Santos Courtesy Astra Fight Team

I have been wanting for a while to write to the new influx of fans that came during the Rousey/UFC era and welcome you to what I have been writing about for the past 6 years.  Love her or hate her, Ronda Rousey had driven in you guys and gals into the fold and not complaining one bit about it.

I should also recognize those fans who have came along as Invicta started to gain steam and are realizing how these ladies’ passion and drive translates in a cage. As strong and talented as they are on the inside of the cage, many are more than happy to take a picture with a fan or answer a tweet.

I sometimes feel, however, you are only getting part of this picture. The UFC is by no means WMMA as a whole, and there is a world load of talent put there that not only helped develop the sport to where it is today, but new talent we could see become the next superstars.

I have been obsessed with the women’s divisions for a while now, and have dedicated my life to covering every aspect. I know you may have lives (unlike me) and may not have the time I do to watch many, many hours of fights and research many new and upcoming fighters. My hope for this site is to educate you in less time.

I also want to open your eyes to the talented that isn’t in the UFC quite yet and those fighters who are pioneers before Dana White would have ever thought about bring female fighters in. WMMA is more than Ronda Rousey, and without those who came before her and those gals that actually dared to want to face Rousey, she wouldn’t be where she is today.

Don’t get me wrong, Rousey deserves a lot of credit to bringing the women’s divisions in the UFC. Without fighters like Shayna Baszler, Tara LaRosa, Gina Carano, and yeah even Miesha Tate, Rousey wouldn’t have even considered going into MMA. There are many gals that paved the way for her to take it to the next level. Feel free to look up old fights and see how these fighters set the table and made the women’s divisions acceptable in the MMA world. I recommend Julie Kedzie versus Gina Carano first and work your way from there.

The early part of the year has been slow in terms of the UFC and Invicta, but you may have missed out on some developing international talent making waves of their own. Brazil’s MMA Super Heroes and the XFC have been streaming female fights and many were well worth watching. DEEP-JEWELS, who can trace their linage back over a decade, has finally started to stream in the US, and with talent like Seo Hee Ham, Mizuki Inoue, and Ayaka Hamsaki, they will continue to send talent to Invicta.

Cage Warriors has invested a lot in their women’s divisions as well.  I am already seeing stars in atomweight Catherine Costigan and bantamweight Agnieszka Niedzwiedz, plus Joanna Jedrzejczyk just signed to the UFC. They too stream female fights (for free) and well worth a watch on a Saturday afternoon.

If you have ever thought about watching Invicta, now is a great time. You know all those strawweights that just signed to the UFC, and more than half of the bantamweights? Invicta developed them. The promotion doesn’t see any signs of slowing as they replenished their 115ers already and look to beef up their 135ers shortly. By the way, there are more divisions out there including the 105ers, the 125ers, and 145ers. Invicta’s 155 division will give a lot of power as well once it starts on the next card and goes to show the growth of WMMA as a whole.

Amateur women’s divisions are growing and have been over the past four years. Many organizations such as Tuff-n-uff and NAAFS has done a great job of promoting great up and coming talent, and several organizations like Survivors’ Fighting Alliance are going to make new stars we could be seeing in the UFC in the coming years. Remember, access to female fights could be easy as driving a few minutes to your local arena. Take it in live too.

You have come in at a great time for the sport. With more fights and more access, if you have an hour or two a month you could easily see more action on cards that aren’t under the UFC banner. Be open to seeing new fighters no matter what weight class or promotion. Many streams are free, with some worth wild ones at only $10.

If you have questions feel free to ask. If you see a fighter I need to take a look at, tell me. I am going to give you as much info as possible to when and where fighters are fighting and if you can watch on stream.

Again, welcome to the WMMA world and take it all in. Thank you for supporting these fighters and helping make this sport as popular as it’s been.

Miscellaneous News

Congratulations to Ronda Rousey on breaking not only a WMMA barrier but a MMA one in general, being the first Mixed Martial Artist to win an Espy. She was awarded “Female Athlete of the Year” at the sports awards. You can watch her awards speech here.

We talked to InvictaFC president Shannon Knapp this past weekend and got a few notes.

• Tickets go on sale for InvictaFC 8 this week.
• Originally they didn’t have a strawweight title match on the InvictaFC 8 card, but decided it was a way to show the MMA community their 115 division is back and stronger than ever. Mizuki Inoue is fighting for DEEP-JEWELS in August and wouldn’t have time for a full camp, or else she would have been one of the participants.
• The announce team isn’t set yet for the 8th card, as King Mo will be fighting for Bellator and Mauro Ranallo will be unavailable that weekend. We should expect an announcement in the coming week or so on who will be joining Julie Kedzie on the announce desk.
• Some ideas have been floating around for InvictaFC 9, but don’t expect any announcements until the night of the 8th card. Three things we can verify – Barb Honchak will be defending her 125 title at the event; we can expect more InvictaFC debuts on the card; and a few big surprises.
• The UFC will start promoting the September card in August so be on the look out for the ads.

An update on Duda Yankovich. She is already back in the gym two weeks after a stroke. She is resuming to normal workouts but is not allowed contact training, including boxing and kickboxing.

XFCi announced this week they have signed five more fighters. These include:

• Polyana Botelho (2-1) Flyweight
• Débora Ribeiro Silva (1-1) Flyweight
• Liana Pirosin (1-1) Flyweight
• Karine Silva (5-0) Bantamweight
• Taila Santos (3-0) Bantamweight

XFC1 will return September 19th, with Finnish fighter Vuokko Katainen on the card.

Osman

Julaton

Ana Julaton will have a new opponent in Dubai.

Ann Osman will be replacing the injured Russian Irina Mazepa on the OneFC event August 29. Osman is Malaysia’s first female professional MMA fighter and lost her debut in a war with Sherilyn Lim. She would lose by split decision.

Former boxing champion Julaton is looking for her second MMA win after her MMA debut win over Aya Saeid Saber by third round TKO this past May.

The fight will stream on the OneFC website for $12 on August 29.

Former ring girls and Korean reality TV show star Song Ga-Yeon will be making her pro MMA debut against Japan’s Emi Yamamoto at RoadFC in Seoul, South Korea August 17th. The fight will take place at atomweight.

After going 5-0 as an amateur kickboxer, 19 year old Song decided to pursue a career in MMA and RoadFC have groomed her to be their next star.

The Korean beauty face her first test in Japan’s Yamamoto, who has one loss in the amateur ranks.

You can watch a promo video of Song here.

Germany is looking to expand its wmma division with two pro debuters on the GMC 5 card in Europahalle, Germany Setpember 13th.

Mandy Böhm and Maja Matusiak will battle in a 128 pound catchweight affair. Böhm has studied Kung Fu and Wing Chun, while Matusiak has fought in K-1 kickboxing.

No word on if the match will be streamed.

If you missed out last week, the gals at WMMA Round-up did three videos covering several topics that came up.

• TUF 20 cast revealed (video here)
• InvictaFC 8 matches announced (video here)
• Who’s Next for Ronda Rousey? (video here)

Our friends over at MMA Somnia did an article about what it takes to get a sponsor as a fighter. You can read it here.

The also have some great gear and advise for fighters starting out in MMA, boxing, and Muay Thai.

Americana MMA has decided to donate 10% of their profits to the InvictaFC 8 fighters. They have had done shirts for Michelle Waterson, Michelle Ould, Miriam Nakamoto, and Lauren Murphy in the past and currently carry Zolia Frausto’s new shirt, which you can purchase here.

Rumors

UFC President Dana White is expected to meet with Gina Carano today (Monday) to try to ink a deal for her return to MMA. White states he is going to offer her a title match with champion Ronda Rousey on the New Years Eve card in Vegas.

A lot of rumors going around about the opening round TUF 20. White told the press in Ireland he was disappointed that he wasn’t there to watch some of the matches but conformed “one of the European fighters had already fought” before he left the U.S.

We are also hearing the normal “Ultimate Fighter” format won’t be the same for this season. Usually the coaches determine the teams and fights, but that may have changed since this season is for a belt.

