Olympian Sara McMann (4-0) kept her unblemished MMA record intact on Saturday with an impressive submission victory over local favorite Raquel “Rocky” Pa’aluhi (3-2) at ProElite 1 in Honolulu.
The 2004 Olympic freestyle-wrestling silver medalist was effective with strikes on the feet and on the ground, and she eventually stopped Pa’aluhi with a keylock midway through round three.
The spirited matchup began with a flurry of punches and a knee from McMann, who violently slammed Pa’aluhi to the mat. The Hawaiian was game, however, and McMann was unable to pass to a better position. She eventually used punches to move to side control and then to mount, but Pa’aluhi swept, and the hometown crowd cheered on in support.
McMann reversed again before the end of the opening round and scored with some solid strikes to the head and body. It then was more of the same in round two. From mount, McMann unloaded with punches until Pa’aluhi scrambled back to guard. The fight returned to the feet, and Pa’aluhi tried to take down the standout wrestler but wound up on the bottom. She attempted a triangle choke in the final seconds,but couldn’t get it.
Although up on the scorecards heading into the third round, McMann was clearly in a tough fight, and she ate a big knee from Pa’aluhi seconds in. Pa’aluhi scored again with punches, but McMann took her down and worked for a far-side keylock until she secured the tap at the 2:53 mark of the final round.
The bout drew favorable reviews from fans and media alike, with many feeling that the women stole the show.
Ex-Strikeforce champ Coenen signs with BlackEye Promotions
Former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Marloes “Rumina” Coenen (19-5) has found a new home.
Abruptly released from Strikeforce along with her Golden Glory teammates earlier this month, Coenen has spent time vacationing and training in the U.S. since her dismissal and entered talks with the North-Carolina based BlackEye Promotions organization. On Friday, the promotion announced Coenen’s signing, and she later discussed it on HDNet’s “Inside MMA” program.
Coenen’s contract with BlackEye is a three-fight, non-exclusive deal, and she currently is targeting February 2012 for her promotional debut.
BlackEye recently has begun a push to bring female fights to the forefront and will showcase at least six pro women’s bouts at its Oct. 1 charity event in Fletcher, N.C. Coenen plans to be in attendance for that event, which is headlined by a bout between Roxanne Modafferi and Barb Honchak. The Dutch submission specialist has left the door open for a possible return to Strikeforce if an opportunity arises but said that her focus “is on BlackEye for now.”
Ould wins return bout, submits overweight Marks
Californian Michelle Ould (5-3) returned to action after a 15-month layoff to submit Christina Marks (2-5) at “MEZ Sports: Pandemonium 5” on Aug. 19 in Riverside, Calif. However, the bout was not without controversy.
Marks came in significantly overweight for the fight, and Ould was forced to gain weight in order for the bout to proceed.
Originally scheduled to be a catchweight of 130 pounds, the fight was moved up to 135 after Marks weighed in at that weight and then rehydrated to 138. To meet California State Athletic Commission approval, Ould, a natural 125-pound fighter who faced Bellator champion Zoila Gurgel in May 2010, put on as much weight as possible to reach 135.
Although Ould felt the extra weight hindered her performance, she nevertheless was victorious and finished the fight with a third-round armbar. The official time came at the 4:58 mark.
One night later at “Fight Tour” in Rockford, Ill., a planned bout between Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig and Kelly Warren was canceled after Warren weighed in seven pounds overweight for the 115-pound bout. She previously had another fight scrapped due to weight issues under the BlackEye Promotions banner.
Amanda Lucas bulldozes Hikaru Shinohara in DEEP debut
After becoming an instant star in Japan leading up to the fight, Amanda “Powerhouse” Lucas (2-1) earned her second MMA victory in dominant fashion when she defeated pro wrestler and veteran fighter Hikaru Shinohara (6-8) at “DEEP: 55 Impact” on Aug. 26 in Tokyo.
Lucas, the adopted daughter of “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, twice took down her opponent in the opening minutes before moving to mount. She scored with dozens of punches and tried to set up arm-triangle chokes. Shinohara attempted to escape, but Lucas’ power was too much.
She eventually transitioned into an armbar, and Shinohara’s corner threw in the towel at the 4:37 mark of the first round.
A frustrated Shinohara shoved both the referee and her cornerman after the fight while an elated Lucas stated that she hopes to compete again soon in Japan.
