Fresh off of her second-place finish on “Dancing With The Stars,” popular strawweight Paige VanZant makes her highly-anticipated return to the octagon on Aug. 27 at UFC on FOX 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. VanZant is set to battle “The Ultimate Fighter 20” competitor Bec Rawlings, who has won back-to-back UFC fights.
VanZant (6-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom this past year, and earned her fourth straight victory by submitting Alex Chambers at UFC 191. The win put VanZant on track for a future title fight, but those plans were derailed in December when VanZant succumbed to a fifth-round rear-naked choke from “TUF 20” finalist Rose Namajunas in the UFC Fight Night 80 main event. Undeterred, VanZant turned her attention to a tremendous opportunity on “DWTS,” and she wowed audiences with incredible performances en route to being named this season’s runner-up. With her fan base continuing to grow by the day, VanZant hopes to get back on the winning track in MMA by defeating Rawlings in August.
Rawlings (7-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who challenged for the inaugural Invicta FC strawweight title in early 2013, was also once one of the sport’s most popular female strawweights. She signed with the UFC in 2014 and took part in “TUF 20,” but Rawlings was eliminated early in the competition and subsequently engaged in wars of words with many of her castmates. She was portrayed as a villain and a bully on the show, which alienated some fans, and her official UFC debut ended in a unanimous-decision loss to Heather Clark at the TUF 20 Finale. Since then, Rawlings, who now trains full-time at Alliance MMA, has bounced back with a pair of victories inside the octagon including a razor-thin verdict over Seo Hee Ham at UFC Fight Night 85 in March. She now plans to hand VanZant her second consecutive defeat.
Nine bouts set for Invicta FC 18 in K.C.
Alexa Grasso
Invicta Fighting Championships heads home to Missouri for its next all-female fight card on July 29. Invicta FC 18, which takes place at the historic Kansas City Scottish Rite Temple, is headlined by a strawweight contender’s bout between undefeated Mexican standout Alexa Grasso (7-0) and recent “TUF 23” hopeful Jodie Esquibel (5-1).
Grasso has twice been slated to compete for the Invicta FC strawweight title, but injuries derailed plans for both championship bouts and Grasso has been on the sidelines since her February 2015 decision victory over Deep Jewels champ Mizuki Inoue at Invicta FC 11. Grasso is one of the most technically skilled strikers in the 115-pound women’s division, but she has a solid test ahead of her later this month. Former atomweight Esquibel sports a 3-1 record under the Invicta FC banner, and she is coming off of a dominant decision win at Invicta FC 9. Her recent run on “The Ultimate Fighter 23” ended with a controversial split-decision loss to Ashley Yoder in the elimination round, but Esquibel remains at 115 pounds for her main event bout with Grasso and seeks a fresh start in her long-awaited Invicta FC return.
The Invicta FC 18 co-main event pits Grasso’s teammate, Irene Aldana (6-2), against undefeated Brazilian finisher Taila Santos (13-0) in a bantamweight title eliminator. Aldana kicked off her Invicta FC career with a pair of quick submission victories that led to a title shot this past July, but she was overwhelmed and ultimately stopped by champion Tonya Evinger at Invicta FC 13. In March, she returned to her winning ways by destroying Jessamyn Duke in a one-sided fight. Her opponent, Santos, has developed a reputation as one of Brazil’s top rising stars. She has knocked out or submitted 11 opponents to date and secured finishes in all nine of her bouts this past year. However, Santos has faced relatively inexperienced opposition throughout her career, and she takes a big step up in competition against Aldana this month.
Invicta FC 18 also features a number of intriguing matchups including a flyweight bout between Polish prospect Agnieszka Niedzwiedz (7-0) and highly-touted Brazilian Claudia Rey (6-0), who both put their undefeated records on the line. Niedzwiedz has finished six of her seven foes, while Rey has only been out of the first round once as a professional.
Grappling specialist Cindy Dandois (6-2) clashes with the aforementioned Jessamyn Duke (3-4) at bantamweight. Dandois’ striking skills are still very limited, but her strong judo background propelled her to a convincing second-round submission victory in her most recent Invicta FC appearance. Duke is in desperate need of a win after dropping four straight fights.