Claudia Gadhela wants to stay active after her win this past week, and will more than likely fight again before the TUF 20 finale. She will most likely face the winner of Juliana Lima and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, which happens this Saturday.

Bantamweight star Larissa Pacheco will defend her Jungle Fights 135 belt September 6th against a yet to be named opponent in Brazil.

Finnish female fighters Vuokko Katainen, Tina Lähdemäki, and Katja Kankaanpää are moving to American to train. No word on exactly where.

Scheduled Match (Results)

Howard and Montenegro courtesy Ernie Sapiro Photography

Pro MMA

A pair of bouts happened at CageSport in Tacoma, WA.

Strawweight Katie Howard defeated Amy Montenegro by split decision to improve to 3-2. Howard has fought all of her pro bouts in 2014.

Emily Corso got her third 1st round submission win, defeating Hadley Griffith by rear naked choke. Corso came in 3 1/2 pounds over the 125 bout and was fined for missing weight.

In other pro bouts:

• At Spartan Combat League in Denver, CO, Alice Yauger defeated Shannon Sinn by unanimous decision
•  Beckie Ruth-Gullet defeated Mandy Polk by TKO round 1 at  Shamrock FC in St. Louis, MO. In an amateur bout, Gabrielle Labbee defeated Shawna Tyler by TKO round 2
• At Coliseum FC 2 in Brazil, Jessica Medeiros de Andrade defeated Nayara Hemily by unanimous decision
• Tatiana Suarez defeated Tyra Parker by unanimous decision at Gladiator Challenge in Rancho Mirage, CA. Sara Snow defeated Vanesse Morrison by TKO round 1 in an amateur bout
• At Xtreme Kombat 24 in Mexico, Tania Pereda submitted Karina Gonzalez by armbar 4:19 of round 1
• Kristi Lopez defeated  Katie Castro by TKO round 1 at Xplode Fight Series in Valley Center, CA. Sharon Jacobson def. Aleeta Munion by TKO round 1 in an amateur bout

Ammy MMA

In amateur action:

• At Cage Wars in Grand Junction, Colorado, Amanda Nold defeated Amanda Haller by unanimous decision
• Brenda Enriquez defeated Carissa Westlund by TKO 2:53 Round 1 at Steelfist Fights in Farmington, Utah
• At Kings of Jacksonville in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Christina Eduardo defeated Micaela Cadena by unanimous decision
• Hannah Dawson defeated Casey O’Neill by TKO 1:24 round 1 at Eternal MMA in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Boxing

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Carolina Raquel Duer successfully defrned her WBO bantamweight title, getting the unanimous decsion over Ana Lozano.  She improves her unbeaten streak to 16 and defends the belt for the second time.

On the undercard, Maria Magdalena Rivera knocked out Cintia Liliana Gonzalez in round 3

In other boxing action:

• In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Julieta Andrea Cardozo defeated Maria Cecilia Roman by split decision
• Also in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Karen Elizabeth Carabajal defeated Lorena Noemi Gomez by unanimous decision
• Alisah McPhee defeated Peggy Maerz by split decision in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
• In Huntington, New York, Wendy Toussaint defeated Courtney Pennington by unanimous decision
• Lee Dittmar defeated Kori Farr by majority decision in Mansfield, Queensland, Australia
• In Perth, Western Australia, Australia, Erin McGowan knocked out Keanpetch Superchamps in round 1
• Silvia Torres defeated Joana Medina by TKO round 4 in Guerrero, Mexico

Phillips

Dudieva

Long time Russian MMA standout Milana Dudieva will look to make an immediate impact in the UFC as she heads to China to face Elizabeth Phillips. The match is planned to take place at UFC Fight Night Macao August 29 according to several sources.

Dudieva (10-3) is a five year vet of the sport, racking an eight fight win streak after her first loss. She has wins over Sheila Gaff and Danielle West with six submissions to her credit.

Phillips (4-2) was on a four fight win streak before losing a last minute bout to Valerie Latourneau in both fighter’s official UFC debuts. Teammate of TUF 18 winner Juliana Pena, she finished in 3 of her four wins.

The fight will stream on UFC Fight Pass August 29. The monthly service is $10.

Song vs. Kimura Courtesy RoadFC

Miscellaneous News

In action Friday night, Marion Reneau defeated pro debuter Maureen Riordon by armbar at 4:15 of round 1. The bantamweight gets her third straight first round victory and her first submission win as a pro.

Saturday morning at RoadFC, Hyo-Kyung Song defeated Hazuki Kimura by TKO 2:21 of round 2 in Gumi, South Korea.

Fernanda Soledad Alegre successfully defended her WBO light welterweight title, getting a second round TKO over  Dalia Vasarhelyi in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Friday.

Also In boxing action Friday, Kristin Gearhart and Ashleigh Curry fight to a split draw in Chicago.

Jemyma Betrian has an opponent for her pro mma debut August 10th. Washington’s Hadley Griffith is looking to recover after a loss this past weekend to take on the Muay Thai standout at Chaos At The Casino 5 in Inglewood, CA.

Betrian, a champion in Muay Thai, has been training with UFC champion Ronda Rousey for her switch to MMA. Griffith also have a Muay Thai background and looks to hand Betrian her first loss in MMA.

The event will be headlined by Marina Shafir taking on Amanda Bell in a featherweight battle.

Rising atomweight prospect Catherine Costigan will once again battle in her hometown of Dublin, Ireland as she will take on Monaco’s Noelia Molina at Cage Warriors 70 ‪August 16.

Costigan (4-0) has recovered nicely after a three year absence due to injury, winning three straight. Molina will be dropping to 105 for the bout, and hasn’t seen action in a cage since her loss to Joanne Calderwood in 2012. She has been active in the Muay Thai scene in Europe however.

The fight will stream on MMAJunkie.com August 16.

Brazil will have a very busy August and early September as Damadeferromma.com has announced several bouts in the country.

• August 7 at Circuito de Lutas Fight Night, Arielle Souza and Mahri Guerreira will look for their first wins as pros. In a Muay Thai bout, Ladie Dias battles Roberta Cristina.
• In a pair of bouts at AFC on Aug. 9 in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil,  Claudia Rey (4-0) takes on Natali Alves (pro debut) and Roberta Paim (3-0) faces Daniela Oliveira (pro debut).
• Undefeated Viviane Sucuri (5-0) will make a drop to 115 as she faces Gina Naja (1-2) at Limo Fight 13 in Limoeiro do Norte, Brazil August 15.
• InvictaFC vet Jennifer Maia (8-3) will look to maintain her #3 Unified ranking as she takes on raising star Elaine Albuquerque (9-3) at Circuito Talent 11 August 23 in São José dos Pinhais, Brazil. This will be for the promotion’s flyweight title.
• A month later, Circuito Talent will have another card in Campinas, Brazil September 20th, Livia Renata Souza (5-0) looks to stay undefeated as she takes on Camila Pitbull (8-3) in a strawweight bout.

Ana Julaton will be holding a media day August 6 at the House of Ryu in Las Vegas to help promote her upcoming fight against Ann Osmond at OneFC August 29th in Dubai, which will stream on OneFC.com. More info can be found at by clicking the picture on the right.

Sunday at 2:30 p.m. pst/5:30 p.m. est on the podcast, we will have veteran Muay Thai fighter Kate McGray, who will be returning to MMA as she takes on Maria Rios at National Fight Alliance’s event in California.

You can listen live here Sunday.

Rumors

No rumors this week. Expect some next week.

Scheduled Fights

Courtesy UFC

Pro MMA

After their first strawweight battle took place last week, the UFC is ready to bring some more international 115 talent in as Poland’s Joanna Jedrzejczyk will battle Brazil’s Juliana Lima at UFC on Fox 12 in San Jose, CA, which will stream on UFC Fight Pass.

The undefeated Jedrzejczyk (6-0) is coming off a KO victory over Rosi Sexton in June and had a quick turnaround when the UFC came knocking. With the contract came a drop from 125 to 115, but it seems the Polish star has adjusted nicely, making 115 on the button at weigh-ins.

