevic, and Semra Bogucanin dukes it out with Maja Jahic
• In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Rebecca Miller faces Sheena Chaney

One of the best sites for female boxing news, WBAN.com announced their 2013 Awards. The site asked its fans for suggestions and came up with the winners after careful deliberations.

Silva

Fighter of the year went to WBC light flyweight champ Ibeth Zamora Silva, who went 4-0 this year including Naoko Shibata and Ava Knight.

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The Jelena Mrdjenovich versus Melissa Hernandez war for the WBC featherweight title was sited as “The Bloodiest Contest in 2013″. The fight went six rounds before the rferee was forced to stop the contest to go to a technical decision. Mrdjenovich would get the nod.

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Three fighters were given the “Top Knockout” award – Riyo Togo first round upset TKO over Mariana Juarez for the vacant WBC International super flyweight title; Oxandia Castillo second round KO of Hanna Gabriel for the WBO light middleweight title; and Diana Prazak 8th round KO over Frida Wallberg for the WBC super featherweight title.

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Rola El Halabi and Martha Salazar were honored for “Comebacks of the Year”. El Halabi returned to the ring after a year and half absence being shot by her former manager father. After a six year absence, Salazar returned with a win over Sonya Lamonakis to re-enter the rankings.

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Kaliesha “Wild Wild” West’s video message to Floyd Mayweather helped her win the “Most Outspoken Female Boxer” award. West’s video went viral in the women’s fight community as a whole (boxing, kickboxing and MMA).

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Most Inspirational Boxers of 2013 included Sulem Urbina Soto,
Tori “Sho-Nuff” Nelson, and Layla “Amazing” McCarter.

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Among those who have helped behind the scenes, “Beautiful Brawlers” promoter Blanca Gutierrez was honored with the “Female Boxing Advocate of the Year”. Gutierrez has put on an all day all female boxing event in the Bay Area for the past three year.

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Trainer of the year went to Lucia Rijker, who has worked with a lot of amateur and pro talent out of L.A. including Diana Prazak and Myriam Lamare. Rijker has also helped UFC MMA champion Ronda Rousey with her striking.

You can read a complete list of the awards here.

We are please to see the growth of WMMA in 2013, and many websites and media outlets have opening their minds to allowing female fighters into their awards.

A lot of them are fan voting, so if you have a favorite fighter, here is where you can show your support.

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Fighters Only World MMA Awards

(Can vote only once per e-mail)

Although we are disappointed the Invicta and female lifestyle brands weren’t well represented this year, there are a few fighters that have broke some barriers.

Rose Namajunas is up against the guys for “Submission of the Year”, as is Michelle Waterson for “Comeback of the Year”.

“Female Fighter of the Year” has a great cross section of the women’s division with the UFC champ Ronda Rousey looking to repeat her award. Joining her is current UFC signee and Invicta star Joanne Calderwood; UFC title contender Alexis Davis; UFC fighter Jessica Eye; and undefeated boxer-turned-MMA fighter Holly Holm.

Only two companies up for “Promotion of the Year” had WMMA in 2013 – Cage Warriors (10 fights) and UFC (15 fights). UFC typically wins this category every year, but would be nice to see Cage Warriors surprise everyone by winning this year.

The awards will be handed out February 7th at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

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Promoting Real Women Awards

(Can vote once a day)

Jason Adams of “Promoting Real Women…” has done his website’s awards for the past four years. The awards covers more than just WMMA, including fitness modeling and bodybuilding.

We have been honored to be nominated for their Media Award.

Among the WMMA Awards up for grabs is the Breakout, Most Improved, and Julie Kedzie Most Exciting Fighter Award.

Voting ends January 20, with the winners being announced January 21 on the Promoting Real Women Podcast.

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Bloody Elbow WMMA Awards

(Vote once a day)

Bloody Elbows has one of the main stream websites that did a full-fledged WMMA Awards this year.

Here are the links to vote for each categories:

• Fighter of the Year
• Fight of the Year
• Round of the Year
• Comeback of the Year
• KO of the Year
• Submission of the Year

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Maxim 100

(Can vote once a day)

We know this isn’t technically a WMMA Award, but it’s well worth a mention.

Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey are battling out again this time against 98 other women who probably don’t know how to armbar people.

There is a “write-in” in case you want to start a campaign to add your favorite fighter.

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Bluegrass MMA

(Can vote once a day)

The Kentucky based website are only recognizing the amateur female fighters, and giving out three awards to them – Fighter, Fight, and Rookie.

Voting ends January 11.

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MMA Insider

(Can vote once a day)

MMA Insider covers Southern MMA including the Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Virginia. Most of the categories have both male and female fighters on the list.

Many of the female nominees have been leading in in the polls, but they still need your votes.

Voting ends January 13th.

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Georgia Fighters MMA/Boxing Awards

(Vote once a day)

We are predicting Atlanta will be a breakout city for WMMA in 2014. The talent there has yet to see national exposure but it’s way overdue.

Georgia Fighters covers more than just MMA. They also profile boxing and Muay Thai. They are honoring females in all the sports in their awards.

We would be remiss not to mention boxing trainer, gym owner, and former World champion Terri moss is up for several awards, including being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Voting ends January 16th. The winner will be announced at Wild Bill’s in Atlanta, GA.

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Osvaldo Paqueta Awards

(Vote once a day)

The Osvaldo Paqueta to honor Brazil’s best MMA fighters and voting is across many Brazilian websites.

In the female fighter category, the nominees are

• Herica Tiburcio (7-2; 2-1 in 2013)
• Julie Werner (7-3; 2-0 in 2013)
• Kalindra Faria (12-3; 5-0 in 2013)
• Larissa Pacheco (9-0; 5-0 in 2013)
• Talita Treta (6-0; 2-0 in 2013)

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One of the premier general boxing sites Bad Left Hook released their female boxing awards this week.

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Acuna

Among the winners is Marcela Acuna, the current WBC world and WBC Silver super bantamweight champion, taking the Fighter of the year honors. Acuna’s match with Yesica Patricia Marcos headlined “The Event of the Year.”

You can watch Acuna versus Marcos here.

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The rematch between Mariana Juarez and Riyo Togo took home the Match and Round of the Year honors. Juarez would win the WBC International super flyweight title in the ten round war. It was the last round that took the second award.

You can watch the Jaurez vs. Togo II fight here.

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“KO of the Year” went to Oxandia Castillo, whose knockout of Hanna Gabriel was a true KO, which many pundits state are rarer in the female divisions.

You can watch the KO here.

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Prospect of the Year went to Heather Hardy, who went 4-0 this year with 2 TKOs. She won the first ever Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) International super bantamweight title.

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You can read about the rest of the award winners and nominees here.

I wanted to take a moment on our 2000th post to thank the readers for your continued support. When I started this site in 2011, it was embarking into unknown waters with the hope that women’s combat sports could have a home of its own.

As much as WMMA is my first love, we have tried to branch out to many other disciplines as female fighters in all combat sports deserve some exposure. The current popularity of WMMA has prompted more attention towards these sports and we hope we can jump on the opportunity to help get some crossover support for freestyle wrestling, boxing, BJJ, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and other sports in which women compete to test themselves as an individual.

The WMMA community as a whole has seen more female MMA based websites, and more main stream MMA sites cover female fights. I am happy to see it as more fighters are getting exposure.

As we head into 2014, I hope to expand more coverage and help not only other sports, but get exposure to regional and international fighters who may become the stars of tomorrow. This also extends our commitment to profile the future of women’s combat sports with our “Future Stars” column.

I have always taken suggestions from readers and will continue to do so. If you have a fighter you want to profile, or a topic you’d like me to look into, please feel free to comment, tweet or facebook us.

I would like to thank the WMMA journalist community who I have had the pleasure to meet way before this site started. Rob Sargent of MMARising.com, Tim Peterson of WMMA Today, and Kristin Ursy & Veronica Locurto of WMMA Round-up.

To the new journalists I have met this year, welcome to the community.

I am looking forward to 2014, and expect this year to be bigger than the last.

Miscellaneous News

Kelly

Howarth

Cage Warriors has announce their next women’s bantamweight for their first card of the year in London, England February 15.

Kickboxer Amanda Kelly (1-0) will look for her second pro win as she takes on “Ultimate Fighter” cast-off Laura Howarth (1-0).

Kelly’s knee KO over Hannah Stephens this past October gained her the nomination for KO or the Year in 2013. Howarth went undefeated in her semi-pro career and defeated Emma Delaney in her Cage Warriors debut in December.

The promotion states one more female bout will be added to the card in the next week or so.

The fight is expected to stream live and free on MMAJunkie.com February 15.

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South African fighter Santa-Marie Venter will become the first ever female fighter from her country to compete in MMA as she faces Maddy Simmons in a amateur bout at Full Nelson Promotions’ Ground & Pound: USA vs. South Africa January 18th at the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, Minnesota.

Venter has a karate background, but her brother is a nationally ranked wrestler in her homeland, which has helped round out her game. Simmons is a talented submission specialist who got a rare von fluke choke in early 2013.

No word on if the match will be streamed.

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Amateur prospect Shannon Culpepper will defend her Spartan Combat League title against Heather Sachleben in Denver January 25th.

Culpepper (4-1) is coming off a TKO win over Latrisha Breidenback October, defending her title for the first time. Denny (6-1) is coming off five straight wins.

No word on if this will be streamed.

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Co-host of the ProWMMA Now podcast Emily Bartee will make her long awaited MMA debut as she takes on fellow debuter Amy Holland at Hard Rock MMA 60 in February 1st in Shepardsville, KY. The match will take place at 155.

The promotion is expected to announce at least one more female bout.

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KSW champion Karolina Kowalkiewicz, undefeated Cage Warriors fighter Agnieszka Niedzwiedz, and Lena Tkhorevska will be hold a female only sparring camp in Lodz, Poland January 23-26.