At featherweight, rising star Megan Anderson (6-2) hopes to continue her string of impressive stoppage wins when she takes on Peggy Morgan (4-3). Anderson’s Invicta FC debut ended in a highly disappointing loss to Dandois in September, but the hard-hitting Australian rebounded in a big way with back-to-back TKO triumphs against Amber Leibrock and Amanda Bell. Morgan has won two of her past three bouts and makes her first Invicta FC appearance since April 2015.
Rounding out the Invicta FC card, Tessa Simpson (4-1) makes her Invicta FC debut against Simona Soukupova (5-3-1) in an atomweight showdown. Manjit Kolekar (9-0), Invicta FC’s first female fighter from India, takes on veteran Lynn Alvarez (6-3) at strawweight. One of the top prospects on the Invicta FC roster, 21-year-old Aspen Ladd (3-0), puts her undefeated record on the line against Invicta FC newcomer Jessica Hoy (1-0) at bantamweight. In the 135-pound card opener, Sijara Eubanks (1-1) faces Amberlynn Orr (11-1 amateur), who makes her pro debut.
Invicta FC 18 streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
Two female fights set for UFC Fight Night 91
Lauren Murphy
Former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Lauren Murphy (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) steps back into the cage on July 13 at “UFC Fight Night 91: McDonald vs. Lineker” in Sioux Falls, S.D. Murphy is set to face off against two-division Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Katlyn Chookagian (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who makes her much-anticipated UFC debut.
Murphy’s UFC career began with a pair of contentious decision defeats against former title challengers Sara McMann and Liz Carmouche, but she put forth one of her best performances to date in February when she stopped Kelly Faszholz very late in Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 83. Chookagian, who is arguably North America’s most highly-touted female prospect, captured CFFC flyweight title gold in January and she most recently added a 130-pound championship in March by knocking out Stephanie Bragayrac in just 45 seconds at CFFC 57.
In other action at UFC Fight Night 91, Cortney Casey (4-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) looks for her first UFC victory when she faces Cristina Stanciu (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at strawweight. Though she remains winless in her brief UFC career, Casey had strong showings in her close decision losses against both Joanne Calderwood and Seo Hee Ham. Likewise, Stanciu impressed onlookers in her April octagon debut against Maryna Moroz, but Moroz did just enough to eke out a win.
Cooper advances to ‘TUF 23’ final
After overcoming a difficult battle against the scale, Amanda Bobby Cooper (1-1) became the first female strawweight finalist with an impressive first-round submission victory during this past week’s 11th episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 23: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia.” Cooper finished “Team Claudia” stablemate Lanchana Green (0-1) with a rear-naked choke at the 4:26 mark of Round 1, and she now awaits the winner of the second strawweight semifinal.
Cooper’s road to the finals included an action-packed majority-decision victory over Jamie Moyle, which solidified her place as one of the frontrunners to win the show. She did not disappoint in her semifinal fight, and dominated Green on the mat before securing the finish.
The semifinal round concludes this week with another battle between two members of “Team Claudia” when standout grappler Tatiana Suarez Padilla (3-0) clashes with veteran Kate Jackson (7-2-1), who advanced to the semifinals with a unanimous-decision victory over Ashley Yoder.
“The Ultimate Fighter 23” concludes on Friday night at the TUF 23 Finale in Las Vegas, where rival coaches Joanna Jedrzejczyk (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Claudia Gadelha (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) face off in a rematch for the UFC women’s strawweight championship.
Eye meets Correia at UFC 203 in Ohio
Facing a must-win situation, bantamweight Jessica Eye (11-5 MMA, 1-4 UFC) competes in front of a partisan hometown crowd on Sept. 10 at “UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem” in Cleveland, Ohio. Eye faces former UFC title challenger Bethe Correia (9-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on the card.
Eye’s streak of disappointing defeats continued this past month when she dropped a lackluster and uneventful unanimous decision to former training partner Sara McMann at UFC Fight Night 88. The normally aggressive Eye mounted almost zero offense in the uninspiring fight.
In spite of the loss, Eye received a golden opportunity in the form of a last-chance fight in her adopted hometown in September. Against Correia, she faces an offensive-minded opponent who fought her way to a UFC title shot in August. Correia’s championship hopes were dashed in just 34 seconds by then-champ Ronda Rousey, and she most recently dropped a razor-thin decision to Raquel Pennington at UFC on FOX 19 in April.