Same couldn’t be said of Lima (6-1), who came in initially at 117 pounds, and then re-weighed at 116.5. Since she missed weight, she will be deducted 20% of her fight purse. Some controversy arose when main eventer Matt Brown came in overweight and will not be deducted from his fight pay because of confusion from the California State Athletic Commission doctor gave confusing instructions to both fighters. Lima tried to make weight but still missed, while Brown thought the doctor had ordered him to stop cutting weight instead of simply advising him not to.

Lima’s only loss was to InvictaFC title challenger Katja Kankaanpaa by decision.

WMMA Round-up got an interview with Jedrzejczyk after the weigh-in and you can watch it here.

In other pro MMA bouts:

• At Triple A MMA in New Mexico, Lindsay Jones faces Jessica Armstrong
• In a trio of bouts at Roshambo in Australia, Shauna Carew battles Ginny Connors,  Lana Kate fights Jessy Jess, and Megan Anderson faces Kerry Barrett
• At ECC in Halafax, Canada, Holly Cline battles Jody Reicher
• Jin Tang take on Yana Lyashko at Kunlun Fights in China

Ammy MMA

The MMA Expo in New York will crown amateur champions as Fighters Source will have a card in “The Big Apple”.

Susie Wyatt-Walters will battle Angela Hancock for the flyweight title and Fernanda Araujo takes on Danielle Gallagher for the bantamweight title.

In other amateur bouts:

• At NAFC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Shannon Goughary faces Kali Robbins and Emily Rady takes on Kelli Richards
• In a pair of bouts at Organized Chaos in Topeka, Kansas, Tabby Patterson fights Jessica Middleton and LeiLoni Stewart battles Stephanie Hull 
• Kathy McCord takes on Rachel Johnson and Mercedes Chavez faces Monica Medina at Ignite MMA in Amarillo, Texas
• At the Legacy Amateur Series in Austin, TX, Elizabeth Palacios fights Brittany Robertson
• Lacie Jackson battles Rena Pena at GFA in Alexandria, Louisiana
• At Blackout FC in Carthage, Missouri, Blair Patton takes on Melissa Shepard
• Xin-min Lai faces Danielle Mack at Conquest FC in Garden Grove, California

Boxing

Christina Hammer is looking to take a second division world title as she takes on former welterweight champion Anne Sophie Mathis for the vacant WBO light middleweight title in Dessau, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany.

Hammer (17-0) is undefeated and is the current WBO and WBF middleweight champion. Eight of her wins were within the distance.

Mathis (27-3) is the current WBF light middleweight champion winning the belt in June. She was on a 22 fight win streak before suffering back to back losses two two of the best in the world; Holly Holm and Cecilia Braekhus.

Anabel Ortiz will attempt to defend her WBA minimumweight title for the second time as she takes on Neisi Torres in Epazoyucan, Hidalgo, Mexico.

Ortiz (14-3) is on a four fight win streak Torres (12-2-1) won four her her past 5.

In other boxing matches:

• In Maipú, Mendoza, Argentina, Carla Romina Weiss take on Vanesa del Valle Calderon
• In a trio of fights in Alajuela, Costa Rica, Carolina Arias faces Lorena Arias, Celina Salazar battles Maria Elena Villalobos, and Yokasta Valle fights Maria Guadalupe Atilano 
• Alica Melina Kummer dukes it out with Samia El Khaouat in Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany

Courtesy UFC

Pro MMA

Joanna Jedrzejczyk made a huge impression in her strawweight debut in the UFC, gaining the unanimous decision win over InvictaFC vet Juliana Lima at UFC on Fox 12 in San Jose, CA.

Jedrzejczyk showed superior striking throughout the match, and even when she was taken down, it didn’t take long for the Polish sensation to escape and get it back to the feet.

All three judges scored it 30-27 for Jedrzejczyk, who stays undefeated at 7-0.

Marion Reneau gets her third straight first round win at RFA 16 in Denver, CO, submitting pro debuter Maureen Riordon.

Reneau (4-1) shower her world class jiu-jitsu early, with a takedown and rolling for knee bars. She would ultimately take side control, mount, and the armbar submission at 4:15 of round 1.

The win has made her a bantamweight ti be on the lookout for.

Three female bouts took place at Roshambo MMA in Chandler Australia:

• Shauna Carew successfully defender her pinweight (100 lbs) title with a first round rear naked choke over Ginny Connors
• Jessy Jess Rose wins her third staright and retains her 135 title against last minute replacement Rhiannon Thompson. The duo went five rounds with Rose getting the unanimous decision.
• Megan Anderson gets her first pro win, defeating Kerry Barrett by majority decision in a featherweight bout

In other pro bouts:

• At RoadFC in Gumi, South Korea, Hyo-Kyung Song defeated Hazuki Kimura by TKO 2:21 of round 2
• Holly Cline submitted Jordan Moore by arm triangle choke in 0:45 seconds at ECC in Halafax, Canada

Ammy MMA

In amateur MMA action:

• In a pair of outs at Fighters Source in New York, NY, Angela Hancock knocked out Susie Wyatt-Walters in eight seconds and Fernanda Araujo defeated Danielle Gallagher by TKO 2:20 round 1
• In a trio of bouts at NAFC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Kali Robbins defeated Shannon Goughary by unanimous decision,  Kelli Richards def. Emily Rady by unanimous decision, and Jennifer D’Acquisto defeated Sheena Brandenburg by TKO 2:49 Round 1 
• Jessica Middleton knocked out Tabby Patterson in 18 seconds and  LeiLoni Stewart submitted Stephanie Hull by standing guillotine round 1 at Organized Chaos in Topeka, Kansas
• At Ignite MMA in Amarillo, Texas, Rachel Johnson defeated Kathy McCord by TKO in 24 seconds and Elisa Marrugo defeated Sanaz Khamisi  by split decision 
• Elizabeth Palacios submitted Brittany Robertson by armbar at 2:36 round 1 at the Legacy Amateur Series in Austin, TX
• At GFA in Alexandria, Louisiana, Lacie Jackson submitted Rena Pena by armbar round 1
• Ashley Nash defeated Krystal Ingram by unanimous decision at SHP in Irondale, Alabama
• At Blackout FC in Carthage, Missouri, Blair Patton submitted Melissa Shepard by guillotine 2:17 round 2
• Adriene Rainey defeated Joie Emerson by TKO round 2 at UCF in Crestview, FL
• In a pair of houts at Rise Of A Warrior in Ft. Pierce, FL, Ingrid Medrano defeated Gillian Robertson, and Jackie Abshire defeated Melinda Hill via TKO round 1
• Cat Silva defeated Hope Halava by TKO round 3 at Evolution Sports Combat in Elizabethtown, TN
• At Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting in Southagte, MI, Lauren Foley submitted Natelie Madej by armbar

Courtesy L’est Republican

Boxing

Some controversy happened over the weekend as Christina Hammer and Anne Sophie Mathis battled for the vacant WBO and Hammer’s WBF light middleweight title in Dessau, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany

Mathis had knocked down Hammer in round 3, and look to have possibly won the title, bu the referee announced that Mathis was disqualified to hits to the back of the head. After review, the WBO has declared it a no-contest on Monday.

The WBF sent a letter of their ruling and noted 3 judges were German (Hammer is from there), and Mathis was never during the match warned for holding or shots to the back of the head. The committee also thought the shots were perfectly legal. A rematch was also strongly recommended between the two at a neutral site.

You can watch the video here and judge for yourself.

In Epazoyucan, Hidalgo, Mexico, Anabel Ortiz successfully defended her WBA minimumweight title over Neisi Torres by TKO round 3. Unanswered left hooks to the body toward the ended the fight.

Also on the card, Katia Lopez and Mary Martinez fought to a draw.

