Kedzie

Brazilian Bethe Correia won a razor thin split decision Friday at the UFC card in Brisbane, Australia, which became a retirement match for Julie Kedzie.

Correia (7-0) and Kedzie (16-13) went toe to toe on the feet for most of the fight on the feet. Kedzie mixed in leg kicks with her strikes, while Correia using her punches in volume.  With Correia taking round 1 after getting a takedown, and Kedzie taking round 2 due to effective striking, it came down to a close round three where both exchanged good shots. Corriea was able to secure another takedown and land a kick to the body before the fight was over.

The judges were split, but gave the decision to Corriea, who is now undefeated at 7-0.

Shortly after the fight, Kedzie went to twitter and announce that she would be retiring from active competition.

“Before walking out to my fight today, I had a long talk with my coach and we decided that this would be my last MMA fight. I would have loved to have gone out on a win, but c’est la vie-don’t leave it to the judges. Heartbreak is a huge part of this sport.”

“I really truly want to thank all of you for being a part of my journey as a fighter. I will still be involved in MMA for the rest of my life but now it’s time for me to accept that I can give more to the sport by stepping back and taking role in helping to develop other fighters.”

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the UFC, my team, and all of you who have made me achieve some amazing dreams.”

Kedzie will continue to help train fighters at Jackson’s MMA and commentate for InvictaFC. She has had a huge impact in the sport and will continue to in her retirement from fighting professionally.

We wish her the best .

Honchak and Smith Courtesy All Elbows

18 female athletes are ready to fight Saturday night as InvictaFC has their 7th card in Kansas City with three title bouts.

All but two fighters came in on weight, as show openers Nina Ansaroff (126.75) and Munah Holland (128.0) both came in over the 125 pound weight limit for their fight. Both agreed to fight at a catchweight of 127 pounds.

Highlights included the always entertaining Felice Herrig dressing up as Rosie the Riviter and trying to pose off with her opponent Tecia Torres, who was dressed like an elf. Also the cold staredown of Joanne Calderwood and Katja Kankaanpaa, who are both looking for title contention.

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Here are the weigh-in results:

• Main event: Barb Honchak (c) (124.25) vs Leslie Smith (124.75) – flyweight title
• Co-main evnet: Carla Esparza (114.0) vs Claudia Gadelha (114.0) – strawweight title
• Featured bout: Lauren Murphy (134.0) vs Miriam Nakamoto (134.75) – initial bantamweight title
• Felice Herrig (114.5) vs Tecia Torres (114.5)
• Joanne Calderwood (115.5) vs Katja Kankaanpää (114.75)
• Julia Budd (145.5) vs Charmaine Tweet (145.0)
• Vanessa Porto (125.25) vs Zoila Frausto Gurgel (124.75)
• Sarah D’Alelio (135.5) vs Tonya Evinger (135.75)
• Munah Holland (128.0)* vs Nina Ansaroff (126.75) (Changed to a 127 pound catchweight bout)

You can watch the weigh-in video below courtesy of InvictaFC & All Elbows

Holm – Courtesy NMCombatSports.com

It was no surprise that Holly Holm was a huge favorite in her fight Friday, but no one expected to go the distance.

Angela Hayes was the first to take Holm to a decision in Albuquerque, but it was Holm who took away the win.

Throughout the fight, Holm exhibited her kickboxing skills, while Hayes was able to stay to the outside, and stuck and moved when she could. Several kicks by Holm landed to the liver, which stumbled Hayes, but Hayes was able to recover. Hayes tried to utilize the clinch try to take Holm down. The stronger Holm was able to stuff any attempts getting to the fight to the ground, and was able to get mount towards the end of the third round. Hayes fought out of it, and Holm concentrated her striking as the round ended. All three judges scored it for Holm 30-27. Holm is now 6-0 in MMA.

At the post fight press conference, Fresquez Promotions announced Brazilian flyweight Julie Werner (7-3) has verbally committed to fight Holm for the promotion’s bantamweight title in March in Albuquerque.  Werner has won five straight bouts and her only losses were to InvictaFC’s Vanessa Porto. This will be Werner’s US debut.

No word on an exact date, or if Holm will fight for Legacy before the fight.