The camp happens twice a year, and it is a great opportunity for European to train with some of the continent’s best fighters.

It is 230 zloty/55 Euro. More info can be found at Gracie Barra Lodz’s facebook.

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After taking a detour in MMA, Monica Lovato will return to her boxing roots as she will take on Hondi Hernandez at the Buffalo Thunder Casino in Santa Fe, NM January 25.

Lovato (12-1 boxing, 5-3 MMA) last saw boxing action in 2008 and soon transitioned to MMA, going on a four fight win streak before losing to current InvcitaFC flyweight champion Barb Honchak. She lost to Sarah Alpar in 2012 in her last MMA fight.

Lovato is the former NABF female super flyweight and International Boxing Association bantamweight champion.

Hernandez (5-5) is also making a return to the ring. Her last fight was in 2010, and is hoping to snap a five fight losing streak.

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We recommend you check out this interview with Rosy Hayward, whose “Female Muay Thai on Facebook” page won Awakening’s “Female Muay Thai Media Resource of the Year”.

We also recommend you joing the group if you are a female fight fan, especially outside the U.S.

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On the podcast Saturday, we will have veteran fighter Jen Tate, who will be making her way back to the cage in 2014 after pursuing Muay Thai and boxing the past few years.

You can listen live here Sunday at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est.

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Rumors

Michele Gutierrez tweet us she is “basically done with MMA”.

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Added to the list of people trying out is Tyra Parker. Who won’t be trying out is Alida Gray, who is currently signed to a three fight contract to WSOF and has a title match next week.

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Scheduled Matches

MMA

Strawweight prospect Amber Stautzenberger is looking for her 5th straight win as she takes on veteran fighter Lynn Alvarez at DatokaFC in Fargo, ND on Saturday.

Stautzenberger  (4-1) is coming off a win over InvictaFC vet Lacey Schuckman. Bellator vet Alvarez (5-3) is coming off back to back losses to Unified #1 ranked Jessica Aguilar and former InvictaFC champion Carla Esparza.

Both tipped the scales at 116 pounds Friday night.

The fight will stream on Midwestfightshop.com for $5 at 5:30 p.m. pst/8:30 p.m. est  Saturday night.

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Dynasty Combat Sports will have three fight streaming free Saturday night.

In the pro main event, undefeated Jozette Cotton (3-0) will take on DCS vet Jessica Halverson (4-2)  in a 160 pound catch-weight bout.

Two amateur fights are set as Sydney Sallach faces Casi Lee in a strawweight battle, and Mercedes Timmerman tangles with Janie Konyek in a 150 catch weight war.

You can watch all three matches live and free at P2cn.tv at 6 p.m. pst/9 p.m. est.

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K-1

In what we are hoping is a trend in female kickboxing, Melanie Brockmann will face Lina Kotanidou under K-1 rules at Happy New Heroic Battle in Herne, Germany Saturday.

Under K-1 rules, you cannot use elbows and the matches are three 5 minutes rounds, with an extra round if there is a draw. GLORY has held non-televised female K-1 bouts in the past and the hope of the ladies will get their shot on the main card soon.

No word on if the Brockmann versus Kotanidou at the HNHB card will be streamed.

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Boxing

In boxing action this weekend:

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Norma Elizabeth Diaz Caucota faces Yessika Flavia Munoz

Sanae Jah takes on Sandy Coget in Liege, Belgium

In four bouts in Razgrad, Bulgaria:

• Galina Gumliiska vs. Stefani Radeva
• Kremena Petkova vs. Anna Savova
• Borislava Goranova vs. Tzanka Karova
• Svetla Taskova vs. Aleksandra Petrova

One of the tools we have that many might not be aware of is our twitter directories.

The lists help fighters and fans connect, and you can see news and comments directly from your favorite fighter.

We have divided them into four different categories for easier viewing:

• WMMA: Fighters mainly fighting MMA
• Striking Arts: Boxing, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, and Kickboxing
• Grappling Arts: BJJ, Judo, and Wrestling
• Future Stars: Fighters under 18 that we have featured in our “Future Stars” column.

If you are a fighter or know of a fighter not on out twitter directories, please tweet us @WombatSports.

We are already a few weeks into 2014 and the WMMA community is buzzing with what has already been announced.

Coming off an action packed year, it’s time to look ahead to what is going to happen this year and what to look out for.

Calderwood

The Ultimate Fighter 20 Will Draw Huge Numbers

This isn’t necessarily a prediction as much as a really educated guess. Here is why.

The first female cast had better numbers then their male counterparts on The Ultimate Fighter 18. Some could say the live viewers were lower than previous years, but you need to factor in DVR ratings, online viewing, and it was on Fox Sports 1, which isn’t on a basic cable channel.

What this season has going for it is established stars and a cast that is known far in advance. The media exposure is over a longer term, giving it some momentum and build into the season.

The international cast from Australia, Scotland, and Brazil will draw a lot of viewers international.

Most importantly, the personalities are bigger and the stakes are higher with a title belt on the line.  A lot of drama will bring in a big female audience.

This all factors into what will be a big season.

Rothenhausler vs. Malungahu

InvictaFC Will be on a TV Network Before Summer

This is pretty much fact as InvictaFC President Shannon Knapp told us she has been offered several deals by networks to have the promotion’s cards on TV. The hope seems to be this will happen within the next two cards, with a trial run possible.

Internet ppv is on the outs for now, as way too many complications have forced them to give back much needed income. Satellite and cable PPV will still be around if a tv deal isn’t done on the next card.

Tate

Veterans Will Return to the Cage

Kelly Kobold was supposed to debut last month at Invicta, but will the third time be the charm for her to actually make it to the cage?

One person we do know is coming back to MMA is Jen Tate. She told us on the Wombat Sports podcast she will be juggling between boxing and MMA, with her first MMA match in four years in April. She also told us she is dropping to 115.

A solid rumor is Kerry Vera will be returning this year. One of the stars of “Fight Girls” (as was Tate), Vera is 2-0 with a notable win over Leslie Smith. She took some time off due to injury, but there was a video of her last year training and she looks better than ever.

The Year of the Atomweights and Lightweights will Make their Mark

With strawweights and bantamweights in the UFC, it will serve as an opportunity for Invicta to develop other divisions. The atomweights will see a lot of new blood this year, as more amateur American 105ers make their move to pro, and many 115ers drop down once again. We have seen an influx in both late last year.

After getting themselves organize last year, it’s only a matter of one or two Invicta cards before we see the debut of the lightweights. Having had some fights last year in other promotions, the 155ers are ready for the big time. I am also predicting they will be ranked this year (probably in the fall) once the Invicta opportunities start coming.

Another factor is featherweights having to cut so much weight. This gives fighters like Veronica Rothenhausler and Cyborg Justino a better, less dangerous cut to 155.

Nicolini

The Best in BJJ Will Crossover into MMA

Last year, ADCC under 60 kg winner Michelle Nicolini stated she is going to re-start her MMA career, and ADCC runner-up Luana Alzuguir stating she will also seek the cage in 2014. Nicolini (1-0) made her MMA debut in 2011 with an armbar over Cristina Mejia in the first round. Alzuguir has yet to fight MMA, but is training to do so.

There isn’t much money or exposure in BJJ in general, with the ladies not getting any opportunities in the Metamoris BJJ pro league.

MMA offers exposure, sponsors, and money to these top level BJJ fighters, and with the success of Ronda Rousey, they may see just as much success in the cage.

Van Soest courtesy Lion Fights

Female Kickboxing Making Huge Strides

Lion Fights started something in 2013. The prominence of kickboxing was mainly outside the U.S. before the promotion brought a regular televised platform to the U.S. With Tiffany Van Soest and Cyborg leading the charge, LFP will look to continue expand their female roster and with matchmaker Christine Toledo at the helm, we can always expect some exciting female bouts.

GLORY may follow suit. They have held undercard female bouts under K-1 rules, but there is a solid demand from fighters and fans to get the ladies on the main card. Could we see a full fledged tournament? Probably not. Could we see Marloes Coenen go back to her kickboxing roots? We are making the bold prediction she will.

Acuna vs. Marcos 2013

Can Women’s Box Breakout to TV?

The women’s boxing divisions are starting to get it.

It’s not about just fighting hard anymore. It’s about making a statement, and with the social media culture, it is getting better for female boxers to argue their case. This can be best illustrated with Kaliesha West’s viral video to Floyd Mayweather.

The question will be if a promoter will be brave and bold enough to put female fighters on a televised card. Mayweather could be the personality to do so, but we won’t be surprised if some newer promoter will break the boxing mold in the U.S.

TV networks are open to the idea. Boxer Ana Julaton did a great blog post on how tv execs stated they haven’t been approached, and with female boxing generating 40,000 live fans in Argentina, it’s an untapped gold mine.

Someone just needs to pull the trigger, and 2014 seems as good of time as any.

Starting he MMA career in 2006 and one of the cast of the reality show “Fight Girls”, Jennifer Tate went 6-1 in MMA until she decided to take some time off in 2010 to start a family. In 2012, she took a trip to Thailand to train Muay Thai and decided to take up some boxing matches in 2013. In 2014 she is looking to come back to MMA.

We talked to Tate about her return to the cage, her possible run for the Olympics, and how training in Thailand helped her postpartum depression.

Listen to the Podcast here

Miscellaneous News

In action from Thursday at Caged Hostility in Ft. Worth, TX, Halleigh Haak got the technical submission over Lynae Lovato at 0:49 of round 2. Haak hooked in a guillotine for the no -tap submission.

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Several search engines posted their “Most Searched” female athletes, and Ronda Rousey took #3 in both Goggle’s and Yahoo’s list.

Miesha Tate took #5 on the Google list, while Gina Carano took #6 on Yahoo’s.

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UFC 168′s pay-per-view number estimates are in, and early reports are saying it drew over 1 million viewers.