In other boxing results:

• In Sao Paulo, Brazil, Aline de Cassia Scaranello defeated Natalia Falbo Donato by TKO (retirement) round 3 to win the vacant Brazilian super bantamweight title
• Carla Romina Weiss defeated Vanesa del Valle Calderon by unanimous decision in Maipú, Mendoza, Argentina
• In a trio of bouts in Alajuela, Costa Rica, Carolina Arias defeated Lorena Arias by unanimous decision, Celina Salazar defeated Maria Elena Villalobos by majority decision, and Yokasta Valle defeated Maria Guadalupe Atilano by unanimous decision 
• In Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, Alica Melina Kummer defeated Samia El Khaouat by TKO round 1
• Jesica Espinal defeated Fabiola Blas by TKO round 1 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Palmer vs. VanDermeer Courtesy Dave Mandel/Sherdog

It was five years ago a card was held in the amateur ranks that launched careers and made a statement that the amateur women’s divisions were expanding.

Tuff-n-uff already broke some barriers in terms of the women’s divisions, having a female fight headline their first ever MMA card. It was the jumping off point for many fighters including Tonya Evinger, Lacey Schuckman, Kaitlin Young, and Sarah Schneider.

On July 10th 2009 in Las Vegas, the promotion went all in with what would be the first amateur all female MMA card. At the time, the amateur divisions were just starting and many were worried the depth wasn’t there. It was an important step in the growth of the sport as it proved there was a market for amateur female fighters, and gave fighters oppeotunities to gain experience and groom themselves to be the next stars of the sport.

Fighters from 11 states and three countries populated the event. The card itself had a few names that are still around. Among them was Colleen Schneider, who was on “The Ultimate Fighter 20″. Two other fighters on the card, Kate McGray and LaToya Walker, will be fighting in the coming weeks.

Many different weight classes were represent from 125 to 165, and  four of the fights saw finishes. The card established Tuff-n-uff as the place to be as an amateur female fighter and showed the popularity of females in fighting. If there is any proof, just look at the talent that had went through it’s ranks after. These include  UFC champion Ronda Rousey, Jessamyn Duke, and Ashlee Evans-Smith.

It also helped other promoters realize they had some local talent to feature on their cards. Fighters would get more opportunities to fight more often to gain experience before turning pro.

Tuff-n-uff continues to produce upcoming talent. With its partnership with Invicta, it is guaranteeing the best amateur talent have the opportunities to go pro. Also it continues to put on multiple fights female fights on their cards. This weekend we will see three great bouts, including a battle of two of the best flyweights in the amateur ranks when Roma Pawelek takes on Aspen Ladd.

We sincerely hope Tuff-n-uff considers doing an all female card again because with the talent out there now, they would make history again.

You can watch the matches on the card below:

• Moa Palmer vs. Patricia VanDermeer (Video Here)
• Kate McGray vs. Gabriella Lakoczky (Video Here)
• Ivana Coleman vs. Lauren Feldman (Video Here)
• Amanda Wilcoxen vs. Courtney Stowe (Video here)
• Amanda LaVoy vs. MaEisha Lowe (Video here)
• Stephanie Webber vs. Robin Hartman (Video here)
• Colleen Schneider vs. Kiley Martin (Video here)
• Brooke Guidry vs. Latoya Walker (Video here)
• Autumn King vs. Holly Dixon (Video here)
• Tamara Riley vs. Michelle Velebit (Video here)

Jedrzejczyk

In what was an active month in the rankings, movement happened due to losses, inactivity, and fighters dropping in weight.

With her loss to UFC champion Ronda Rousey, Alexis Davis has dropped from the #2 slot to #5 in the bantamweight division. This moves Cat Zingano to the #2 position and Sarah Kaufman to #3. Tate goes to the #4.

With Joanna Jedrzejczyk move to the strawweight division, the bottom six positions from July’s flyweight rankings moved up a spot. InvictaFC fighter Alexa Grasso enters the list at #10.

With her UFC debut win, Caludia Gahdela took the #2 spot on the strawweight rankings, pushing Carla Esparza to #2. With the announcement of Ayaka Hamsaki moving to atomweight and not having fought at 115 in a year, she has dropped off the list. This pushed Tecia Torres (now #6), Mizuki Inoue (now #7) and Kalindra Faria (now #8) up a spot from last month. The a fore mentioned Jedrzejczyk, with her win over Juliana Lima, debuts at #9 in the 115 division.

Jessica Penne leaves the atomweight list due to inactivity, pushing everyone from #3 to #10 in July up a spot. Amy Davis re-enters the top 10.

You can see the entire August 2014 rankings here.

Ovchynnikova vs. Ashdown

Results

In results from the past few weeks:

On July 26:

• In Cyprus at a WKU card, Tita Groueva def. Ismailova
• For the WBC World interim 105 title, LittleTiger defeated Faa Chiang Rai SorSaguntong by split decsion in Pattaya, Thailand
• Victoria Lomax defeated Gemma Coast by points in England
• Aaliyah Sahotto defeated Yui Takada by points

On July 19th:

• At Push Kick Promotions in the U.S., Lena won the WBC Muaythai World Super-flyweight title (115lbs/52.16kg) over Ruth Ashdown by unanimous decision
• For the Kombat League world 48kg title, Sara Donghi defeated Cecile Rodrigues.

On July 18:

• GongLi Yue (China) def. Sawsing sor. Sopit by points

News

WCK MuayThai will hold a card August 16th at Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, CA.

InvictaFC MMA vet Zoila Frausto looks to win her first piece of Muay Thai gold as she takes on Lindsey Marino for the WBC National Featherweight (126 pounds) Title. Frausto is undefeated since starting her pro Muay Thai career last year. The Texas native Marino has won back to back since turning pro and is also seeking her first title.

Also on the card, local favorite Marie Choi will battle Janet Todd for the IAMTF California superflyweighht (115 pounds) title. Two other female bouts are set as Emily Griffen faces Amanda De Rosa and Fatima Garnica dukes it out with Christine Conner.

Two title matches are set for Hong Kong on August 25.

For the WMC I-1 championship, Michaela Michl will take on Chali Ssab. Also Wu Hoi-Yan will battle Katia Tsovgan (Greece), for the WKBC I-1 championship.

In Wellington, New Zealand, hometown fighter Gentiane Lupi will take on Alicia Pestana August 23rd.

Natasha Skye has posted an interview with Australian star and WKBF champion Claire Baxter. You can read it here.

Upcoming Fights

The WMC 60 kg world title will be on the line Monday as Irina Mazepa faces ChommaneeTaehiran in Saint-Tropez, France.

Miscellaneous News

Cage Warriors has announced three female bouts for their upcoming cards.

Undefeated featherweight Pannie Kianzad (5-0) will make her Cage Warriors debut as she faces Alexandra Buch (8-3) in what will be an important match in the 145 rankings on August 22nd in Amman, Jordan. Kianzad is ranked #3 in the Unified rankings and a win could solidify her as a top contender for what could be a vacant InvictaFC 145 title. Buch is looking to crack the top 10 and make her way to the top of the ladder.

Also on the card, Lina Akhtar Länsberg meets Laura Howarth in a bantamweight bout.

Cage Warriors will head to Newport, Wales on September 13. Paulina Bonkowska will face Kate Jackson in a flyweight bout on the card.

All are expected to stream on MMAJunkie.com.

Longtime Thailand resident and British born fighter Helen Harper will return to her home soil to take on Simona Soukupova at the MMA Showdown card in Windsor, England September 6..

Harper tried out for the “Ultimate Fighter 20″ but was not selected. She is 2-0 in MMA and has a solid striking base having trained the past few years at Phunket Fight Team. Harper has recently moved back to England, and planning to train with Miesha Tate in the near future.

Soukupova is a vet of Invicta and had back to back submission wins before losing to Karolina Kowalkiewicz last September.  She has never been finished.

Boxing champion Lindsay Garbatt will make her long awaited MMA debut as she faces Calie Cutler at WXC in Soughtgate, Michigan August 15.

Garbatt (8-7) is the former WIBA featherweight (126 lbs) champion and has been for a while looking to make the crossover to MMA.

Cutler went 7-1 in amateur MMA before making her pro debut in May, defeating Brittany Dugas.