After the ups and downs of awaiting Invicta’s 7th outing, the event delivered a solid eight fights with only two stoppages. As many questions were answered, more questions popped up post fight in terms of the future of Invicta, its fighters, and what was learned.

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1) Is This the End of Offering an Internet ppv?

The one Achilles’s heel Invicta has had since its inception is the internet ppv stream. With the popularity of the event, we have yet to find a server or company that can handle it. The closest was UStream with InvictaFC 6 being the only event there wasn’t any major problems with the stream.  Although not official, Shannon Knapp suspects the pay wall was overwhelmed as many decide to order the ppv online last minute. She is giving refunds not only to the streaming fans, but also to those who got the tv ppv, which had no problems.

Knapp has been hinting that their next card will be televised on a trial run, and if they draw as much as they do online, any TV network will see it fortunate to have them.

2) What’s next for bantamweight champ Lauren Murphy?

Bantamweight Champion Lauren Murphy

The once deep 135 division has been scarce in Invicta as of late as much of the top 10 are signed to the UFC. With only 1 bantamweight fight other than the title match on the card, no real contenders are there for Murphy to fight next.

With “The Ultimate Fighter” over, we are still awaiting decisions on a lot of fighters. Peggy Morgan and Roxanne Modafferi are right now in limbo, with a lot of true 125ers that didn’t get into the house available. The best prospect out of the whole show is Gina Mazany, the only one who didn’t get finished by Julianna Pena on her run. Revelina Berto may also want to sign with Invicta.

We should also mention that InvictaFC vet Tara LaRosa would be great back at bantamweight.

We need to consider that bantamweights that want to turn pro will go to Invicta first to sharpen their teeth. There is a list of them awaiting their shot to build up to a possible title match.

As for Muprhy, don’t be surprised if she gets a much deserved break.

3) Torres or Calederwood Next for Esparza?

If strawweight champion Carla Esparza had her way, Tecia Torres would be the next challenger. Others have a different thought.

Going into the night, it was obvious that Joanne Calderwood versus Katja Kankaanpaa would be getting the next shot. Both were undefeated going in and ranked higher than Torres. With a win, Calderwood earned her the top spot in line; even though Calderwood’s performance didn’t look as dominant as Torres.

Many are suggesting Calderwood and Torres should fight for the title shot.

Most feel they won’t be disappointed if either is picked and the decision is up to the eventual Invicta matchmaker.

Popular belief is Claudia Gadelha won’t be getting another shot since this was the second or third time she hasn’t been able to fight for the title.

4) Will the Atomweights See a Renascence in 2014?

This is the first Invicta card that an atomweight fight wasn’t on it. Many are wanting to know who will face champion Michelle Waterson for the title next. A rumor is that DEEP-JEWELS champion Seo Hee Ham will be the next challenger for Waterson.

A ground swell of atomweight fighters are raising their hands to get into the Invicta cage. Several fighters who have fought for the promotion before are also itching to come back as well. We can only hope that Invicta jumps on this opportunity and has three or four 105 bouts on their next card.

Budd taking down Tweet

5) Is Budd Ready for Cyborg?

Julie Budd’s dominant win over Charmaine Tweet has solidified her ranking at 145. With few females at 145 in Invicta, the obvious thing is to have Budd fight the champion, right?

Many have stated that Budd isn’t quite ready to face Cyborg due to having less experience and having been KOed before against Amanda Nunes. However, Budd’s wrestling maybe the key to stopping Cyborg.

Budd stated at the post fight presser she is more than willing to fight Cyborg now. A Budd versus Ediane Gomes number one contenders match maybe in order.

6) Weight Cutting Still an Issue?

Many are claiming that Claudia Gadelha’s extreme weight cutting lead to her intestinal infection that pulled her from the card. Dropping 25 pounds is a bit of much for either men or women, but her team is known for it.

We should also mention that Nina Ansaroff and Munah Holland both were overweight coming in. Invicta has taken steps to assure a safe cut, but the cuts start before they land in Kansas City. It is up to the team and the fighter to make sure they cut right and safely, and is the only way we can assure the problem goes away.

7) What’s Next for Gurgel?

Having lost her third straight, the former Bellator champ is in a slump. She, however, looked better than ever in the loss with her new training camp at CSA. There are two intriguing fights that we could see Zoila Gurgel fight next.