The PPV, which was co-main evented by UFC champion Ronda Rousey taking on Meisha Tate in a rematch and main evented by Chris Weidman defending his title against Anderson Silva had an estimated 1.1 million viewers, tied for the third on the best selling PPVs.

The live gate is the second biggest in UFC history at a little over $6.2 million. UFC 129 has the reord with $11 million.

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Middeleasy announced their “2013 Frate Train Awards”, which has one of the more creative takes on MMA achievements of the year.

Females cover most of the nominated categories this year:

• MMA Beef: Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate
• MMA Poster: UFC 168 Rousey vs. tate
• No Tap Submission: Alexis Davis rear naked choke over Shayna Baszler.
• Walk off KO:  Vanessa Guimarães KO over Bruna Paiffer
• Scrappiest Fight: Michelle Waterson vs. Jessica Penne
• Fight Card: InvictaFC 5 & UFC 168
• Frate Train: Ronda Rousey

You can vote for the awards here.

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Absolute Action MMA announced they have created an all-female MMA fight series called “ViragoFC”, which will launch March 8th in Williamstown, KY.

AAMMA has produced stars such as the UFC’s Jessamyn Duke and InvictaFC’s Norma Center. The promotion has help two all female cards in the past. With the new “ViragoFC” brand, they are hoping to spotlight amateur talent.

The promotion will be releasing a card in the coming weeks.

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Princesses of Pain will be returning with a MMA card May 3rd.

The New Zealand based all-female promotion will be hosting two 55kg four-woman tournaments; novice and advanced. They are also looking at a 60kg advanced tournament and some individual matches.

More details in the months to come.

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Lim and Osman

Sherilyn Lim and Ann Osman will face off in a rematch of their “Fight of Night” performance at OneFC in  Kuala Lumpur, Malyasia March 14. Both made their MMA debuts in the match in October, with Lim taking an unanimous decision.

The fight will stream on OneFC.com for $10.

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Undefeated Brazilian flyweight Claudia Rey will drop to 115 for her next fight.

Rey (2-0) will take on MMA debuter Kessyne Mara at Nitrix Champion Fight 19 in Camboriú, Brazil Feb. 9. Rey is coming off back to back TKO wins.

The match will stream for free on Sportv.globo.com.

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Melo

XFC has announced their first female fighter signing in their new international expansion.

According to an article on DamadeFerro.com, Brazilian Vanessa Melo has signed to the promotion this past week.

Melo (2-2) evened her record this past November with a first round rear naked choke submission over Suelen Pereira.

No word on when she will debut with XFC. Word is XFC will be streaming their cards on Rede TV’s website.

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Mei Yamaguchi will make her atomweight debut against at yet-to-be-named opponent at PXC in the Philippines March 16. The former Valkerie MMA champion Yamaguchi (11-6-1) is coming off a split decision loss to Patricia Vidonic at PXC back in October.

Yamaguchi stated she will be facing a “local opponent”, which we are speculating is either Jujeath Nagaowa or Gina Iniong.  We will have more on this next week.

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Ground and Pound Germany  has four female fighter awards voting going on.

International Fighter of the Year (vote here)

• Alexis Davis
• Holly Holm
• Jessica Eye
• Joanne Calderwood
• Ronda Rousey
• Tecias Torres

Local MMA Fighter of the Year (Vote here)

• Alexandra Buch
• Ania Fucz
• Anne Merkt
• Kristin Handel
• Steff Schmidt
• Tanja Hoffmann

Local Boxer of the Year (vote here)

• Christina Hammer
• Ina Menzer
• Susi Kentikian
• Raja Amasheh
• Ramona Kühne
• Rola El-Halabi

Local Kickboxer if the Year (vote here)

• Ania Fucz
• Christine Theiss
• Kocak Dilara
• Dilara Yildiz
• Meryem Uslu
• Julia Irmen

You can also vote for InvictaFC for “Promotion of the Year” here.

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If you didn’t catch our article this week, please help out Cat Zingano and her son after the tragic passing of Cat’s husband Mauricio. You can find out how here.

The goal is to raise $10,000 and every dollar counts.

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Young

We lost a true pioneer in wrestling as WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young past away this week at age 90. Even though she was a professional wrestling, she came from the school where you really had to know how to shoot wrestle before even stepping into the ring.

Young was a high school wrestler before turning pro. The story goes Young took on  Gladys Gillem in a legitimate shoot fight, beating her in seconds. Besides training both female and male grapplers to make it in pro wrestling, she was still active in the pro wrestling scene until her death this past week.

She will be missed.

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InvictaFC atomweight Jessica Penne has confirmed she will be trying out for TUF 20. Still awaiting a date on when the tryouts are in Vegas.

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Gina Carano will be guest starring in “Almost Human” as a killer robot on the futuristic series. The episode will air on Fox Feb. 3.

You can watch a preview here.

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Ais “The Bash” Daly is coming off a huge win this past New Years Eve, and is studying for another career in the cage.

Daly, along with three other Irish female fighters, are training to be cutwoman.

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Thomas

On the podcast Sunday, we will talk to the undefeated Randa Markos-Thomas, who is looking for her biggest win to date against Justine Kish at RFA in Los Angeles January 24.

You can listen here at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est here Sunday.

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Rumors

The World Series of Fighting announce an event March 29, which is targeted for Las Vegas. Emi Fujino is expected to make her U.S. debut on the card.

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Kansas based TitanFC announced it has inked an 8 card deal with CBS Sports Net. Even though the promotion hasn’t held any female bouts, it has changed their management last year. The new owners are Alchemist Management, who happens to manage UFC fighters Liz Carmouche and Bec Hyatt.

We won’t be surprised if the promotion announces a WMMA division or two in the coming months.

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Shafir Courtesy Ray Kasprowicz – Ultra Vista

Marina Shafir confirmed she will be fighting at U of MMA in Hollywood, CA Feb. 9. No word on an opponent.

After the match, she will be turning pro according to several sources. InvictaFC and World Series of Fight will most likely vie for the featherweight prospect.

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Scheduled Fights

Pro MMA

Gray & Aguilar Courtesy WSOF/Ryan Loco

The first ever World Series of Fighting Strawweight champion will be crowned Saturday on NBC Sports Net as #1 Unified ranked Jessica Aguilar will takes on the undefeated Alida Gray on Hollywood, FL.

Aguilar (16-4) has been on a seven fight win streak with her last fight being a majority technical decision win in Megumi Fujii’s retirement match. This will be Aguilar’s first world title with a win.

Gray  (4-0) has finished all her opponents, including an award winning KO over Soannia Tiem.

The weigh-ins will stream on WSOF.com at 2 p.m. pst/5 p.m. est.

The match will air on NBC Sports Net Saturday.

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Atomweight prospect Amanda Lovato will make her pro debut against Jessica Armstrong Kennett at Rocktagon MMA in El Paso, TX.

Lovato (3-1 ammy) started her MMA career in April of last year, getting 2 first round TKO wins. Kennett is winless in her pro career, and will be dropping to 105 for the first time for the fight.

The match will stream live and free Friday on  Rocktagonworldwide.com.

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Pink Fights returns to Brazil with five female bouts:

• Aline Sério (6-4) vs. Elaine Caverna (7-2)
• Edilaine Oliveira (0-1) vs. Rayane Abreu (0-1)
• Amanda Torres (1-1) vs. Carla Ellen (debut)
• Dayana Silva (4-2) vs. Evelin Gomes (debut)
• Helen Bastos (1-1) vs. Priscila de Souza (2-0)

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In other pro action:

• In a pair of bouts at Gladiator Challenge in El Cajon, CA, Tyra Parker takes on Kristi Lopez, and Alexis Dufresne faces Catalina Maldanado.
• Patricia Vidonic battles Brianna Van Buren at RWCF in Redding, CA

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Ammy MMA

In amateur MMA action this weekend:

• At BlackoutFC in Carthage, Missouri, which will stream on GFL.tv for $12,  Blair Patton takes on Tabby Patterson, while Tambree Wilson faces Nora Hamilton.
• Nikki Smith battles Sharita Fane  at Shamrock MMA in St. Louis, MO
• In Mahnomen, MN at Full Nelson Promotions , South African Santa-Marie Venter makes her U.S. debut against Maddy Simmons.
• At Gladius Fights 9 in Syracuse, New York, Cassandra Durant takes on Janice Meyer
• At Capital City Cage Fighting Championship, Cora Thomason faces Calie Cutler for the 135lb title, while Melisa Holmes Berean defends her middleweight belt against Britt Lipka.

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Boxing

Four fights are set for Queens, New York Saturday.

The main event will feature Keisher McLeod Wells and Monica Flores battling for vacant WIBA flyweight title. Wells (6-2) is coming off back to back wins, while Flores (3-1) is coming off her first loss against Noemi Bosques.

InvictaFC MMA vet Jodie Esquibel returns to the boxing ring after a two year absence to take on Eileen Olszewski .

The two other bouts on the card are Jennifer Santiago facing Peggy Maerz and Bertha Aracil dukes it out Jennifer Woodward.

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In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monica Silvina Acosta will defend her WBA light welterweight title against Ana Laura Esteche. Acosta (19-0-2) is coming off three straight stoppages. Esteche (9-3-1) has gone 3-1 in her last four bouts.

 Adela Celeste del Carmen Peralta will take on Maria Angelica Ruiz and Yohana Gimenez faces Tamara Marianella Nunez in two more bouts on the card.

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WIBA bantamweight champion Carolina Rodriguez looks to defend her title for the first time against Simone Da Silva Duarte in Constitucion, Chile.

Rodriguez (10-0) got a TKO win in her last fight over Natalia Vanesa Lopez. Duarte (14-4) has won three straight and is looking for her first world title.