Following the bout, Garbatt’s next MMA bout is ready set, as she will face Lynell House at Hard Knock Fights 38 in Calgary, Canada October 3rd.

House (2-2 MMA) is looking to get back on the winning track, and has a boxing background.

Also on the card, Kayla Matton will take on Coralie Dixon in a 110 catchweight bout.

The match will most likely stream on GoFightLive.tv for $12.

Amy Montenegro will look to come off her first pro loss by taking on InvictaFC vet Kathina Catron September 6th at XFI’s card in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Montenegro (3-1) bad back to back submissions before losing to Katie Howard by decision last month.  Catron (4-3) is looking to rack up a second win in a row since last fall.

Rena

The Girls S-Cup happened this past weekend, which brought some of the best fighters out to test their Shootboxing skills.

For those not familiar with shootboxing, it’s kickboxing with takedowns. After being taken down, the fighters are immediately stood up. It also allow standing submissions.

A 50kg/110 lbs tournament took place, with multi-time champion Rena took home the title and remains undefeated in the sport. She beat Ticha in the finals. Fighters from Brazil, Netherlands, Korea, and Australia also came in for the tournament.

Also a 48 kg/106 lbs tournament that featured MMA star Mei Yamaguchi.

Here are the complete results:

50 kg tournament finals

• Rena def. Ticha by TKO round 2

50 kg tournament semi-finals

• Ticha def. Jiwaen Lee by unanimous decision
• Rena def. Christina Jurjevic by unanimous decision

50 kg tournament quarterfinals

• Jiwaen Lee def. Lorena Klijn by split decision
• Ticha def. Eduarda Lima by unanimous decision
• Christina Jurjevic def. Kill Bee by unanimous decision
• Rena def. Simone Dommelen by unanimous decision

48 kg tournament finals

• Yukari Yamaguchi def. Mio by split decision

48 kg tournament semi-finals

• Yukari Yamaguchi def. V.V Mei Yamaguchi by majority decision
• Mio def. Momi by unanimous decision

Single bouts

• Ai Takahahi def. Nong Em by KO round 2
• Union Akari def. Yuki Kira by Majority Decision
• Michi Nakamura def. Tomomi Souda by Unanimous Decision
• Arisa def. Maki Goto by TKO of round 2
• Mai Iwata def. Bovy Okada by Unanimous Decision

You can read play by play of the tournaments here courtesy of the CJ Report.

InvictaFC champion Cyborg Justino is in Thailand training and slimming down for her fight in December. You can watch her working out here.

We are happy to announce our logo will be appearing on Ediane Gomes’s banner as she takes on Tonya Evinger at InvictaFC 8 September 6 in Kansas City. This is a first for us, and something we are honored to be on it.

We were asked to put together an Ediane “India” Gomes highlight reel and you can watch it here.

The CJ Report put together a great highlight video of Japanese MMA stars V.V. Mei Yamagunchi. If you don’t know her name, you will after you watch the video.

Rumors

Muay Thai Fighter Madeleine Vall has decided to change her focus to MMA. The veteran of 70 Muay Thai fights, the Swedish fighter is going to train with UFC’s Alexander Gustafsson and Ilir Latifi for her MMA debut sometime next year.

Scheduled Match Results

Sattelmeyer Courtesy MMA Super Heroes

Pro MMA

MMA Super Heroes held their fifth card in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Aline Sattelmayer improves to 7-5 and hands Renata Baldan her first loss, getting the rear naked choke at 2:40 of round 3.

Also on the card:

• Luciana Treze def. Ariane Fajoli by TKO (retirement) round 2
• Daiane Firmino def. Mariana Leonardo by unanimous decision
• Andressa Rocha def. Amanda Torres Sardinha by unanimous decision

Shreiweis vs Mangakahia

Fighters World Cup headed to Nerang, Australia this past weekend. In what was a fierce featherweight bout,  Kenani Mangakahia defeated Zoie Shreiweis by TKO 1:29 of round 3 after Shreiweis injured her arm.

In amateur action, Alexandra Muir took only 23 seconds to dispatch Katie Moran by TKO

Ammy MMA

Courtesy Silton Buendia

A trio of bouts happened at Tuff-n-uff in Las Vegas, NV this past Friday.

Aspen Ladd handed Roma Pawelek her first loss, getting the guillotine at 2:45 of round 1. Ladd had missed weight and the bout was set at 127 pounds.

In other bouts on the card:

• Danielle Alfapada def. Chloe Woodie by split decision
• Kristen Maaranen def. Kalecia Weisbarth by split decision

In other amateur action:

• At the IT Fight Series in Lima, OH, Crystal Ceaser defeated Chelsea Herring by split decision
• Hanna Cox submitted Mariah Smith by rear naked choke round 1 at Battle in the South in Wilmington, North Carolina
• In a pair of bouts at Bull City Brawl in Durham, North Carolina, Kortney Singleton submitted Dominique Smith by rear naked choke round 3 and Amanda Lee defeated Katie Holloman by unanimous decision decision 
• At Rumble at Raxx in Port Allen, Louisiana Rachelle Dupont TKOed Emmy Wheeler in round 1
• Sarah Scott defeated Avril Murphy by split decision at UXC in Toomebridge, Northern Ireland
• At Warrior Nation XFA in Chicopee, Massachusetts, Lina Soto submitted Katlynn Szafarowicz by rear naked choke at 1:27 of round 2
• Jackie Micale submitted Amanda Trevail by rear naked choke at 1:55 of round 1 at Gladius Fights in Liverpool, New York
• At Destiny MMA in Honolulu, Hawaii, Angela Lee submitted Monica Franco by armbar round 1

Boxing

Naoko Shibata retained her IBF light flyweight title for the first time, getting the TKO over  Ana Arrazola by TKO in round 9 in Tokyo, Japan. Shibata extenders her win streak to four and improves to 13-3.

Also on the card,  Momo Koseki defeated Denise Castle by TKO round 8.

In Berlin, Germany, Jennifer Retzke gains the vacant IBO welterweight title by getting a split decision over Florence Muthoni. The two fought to a draw the first time around for the belt a year ago. Retzke remains unbeaten on her past 4 fights and snaps Muthoni’s three fight win streak.

In other boxing bouts:

• At Ciudad Neza, México, Nancy Gonzalez defeated Maria Padron by unanimous decision
• In a trio of bouts in Puerto Armuelles, Panama, Yaditza Perez defeated Jojahiny Ortega by TKO round 2, Nataly Delgado TKOed Kelly Patino in round 1, and Zuliana Mendoza defeated Veronica Taylor by TKO round 3 
• Carolina Marcela Gutierrez defeated Anahi Yolanda Salles by unanimous decision in Cordoba, Argentina
• In Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, Tania Enriquez KOed Ana Perez by round 1
• Noemi Bosques TKOed Yolaine Lin De Lauf in round 3 in Tampa, Florida

Curran

VanZant

The UFC continues to expand their strawweight division as Kailin Curran has signed to the promotion. She and current signee Paige VanZant will slug it out at UFC Fight Night in Halifax, Canada October 4 according to a post on MMAFighting.com.

Curran (3-0) had signed to PXC last year, getting wins over InvictaFC vet Kaiyana Rain and JEWELS vet Emi Tomimatsu. The Hawaiian trains out of Reign Training Center in California with Mark Munos and Jake Ellenberger.

VanZant (3-1) had victories over Jordan Gaza and Amber Stautzenberger before getting her first defeat at the hands of Tecia Torres. The 20 year old was too young for the TUF 20 house and was directly signed to the UFC. She trains out of Team Alpha Male, home of bantamweight champion T.J. Dillasahw and UFC star Uriah Faber.

The match will most likely be a preliminary bout. It will either air on Fox Sports 1 or on UFC Fight Pass.

Van Gestel

Baars

After making headlines around the world, Jorina Baars is back in action at Lion Fights September 5th in Las Vegas. She will defend her welterweight (147) title against Belgium’s Anke Van Gestel.