Munah Holland lost on the card, and even though both were signed to Bellator, have never fought each other. Also, recent Invicta signee Michelle Ould has unfinished business with Gurgel and would make an interesting rematch.

Flyweight champion Honchak

8) Who’s Next in Line for Honchak’s Title?

Having just defeated both Vanessa Porto and Leslie Smith, Barb Honchak has been on a solid roll and seems to be unstoppable as champion. The most logical choice is for Nina Ansaroff and Jennifer Maia to face off for a number one contenders spot in the near future.

We are awaiting the fate of Rosi Sexton, who still seems to be signed with the UFC. If she winds up getting dropped, a match between her and Honchak would be one that everyone would get behind. Undefeated Polish fighter Joanna Jedrzejczyk would also be a solid choice to consider, even if it is for a contenders bout.

Many of the fighters that didn’t make the TUF house (Bethany Marshall and Colleen Schneider come to mind) would also make great additions to the flyweight division.

Nakamoto

9) Did the cageside doctor fail at this job?

Miriam Nakamoto knew her knee was injured going into the forth round of her title match with Lauren Murphy. Like most fighters, her heart told her to continue on and it didn’t take several seconds for Nakamoto to collapse in agony forcing the referee to stop the fight.

We all know that fighters refuse to quit because their body gives out, and no coach is willing to tell their fighter to stop. The idea of having a ringside physician is for the fighter’s safety, and it was obvious to everyone that Nakamoto knee was severely injured between the rounds. Any doctor would recommend the fight be stopped to prevent further injury. This didn’t happen last night.

Of most of the questions on the list, this seems to be the most obvious to answer.

10) What Can we Expect for Invicta 8?

Knapp mentioned in the post fight presser to expect an announcement about their next card this week. By what she has been speculating, it will be in February and possibly on TV. Invicta has been good on trying to get title matches on all of their cards, so an atomweight or featherweight title defense seems logical. We could also see the strawweight belt on the line since the title has yet to be defended.

Either way, we should expect a strong 2014 for Invicta with more cards and new stars.

Murphy vs. Nakamoto Courtesy InvictaFC/Ester Lin

Pro MMA

A loaded 8 fight card happened over the weekend as InvictaFC 7 took place in Kansas City, MO.

A new bantamweight champion was crowned as Lauren Murphy took the title after an unfortunate event. Miriam Nakamoto injured her knee during a takedown by Murphy in the third round. After the round ended, Nakamoto stated her knee was injured, but decided to go on to the forth round. Hobbling out of the corner, Nakamoto soon collapsed in pain, prompting an end to the contest.

Murphy (8-0) was disappointed in how she won, but is now the champion at 135.

Honchak vs Smith Courtesy InvictaFC/Ester Lin

In the main event on the card, flyweight champion Barb Honchak control much of the pace in her title match with Leslie Smith. Honchak was able to get a takedown in round 1 and tried to choke out Smith with no success.

Honchak got another takedown and mount in round 2, but Smith was able to fight her way out. Smith kicked into gear in round 3, taking control of the striking game and making it more of a brawl. Honchak regained her composure in round 4 and didn’t let up until the end of the five round fight that had the crowd standing at the end.

The judges all saw it for the champion Honchak, who earns her 8th straight win.

Torres vs. Herrig Courtesy InvictaFC/Ester Lin

In other action on the card:

• Tecia Torres overwhelmed Felice Herrig with her striking and ability to stuff takedowns to win by unanimous decision. Torres improves to 4-0 and gains the biggest win of her career
• The undefeated Joanne Calderwood earned her 8th straight win with a unanimous decision win over Katja Kankaanpaa. The bout was the toughest for both fighters, as Calderwood was able to block takedown attempts. Kankaanpaa was able to stay in the pocket with Calderwood, but Calderwood’s striking was what won the fight.
• Julia Budd used her wrestling to smother Charmaine Tweet to win by unanimous decision
• Vanessa Porto defeated Zoila Gurgel by unanimous decision in an action packed battle to start the main card.
• Tonya Evinger made a successful Invicta debut, outpointing  Sarah D’Alelio and getting the unanimous decision
• To start off the card, Nina Ansaroff got the only clean finish on the card, defeating the highly touted Munah Holland by TKO at 3:54 of round 2

You can watch the entire event in InvictaFC’s Youtube channel.