JEWELS announces quarterfinal matchups for inaugural featherweight GP
Leading all-female promotion JEWELS announced all four quarterfinal bouts for its first “Featherweight Queen” tournament, which begins Sept. 11 at “Jewels: 16th Ring” in Tokyo.
The eight-woman tournament will crown the first JEWELS featherweight queen champion when it concludes in December. All fights will be contested with two, five-minute rounds in the JEWELS featherweight (48-kilogram/106-pound) division.
The quarterfinals matchups include:
- Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama (4-0) vs. Ayumi “Edge” Saito (8-5)
- Misaki Takimoto (13-12-4) vs. Kikuyo Ishikawa (5-2)
- Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada (12-5-3) vs. Miyoko Kusaka (3-3)
- Sachiko “Sachi” Yamamoto (8-5-1) vs. Yukiko Seki (9-20)
Despite having the least amount of experience, Sugiyama enters the tournament as the favorite and holds a non-title win over final Valkyrie champion Tamada. Ishikawa won the 2010 JEWELS Rough Stone Grand Prix tournament with a razor-thin and contentious split-decision victory over Seki, who – despite her lackluster record – has won four of her past five fights.
Teen prodigy Mizuki Inoue takes on big challenge against JEWELS champ
Kickboxer and MMA prodigy Mizuki Inoue (2-0) takes a huge step up in competition for her next fight when she faces JEWELS lightweight queen champion Ayaka Hamasaki (4-0) in a non-title bout on the “JEWELS” 16th Ring” card. Inoue, who just turned 17 on Aug. 19, already possesses some of the best technical striking of any female fighter in MMA despite her young age.
However, she enters the Sept. 11 fight as a significant underdog against Hamasaki, who became the first JEWELS champion in December by defeating Mika “Future Princess” Nagano and another elite striker, Seo Hee Ham, in one night.
Hamasaki’s 52-kilogram (114-pound) title will not be on the line in the 54-kilogram bout, but the Megumi Fujii protege was able to out-strike Ham and is extremely skilled on the ground. Should Inoue score an upset in the non-title fight, a rematch is expected to be booked for Hamasaki’s belt, possibly before year’s end.
Remainder of JEWELS card takes shape
Rounding out the “16th Ring” card is a trio of MMA bouts and two kickboxing matches.
Rina Tomita (3-5), who underwent successful surgery for cervical cancer in March, returns to action against Anna Saito (1-7) in a 52-kilogram MMA fight that likely will prove to be favorable for Tomita, who is another training partner of Fujii.
In other action, grappling ace Emi Tomimatsu (2-4) returns to MMA for the first time in three-and-a-half years against Norway’s Celine Haga (1-8) in a 52-kilogram bout. Additionally, Yuko “Amiba” Oya (5-2) faces Akiko “Betiko” Naito (6-11) at 54 kilograms.
In kickboxing, rising star Kozue “Azuma” Nagashima faces once-beaten South Korean Kim Sung Eun while Chikako WSR battles Satoko Ozawa.
Additional fights may be added to the card this week.
Quick results
Karla Benitez (6-0) defeated England’s Simona Soukupova (2-1) by unanimous decision at Hombres de Honor 26 on Aug. 19 in Maspalomas, Spain. Both fighters landed good strikes in what was largely a kickboxing match, but Benitez got the better of enough exchanges to earn the victory on all three judges’ scorecards in front of her hometown fans.
Brenda Gonzales (2-0) defeated Trisha Clark (1-3) by TKO (punches) at the 3:16 mark of round two at “King of the Cage: Overdrive.” The Aug. 20 bout took place in Norman, Okla. Both of Gonzales’ pro wins have come by knockout since she debuted in May.
Chloe Johnson (2-1) defeated Amber Hill (0-1) by submission at “Gladiator Challenge: Pro-Am Series” on Aug. 21 in San Jacinto, Calif. Johnson, who returned after a 14-month absence, needed just 84 seconds to dispatch of the debuting Hill.
Liz “Lil’ Lightning” McCarthy (5-0) defeated Jordan McDonald (4-2) by Submission (flying-triangle choke) at the 1:23 mark of round two this past Friday in Las Vegas to win the Tuff-N-Uff 110-pound amateur women’s title. McCarthy now holds two amateur championships and will compete for a third in her home state of Oregon next month.