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Three bouts are set in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

• Yazmin Rivas battles Calixta Silgado for the vacant WBC Silver super bantamweight title
• Susana Vazquez faces Guadalupe Rodriguez
• Livier de la Cruz Munoz takes on Soledad Vargas

Courtesy WSOF/Lucas Noonan

Pro MMA

#1 Unified ranked strawweight Jessica Aguilar has won her first major title.

Aguilar gained the first ever World Series of Fight strawweight title with a submission win over Alida Gray in Hollywood, FL Friday.

Aguilar (17-4) was able to get the takedown early via a suplex, but Gray got back up to her feet. Aguilar got Gray down again, took half guard, and set up the head and arm triangle choke. Taking side control, Aguilar finished the choke and got the tap at 2:45 of round 1.

This was her first submission win in the past two years, and she snaps Gray’s four fight winning streak.

—–

Torres Courtesy Pink Fights

Five fights were on deck at an action packed Pink Fights in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In the main event, flyweight standout Aline Sério (7-4) took a unanimous decision over Elaine Albuquerque Caverna.

In an early “Fight of the Year” contender, Amanda Torres (2-1) came back to get the armbar submission over Paula Baack in round 3.

The two strawweights were slugging it out tooth and nail early on in the first round, slowing the pace a bit in round 2. Baack started to open up with knees and head kicks in round 3, getting the knockdown on Torres. Torres tried for a leg lock, and was able to take guard. As Baack tried for ground and pound, Torres grabbed an arm and was able to get the belly down armbar for the tap at 4:32 of round 3.

In other action from the card:

• Edlaine França Godoy defeated Raiane Abreu by submission (rear naked choke) round 3
• Dayana Silva defeated Mayara Aguiar by TKO round 1
• Hellen Bastos defeated Priscila de Souza by submission (armbar) round 1

——

In other pro MMA fights this weekend:

• In a pair of bouts at Gladiator Challenge in El Cajon, CA, Kristi Lopez takes the split decision over Tyra Parker and Alexis Dufresne gets the TKO over Catalina Medril in round 1.
• Brianna VanBuren earned her biggest win to date, getting the unanimous decision over Patricia Vidonic at RWCF in Redding, CA.
• At Caged Hostility in Ft. Worth, TX, Halleigh Haak won her pro debut, getting the technical submission over Lynae Lovato at 0:40 round 2. Haak choked out Lovato with a guillotine.

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Ammy MMA

In amateur MMA action this weekend:

• In a pair of bouts at BlackoutFC in Carthage, MO, Blair Patton submitted Tabby Patterson with a triangle choke round 1, and Nora Hamilton got the unanimous decision over Tambree Wilson.
• At Capital City Cage Fighting Championship in Lansing, MI, Pam Sorenson defeated Cora Thomason by unanimous decision to win the 135 title, while Melisa Holmes Berean defeated Britt Lipka by TKO round 2 to retain her 185 title
• Nikki Smith defeated last minute oopponent Porsche Trust by rear naked choke round 1 at Shamrock MMA in St. Louis, MO
• At Full Nelson Promotions in Mahnomen, MN, Maddy Simmons defeated South African Santa-Marie Venter by split decision
• Janice Meyer defeated Cassandra Durant by unanimous decision at Gladius Fights 9 in Syracuse, NY.

—–

Esteche Courtesy NotiFights.com

Boxing

Ana Laura Esteche won her first world title, gaining the WBA light welterweight title with a unanimous decision over champion Monica Silvina Acosta in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Esteche handed Asocta her first loss and improves to 10-3-1.

In other matches on the card, Adela Celeste del Carmen Peralta got the unanimous decision over Maria Angelica Ruiz and Yohana Gimenez and Tamara Marianella Nunez fought to a majority draw.

——

On other boxing action:

• Carolina Rodriguez successfully defended her WIBA bantamweight title getting the unanimous decision over Simone Da Silva Duarte in Constitucion, Chile
• In Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Yazmin Rivas gained the vacant WBC Silver super bantamweight title by defeating Calixta Silgado by unanimous decision. Also on the card, Susana Vazquez def. Guadalupe Rodriguez by unanimous decision.
• Queens, New York saw three fights. Keisher McLeod Wells defeated Monica Flores by unanimous decision to win the vacant WIBA flyweight title. Eileen Olszewski got the unanimous decision over Jodie Esquibel and Jennifer Santiago defeated Peggy Maerz by unanimous decision.
• Yohana Belen Alfonzo defeated Natalia Vanesa Lopez by unanimous decision in San Luis, Argentina

Miscellaneous News

Weekend Results

Justine Kish improved to 4-0 with her win over Randa Markos-Thomas this past Friday at RFA in Los Angeles. Kish’s Muay Thai and ability to stuff takedowns made the huge difference in the unanimous decision win. Markos had a late rally in the third round, almost getting the armbar submission but Kish escaped and an out the clock.

Markos gets her first loss as a pro.

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Bennett Courtesy Bob Norbutt

Deanna Bennett remains undefeated as a pro as she got the first round rear naked choke over Sharon Jacobson at Showdown MMA in Utah. Bennett improves to 3-0 as a bantamweight.

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Delaney Owens made a successful pro debut as she defeated experienced pro Sarah Alpar (now 4-3) at Sugar Creek Showdown in Hinton, OK. Alpar was dominant in the fight, but Owens rallied to get a rear naked choke in the third round.

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Elkins Courtesy Hoodlum Photography

At Destiny MMA in Honolulu, Hawaii, Jenny Liou made a successful debut over fellow debuter Rachael Ostovich by TKO in round 2.

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Featherweight prospect Brittney Elkin took an unanimous decision over  Summer Bradshaw on Elkin’s pro debut at SCL MMA on Denver, CO. In an amateur flyweight title match on the card, champion Shannon Culpepper defeated Heather Sachleben by split decision.

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Moyle vs. Alba Courtesy Ray Kasprowicz

In amateur action this past weekend:

• At Tuff-n-uff in Las Vegas, NV, Jamie Moyle defeated Stephanie Alba by unanimous decision in a 110 pound catchweight bout. Moyle came in 4 pound over weight. Also on the card, Cheyanne Vlismas submitted Sheena Brandenburg by armbar round 2.
• Katlyn Chookagian picks up her 6th win as she submitted Andrea Lee armbar in round 3 at Ascend Combat in Shreveport, LA. You can watch the video here.
• In a pair of bouts at Wild Bill’s Fight Night in Duluth, Georgia Maddie Wilbanks took only 25 seconds to TKO Erin Bell, and Sarah Hedges took the unanimous decision over Stephanie Tinsley.
• Jade Chun defeated Stephanie Meganck by unanimous decision and Hannah Zeciri submitted Holly Torrez by armbar at 1:52 of round 1 at KC MMA in Kansas City, MO.
• In Houghton Lake, Michigan at SCFL, Angela Jennings defeated Courtney Losievsky by TKO 0:47 of round 1 and Tabatha Shanks submitted Chauntel Wallace by neck crank round 2.
• At ABMMA in Biloxi, MS, Miki Rogers got the armbar submission over Anna Smith in round 2 and Monica Hueron defeated Lisa Anastario by TKO round 1.
• Devaney Clayton defeated Brianna Smith by TKO (retirement) round 2  at WFC – Baton Rouge, LA
• At Rumble at the Roseland in Portland, Oregon Jennifer Gaspard submitted Joy Edwards by triangle choke in 48 seconds.
• Molly Wren-Holmes defeated Alyson Carvalho by unanimous decision at Art of MMA in Thousand Oaks, California

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In boxing this weekend:

• In Santa Fe, NM, Monica Lovato defeated DJ Morrision by TKO round 4
• Arely Mucino defeated Tenkai Tsunami by split decision in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
• In Santa Fe, Argentina, Cristina Beatriz Cuevas defeated Soledad Segui by unanimous decision 

=====

The XFC tryouts were this past weekend with around a dozen female fighters in attendance along side the males. Even though none of the women got the big five fight deal, word is several did get an offer to fight for the XFC. No word on who those were.

Among those trying out were Olympic wrestler from El Salvador Ingrid Medrano (she didn’t make it past the sparring session) but still one to look out for.

Roma Pawelek made an impression as she made it pretty far in the tryout. XFC President John Prisco did praise her for making it as far as she did and may still fight for the promotion in the future.

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Handel

The German combat sports site Ground and Pound has announced the winners of their 2013 awards.

MMA Female Fighter of the year went to Kristin Handel. The German featherweight made her pro debut this past year, with a decision win over Katharina Albinus.

Female Kickboxer of the Year went to Dr. Christine Theiss. Theiss went 2-1 in 2013, splitting a pair of bouts with Russia’s Olga Stavrova.

Female boxer of the year went to undefeated WBO/WBF middleweight champion Christine Hammer. She defended her title three times in 2013, with one TKO.

—–

No surprise, but Ronda Rousey and Miehsa Tate took home the Middleasy 2013 Award for MMA Beef of the Year.The feud took 38.46% of the vote.

——

ViragoFC has announced its first 2 match for its debut card.

Sarah Cook (4-7) will face Anna Abrams (2-0) March 9 in Williamsburg, KY. Also announced, Maddy Simmons will face Brianna Lynch

More matches are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

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Jessica Aguilar took home $30,000 for her title win over Alida Gray a few weeks ago at World Series of fighting. Gray got $5000 for her efforts.

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On their heels of the card Friday night, RFA has announced their next card  in March 7 in Lincoln, NE. No pro female bouts are scheduled, but on the untelevised amateur undercard, Stephanie Watts will face Alyce Elizabeth Roen. Janie Konyek is also expected to fight on the card.

—–

U of MMA Marina Shafir has an opponent for what could be her final amateur MMA bout. Nicole Upshaw (1-1) has stepped up for the match at U of MMA February 9.