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Niedzwiedz def. Hughes courtesy Cage Warriors/ Dolly Clew

Across the pond at Cage Warriors in Newcastle, England, 18 year old Polish MMA phenom Agnieszka Niedzwiedz remains undefeated as she gets the unanimous decision win over Kerry Hughes.  Also on the card, Laura Howarth defeated Emma Delaney by split decision.

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Amy Cadwell improves to 3-0 as she defeated Jessica Doerner by a first round rear naked choke at CageSport in Tacoma, WA. This is Cadwell’s second straight rear naked choke finish and is looking to be a growing prospect at 115.

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At Dynasty Combat Sports in Lincoln, NE, InvictaFC vet Marciea Allen rebounded from her loss to Jessamyn Duke earlier this year by defeating  Brenda Rodriguez by unanimous decision. Allen improves to 2-1. 

In an amateur bout on the undercard,  Janie Konyek defeated Jori Waln by unanimous decision 

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In pro MMA action in Brazil:

• At Taboão Fight Championship, Talita Nogueira submitted Michele Oliveira by arm triangle choke in round 1
• Tabatha Ricci defeated Daniela Cunha by armbar submission at 2:20 in round 1 at FMC 1.
• At Duelo de Titans, Débora Ferreira TKOed Leticia Santos at 2:13 in round 1

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Ammy MMA

In a battle of undefeated fighters, Katlyn Chookagian improves her record to 5-0 after handing Vanessa Demopoulos her first loss to win the NAAFS strawweight title in Akron OH. Chookagian got the TKO in round 3 and made an argument for ammy strawweight of the year.

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Shamrock MMA in St. Louis had a pair of bouts over the weekend. Last minute replacement Alex Stobbe broke a three fight losing streak by defeating Susie Wyatt by unanimous decision. Also on the card, Wendy Julian got a first round TKO over Michelle Pearce.

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In other ammy MMA action:

• In Capetown, South Africa at CFL 7, Andrea Hill TKOed Amy Carter in round 3
• Molly Wren-Homes defeated Andrea Martinez by TKO round 1 at King for the Cage in Las Vegas
• In another King of the Cage event in Towaoc, CO, Amanda Lovato defeated Melody Nanez by unanimous decision
• Mackenzie Majewski submitted Che Strait-Martino by rear naked choke at 2:06 in round 1 at Gladius Fights 8 in Ithaca, New York
• At Absolute Action MMA in Florence, Kentucky, Anna Abrams defeated Brooke Evans by unanimous decision
• In Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, Melanie Leblanc submitted Christina Smith by armbar round 1 to win the Fight Club flyweight title
• Melissa Gasdick TKOed Courtney Kern at 1:03 in round 2 at Gladiators of the Cage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• In a paor of bouts at Rumble at the Roseland in Portland, Oregon,  Kristen Maaranen TKOed Anna Chouinard in 0:38 of round 1, and  Jennifer Gaspard defeated Joy Edwards by unanimous decision

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Hammer Courtesy x-boxen.com

Boxing

A pair of WBO/WBF title matches happen in Brandenburg, Germany as both champions retained their titles. Christina Hammer successful defended her WBF/WBO middleweight titles for the 7th time as she TKOed Carmen Garcia in round 1.

WIBF/WBF/WBO super featherweight champ Ramona Kuehne also finished her opponent, Renata Domsodi by TKO in round 6.

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In southwest Germany at Baden-Württemberg, Susi Kentikian got an unanimous decision over Simona Galassi to retain her WBA flyweight title. She improves to 32-3.

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South of Germany in Vienna, Austria, Eva Voraberger retained her WIBF flyweight title by knocking out Fleis Djendji in round 1 . She improves to 17-3.

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Three female boxing matches happened in Entre Rios, Argentina, with a world title match featured on the card.

WBA/WBO light flyweight champion Yesica Yolanda Bopp defended her title, getting the second round TKO over Ana Fernandez. Bopp improves to 26-1.

Also on the card, Adela Celeste del Carmen Peralta defeated Cristina Cuevas by unanimous decision and Maria Angelica Ruiz defeated Maria Eugenia Lopez by majority decision.