Baars (36-0-1 Muay Thai/K-1) turned heads defeating MMA superstar Cyborg Justino at Lion Fights this past March. With 18 years worth of training, Baars was unable to find fights in Muay Thai for three years before the fight with Cyborg. The Dutch fighter dominated the fight and became an overnight sensation.

Van Gestel (30-5-3 Muay Thai/K-1) has notable wins over Ilona Wijmans and Claire Haigh. She recently defeated Lindsay Sheer in May at Enfusion.

The match will air on AXS-TV September 5th.

Over the past two months, we have been hearing about SportFoods from many fighters who have touted the praises of their electrolyte strips. One strip give you a temporary boost of energy during workouts without carrying a bulk bottle of liquid that contains things you really don’t need.

The company has decided to sponsor several of the InvictaFC 8 fighters and have put together a contest where the winner will receive a bonus.

Here is the way you can help your favorite fighter plus try what many athletes are raving about. Below is a list of the fighters and codes you can use to get 10% off the stripes (regularly $4.75 discounted to $4.28 per cassette). Go to http://www.sportsfood.com/product/sportsfood-strips and buy a cassette or two. The fighter will the most cassettes sold wins the bonus.

• Stephanie Eggink – Snowflake
• Ediane Gomes – India
• Roxanne Modafferi – Roxy
• Peggy Morgan – Peggy
• Michelle Ould – Ould
• Charmaine Tweet – Tweet
• Michelle Waterson – Waterson

Miscellaneous News

X-1 World Events will be holding a card at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii September 26. Three female bouts have been announced featuring some familiar faces.

InvictaFC vet Raquel Pa’aluhi will look to even her record, taking on Tierra Arnold in what will be a featherweight bout. Pa’aluhi is coming off a win over Priscilla White last fall, having snapped a three fight losing streak. Arnold (2-1) is coming off her first loss and is looking to rebound.

InvictaFC signee Rachael Ostovich will try to recover from her first pro loss taking on Misha Nassiri. Ostovich (0-1) was undefeated as an amateur, while Nassiri (2-1) is coming off a loss to Kyra Batara.

In an amateur bout, Jada Pereira will take on Angela Lee.

The event is expected to stream on X1events.com.

DEEP-JEWELS champion Seo Hee Ham will be fighting again in her native South Korea as she will face Ukrainian Alyona Rassohyna at RoadFC August 30 in Seoul.

Ham (13-5) went 7-1 in her past eight fights, having won the DEEP-JEWELS atomweight title last year. She is coming off a win over Shino VanHoose this past April.

Rassohyna (10-3) has won 8 of her ten wins by armbar. The strawweight will drop to atomweight for the bout after losing to InvictaFC title contender Katja Kankaanpaa. A win will gain Rassohyna a position in the atomweight rankings.

No word on if this will be streamed.

Finnish fighter and singing star Suvi Salmimies will look for her second pro win as she takes on Poland’s Roksana Prucnal at Lappeenranta Fight Night 11 September 20 in Kuopio, Finland.

Salmimies won her MMA debut this past May. while Prucnal is coming off her first loss in June.

The XFC has announced they will be doing a flyweight and strawweight tournament again this fall in Brazil.

Top strawweight Kalindra Faria has re-signed with the XFC and will participate the 115 tournament. Undefeated Hungarian Dora Perjes will be joining her along with fellow Brazilian Liana Pirosin.

The promotion also announced Finland’s Vuokko Katainen (2-1) will be a part of the flyweight tournament.

We are expecting more participant announcements in the coming weeks. The tournaments start next month.

The new TUF 20 teaser is out, and it features Rose Namajunas and Tecia Torres. Watch it here.

Cutler

We will be doing a special podcast Tuesday at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. eastern talking to new XFC signee Calie Cutler about her second pro bout, a fight against Lindsay Garbatt in her native Michigan.

You can listen here Tuesday.

Rumors

The TUF 20 fighters will be back on twitter Friday. They obviously can’t say a word of what happened during the show taping, but will be interesting to see their attitudes towards each other.

Scheduled Fight Results

Pro MMA

Amanda Bell got the biggest win of her pro career getting a 37 second KO victory over Marina Shafir at Chaos At The Casino 5 in Inglewood, CA.

The InvictaFC vet caught Shafir with a stiff left hook and followed up with a flurry of rights which dropped Shafir. With the win, Bell goes 2-0 in 2014 and hands Sharfir her first ever loss. You can watch the fight here.

Muay Thai champion Jemyma Betrian made a successful MMA debut, taking only 47 seconds to knockout  Hadley Griffith in a 120 catchweight bout. Betrian is someone to look out for in the strawweight division. You can watch the fight here.

Inoue vs. Tomimatsu

Deep Jewels returned for its 5th card in Tokyo, Japan as a few InvictaFC vets took center stage.

Mizuki Inoue gained her first MMA title, submitting Emi Tomimatsu by armbar at  1:33 round 3 to win the 115 DEEP-JEWELS title.

Inoue (8-2) was slow to start, as Tomimatsu was aggressive and won the striking battle in round 1. In round 2, Inoue found her stride in the striking, using the clinch for knees and close quarter punches. Tomimatsu went for the takedown in round 3, Inoue was able to stuff it and took control on the ground, getting the armbar at 1:33.

The win gives Inoue interesting options as a contender for the InvictaFC strawweight title and a possible new signee for the UFC.

Ayaka Hamasaki made a successful move to atomweight in a dominate performance over former Invicta title challenger Naho Sugiyama. Hamasaki (10-1) had gotten a knockdown before taking it to the ground in round 1. Hamasaki got some ground and pound in a scarf hold before trapping Sugiyama’s arm behind her back and raining punches for the TKO win at 4:01. Hamasaki puts herself in title contention for the Invicta atomweight belt.

In other matches on the card:

• Yuko Oya def. Sachiko Fujimori by unanimous decision
• Mina Kurobe def. Masako Yoshida by unanimous decision
• Miyoko Kusaka def. Tamaki Usui by technical submission (armbar) 2:40 round 2

In other pro matches:

• At KOTC in Highland, CA, Danielle Taylor defeated Nikki Lowe by submission (armbar) round 1
• Maria Rios submitted Kate McGray by rear naked choke round 1 at NFA: Valley Invasion 4 in Wooden Hills, CA
• At Circuito de Lutas Fight Night in Brazil, Arielle Souza submitted Maristela Costa by armbar 1:30 round 1
• In a pair of bouts at Aspera FC 10 in Brazil, Janaisa Morandin defeated Mariana Oliveira by TKO round 1 and Claudia Rey KOed Natali Alves round 1 
• At Curitiba Fight Pro 2 in Brazil, Roberta Paim defeated Liliam Lika by TKO 1:33 round 1 and in an amateur bout, Vitoria Ferreira defeated Karen Fernandes by TKO 1:30 round 3
• Chantalle Castellanos defeated Jeana Pinelli by unanimous decision at  Dragon House 17 in San Francisco, CA
• At Desafio Kaeshi in Brazil, Laura Balin submitted Maria Val by armbar round 1
• Ingrid Medrano defeated Miki Rogers by unanimous decision at Kage Wars 009 in Biloxi, MS
• At Frajola Fight in Brazil, Marília Santos submitted Gina Naja by arm triangle choke in round 1
• Natalie Hills submitted Lizza Gebilagin by rear naked choke at 1:44 round 1 at Brace MMA in Cammeray, New South Wales, Australia
• At X-Fest 7 in Rio Grande del Sol, Brazil, Luana Souza submitted Kelly Katiussy by keylock round 2
• Elen Torres defeated Beatriz Souza by unanimous decision at Arena Nightmare in Brazil

Ammy MMA

In amateur MMA action:

• In a pair of fights at XFO in Island Lake, Illinois, Tina Gomez defeated Jamie Mahoney by unanimous decision and Leah Letson defeated Chi Sheibley  by unanimous decision  
• Courtney Kern submitted Christina Cherkes by armbar in 44 seconds at Gladiators of the Cage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• At BlackoutFC in Emporia, Kansas, Abbey Frazier submitted Misty Perdue by rear naked choke round 1
• Cassie Schmeekle defeated Jessica Fletcher by TKO round 1 at ShoFights in Branson, Missouri
• At Fist of Fury in Woodward, Oklahoma, Lakesha Gardner defeated Bianca Rodriguez by unanimous decision
• Kelly Clayton defeated Karlie Fox by TKO round 1 at Yakiama MMA in Yakima, WA

Rodriguez vs. Cordero Courtesy Eurosport

Boxing

In Santiago de Chile, Chile, Carolina Rodriguez successfully defended her IBF bantamweight title getting a split decision over Dayana Cordero. She breaks Cordero five fight unbeaten streak and continues her undefeated streak at 13-0.