—–

Lucina

Pro bantamweight fighter Sarah Lacina will become the first female MMA fighter to be on “Survivor”. Lachina (1-1) last fought in 2011, losing to Kelly Warren via submission. The new season of “Survivor” debuts February 26.

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Calie Cutler (6-1 amateur) has announced she is turning pro and will fight her first pro match in March. More details to come.

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Germany’s Anne Merkt (1-1) looks to rebound from her first pro loss as she will face Brazilian Luana Souza  at “We love MMA” in Oberhausen, Germany on Feb. 1. Souza will make her pro debut. The fight is expected to be streamed.

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Swedish atomweight Iman Helin Darabi will compete in her 2nd pro fight April 5 at IRFA 6.0 in Stockholm, Sweden. The opponent is yet to be announced.

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A pair of female matches are planned for Steelfist MMA April 19. In an amateur featherweight bout, Charlene Donahue will face Krystal Larson, while Rachel Kemker will face a yet to be named opponent at heavyweight.

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Mexico’s Xtreme Kombat returns to action in Mexico City, Mexico with a pair of female bouts March 1

Anely Jimenez (7-1) looks to rebound from her first pro loss as she takes on Tania Pereda. Wendy Arellano (1-1) is looking for her second pro win as she takes on Karina Gonzalez.

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The boxing documentary “Last Woman Standing” is going to be available on iTunes January 28th.

The film chronicles Canadian boxers  Ariane Fortin and Mary Spencer as they prepare for the 2012 Olympic Games.

You can watch the trainer here.

We will have a complete review of the film this week.

—–

Rumor

On the Promoting Real Women podcast last week, Jessica Penne admitted she didn’t want to go back up to 115 and was why initially she didn’t take an offer to be a part of the “The Ultimate Fighter 20″. She has regretted the decision and will try out for the show.

—–

According to an interview with Fox Sports, former Miss United States Whitney Miller is looking to make a transition to MMA. Miller had started doing BJJ three months ago and placed second in her first grappling tournament. She still has a ways to go before he MMA debut. She is looking to fight at atomweight.

——

BJJ world champion Miriam Cordoso told us on the Wombat Sports podcast her goal is to fight at atomweight for Invicta. The BJJ black belt is tipping the scales at the moment at 113 ahead of her strawweight match against Katie Howard.

It is a “possibility” she may try out for “The Ultimate Fighter 20″ but her team won’t make the decision until after the fight. Her training partner Amy Cadwell-Montenegro stated she will be trying out for the show.

——

Scheduled Fights

Will cover these on the MRS on the column’s usual day on Friday. 

Pena Courtesy UFC

Miscellaneous News

According to Dana White during a press scrum on Thursday, Julianna Pena stated was attacked by a male training partner and that’s how she injured her knee.

In a report on MMAFighting.com, White stated Pena was harassed by a male fighter and the fighter eventually jumped on Pena’s back and cranked Pena’s neck, prompting Pena to fall weird on her knee and the injury occurred.

MMA Fighting followed up the story with an interview with Pena’s team member Michael Chiesa, who denies the story, stating the injury happened with a regular training partner during the course of rolling. He added if there was any insults, it was light-hearted and no harm intended.

Pena is expected to have surgery on her knee in L.A. next week and will be out for two years due to tears on her  ACL, MCL, LCL, Meniscus and hamstring. This is the third time Pena had an injury on her knee.

—–

Duke

Correia

Jessamyn Duke and Bethe Correia with both make their second appearances in the octagon in April.

The two will square off at UFC 172 in Baltimore, MD April 26. The news came out Thursday.

Duke (3-0, 1 NC) lost to Raquel Pennington in a “Fight of the Season” performance on “The Ultimate Fighter”. Duke would defeat fellow castmate Peggy Morgan by unanimous decision on the TUF finale card in November in her octagon debut.

The undefeated Brazilian Correia (7-0) is coming off a split decision win in her UFC debut over veteran fighter Julie Kedzie.

The match will most likely be on the preliminary card and air on Fox.

—–

Another fight has been added to Cage Warriors 64 February 15 in London, England.

England’s Kirsty Davis and Finland’s Veera Nykanen will fight in a battle of 115 pro debuters. Davis (2-0 semi-pro) returned after a two year absence from MMA this past July to get a unanimous decision win over Jess Offermans.

Nykanen (2-0 semi-pro) has a BJJ background, and got a unanimous decision in her last fight this past summer in her native Finland.

The bout joins Laura Howarth versus Amanda Kelly in the card.

The match will stream live and free on MMAJunkie.com  February 15.

—–

Aldana

Mexican bantamweight Irene Aldana has signed to Invicta. Aldana tweeted the news Thursday.

Aldana (3-1) went on a three fight first round KO streak, with two of them gaining her the Xtreme Kombat torunament crown. She lost to Larissa Moreira Pacheco this past December is a solid striking battle.

No word on when she will debut from the promotion.

—–

The southern portion of the U.S. has several fights in the next few months, and mathcmaker Kelly Carson gave us the 4-1-1 on what to expect.

• Feb. 21 at Belts of Honorious in Austin, TX,  Montana Stewart battles Katherine Roy, while Fatima Mallett dukes it out with Sarah Boyd
• Feb. 22 at Test of Wills in Austin, TX, Brittany Anne Robertson faces Stephanie Builderback, and Laurie Ashby takes on Bianca Rodriguez.
• Mar. 8 at Ignite MMA in Amarillo, TX has for female bouts set. Mercedes Chavez will take on Trinity Davis, Angel Jones faces Ruby Diaz, Sanaz Khamisi battles Jianna Denizard, and Bianca Rodriguez dukes it out with Vanessa Grimes.

—–

The female fly weight duel between Brazilian Priscila Souza against Cristina Mejia is confirmed in Peru Fighting Championship 16, which will be held in Lima, February 5. Will be the second meeting of the two fighters, in the first fight, in November last year, the Brazilian Souza won via armbar over the Peruvian at 4:20 of the first round.

—–

Moss

This past weekend, Polish fighters gathered for a bi-yearly all women MMA fight camp in Lodz, Poland. Top European fighters Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Agnieszka Niedźwiedź were among the trainers. You can see the photos of the camp here.

—–

Congratulations to retired world champion, boxing trainer, and promoter Terri Moss who received three Georgia Fighters Awards; Promoter of the Year, Promoter of the Year, and being inducted into the Georgia Boxing Hall of Fame.

—–

Rumors

According to several sources, InvictaFC is looking to have their next card in March. The UFC has most of the month booked, but three of the cards are outside the country, so it is wide open for most of the weekends in the month.

——

Cyborg Justino is looking at two possible fights coming in the next few months.

In an article in MMA Junkie, it has been reported Cyborg may defend her InvictaFC featherweight title against #1 contender Ediane Gomes. If the fight happens, it will most likely follow the March card, as Lion Fights is wanting Cyborg to fight on their March 28th card.

——

Sarah Kaufman will most likely fight in her home province of British Columbia, Canada June 14 at UFC 174 at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.

—–

Miesha Tate announce on twitter she is going to be training in Europe for her upcoming fight against Liz Carmouche. Tate plans on training in Paris (most likely to train with with Olympic Judo gold medalist Lucie Décosse) and will reunite with MMA fighter Cindy Dandois, who helped Tate train for Ronda Rousey last year.

—–

Scheduled Matches

Pro MMA

In what will be a rare pinweight (100 lbs) bout, American Sarah Lagerstrom traveled down to Australia and will face Shauna Carew Saturday at  Roshambo MMA in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Lagerstrom has been fighting at 105, and has yet to win as a pro. Carew will make her pinweight debut, going 2-1 as a pro.

—–

Suzie Montero and Allanna Jones are both looking to snap two fight losing streaks as they will square off at MaxxFC in Daytona Beach, FL.

Montero (1-2) won her pro debut against Kim Couture but suffered back to back losses to Jessamyn Duke and Pearl Gonzales. Jones (2-3) has wins over Kathleen Albany and Kelsey De Santis. Jones is coming off losses to Fallon Fox and Holly Holm.

The event is expected to stream Saturday on Go Fight Live for $15.

—–

We Love MMA in Oberhausen, Germany will feature Anne Merkt taking on Luana Souza. Merkt is looking to rebound from her first loss as a pro, while Souza is looking for her first pro win.

The match is expected to stream on Ground and Pound Germany’s website Saturday.

—–

In other pro bouts:

• Oplot Challenge in Kharkov, Ukraine will stream for free on Oplot’s Youtube channel and will feature Liubov Demidov taking on Anastasia Zayac.
• At Legion Fight Championship 2 – Sao Pailo, Brazil, Bianca Reis (1-2) will take on pro debuter Graziele Ricotta.
• At NAFC in Milwaukee, WI, Rocky Magdaleno faces Amanda Lovato. In an amateur bout, Sarah Jacobson takes on Kali Robbins.
• In Red Deer, Alberta, Canada at Havoc MMA, Stephanie Essensa battles Jennifer Stumborg. Alyssa Krahn dukes it out with Kayla Matton in an amateur bout.

—–

Ammy MMA

In amateur action:

• At Hard Rock MMA in Shepardsville, KY, Emily Bartee faces Amy Holland
• Jacki Wilson takes on Cassondra Palmer at GE Fights - Sullivan, Indiana

—–

Braekus & Lamare courtesy Wende/Team Sauerland

Boxing

Undefeated Cecilia Braekhus is looking to defend her WBA/WBC welterweight titles for the 14th time (and the WBO title for the 11th time) as she takes on Myriam Lamare in Frederikshavn, Denmark. Both Braekus (65.8 kg) and Lamare (64.9) made weight Friday.

Braekhus  (23-0) has finished 3 of her last five opponents including a TKO over Oxandia Castillo this past September.

Lamre (22-3) is riding a six fight win streak. Her only losses is to Holly Holm and Anne Sophie Mathis.