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In other boxing action:

• Angelique Duchemin gained the vacant France super featherweight title, defeating Cynthia Godbillon by points in  Perpignan, France
• In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Jelena Mrdjenovich KOed Wanda Pena Ozuna in round 1
• Maria Suarez defeated Jolene Blackshear by unanimous decision in Santa Ynez, CA
• In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Paola Gabriela Casalinuovo got the first round TKO over Jeniffer Faccio
• Yamila Reynoso and Mercedes Noemi Salar fight to a draw in San Nicolas, Argentina
• In Cordoba, Argentina, Carolina Marcela Gutierrez Gaite and Anahi Yolanda Salles fought to a no-contest
• Eva Wahlstrom defeated Anna Sikora by unanimous decision in Espoo, Finland
• In Hauts-de-Seine, France, Maiva Hammadouche gets the TKO over Karina Kopinska in round 2
• Irma Sanchez defeated Yesenia Martinez Castrejon by unanimous decision in Guerrero, Mexico
• In Brabant Wallon, Belgium, Sanae Jah defeated Sandy Coget by points
• Christina Rupprecht TKOed Helena Tosnerova in round 1 in Bayern, Germany
• In Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Vivian Fontana got the first round KO over Dajana Bukva

Torres vs. Herrig Courtesy InvictaFC/Ester Lin

After InvictaFC 7, we took a look back at the 9 fight card with two fighters that also cover the sport.

Rach Wiley is the co-host of the “Promoting Women” podcast and is fighting in a few weeks at Dangerfire. Wiley does the show on Sundays with Jason Adams.

Emily Bartee is the co-host of the “Pro WMMA Now” podcast and is looking forward to fighting in her MMA debut soon. She has competed in Muay Thai and grappling, and is the right hand gal of Gina Begley on their Monday podcast.

We broke down the fights and talked about the future of Invicta.

Listen to the Podcast here

McKenna is a pankration bout

It’s nothing new to WMMA fans that girls as young as eight are taking up pankration as a way to prepare for a possible career in MMA. Several shows have done pieces on the subject and “The Doctors” is the latest one.

The original title for the piece this past week on is “Cage Fighting Kids”, but this is a misnomer. Unlike MMA, a lot of times don’t happen in a cage, pankration dosen’t allowed to strike to the head,  and they wear protective gear. Several states offer youth pankration fights, but has yet to see national acceptance.

Two female champions are featured, including McKeena (14) and Regina (8) who both did a great job of representing the sport. If you look closely, you may get to see Future Star Cortney Drew doing some work.

Interesting to see no boys were represented. Hmmmm….

You can watch the feature story on McKenna here.

The live follow-up featuring McKenna and Regina can be seen here.

The XFC is ready to venture into the international market as the US promotion announced they will be doing 10 events in Brazil. The events will be aired on Brazil’s REDE TV. The cards will be under the “MMA COPA” banner.

MMA COPA will feature male and female fighters from Latin America, and will crown their own champions. The International champs will get opportunities to face the current World champions at XFC in the U.S.

The first event will air February 1, 2014, and will have two 5 card season; the first February to May, and the second August to December.

“As a matchmaker, I am excited to see these high-level talent matchups, as winners from each weight class come together on the global stage in a World Championship…this is a matchmaker’s dream come true, ” XFC President John Prisco stated in a press release. “MMA fans are going to witness the discovery of some of the best, yet unrecognized, talent in MMA….there has never been an opportunity like this before to see the best in class compete from both Latin America and the U.S.”

No word on who the XFC has signed in terms of fighters, and if the fights will be available

Esparza

With the success of Tuff-n-uff’s season 18 with Miesha Tate and champion Ronda Rousey coaching the first cast of female fighters, the UFC and Fox Sports 1 took no time to announce an all female season to launch their new female strawweights.

According to the press release, the UFC has aquired 11 contracts from Invicta of some of their top strawweights. This list includes:

• Carla Esparza (9-2) – InvictaFC champion
• Claudia Gadelha (11-0)
• Felice Herrig (9-5)
• Joanne Calderwood (8-0)
• Tecia Torres (4-0)
• Rose Namajunas (2-1)
• Bec Hyatt (5-2)
• Emily Kagan (3-1)
• Alex Chambers (4-1)
• Julianna Lima (6-1)
• Paige Van Zant (3-1)

Update: Dana White told MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani the fighters will be getting money before the show even starts. All but Carla Esparza will receive $32,000 up front before taping, with the former Invicta champ Esparza getting $40,000.  