In Queretaro, Mexico, Victoria Argueta defeated Alondra Garcia by split decision to retain her IBF minimumweight title. Arguneta is the former WBC Silver champion and has won 5 straight.

Also on the card, Esmeralda Moreno defeated Linda Contreras by unanimous decision and Isabel Millan defeated Selene Lopez by TKO round 4.

In Lazio, Italy EBU flyweight champion Simona Galassi defeated Laetitia Arzalier by unanimous decision. Galassi improves to 21-3-1. Also on the card Italian lightweight champion defeated Monica Gentili by unanimous decision.

In other boxing bouts:

• In a pair of bouts in Suwannakhet, Laos Nampetch Kwanjaisrikod defeated Kanda Por Muangpetch to win the vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental light flyweight title, and Kanittha Kokietgym defeated Sroipetch Sithphosai by TKO round 4 
• Ana Martinez defeated Estefani Casillas by unanimous decision in Mexico City, Mexico
• In Betania, Panama, Maria Milano defeated Iliana Bonilla by unanimous decision

Coenen

Budd

It didn’t take long for Scott Coker to bring the ladies back to Bellator.

The promotion announced Thursday they have signed Strikeforce vets Marlose Coenen and Julia Budd to their new featherweight division.

Coenen was signed to Invicta, but asked for her release to take the deal with Bellator. Coenen only fought twice for the promotion since Strikeforce folded. She went 2-1 overall post Strikeforce, with her last loss being to Cyborg Justino.

Budd (6-2) lost to UFC champion Ronda Rousey in Strikeforce, but went undefeated 4-0 at Invicta. With Justino and Ediane Gomes decisions to drop to 135, Budd is the highest ranked 145er currently active in the division.

The news comes among rumors of Bellator trying to sign Gina Carano to the promotion.

This leaves Invicta will a very shallow 145 division, with many featherweights going up to the new 155 division.

No word if Budd and Coenen will face each other and when. We won’t be surprised if we get a few more signings in the near future. We also won’t be surprised if we see the two fight for GLORY kickboxing as Bellator has a relationship with the promotion, and both fighters come from kickboxing backgrounds. Coenen in particular is managed under the Golden Glory banner.

Cummins

Several years ago, Ashley Cummins decided she wanted to serve her community as a police officer for the St. Louis Police department. She couldn’t have imagined the scene she would be involved in in Ferguson, MO.

Among the violent protests, Cummins has been shot at, and is dodging bricks, glass bottles, and rocks being thrown at her on a daily basis. This as she is in the middle of a training camp for her upcoming fight with Alexa Grasso.

Cummins described her day to day to one of her sponsors Dr. Howard Fiddler. She told him that she deleted her social media accounts as the group “Anonymous” was hacking into the St. Louis Police Department and threatening to release white police officer’s home address so people can go after them and their families. There is no days off on the job for now, and she is always on call. She is getting fight training in as she can, and doesn’t seem at all interested in cancelling her fight with all the events going on. Something anyone would understand if she did.

As a person, there has been nothing but positive things to say about Cummins. Rescuing animals in her spare time, the 3-2 fighter shows sportswomanship whenever she enters the cage.

We all hope these protests find a resolution soon. Cummins isn’t making any excuses going into the InvictaFC cage September 6, but the sooner the riots end, the sooner she can get back to concentrating 100% on her upcoming fight.

West & Gerula

What the increasing demand for women’s pro boxing in North America, Nordic Coliseum Boxing is hoping to bank on 14 fighters on their initial card Friday night.

The main event will see American star Kaliesha West (16-1-3) take on Canada’s Olivia Gerula (14-14-2). The co-main will feature RFA MMA and GLORY kickboxing vet Maureen Riordon battle Lita May Button. MMA’s Brenda Gonzales and Amanda Lavato will also be in action in two separate bouts.

The card will be live Friday night in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada and will stream on GoFightLive.tv for $15.

Here are the weigh-in results:

• Olivia Gerula (125) vs. Kaleisha West (126)
• Maureen Riordon (139.5) vs. Lita Mae Buttons (139)
• Lucia Osegueda (129) vs. Brenda Gonzales (131)
• Jennifer Santiago (123) vs. Rosie Thomas (125)
• Amanda Lovato (112) vs. Ashley Nichols (111)
• Alicia Napoleon (150) vs. Monique Duval (149)
• Judy Pereira (118.5) vs. Eloise Picard (121.5)

Courtesy Jeff Bottari

In what will be a pivotal match in the UFC bantamweight divisoon, Sara McMann looks to work her way back to title contention by facing the undefeated Lauren Murphy at UFC Fight Night in Bangor, Maine Saturday night. Both came in at 135 at weigh-ins Friday.

McMann (7-1) got her first ever defeat in July, losing by TKO to champion Ronda Rousey.  She has wins over Shayna Baszler, Sheila Gaff, and Tonya Evinger.

Former InvictaFC champion Murphy (8-0) is coming off a TKO win over Miriam Nakamoto. She will be making her UFC debut having wins over Kaitlin Young and Sarah D’Alelio.

The match will air on the preliminary card Saturday on Fox Sports 2.

Miscellaneous News

The XFC has announced the first five female bouts of their second Brazilian season, and it will prove to be a truly international affair.

On September 27 in Araraquara, Brazil, the XFC will kick off their 125 tournament and crown a strawweight tournament champion.

The co-main event on the card will be the finals of the season 1 strawweight tournament as Vanessa Guimaraes (3-2) battles Vanessa Melo (3-2).

The flyweight tournament kicks off with 8 fighters from 5 different countries vying for the title.

• American Rachael Cummins (2-1) will battle Brazil’s Taila Santos (3-0)
• Mexico’s Karina Rodrigues (3-1) takes on Brazilian Poliana Botelho (2-1)
• Finland’s Vuokko Katainen (2-1) fights Brazil’s Antonia Silvaneide Pereira da Silva (2-1)
• Russian Julia Borisova (3-0) faces Brazilian Debora Ferreira (3-0)

The matches will stream for free on XFCmma.com.

The promotion is also planning an 115 tournament for this season, and have announced this week Viviane Sucuro (5-0) will take part. Succuro will be making her 115 debut.

Nogueira

After the news of Marloes Coenen and Julia Budd signing to Bellator, Talita Nogueira will be joining them on the roster.

Having won Brazil’s Female Fighter of the Year in 2013 and being a multiple time BJJ world champion, Nogueira is undefeated and has finished all of her opponents. She was in talks with the UFC last month before deciding to take the Bellator contract.

Bellator president Scott Coker stated in an interview with The MMA Hour he is in talks with two more fighters for the division.

He also broke the news a second “lighter” women’s division will be added in the next three months.

The Ultimate Fighter 20 competitors are back on social media tweeting, instragramming, and facebook sharing to make up for lost time. Before they left the set, they helped UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta with the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. You can watch the video here.

MMAJunkie is reporting the finale of the season will happen December 12 at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. It will air on Fox Sports 1.

The show starts September 10 on Fox Sports 1.

Sara McMann was complaining about the grip spray they use on the canvas in the octagon. The TUF 20 competitors also complained about the “sandy texture” during the show tapings.

Courtesy WWE

It seemed no one had a better time at SummerSlam than the Four Horsewomen. After rubbing elbows with the WWE stars, they were front row to watch the action. Company owner and star Stephanie McMahon even flashed the “Four Horsewomen” symbol at the quartet.