Calderwood, Markos shine at UFC Fight Night 89
Joanne Calderwood
History was made on June 18 when the UFC showcased its first female flyweight fight at “UFC Fight Night 89: MacDonald vs. Thompson” in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The entertaining battle ended in a TKO victory for Joanne Calderwood (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who stopped recent UFC strawweight title challenger Valerie Letourneau (8-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in the third round.
Calderwood nearly finished Letourneau with a spinning back elbow in Round 1, but she was unable to capitalize with follow-up strikes on the ground and Letourneau battled back to her feet. She bloodied Calderwood’s nose in the second stanza, but Calderwood responded with a pair of key takedowns and remained in control of the fight. She hurt Letourneau with a jumping switch kick to the body in the final round and battered her with punches until action was briefly halted when Letourneau experienced issues with her Reebok fight wear. When the fight continued, Calderwood injured Letourneau with another kick to the body and followed with unanswered punches until the bout was stopped – far too late – at the 2:51 mark of Round 3.
Earlier on the card, “TUF 20” semifinalist Randa Markos (6-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) posted a unanimous-decision win over RFA champion Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC).
Markos pressured Jones-Lybarger with strikes in the clinch in Round 1 until Jones-Lybarger secured a takedown. Markos countered with a heel hook on the ground and she landed numerous punches to Jones-Lybarger’s face before the bell. Jones-Lybarger defended well against Markos’ takedowns in the close second round, which saw both women land heavy punches in exchanges on the feet. Markos secured a takedown into back control early in Round 3, and she finished the round by backing Jones-Lybarger up with jabs and a spinning backfist. Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Markos, who has won two of her past three bouts.
Namajunas vs. Kowalkiewicz slated for UFC 201
Rose Namajunas
Former UFC women’s strawweight title challenger Rose Namajunas (5-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) seeks her fourth straight UFC victory when she competes on July 30 at “UFC 201: Lawler vs. Woodley” in Atlanta, Ga. Namajunas battles undefeated Polish sensation Karolina Kowalkiewicz (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in a featured matchup on the card that will determine a future championship contender in the stacked 115-pound division.
Namajunas put together an impressive run on “TUF 20” that culminated with the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight title fight in late 2014. She fell victim to a third-round rear-naked choke from Carla Esparza in the championship bout at the TUF 20 Finale, but Namajunas has since re-established herself as one of the top 115-pound female fighters in the world with three key victories. After dominating Paige VanZant in December, Namajunas avenged her first pro loss by edging out Tecia Torres in a closely-contested rematch at UFC on FOX 19 in April.
Kowalkiewicz first gained fame as KSW women’s champion in her native Poland, but it was a November 2014 victory over Deep Jewels champion Mizuki Inoue at Invicta FC 9 that proved that Kowalkiewicz could excel against the world’s top talent. Since signing with the UFC this past year, Kowalkiewicz has put forth strong showings in her victories over “TUF 20” veterans Randa Markos and Heather Clark. She faces her toughest test to date later this month, but a win over Namajunas could be the key to a title shot before the end of 2016.
Sugiyama captures atomweight title in Deep Jewels 12 headliner
Ex-Jewels champion Naho Sugiyama (12-4) added another prestigious title to her collection with a hard-fought victory on June 5 at Deep Jewels 12 in Tokyo. Sugiyama outlasted former interim strawweight titleholder Emi Tomimatsu (11-11) in the Deep Jewels 12 main event, which was contested for the vacant Deep Jewels atomweight championship.
Sugiyama dropped Tomimatsu on two occasions in the opening round, but she was unable to finish the fight and Tomimatsu rocked her with a hard right hand in Round 2. Sugiyama recovered quickly and fought off Tomimatsu’s takedowns while controlling the clinch battles with strikes in close. In Round 3, Tomimatsu pressured a fatigued Sugiyama with right hooks and takedown attempts, but it was not enough to steal back the fight. All three judges scored the bout for Sugiyama, who became the third holder of the Deep Jewels atomweight title.
In the atomweight co-feature, recent title challenger Saori Ishioka (14-9) halted a two-fight losing skid with a contentious first-round technical submission victory over 19-year-old Hana Date (1-3). Ishioka used harai goshi throws to get Hana down twice in Round 1 and she threatened with armbars. Hana tried to slam her way free, but she could not break Ishioka’s grip on the armbar. Hana never tapped out, but referee Yoshinori Umeki had seen enough and he waved off the fight at the 4:39 mark of Round 1.