InvictaFC president Shannon Knapp told Wombat Sports the strawweight title is vacant and “It will be up for grabs for any /all of the new strawweights.” 

They are also doing tryouts for the final 5 sports sometime in the next few months, the the season starting to taping in May. The winner of the season is not only crowned “The Ultimate Fighter” but will also the be inaugural strawweight champion.

If the season follows a similiar pattern to the first female TUF season, tryouts would should be around late March or early April.

At only 18 years of age and still in high school, Agnieszka Niedzwiedz is undefeated as a professional MMA fighter, gaining her fourth win in her Cage Warriors debut earlier this month.

We will talk to Niedzwiedz about her recent win, how she got started in MMA, and her bright future in the sport.

You can listen to the podcast here.

Courtesy John Roebuck Jr

In the first of a pair of wrestling dual matches, Team USA Women’s Wrestling picked up a 7-4 victory in Albuquerque Tuesday night. Among the winners is InvictaFC MMA’s Randi Miller, who outpointed Sangeeva Darima 8-0.

Team USA and Russia head to Windsor, Colorado for the second half of their double-header Thursday.

Team USA def. Russia 7-4

• 48 kg: Elena Vostrikova (Russia) dec Erin Golston (USA) 5-0
• 67 kg: Svetlana Babushina (Russia) dec Julia Salata (USA) 9-0
• 48 kg: Alyssa Lampe (USA) dec Valeria Chepsarakova (Russia) 7-4
• 51 kg: Victoria Anthony (USA) dec Stalvira Orshush (Russia) 8-1
• 51 kg: Katherine Fulp-Allen (USA) inj def Natalia Maylsheva (Russia)
• 55 kg: Whitney Conder (USA) dec Irina Olognova (Russia) 9-0
• 59 kg: Jargalma Tsyrenova (Russia) dec Alli Ragan (USA) 6-1
• 59 kg: Helen Maroulis (USA) tech fall Svetlana Lipatova (Russia) 11-0
• 67 kg: Randi Miller (USA) dec Darima Sangeeva (Russia) 8-0
• 67 kg: Veronica Carlson (USA) dec Svetlana Babushina (Russia) 3-0
• 72 kg: Natalia Vorobeva (Russia) tech fall Adeline Gray (USA) 10-0

Van Soest & Reese

Muay Thai superstar Tiffany Van Soest will defend her Lion Fight featherweight (125) title against Australian champion Caley Reece in the main event of the promotion’s 13th card in Vegas February 7th.

Van Soest (8-0-1) has been unstoppable since making her debut at LFP, having won the vacant title by TKOing Lucy Payne in July. She recently defeated Magali Foroni by TKO in November in a non-title match. This will be Van Soest’s 6th match for the promotion

Van Soest will have a test in three time World Muay Thai Council (WMC) champion Reese, who is considered one of the best strikers in the game. Having stated she was retired earlier this year, the match with Van Soest has brought her back into the ring.

The fight will air on AXS TV February 7th.

For the 5th year, the WMMA Press Association is presenting the nominees for their awards, which will be given away in early January.

The longest running awards dedicated to the women’s divisions of MMA, the WMMA Press Awards gathers top journalists in the sport to vote on the best of the year.

There are seven websites and eight journalists represented:

• Rob Sargent - MMARising.com
• Gina Begley - Pro (W)MMA Now
• Katrina Belcher - TheUltimateFemaleFighter.com
• Jason Adams - Real Women’s MMA
• Tim Peterson - Women’s MMA Today
• Yael Grauer (freelance writer for Sherdog)
• Kristin Ursy - WMMA Round-up, and
• MarQ Piocos - Wombat Sports

(Gina Begley was appointed a new member of the committee this year)

The committee will vote in late December (post UFC 168) and the winners will be announced over the members’ podcast in early January. More details to come.

One of the hotly contested honors is “Fan Favorite Awards”, which looks to be a battle royal this year with 30 fighters up for the title. This will be determined by fans by voting through members’ websites. Last year, Bec Hyatt upset Ronda Rousey in the voting which saw a record amount of votes. Voting will end in December 31.

You can see the list of nominees here.