—–

In other boxing matches:

• In three matches in Tijuana, Mexico, Kenia Enriquez faces Selene Lopez, Brenda Flores takes on Mireya Ochoa, and Sandra Robles battles Maria Gastelum.
• Soledad del Valle Frias dukes it out Marta Soledad Juncos in San Luis, Argentina
• In Manila, Philippines, Lady Love Sampiton faces Cheraly Dagit

Carew (center)

Pro MMA

A lot of international action this weekend.

Australian Shauna Carew has helped start-up a new division at pinweight, defeating Sarah Lagerstrom in a battle for the Roshambo 100 pound MMA title in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Carew (3-1) found a tough test in Langerstrom, getting a split decision win.

—–

At We Love MMA in Oberhausen, Germany, Anne Merkt  imporved to 2-1 as she submitted Brazilian Luana Souza.

Merkt used her reach to overwhelm Souza and was able to sink in a rear naked choke in round 2.

—–

Oplot Challenge in Kharkov, Ukraine saw two bouts. Lily Kazak evns her record to 2-2-1 as she defeated Anna Bezhenar by unanimous decision. Irina Pilipenko wins her second pro bout, getting the TKO over Catherine Nishchenko in 28 seconds.

——

At Legion Fight Championship 2 in Brazil, Bianca Reis takes her record to 2-2 as she submitted Graziele Ricotta by rear naked choke in round 1.

—–

Back in the U.S., InvictaFC and XFC vet Suzie Montero even her record as she defeated Allanna Jones by unanimous decision at MaxxFC in Daytona Beach, FL. Jones came in 3 pounds over the 135 limit, and Montero agreed to a catchweight bout.

—–

In a pair of pro bouts at Gladiator’s Challenge, San Jacinto, CA, Ashley Yoder wins her pro debut in quick fashion, submitting last minute replacement Catalina Madril by armbar in only 15 seconds and Lissette Neri defeated Tierra Arnold via unanimous decision.

—–

In other pro bouts:

• At NAFC in Milwaukee, WI, Rocky Magdaleno defeated Amanda Lovato by unanimous decision, while in amateur action, Kali Robbins defeated Sarah Jacobson by unanimous decision.
• Stephanie Essensa got the technical submission over Jennifer Stumborg by rear naked choke in 1:48 of round 1. Alyssa Krahn defeated Kayla Matton by unanimous decision in an amateur bout at Havoc MMA in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.

—–

Ammy MMA

Bartee

In other amateur bouts this weekend:

• Jamie Malinowski gains the 3FC and IKA 125 title by submitting Ashley Hancock by armbar in round 2 at 3FC in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
• At Hard Rock MMA in Shepardsville, KY, Emily Bartee defeated Amy Holland by armbar at 1:48 of round 1.
• Jacki Wilson submitted Cassondra Palmer by armbar in round 1 at GE Fights in Sullivan, Indiana
• At the Midwest Fight Series in Indianapolis, IN, Jessica Ehrnreiter submitted to Taylor Brown via strikes at 1:36 of round 1

—–

Braekhus Courtesy nettavisen.no

Boxing

Cecilia Braekhus successfully defended her WBA/WBC/WBO welterweight titles by defeating Myriam Lamare by unanimous decision in Frederikshavn, Denmark. The one sided battle saw Braekus win 9 out of the 10 rounds.

—–

In other boxing action:

• In a trio of bouts in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, Kenia Enriquez got the TKO over Selene Lopez in round 1, Brenda Flores defeated Mireya Ochoa by unanimous decision, and Sandra Robles got the TKO over Maria Gastelum in round 2.
• Soledad del Valle Frias KOed Marta Soledad Juncos in round 1 in San Luis, Argentina
• In Brandenburg, Germany Derya Saki defeated Pavla Votavova by TKO round 1

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Miscellaneous News

In MMA action these past few days:

• Priscila Souza submitted Cristina Mejia by rear naked choke in round 3 at PFC 16 in Peru
• At Bitetti Combat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Viviane Pereira KOed Nicleide Machado in round 1

—–

In boxing action Thursday in Panama City, Panama, Lourdes Borbua defeated Zuliana Mendoza by unanimous decision.

——

Quick update on Jessica Eye. Eye had a blood thinner in her system for a pre-existing condition when she fought Sarah Kaufman and was why the Texas commission fined her. Eye will be paying the fine and the UFC won’t be taking any actions and supports Eye.

—–

“Ultimate Fighter 18″ fighter Peggy Morgan has announced on twitter she has been cut by the UFC.

—–

Lee

Amateur flyweight Andrea Lee has signed to the XFC. The promotion announced the signing Thursday.

Lee (5-3) won three of her last four fights, having an extensive background in boxing. She took home the Louisiana Golden Gloves title and is undefeated in Muay Thai.

Lee had hinted to us on the Wombat Sports podcast about the signing, and tells us she is going to be very busy in the next few months with more amateur fights and the possibility of a MMA based reality show this summer.  She is in no hurry to fight in the XFC, wanting to gain experience before cashing in on the big opportunity.

Lee will face last minute opponent Shanna Young this weekend at GFA in Alexandria, LA.

—–

Sedgwick

Australian Belinda Sedgwick announced on Facebook this past week she has been forced to retire due to an injured back.

Sedgwick was supposed to fight Christina Tatnell at Valor MMA February 15, but the doctor found a bulged disc in Sedgwick’s spinal lumbar vertebrae and advised her to retire.

Sedgwick will still be involved in the sport, helping match make the upcoming Princess of Pain card.

We wish her the best in her retirement.

—–

With Sedgwick’s retirement, Helen Malone will step up to take on Tatnell on the Valor card February 15.

Malone (2-0) is coming off back to back stoppages and is returning after a year and a half absence from the sport.

Tatnell (3-1) went 3-0 in 2013, with a submission and TKO win.

——

Several changes this week on the upcoming DEEP Jewels card February 16 in Tokyo.

Mika Nagano was set to have a retirement match, but has had to withdraw due to being pregnant.

Added to the card is Roxanne Modafferi protege Brittany Ann Decker, who will face Haruka Kojima in a grappling match.

—–

ViragoFC adds two more bouts this week for their first all female amateur card March 8 in Kentucky.

• Sarah Swain vs. Dominique Berry
• Septien Johnson vs. Mary Kate Hayes

—–

Kalindra Faria looks to improve her win streak to nine as she will face Argentina’s Laura Balin at MMA Super Heroes in São Paulo, Brazil March 30. The match is the first of 6 female bouts announced for the card.

Faria (12-3) will be dropping to strawweight for the bout, having competing recently at flyweight. She finished her last 5 opponents, including three armbar submissions.

Balin (4-1) has yet to be finished and won her first four fights by finishes. She lost to Vanessa Guimaraes by decision last year.

We are expecting more female bout to be announced in the coming weeks, as the card will feature talent from Argentina and Brazil.

The fight will stream for free outside of Brazil, with the link being posted on the MMA Super Heroes facebook page March 30.

——

Arena Combat Brazil announced a bantamweight match between Naiara Guerreira and Wanessa Oliveira April 12 in Goiania, Brazil.

——

TUF 20 fighter and InvictaFC vet Joanne Calderwood has signed to Mano Management.  The company also represents UFC fighter Alexander Gustafsson.

—–

Even though she has yet to have a movie premier, Ronda Rousey has signed up to take on two more movie roles according to Variety.

The UFC champ will tackle another action film in “The Athena Project”, which is based on a New York Times book by Brad Thor. The book is about an elite team of female Delta Force soldiers on the hunt for a terrorist.  Rousey stated she was a fan of the book and campaigned to be a part of the film.

Rousey will also be a part of the upcoming “Entourage” movie, which is a film continuation of the HBO series. No word on what kind of role she will have in it; be it a cameo of herself or playing a love interest.

Rousey is also expected to be a part of the Expendables spin off “The Expendibelles”, which will continue her role from “The Expendibles 3″.

No word on if Gina Carano will be a part of any of the action films, but we would hope they would consider it.

—–

Speaking of Carano, if you missed her appearance on Fox’s “Almost Human” you can watch the episode on Hulu.

—–

On the Wombat Sports podcast Sunday, we will talk to North Carolina strawweight Nicole Hunt Ertzberger about her uypcoming amateur bout with Amy Bybee.

You can listen here at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est Sunday.

—–

Rumor

Add Ais “The Bash” Daly to the list of people trying out for TUF.

——

Bantamweight fight Rosanna Garcia is set to return to MMA this June.

—–

Upcoming Matches

Van Soest & Reece Courtesy Lion Fights

Muay Thai

Lion Fights 57 kg champion Tiffany Van Soest and challenger Caley Reece both came in on weight for their title bout Friday night in Vegas, which will air live on AXS TV. The fight will main event the card.

On the undercard, Megan Laura will take on Fanny Tommasino, and Krystal Khorge will also be in action.

—–

Pro MMA

XFC is holding their first international card in  Sao Paulo, Brazil this Saturday which will stream on XFCmma.com for those outside of Brazil.

Two female fights as the promotion starts its flyweight tournament.

• Salvana Gomez Juarez vs. Bianca Daimoni
• Maryerlin Rivas vs. Daiana Torquato

—–

Claudia Rey looks for her thrid pro win as she takes on pro debuter Kessyne Mara at Nitrix Champion Fight in Camboriú, Brazil. This will stream for free on Sportv.globo.com Saturday.

—–

In other pro MMA bouts:

• In a pair of bouts at CageSports MMA in Tacoma, WA, Katie Howard takes on Miriam Cardoso and Regan Bennedetti faces Cheryl Chan
• Rebecca Heintzman battles Rachel Sazoff at CFFC 31 in Atlantic City, NJ. This will stream on GFL.tv for $15.
• In Emerald, Australia at UCU 2, Jessy Jess Rose will take on Zoie Shreiweis
• Jenny Silverio faces Julia Jones at Fight Time 18 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

——

Ammy MMA

U of MMA returns to Hollywood, CA with two female bouts.