On the same Tuff-N-Uff card, 18-year-old Jordan Nicole Gaza (3-1) defeated Kathryn Davis (3-2-1) by submission (guillotine choke) at the 2:41 mark of round one to win the 115-pound amateur women’s title. Gaza, a cheerleader who recently graduated from high school and has begun studies at a community college, is one of the top young prospects at 115 pounds.
Upcoming fights
Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova (6-0) faces Eugenia Kostina (0-0) at The President’s Cup on Sept. 3 in Mariupol, Ukraine. Ovchynnikova, a multi-time champion in both MMA and kickboxing, has not competed in MMA for more than two years but has remained active in kickboxing competition. Perhaps surprisingly, of her six MMA wins, four have come by submission. Kostina is also a champion kickboxer and makes her MMA debut on the card.
Maiju “Mai” Kujala (5-3) faces Ielo Siapo Page (0-0) on Sept. 3 in Imatran, Urheilutalolla, Finland. Kujala, a veteran of 2010’s Strikeforce’s single-night women’s tournament, has battled injury woes in 2011 and competes for the first time since a March TKO victory. Page is a Muay Thai champion from France who makes her MMA debut on the card.
Rin Nakai (10-0) faces Danielle “The Curse” West (3-2) at “Pancrase Impressive Tour 9” on Sept. 4 in Tokyo. Nakai, the first and only Valkyrie open-weight champion, began her career at 125 pounds and has steadily moved up in weight in recent years. She will go all the way up to 70 kilograms (154 pounds) for the fight with West, a native of England whose Japanese debut was delayed by the earthquake and tsunami in March. This fight is scheduled for three five-minute rounds.
Naoko Omuro (11-8-3) and Kayo Nagayasu (7-6-2) face off on the same Pancrase card in a bout contracted for 45.4 kilograms (100 pounds) over three three-minute rounds. Both fighters compete for the first time in more than a year after the collapse of the former Valkyrie promotion.
Sadae “Manhoef” Suzumura (1-1-1) faces “Bataco” (1-0) at “DEEP: Osaka Impact” on Sept. 4 in Osaka, Japan. Suzumura is coming off of a July loss to veteran striker “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba while Bataco, who formerly competed under the ring name Yuka “Butterfly Knife,” won her pro debut for Valkyrie 14 months ago.
Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff (9-4-1) faces Angela Hayes (4-5) at “Cage Warriors Fighting Championship: Fight Night 2” on Sept. 8 in Amman, Jordan. Gaff, who stopped Aisling Daly in 94 seconds in April, originally was scheduled to face Rosi Sexton in a title fight on the card. Sexton withdrew after suffering a concussion, and Gaff now faces Colorado’s Hayes in a non-title bout.
Holly “Hottie” Holm (1-0) faces Jan “Cuddles” Finney (8-9) at “Fresquez Productions: Clash in the Cage” on Sept. 9 in Albuquerque, N.M. Holm, arguably the top pound-for-pound female boxer in the world, won her MMA debut in March. Finney looks to get back on the winning track after a pair of losses in Strikeforce.
Michelle Ould (5-3) faces Munah Holland (2-1) at Ring of Combat 37 on Sept. 9 in Atlantic City, N.J. Ould won her MMA return one week ago. Holland, a Golden Gloves boxing champion, stopped Marissa Caldwell with punches at ROC 36 in June.
Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes (6-1) faces Alexis Davis (10-4) for Strikeforce on Sept. 10 in Cincinnati. Both fighters make their second appearance for the promotion after picking up big wins in their debuts. Nunes knocked out Julia Budd in just 14 seconds at Strikeforce Challengers 13 in January. Davis earned a decision win over veteran Julie Kedzie at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson” this past month. All six of Nunes’ victories have come by knockout while Davis has submitted five of her opponents to date. The fight will be contested at 135 pounds.
Bethany Marshall (4-0) faces Valerie “Trouble” Letourneau (3-2) at “Freedom Fight: For Honor and Pride” on Sept. 10 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Marshall has submitted three straight opponents while Montreal’s Letourneau earned a TKO victory in April and has gone the distance just once.
Chelsea “The Italian Princess” Colarelli (5-2) faces Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman (6-4) for C3 Fights on Sept. 10 in Newkirk, Okla. All seven of Colarelli’s fights, win or lose, have ended by submission. Schuckman is coming off of a tough loss in a June title fight but had won three of four fights prior to the setback.
(Picture courtesy CombatLifestyle.com, where you can find more ProElite 1 photos)
MMAjunkie.com publishes the Women’s MMA Report every other Monday. 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.
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