Wombat Sports is continuing its efforts to profile some of those fighters under the age of 18 that will be the future of combat sports; be it MMA, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

If you have a fighter under 18 you want to be featured comment below.

You can read all the “Future Stars” we have featured so far here.

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Coming out of SWAT MMA in Winter Haven, Florida, Catlin :”Meathook” Kelley is looking to be a star in the UFC when she grows up.

And she is on her way. Winning her first grappling titles in 2011, the ten year old fighter executed a flying armbar this past summer (video) that would make Rose Namajunas proud. She has also branched out to kickboxing, gaining the IKF World Classic Jr. Novice Girls Welterweight International Rules Championship this year.

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Wombat Sports: What got you interested in getting involved in combat sports?

Catlin Kelley: My brother saw a commercial on tv for a mixed martial arts school and I wanted to try it out.

Wombat: What do you enjoy about it?

Kelley: I enjoy every part of it. I love competing, learning new skills,and  making friends who enjoy the same things.

W.S.: How has your friends and classmates reacted to it?

C.K.: Most of my friends are in the mma community and those that aren’t think it’s cool. Classmates I do not have since I am homeschooled, and since I am it allows me to travel for training and competitions more.

W.S.: How about your family?

C.K.:  My family supports me 100 percent. My brother and sister always go to the tournaments with me and cheer me on.

W.S.: Who do you look up to in fighting?

C.K.: Debi Purcell, Tecia Tiny Tornado, Ronda Rousey and my Coach Shawn Sandman Valentin.

W.S.: How do you feel about the future of females in MMA?

C.K.: I am excited that women are now in the UFC and it gives me a chance to compete when I am older.

W.S.: What comes naturally to you in fighting? What have you found difficult?
C.K.: I feel all of it comes naturally, I have been training all of it since I was 6. I find turning it off, not training all the time, hard to do.

W.S.: What are your aspirations in fighting?

C.K.: I want to be a UFC Champion, I want to own my own school also.

W.S.: Anything you want to add/thank?

C.K.:  I want to thank my sponors Fighter Girls, Impact Custom Mouthguards,Florida Embrodiery,and Future Fighterz. I also want to thank SWAT MMA in Winter Garden FL, my coaches Jeffery Montalbano, Shawn Valentin,Julian Williams, and my striking coach Mike Sgroi.

With the exponential growth of the women’s divisions of MMA this past year, many fighters have gained a lot of fans.

Be it via The Ultimate Fighter, being in the UFC, or making their mark in Invicta, the athletes has been making believers out of MMA fans.

With that in mind, the WMMA Press Committee has expanded from 25 to 30 fighters this year for the “Fan Favorite Fighter of the Year” voting. The contest has always seen some exciting results, as last year Bec Hyatt upset Ronda Rousey to win the crown.

With more fighters comes more possibilities and what could be the closest fan favorite vote to date.

Go to our main page and vote on the right hand side. The polls close on December 31.

Smith

Fujino

The World Series of Fighting has signed two great fighters going into 2014 to expand their female roster to 4.

The WSOF announced the signing of CFA featherweight tournament winner Ashlee Evans-Smith and DEEP-JEWELS veteran Emi Fujino to the promotion Saturday.

Smith (2-0) had a solid amateur career before turning pro for the CFA 145 tournament. After avenging an amateur loss to Tori Smith, she defeated Fallon Fox by TKO to win the tournament title. The win also gained her a nomination for the WMMA Press Award’s Featherweight of the Year. She will be dropping to 135 for her WSOF debut.

Strawweight Fujino (13-7) is a nine year veteran of the sport with wins over Mei Yamaguchi and Mika Nagano. Fujino’s neck crank win over Amber Brown this year is up for for the WMMA Press Awards Submission of the Year.

No word on when either will be debuting for the promotion.

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…

Torres

With the New Year comes new entries into the Unified rankings.

Three fighters have dropped out due to inactivity, one due to retirement, and two fighter have changed weight classes. This on top of the past month’s matches, we have seen some shifting in all weight classes.

At featherweight, Ediane Gomes and Tamikka Brents have dropped off the list due to inactivity shifting most of division. InvictaFC champion Cyborg Justino remains at 1, with former title challenger Marloes Coenen taking the #2 spot. Julia Budd moves to #3 after her win over Charmaine Tweet. Faith Van Duin (now #4), Pannie Kianzad (now #5), and Maria Hougaard (now #6) all move up a spot. Entering the list Talita “Treta” Nogueira is who defeated Michelle Oliveira in December to go 6-0. She debuts at #7.