The “Deep Jewels vs. Team Date” preliminary card featured a 54-kilogram matchup between 17-year-old Nori Date (1-3) and veteran grappler Yuko Oya (8-5), which ended in a two-round unanimous-decision victory for the teen striker. Nori kept Oya at bay with kicks throughout the opening round and she reversed a takedown into top position. Oya finally secured a takedown in Round 2, but Nori defended well from her back and Oya was unable to mount any offense from Nori’s half-guard. The bout went to the scorecards and all three judges rightfully sided with Nori, who walked away with a key win against a much more experienced foe.
Elsewhere on the card, Mina Kurobe (7-2) def. Renju Date (0-2) via TKO (punches) at the 1:25 mark of Round 1 in an atomweight bout. At strawweight, Tomo Maesawa (6-5) def. Karei Date (0-2) via TKO (punches) at the 2:30 mark of Round 1. Yuko Kiryu (2-2) def. Real Date (0-2) via unanimous decision in atomweight action. In an amateur atomweight bout, one of MMA’s youngest fighters, 12-year-old Karen Date, earned her first victory by finishing Ayumi Misaka with a hammerlock at the 2:56 mark of Round 2. Deep Jewels 12 also featured a back-and-forth grappling match between Natsumi Mukai and returning star Mika Nagano, which ended in a split-decision victory for Mukai after two close rounds.
Andrade dominant in strawweight debut at UFC 199
Jessica Andrade
The month of June featured a breakout performance from former bantamweight Jessica Andrade (14-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC), who won her UFC strawweight debut in vicious fashion on June 4 at “UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Bisping 2” in Inglewood, Calif. Andrade stopped former Invicta FC champion and recent UFC title challenger Jessica Penne (12-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in the second round of a lopsided matchup on the preliminary card.
Andrade asserted her dominance over Penne right from the opening bell. She blasted her with huge flurries of punches that caused Penne’s face to swell up, and Andrade dropped her with a lengthy combination to the body and head before the bell. Andrade did not let up in Round 2 and the Brazilian continued to batter Penne with power punches. Penne was unable to get the fight to the mat and Andrade teed off with a final flurry of punches that forced referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight at the 2:56 mark of Round 2. Andrade’s performance sent a message to the rest of the strawweight division and established her as a new contender at 115 pounds.
Quick results
Flyweight – Vitoria Ferreira (1-0-1) and Ellen Carol (0-0-1) fought to a unanimous draw at Striker’s House Cup 62 on May 20 in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil.
Flyweight – Cristiane Lima Silva (2-2) def. Geisa Fagundes (0-2) via submission (armbar) at the 2:43 mark of Round 1 at Iron Fight Combat 9 on May 20 in Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil.
Bantamweight – Marciea Allen (6-2) def. Moriel Charneski (2-4) via unanimous decision at Xtreme Fighting Organization 58 on May 20 in Lake Geneva, Wis.
Flyweight – Veta Arteaga (2-0) def. Jackie Vandenburgh (0-2) via unanimous decision at “Bellator 155: Carvalho vs. Manhoef” on May 20 in Boise, Idaho.
Strawweight title – Amanda Ribas (6-1) def. Jennifer Gonzalez (2-3) via TKO (punches) at the 42-second mark of Round 2 at Max Fight 18 on May 21 in Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Flyweight – Ariane Lipski (7-3) def. Juliana Werner (8-6) via KO (punch) at the 4:26 mark of Round 2 at “Imortal FC 4: Dynamite” on May 21 in Sao Jose dos Pinhais, Parana, Brazil.
Strawweight – Ariane Carnelossi (4-0) def. Wellen Taynara Sobrinho (0-5) via submission (keylock) in Round 1 at Maringa Fight Combat 5 on May 21 in Maringa, Parana, Brazil.
Bantamweight – Mayana Kellem (5-0) def. Fabiana Barrenquevitcz (0-2) via unanimous decision at Rei da Selva Combat 7 on May 21 in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
Flyweight – Also on the Rei da Selva 7 card, Franciele Nascimento (1-1) def. Kethlen Santos (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 2:13 mark of Round 1.
Strawweight title – Polyana Viana Mota (8-1) def. Debora Dias Nascimento (2-2) via submission (armbar) at the 3:23 mark of Round 1 at Jungle Fight 87 on May 21 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Strawweight – Also at Jungle Fight 87, Simone Aparecida da Silva Duarte (3-0) def. Samara Santos (5-1-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 2:44 mark of Round 2, and Aline Sattelmayer (11-9) def. Monique Bastos (1-4) via unanimous decision.