TUF 18 assistant coach and Ronda Rousey’s training partner Marina Shafir will look to keep her undefeated first round submission win streak alive as she faces Nicole Upshaw.

Two bantamweights will make their MMA debuts as Amanda Jones takes on Roxanna Pinotti.

—-

In other amateur MMA bouts:

• At VFC in Junction City, Kansas, Autumn Lamle takes on Rachel Wiley
• Audrey Alvarez faces Lindsey Marino at Rocks Xtreme MMA in Robstown, Texas
• In North Hollywood, California at Mansion Fights 14, Elizabeth Rodriguez  battles Tatiana Suarez
• At HFC 19 in Valparaiso, Indiana, Elane Santiago faces Anne Malinoff for the 105 title
• Nichole Usko battles Nichole Dodson at RFO in Polk, Ohio
• In Myrtle Beach, NC at Warefare MMA,  Andy Nguyen takes on Melissa Timmers
• Monica Franco faces Kenai Sebala at Just Scrap in Hilo, Hawaii
• At World Combat Series in San Jose, CA, Melissa Wang battles Saray Perez

—–

Boxing

Irma Garcia looks to defend her WBA bantamweight title for the thrid time as she takes on Nazly Maldonado in a rematch in Huixquilucan, México

Garcia (8-1-1) is coming off a majority decision win this past November over Magali Rodriguez.

Maldonado  (1-3) is looking avenge a loss to Garcia and win her first world title.

—–

WBO minimumweight champion Su-Yun Hong will defend her belt against Mako Yamada in Chuncheon, South Korea.

Hong (9-0) has five finishes to her credit and is looking for her thrid successful title defense.

Yamada is undefeated at 5-0.

——

In Binan City, Laguna, Philippines, Gretchen Abaniel and Nongnun Mor Krungthepthonburi will battle for the vacant WIBA minimumweight title.

Abaniel (13-5) won three of her last four fights and is looking to regain the title after losing it in 2011.

Krungthepthonburi  (2-0) is looking for her first ever world title.

—–

In other boxing action:

• In Chicago, Illinois Kristin Gearhart takes on Allanna Jones
• Xenia Jorneac battes Marianna Gulyas in Bayern, Germany
• In Brussels, Belgium, Sanae Jah faces Nevenka Mikulic

Pro MMA

The XFC headed to Sao Paulo, Brazil for their first card of an international fight series. The card featured two opening round matches of their flyweight tournament.

In what was an interesting bout between two undefeated fighters, Argentina’s Salvana Gomez Juarez (3-0) got the submission over Bianca Daimoni (3-1) with a keylock at 4:49 of round 3.

Action was slow to start, as both were tentative in the first minute not landing a single punch. After a warning by the ref, the two started in go at it in flurries, and then they slowed down. Juarez hit several low blow knees, which got her a warning from the referee.

The second round saw much of the same flurries than circling. Dainmoni was deducted a point for hair pulling in the clinch.

The third round saw Juarez more aggressive and finally got the takedown late, securing the keylock with just 11 seconds to spare. Jaurez advances to the semi-finals.

In a non-televised bout, Venezuelan Maryerlin Rivas defeated Brazil’s Daiana Torquato by unanimous decision and advances to the semi-finals.

—–

Cardoso vs. Howard Courtesy CageSport/ESP Photography

Two strawweight bouts were featured on the CageSports MMA card in Tacoma, WA.

BJJ blackbelt Miriam Cardoso did well in her debut loss to Katie Howard. Howard’s aggression and top control proved the difference and Howard got the unanimous decision.

Undefeated amateur Regan Bennedetti made an impact in her pro debut, choking out  Cheryl Chan by an arm triangle choke at 2:32 in round 2.

—–

In other pro bouts:

• At CFFC 31 in Atlantic City, NJ, Rebecca Heintzman defeated Rachel Sazoff by split decision
• Claudia Rey go the TKO over Kessiny Mara in round 1 at NCF 19 in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil
• In Emerald, Australia at UCU 2 Jessy Rose Clark submitted Zoie Shreiweis by rear naked choke in round 1
• At Fight Time 18 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Julia Jones defeated Jenny Silverio by unanimous decision

—–

Courtesy Armbar Nation

Ammy MMA

Marina Shafir got her fifth straight first round submission win at U of MMA in Hollywood, CA Sunday as she got the armbar on Nicole Upshaw, who drops to 1-1.

Word is that this is the featherweight’s last amateur fight and will be turning pro soon.

—–

Lightweight Rachel Wiley gained her 4th straight win as she defeated Autumn Lamle by split decision at VFC in Junction City, Kansas. Wiley improves to 4-1.

—–

In other amateur MMA bouts:

• At HFC 19 in Valparaiso, Indiana, Anne Malinoff defeated Elane Santiago by unanimous decision to win the initial 105 title
• Briana Padilla defeated Melody Nanez by unanimous decision at King of the Cage in Albuquerque, NM
• In Myrtle Beach, NC, Andy Nguyen submitted Melissa Timmers by guillotine in round 1 at Warefare MMA
• At Just Scrap in Hilo, Hawaii, Kenai Sebala submitted Monica Franco by rear naked choke in round 2
• Melissa Wang defeated Saray Perez by unanimous decision at World Combat Series in San Jose, CA

—–

Boxing

In Binan City, Laguna, Philippines, Gretchen Abaniel has regained her WIBA minimumweight title, getting the TKO over Nongnun Mor Krungthepthonburi in round 9 in a match for the recently vacated title.

Abaniel (14-5) lost the title in 2010, and has won four of her last five.

——

Yamada Courtesy Fight News

In Chuncheon, South Korea, Mako Yamada remains undefeated and earns her first world title as she upsets Su-Yun Hong for the WBO minimumweight title. She won by split decision. Tamada improves to 5-0, and hands Hong (9-1) her first loss.

—–

In other boxing matches:

• In Chicago, Illinois, Kristin Gearhart gets the TKO over Allanna Jones in round 3
• WBA bantamweight champ Irma Garcia defeated Nazly Maldonado by unanimous decision in a non-title bout in Huixquilucan, México
• In Pionki, Poland, Ewa Brodnicka got the TKO over Pavla Votavova in round 1
• Melania Sorroche defeated Galina Koleva Ivanova by points in Cataluña, Spain
• In Brussels, Belgium, Sanae Jah and Nevenka Mikulic fight to a draw
• At Rocks Xtreme in Robstown, Texas, Paulina Granados defeated Paola Ortiz by split decision and in an ammy Muay Thai match, Lindsey Marino defeated Audrey Alvarez by decision

Miscellaneous News

In boxing action this morning in Australia, Sabrina Ostowari defeated Arlene Blencowe by unanimous decision (77-74, 76-75, 76-75) to win the vacant Australia lightweight title.

——

In boxing action Wednesday night in New York, New York, Heather Hardy defeated Christina Fuentes by split decision.

——

Shannon Knapp was on the “Promoting Real Women” podcast Sunday and gave out a few more details about InvictaFC 8.

A big reason for the delay is they are looking for a new venue. The card is on track to be in late March or early April. They have a “mock card” already set, and the lightweights could debut on the card.

A contest is up on their facebook  to guess the main event and the results. Sign up fast because Invicta is planning to make a major announcement Friday night on “Inside MMA” on AXS TV.

—–

Eye

UFC President Dana White has seemed to have come to Jessica Eye’s defense.

In a press conference Thursday, White stated:

“(Eye) was just nervous, said some stupid stuff on a radio show, I told her just to lay low and not worry about it. She makes it to UFC, gets busted for weed but her weed level was 16 ng/ML. In Nevada the limit is 150 ng/ML. Texas is 15ng/ML.”

Eye did apologize for not being up front about the positive test this week. Her limit was lower than all other states besides Texas – on average 50 ng/ML. Nevada’s is 150 ng/ML. The amount in Eye’s system could have been second hand.

—–

White also announced the UFC will be building a new complex which will house their office building and a new “Ultimate Fighter” facility, just in time for TUF 20.

We are still waiting for a date for TUF 20 tryouts.

——

A new Invicta signee will take on an Invicta vet in Europe in May.

Newly signed Invicta strawweight Karolina Kowalkiewicz will defend her KSW 120 pound title against Jasminka Cive May 17 in  Gdańsk/Sopot, Poland.

Kowalkiewicz  (4-0) signed to Invicta this past week.. The KSW champion defeated InvictaFC vet Simona Soukupova this past September is looking to take out another InvictaFC vet in Cive.

Cive (5-1) was on a five fight win streak before losing to Bec Rawlings (nee Hyatt) at InvictaFC 5 last year.

—–

Amateur bantamweight prospect Evva Johnson is planning to return to the cage March 8th in Somerset, Kentucky at Hardorck MMA as she may take on Annie Marie DeCrescente. Gina Begley of Bluegrass MMA reported the fight Thursday.

Johnson (6-1) is on a five fight win streak including submissions in her past three fights.  She returns after a year layoff due to giving birth to her first child and a lack of opponents.

DeCrescente (2-1) is coming off a win over Jaime Chesney in November.

Cat Silva (1-0) is expected to compete in a lightweight bout on the card.

—–

DEEP openweight champ Amanda Lucas announced she is expecting her first child. Congratulations to her.

—–

Phillips

This Sunday on the podcast, we will interview bantamweight Elizabeth Phillips about her upcoming pro fight against Rachael Swatez  at Conquest of the Cage March 1.

You can listen live here Sunday at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est.

—–

Rumors

Marina Shafir is expected to make her pro debut in April.

——

Ronda Rousey is set to film “Entourage” in March, but it won’t be much problem in terms of training.  She won’t have that big of a role in the movie and will be filming in L.A. near her home.

—–

Scheduled Fights

Pro MMA

Two matches are set for Cage Warriors in London, England Saturday, which will stream for free.