Entering the top 10 is Annalisa Bucci (#10) who has won five straight and coming off a win last month.

The bantamweight rankings saw little change in the top 10, with the exception of Lauren Murphy and Shayna Baszler changing spots. Muprhy’s Invicta title win puts her in the #9 spot, why Baszler drops to #10.

With her loss to Vanessa Porto, Zoila Gurgel drops out of the flyweight top 10, shifting Kalindra Faria (now 5) and Joanna Jedrzejczyk (now 6) up a spot. With Bethe Corriea moving to bantamweight, Sarah Alpar (now 7) and Julia Berezikova (now 8) move up two spots. Entering the top ten is Juliana Werner (now 9)
and Nina Ansaroff (now 10).

Joanne Calderwood’s win over Katja Kankaanpää propels Calderwood to the #4 spot at strawweight, bumping Ayaka Hamasaki to the #5 spot. Tecia Torres with her win over Felice Herrig takes the #6 position, while Herrig drops from #5 to #9. Kankaanpää drops a spot to #7 and Bec Hyatt to #10. With the new entry, Alida Gray drops off the list.

Atomweight Kikuyo Ishikawa announced her retirement in December, which shifts #7-#10 last month up a spot. Taking the #10 spot is DEEP-JEWELS title challenger Sadae Numata.

You can see the complete January 2014 rankings here.

Glena Avila has been a staple of the Oregon MMA scene for many years and has helped shape WMMA in the area. As an amateur fighter, she was undefeated.

During this time, a film crew will covering her life inside and outside the cage, and produced “Glena”, a documentary that has recently become a selection at the world famous SlamDance Film Festival.

We talked to Avila about the movie and her possibility of trying out for The Ultimate Fighter 20.

Listen to the Podcast here

Gadelha

The WMMA Press Association Announced their first 3 winners of their awards for 2013 on Thursday.

In the only open voting award, the Fan Favorite Fighter of the Year went to newly signed UFC strawweight Claudia Gadelha, who receiving 20.26% of the votes. Roxanne Modafferi came in second with 11.68%, and Bec Hyatt came in third with 8.97%.

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The WMMA Press Association voted and awarded two awards on Thursday as well.

For the first time in awards history, we have a tie for Promotion of the Year.

With their announcement of add women’s divisions, the UFC has earned the honor along with the last year’s promotional winner InvictaFC.

The UFC broke the glass ceiling this year, introducing the women’s bantamweight division and held their first ever female title match between champion Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche. After one of the most successful “Ultimate Fighter” seasons in recent memory when they quenched fans demands for females on the show; they ended the year signing 11 strawweights that will compete of TUF 20. They had 15 matches total this year.

InvictaFC crowned its first champions this year, starting with Carla Esparza and rounding it out with Lauren Murphy. With only 4 events, they had 45 matches and have had many of their fighters signed to the UFC. Even though they have had their problems with streaming, the organization has seen tremendous fan support.

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Multiple time nominee Fight Chix has been honored for the second time for Sponsor of the Year.  The clothing company was a co-winner in 2011 with Tussel Fight Gear.

Fight Chix has been one of the first sponsor of fighters and has been a powerhouse in WMMA apparel. Based out of Chicago, the company sponsors current UFC signees Miesha Tate and Roxanne Modafferi; and InvictaFC champ Michelle Waterson.

You can listen to InvictaFC President Shannon Knapp and Fight Chix CEO Elisabeth Nuesser accepting their awards here.

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On Friday’s podcast, we will be handing out the Fight, Submission, and Atomweight of the Year awards at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est. You can listen here.

On Saturday’s podcast, we will give out the Inspirational Fighter and Legacy Awards at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est. You can listen here.

Monday, the ProWMMANow podcast will be handing out the awards for Knockout and Newcomer of the Year at 7 p.m. pst/10 p.m. est. You can listen here.

Wednesday the rest of the awards – Fighter, featherweight, bantamweight, flyweight, strawweight, and amateur fighter of the year winners will be handed out on on the Promoting Real Women podcast. You can listen here.