Catchweight (160) – Leah Letson (2-1) def. Allanna Jones (2-7) via unanimous decision at “King of the Cage: Blood Enemies” on May 21 in Washington, Pa.
Catchweight (120) – Montana Stewart (5-2) def. Francis Hernandez (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 1:58 mark of Round 3 at “Xtreme Fighting League: Xtreme Fight Night 30” on May 21 in Grant, Okla.
Flyweight – Viktoria Veres (1-0) def. Angelina Semenova (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 51-second mark of Round 1 at “Eurasia Fight Nights: Fight Nights Global 48” on May 26 in Moscow, Russia.
Strawweight – Also at Fight Nights Global 48, Daria Mikheeva (1-0) def. Atyrgul Omurzakova (0-1) via unanimous decision.
Catchweight (110) – Janaisa Morandin (8-0) def. Lavinia Ione (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 1:50 mark of Round 2 at Aspera Fighting Championship 38 on May 27 in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Strawweight – Also at Aspera FC 38, Maira Mazar (4-1) def. Arielle Souza (6-5) via KO (punch) at the 1:07 mark of Round 1.
Catchweight (128) – Heqin Lin (3-1) def. Viktoriya Shalimova (2-1) via unanimous decision at “Wu Lin Feng: Elevation Power in Cage (EPIC) 4” on May 28 in Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Catchweight (121) – Also on the Wu Lin Feng card, Meng Bo (6-2) def. Julia Borisova (3-3) via unanimous decision.
Catchweight (139) – Katarzyna Sadura (2-0) def. Sylwia Zaczkiewicz (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 20-second mark of Round 1 at Thunderstorm 3 on May 28 in Lodz, Poland.
Bantamweight – Veronica Macedo (4-0) def. Valerie Domergue (1-2) via unanimous decision at Hit Fighting Championship 2 on May 28 in Zurich, Switzerland.
Flyweight – Katarzyna Lubonska (4-1) def. Renata Cseh-Lantos (2-4) via unanimous decision at “Professional League of MMA 68 / 3F: Extreme Fight Cage 4” on June 3 in Lomza, Poland.
Catchweight (132) – Daiane Firmino (6-1) def. Daiane Mixeli (0-1) via TKO (punches) in Round 1 at Desafio do Guerreiro 6 on June 3 in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
Catchweight (110) – Jenna Serio (3-1) def. Sadee Monseratte Williams (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 2:50 mark of Round 1 at Ring of Combat 55 on June 3 in Atlantic City, N.J.
Flyweight – Ronni Nanney (1-5) def. Susie Wyatt (0-1) via unanimous decision at “Shamrock Fighting Championships: Explosion” on June 3 in St. Louis, Mo.
Strawweight – Montana Stewart (5-2) def. Mellony Geugjes (0-2) via unanimous decision at “Superior Combative Championships: Preserving the Arts” on June 3 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Catchweight (110) – Sunisa Srisan (1-0) def. Audreylaura Boniface Raphael (1-1) via TKO (punches) at the 1:33 mark of Round 2 at “Full Metal Dojo 10: Sweep all the Legs” on June 4 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Strawweight – Tanja Hoffmann (5-4) def. Sayuri Yamaguchi (0-1) via unanimous decision at “Shooto Kings 4: Battle Royale” on June 4 in Metzingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.
Strawweight – Also on the Shooto Kings 4 card, Bestare Kicaj (3-0) def. Raffaela Milner (0-1) via unanimous decision.
Flyweight – Elodie Giorla (2-1) def. Florence Hoarau (0-1) via submission (guillotine choke) at the 3:25 mark of Round 1 at Octagon Fighting Club 15 on June 4 in Mons, Hainaut, Belgium.
Flyweight – Marta Souza (4-9-1) def. Priscila Ferreira (4-3-1) via unanimous decision at Gladiator Combat Fight 21 on June 4 in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil.
Flyweight – Barbara Acioly (2-0) def. Vitoria Ferreira (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 4:48 mark of Round 1 at Brabos Combat 2 on June 4 in Sao Miguel dos Campos, Alagoas, Brazil.