After the show, the Horsewomen helped McMahon with her ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. You can watch it here.

We are happy to be a part of MMAJam.ca as we will on a regular basis offering an article or two to their site. Our first contribution talks about beauty in the violent sport of MMA.

You can read it here.

Rumors

Cyborg Justino is currently at Phunket Top Team in Thailand to help her slim down and get some Muay Thai training in for her bantamweight debut in December. She stated she isn’t interested at all in signing with Bellator and is focused on fighting UFC champ Ronda Rousey.

Bellator president Scott Coker stated that Gina Carano is probably not interested in going to Bellator because Carano wants to drop to 135.

After her loss this past weekend, Noelia Molina jumped into the crowd and attacked a fan. You can watch video here.

Shayna Baszler is training with long time coach Josh Barnett for her upcoming UFC fight. InvictaFC vet Kaitlin Young has moved to L.A. and is helping her train.

Munah Holland told MMA Jam Live that she is planning on fighting at InvictaFC 9. She was in line to be on InvictaFC 8, but they couldn’t find room for her.

Scheduled Fight Results

Pro MMA

McMann vs. Murphy Courtesy UFC

Sara McMann rebounded from her first loss by getting the split decision over former InvictaFC champion Lauren Muprhy at UFC Fight Night 47 in Bangor, ME. McMann handed Murphy her first loss.

McMann was able to take down Murphy throughout the match, but Murphy was able to be a little more offensive off her back. The second round saw some punching exchanges before McMann took down Murphy again. Down two rounds, Muprhy was able to get some elbows off of side control in the third, but the time expired.

McMann improves to 8-1 and gets back in the title hunt.

Costigan Molina Courtesy Dolly Clew/Cage Warriors

Atomweight star Catherine Costigan gains her 5th straight win with a submission win over France’s Noelia Molina at Cage Warriors in Dublin, Ireland.

Costigan was dominant throughout the fight, with Molina being warned several times for holding the cage. Costigan got the armbar sunk in and Molina was fighting it off for a while. Costigan readjusted as Molina picked her in the face unintentionally. The referee stopped the fight, but stated it was a technical submission at 2:14 round 1

Costigan remains undefeated and solidifies her spot as one of the top atomweights in Europe.

You can watch the video here.

Korean reality show star Song Ga-Yeoun won her debut fight in impressive fashion at RoadFC in Seoul, South Korea. She defeated Japan’s Emi Yamamoto.

Song was aggressive from the get-go, pushing forward with a flurry of punches on Yamammoto. A trip takedown into the mount and unanswered ground and pound cause the ref to stop the contest at 2:23 of round 1.

You can watch the fight here.

On other Pro MMA bouts:

• At Fight To Win MMA, Latoya Walker defeated Brittney Elkin by unanimous decision and Heather Denny defeated Sarah McLeod by unanimous decision. In an amateur bout, Audrey Perkins defeated Mallory Martin by unanimous decision.
• Viviane Sucuri submitted Gina Naja by armbar 3:00 round 1 at Limo Fight 13 in Limoeiro do Norte, Brazil

Ammy MMA

In amateur action:

• In Friday at Valor in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Shamir Peshewa submitted Hannah Elswick by guillotine round 2
• The night night on the second Valor card, Katelyn Dykas defeated Ashley Samples by split decision
• In a pair of fights at KCFA in Kansas City, MO, Julie Russell got the TKO over Jessica Fletcher in round 2 and LeiLoni Stewart submitted Gabrielle Grimes by strikes round 2 
• Lisa Spangler defeated Chelcie Dalmeny by TKO 2:21 round 1 at Main Event MMA in Longview, Washington
• At World War Fighting in Clive, Iowa, Jessica Freshica submitted Brooke Possehl by rear naked choke round 1

Boxing

A historic card was held as Nordic Coliseum had their first ever all pro women’s boxing in Gatineau, Canada.

In what was a heated battle, Olivia Gerula defeated Kaliesha West by unanimous decision in the main event. The co-main saw amateur champion Lita Mae Button defeat Maureen Riordon by unanimous decision in what were both fighters pro boxing debuts.

In other action:

• Brenda Gonzles def. Lucia Osegueda by majority decision
• Jennifer Santiago def. Sherine Thomas by unanimous decision
• Ashley Nichols def. Amanda Lovato by unanimous decision
• Alicia Napoleon def. Monique Duval by KO 1:07 round 1
• Judy Pereira def. Eloise Picard by unanimous decision

Amanda Serrano gained her third different weight division belt in dramatic fashion over the weekend in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She defeated WBO lightweight title by knockout in round 6.

Having won belts in featherweight and light featherweight, she continues her eight fight win streak and improves to 21-1-1. She will fight Jackie Trivilino in a September.

Five female bouts were held in Guerrero, Mexico as Jessica Gonzalez and Estrella Valverde fought to a split draw for the interim WBC bantamweight title. Gonzalez was the champion going in and will retain the title.

In other bouts on the card:

• Janeth Perez def. Brenda Olvera by unanimous decision
• Nancy Franco def. Ivoon Rosas by unanimous decision
• Yareli Larios def. Florencia Garfias by points

In Savonlinna, Finland Eva Wahlstrom successfully defended her EBU super featherweight title for the first time, getting an unanimous decision over Djemilla Gontaruk. She remains undefeated at 11-0-1.

In a fight in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Julieta Andrea Cardozo defeated Norma Elizabeth Diaz Caucota by unanimous decision

Pacheco

The #15 Unified ranked fighter is now with the UFC.

Larissa Pacheco (10-0) signed to the promotion this past weekend, and will replace an injured Valerie Latourneau September 13 at UFC Fight Night 51 in Brasilia, Brazil. She will fight against fellow Brazilian Jessica Andrade (11-3).

Pacheco was one of the few top prospects not signed to the UFC and a person many WMMA fans wanted to see in the UFC. The current Jungle Fights 135 champion, she had yet to taste defeat and has finished all her opponents.

With the signing, the current top 15 fighters in the 135 division are now under the UFC banner with the exception on Tonya Evinger (#11).

The fight will air on UFC Fight Pass September 13.

Ughi vs. Manakon

Results

In results from the past few weeks:

August 16

• At WCK’s Cali 5 in Inglewood, CA, Lindsey Marino defeated Kate McGray by points
• In England, Laura Baugh defeats Marina Zueva by points
• Chantal Ughi def.  Baison Manakon by points in  Bangkok,Thailand

August 14th

• Jazmine Gallate def. Moddang by points in Phuket,Thailand

August 13th

• In Chiang Mai, Chantal Ughi def. Petlanna Pettonphueng by points

August 12th

• At the Queen’s Birthday card in Bangkok,Thailand, Yan-Li Gong def. Keenphet Mor Rattana Bundit by decision and SylvieVon Duuglaas Ittu def. Saya Ito on points

News

Kickboxing and Shoot Fighting star Erika Kamimura has announced she has to retire due to a long term illness.

The 21 was impressive as a teenager, getting wins over Muay Thai staples Mai and Little Tiger. She would go on to win the J-Girls Mini Flyweight Championship and the WPMF Women’s Mini Flyweight Championship.

She ends her career with a 28-3 combined kickboxing/shootboxing record.

We wish her the best in her retirement.

If you missed out on our interviews with Muay Thai fighter and blogger Sylvie Von Dugglas Ittu, you can listen to them at the links below. We talked about a range of topics including equality in Muay Thai, her history in the sport, and her win at the Queen’s Cup.

Part 1

Part 2

Upcoming Fights

In fights this weekend:

• In Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 63.5 kg WKNI nternational Kickboxing PRO/AM title Sanja Ostojic faces Daniella Elteto
• Alicia Pestana faces Gentiane Lupi in New Zealand
• In China, Wang Kehan faces Van Ti Ya and Mao Ning takes on Maria Lobo
• Michaela Michl battles Chali Saab and oi Yan-Wu(Ch) fights Katia Tsovgan (Gre) in Hong Kong