On the main card, undefeated Amanda Kelly will take on former “Ultimate Fighter” hopeful Laura Howarth in a bantamweight contest. This will stream on MMAJunkie.com at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est. Both Kelly (134) and Howarth (135.7) made weight.

Strawweights Kirsty Davis and Veera Nykanen will battle it out on the preliminary portion of the card, which will stream on Cage Warrior’s Facebook page at 11:45 a.m. pst/2:45 est. Davis came in 4.5 pound over weight, so Nykanen will receive 40% of her purse. Nykanen weighted in at 113.7 pounds.

UFC and Cage Warriors vet Rosi Sexton will be guest commentating on both bouts.

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DEEP-JEWELS returns Sunday in Tokyo, Japan with a loaded all female card.

InvictaFC vet Mizuki Inoue will face Emi Tomimatsu in the finals of the D-J strawweight tournament. The winner will face Ayaka Hamaski for the D-J 115 title.

On other MMA matches on the card:

• Shizuka Sugiyama vs Mizuho Sato (135)
• Naho Sugiyama vs Satomi Takano (105)
• Masako Yoshida vs Miyoko Kusaka (105)
• Yuko Oya vs Mamiko Mizoguchi (115)
• Sachiko Fujimori vs Shiori Hori (125)

In a grappling match on the card, Brittany Ann Decker takes on Haruka Kojima.

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In other pro matches this weekend:

• At King of the Cage in Walker, MN, Brittany Dugas will take on Amanda Bobby Cooper on a battle of pro debuters.
• Christina Tatnell faces Helena Malone at Valor MMA in New Zealand

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Amateur MMA

Intense Cage Fighting will debut their women’s division in Great Falls, MT Saturday. Local boxer turned MMA fighter Ariel Beck takes on Washington’s Yvonne Ameada.

We will be covering the match live on our sister website MTCage.com Saturday.

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A pair of bouts are set for West Coast Fighting in Sacramento, CA.

Amateur flyweight prospect Roma Pawelek will take on Arlene Cilbreth for the promtion’s 125 title, and Aspen Ladd takes Maddy Simmons in a battle of amateur bantamweights.

This will stream on Competitivefightingsports.com for $20.

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As we reported yesterday, AOL MMA will have four bouts on their Tampa, FL card.

• Cheyanne Vlismas vs Stephanie Alba (105)
• Brittany Kraycirik vs. Robin Wissmann (135)
• Ingrid Medrano vs Jessica Branco (115)
• Laura Mejia ATT vs desire Williams (135)

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In other amateur MMA bouts:

• In a pair of bouts at XFC in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Terissa Wall faces Alice Romyn and Sarah Manthey takes on Jaz Walker.
• Also in Australia at Cage Conquest 3, Correne Seabrook battles Nat Hills
• Danielle Calegler faces Leslee Kelly at Cage Campaign in Peoria, Illinois
• At 559 Fights in Fresno, California, Yvette Ontiveros takes on Justine Estrada (145)
• In Myrtle Beach, SC at Conflict MMA (which will stream on GFL.tv for $15), Nicole Ertzberger battles Amy Bybee

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Boxing

Zulina Munoz will look to defend her WBC super flyweight title as she faces Alesia Graf in a rematch of their 2007 battle in Merida, Yucatán, Mexico.

Munoz (40-1-2) hasn’t lost a fight since the 2007 loss to Graf. Munoz has 26 finishes to her credit. He last won was via disqualification over Marisa Johanna Portillo.

Graf (26-3) was on a 16 fight win streak before losing a split decision to Ana Maria Torres in 2010. She is the current WBF super bantamweight champion and won her last match in 2012, defeating Liliana Martinez.

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In other boxing matches this weekend:

• In Budapest, Hungary, Gina Chamie will defend her WBC Youth lightweight title against Alexandra Gorog. In another match oin teh card, Csilla Nemedi faces Gabriella Insperger.
• Noemi Bosque will duke it out with Marisol Miranda in Tampa, FL
• Paola Benavidez takes on Alejandra Maria de Lujan Rios in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• In Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Sandy Tsagouris battles Yolanda Segura (126)
• Klara Svensson dukes it out with Veronika Hornyak in Albertslund, Denmark
• In Corse-du-Sud, France, Karine Rinaldo faces Claudia Ferenci
• Laetitia Arzalier takes on Fleis Djendji in Hérault, France
• In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, Therese Gunnarsson battles Sonja Soknic

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Muay Thai

A pair of bouts are set WCK Muay Thai in San Diego, CA, which will air on Fox Sports San Diego Saturday. Jemyma Betrian takes on Thais Souza, while Zoila Frausto battles Linda Aguilar.

Howarth vs Kelly Courtesy Cage Warriors/Dolly Clew

Pro MMA

Former “Ultimate Fighter” hopeful Laura Howarth got one of her biggest wins to date, getting a decision win over Amanda Kelly at Cage Warriors in London, England.

Howarth (2-0) used her pummeling, takedowns, and wrestling to stifle the Muay Thai based Kelly (2-1) for two rounds. Kelly used her striking in round 3, but Kelly was able to ride out the clock and get the unanimous decision.

The win puts her in a solid spot for a possible title match for the vacant Cage Warriors bantamweight title.

In another match on the card, Kristy Davis missed weight, but still faced Veera Nykanen in what was changed to an amateur bout. Nykanen would win by unanimous decision at a 120 pound catchweight.

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DEEP-JEWELS crowned an interim 114 pound champion in an unusual way.

Emi Tomimatsu won the title by disqualification even before stepping into the cage. Her opponent in the 114 pound tournament final Mizuki Inoue came in a pound and a half over weight, which prompted officials to disqualify her and change the bout to a non-tournament “special rules bout”. Even though Inoue won the match via third round armbar, the official record will show it as a disqualification.

Former InvictaFC atomweight title contender Naho Sugiyama (10-3) got her second straight win, getting the TKO over Satomi Takano in round 1.

Here are the rest of the results:

• Shizuka Sugiyama defeated Mizuho Sato by doctor stoppage due to an eye injury in round 1
• Masako Yoshida defeated Miyoko Kusaka by unanimous decision
• Yuko Oya submitted Mamiko Mizoguchi  by rear naked choke round one
• Sachiko Fujimori submitted Shiori Hori by rear naked choke in round two

Cooper Courtesy Sandy Hackenmueller

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In a battle of top prospects, Amanda Bobby Cooper got a big win over Brittany Dugas at King of the Cage in Walker, MN. In a highly anticipated bout between pro debuters, it was Cooper who got the armbar submission just before the end of round 2.  The match took “Fight of the Night” honors.

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Christina Tatnell won her forth straight by getting the second round TKO over Helena Malone at Valor MMA in New Zealand. One of the top bantamweights in Australia, Tatnell has finished in three of her wins.

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At Oplot Challenge in Kharkov, Ukraine, Milana Dudieva snapped a two fight losing streak with a 32 second armbar win over Anastasia Plisenkova. The European bantamweight is looking to sign with a major promotion this year.

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 Ammy MMA

A pair of amateur title bouts took place at West Coast Fighting in Sacramento, CA.

Amateur prospect Roma Pawelek gained flyweight title by defeating Arlene Culbreth by submission in round 1. Pawelek was able to take Culberth’s back standing and sink in the rear naked choke. Pawelek is now 5-0.

Aspen Ladd successfully defended her flyweight title, getting the first round TKO over Maddy Simmons.

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Intense Cage Fighting in Great Falls, MT debuted its women’s division as Ariel Beck defeated Jessica Bleck by TKO in round 1.

Beck used her boxing to overwhelm Bleck and swarmed her for the TKO win in just over a minute.

Beck is expected to fight for ICF again in May.

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XFC Australia has helped spark an amateur division in the country with a trio of bantamweight bouts in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

• Terissa Wall def. Alice Romyn by TKO round 2
• Jaz Walker def. Sarah Manthey by KO round 1
• Leirosa Mentha-Patterson and Bronwyn Noffke fought to a draw

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In other amateur MMA action:

• In a pair of bouts at AOL MMA in Tampa, FL, Robin Wissmann defeated Brittany Kraycirik by TKO at 0:40 round 3 and Laura Mejia submitted Desiree Williams by rear naked choke 1:50 round 1
• At Conflict MMA in Myrtle Beach, SC, Nicole Ertzberger defeated Amy Bybee by decision
• Justine Estrada got the first round TKO over Yvette Ontiveros at 559 Fights in Fresno, California
• At ASAP in Uncasville, Connecticut, Kim Russell def.eated Kimi Haslip by split decision

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Boxing

Sabrina Ostowari gains her second Australian title and remains undefeated as she defeated Arlene Blencowe by unanimous decision to win the vacant vacant Australia lightweight title in Easton Hills, Australia.

Ostowari (8-0) took five of the eight rounds of the fight, battling back from a knockdown in round 4.

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In boxing results this weekend:

• Noemi Bosques and Marisol Miranda fight to a draw in Tampa FL
• In Budapest, Hungary, Gina Chamie got the 4th round TKO over Alexandra Gorog to retain the WBC Youth lightweight title and Csilla Nemedi defeated Gabriella Insperger by unanimous decision
• Paola Benavidez defeated Alejandra Maria de Lujan Rios by unanimous decision in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Also in Buenos Aries, Argentina, Yamila Esther Reynoso TKoed Veronica Vanesa Robledo in round 1
• In Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Sandy Tsagouris defeated Yolanda Segura by TKO round 3
• Klara Svensson defeated Veronika Hornyak by TKO round 1 in Albertslund, Denmark
• In Corse-du-Sud, France, Karine Rinaldo defeated Claudia Ferenci by unanimous decision
• Laetitia Arzalier defeated Fleis Djendji by points in Hérault, France
• In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, Therese Gunnarsson KOed Sonja Soknic in round 1