Strawweight – Aline Nery (6-5) def. Aline Sattelmayer (11-9) via unanimous decision at “New Corpore Extreme 5: Osvaldo Paqueta Awards Edition” on June 4 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Catchweight (110) – Also on the NCE 5 card, Bianca Sattelmayer (7-6) def. Tatiane Damiana Bergamaschi (6-1) via submission (armbar) at the 3:04 mark of Round 2.
Atomweight title – Silvania Monteiro (5-1) def. Aline Furacao (0-1-2) via submission (head scissor armbar) at the 4:00 mark of Round 1 at “Floripa Fight Championship: The Big Challenge” on June 4 in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
In other action on the Floripa Fight Championship card, Gisele Moreira (4-2) def. Jessica Suelem Doelle (2-7) via TKO (punches) at the 4:55 mark of Round 1 in a bantamweight title bout, and Marina Alcalde Rodriguez (4-0) def. Marcia Oliveira (2-1) via TKO (punches) at the 1:42 mark of Round 1 in a strawweight title fight.
Flyweight – Christina Marks (7-8) def. Lissette Neri (6-4) via TKO (punches) at the 2:22 mark of Round 2 at “King of the Cage: Firefight” on June 4 in San Jacinto, Calif.
In other action on the KOTC card, Kanako Murata (2-0) def. Maia Kahaunaele-Stevenson (1-4) via TKO (punches) at the 3:43 mark of Round 3 in a strawweight bout, and Jamie Milanowski (1-0) def. Yumi Yamamoto (0-1) via submission (armbar) at the 2:38 mark of Round 2 at flyweight.
Flyweight – Manjit Kolekar (9-0) def. Bharti Dhoundyal (1-3) via technical submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 2 at “Real Cage Predator: Fight Night 1” on June 5 in Nashik, Maharashtra, India.
Catchweight (132) – Diana Belbita (6-2) def. Virak Furo (0-2) via TKO (elbows) at the 2:08 mark of Round 1 at “Romanian Xtreme Fighting 23: Judgment Day” on June 6 in Bucharest, Romania.
Catchweight (143) – Yelena Kolesnik (2-0) def. Xiaomin Wang (0-1) via submission (choke) in Round 2 at “WBK 15: Ningbo” on June 9 in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
Bantamweight – Tiffany Teo (2-0) def. Lumindas Liezel Merasol (0-2) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 1:53 mark of Round 1 at Singapore Fighting Championship 3 on June 10 in Jalan Besar, Kallang, Singapore.
Bantamweight – Carina Damm (23-12) def. Sarah Alpar (6-4) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at “Titan Fighting Championship 39: Cavalcante vs. Healy” on June 10 in Coral Gables, Fla.
Catchweight (122) – Monica Medina (2-0) def. Summer Artherton (0-4) via submission (triangle choke) at the 4:24 mark of Round 1 at “Dynasty Combat Sports 26: Battle Tested” on June 10 in Ralston, Neb.
Featherweight – Elina Kallionidou (5-0) def. Dora Kalpakidou (0-1) via TKO (retirement) at the 5:00 mark of Round 1 at Cage Survivor 5 on June 11 in Athens, Greece.
Catchweight (121) – Priscila Cachoeira (1-0) def. Kakau Costa (3-6) via unanimous decision at Your Chance 1 on June 11 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Strawweight title – Elaineleal Cris (3-1) def. Olga Amara (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 4:39 mark of Round 1 at Balloutta Combat MMA 2 on June 11 in Timoteo, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Bantamweight – Bianca Daimoni (6-1) def. Dayane Souza (0-1) via unanimous decision at “Samurai FC / PFE 13: Bushido” on June 11 in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil.
Also on the Samurai FC card, Adriana Del Vigna (2-2) def. Cynthia Candido (0-5) via submission (armbar) at the 4:58 mark of Round 2 in a strawweight bout, and Mariza Loch (1-0) def. Sidy Rocha (0-1) via KO (punches) in Round 1 of a bantamweight fight.
Strawweight title – Montserrat Ruiz (6-0) def. Jasmin Gonzalez (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 18-second mark of Round 1 at “MMA Xtreme: Battle on the Beach” on June 11 in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico.
MMAjunkie publishes the Women’s MMA Report every few weeks. Its author, Robert Sargent, is a veteran MMA journalist who also runs MMARising.com. Feel free to email us at news [AT] mmajunkie.com with any questions, news tips or suggestions.
