Could a battle of Olympic medalists be the next big fight in women’s MMA? That’s a possibility after Strikeforce added undefeated bantamweight Sara McMann.
According to a Tuesday press release sent out by the Invicta Fighting Championships, the Takoma Park, Md. native and 2004 Olympic freestyle wrestling silver medalist is being sent to Strikeforce.
This could potentially put her on a collision course with undefeated Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, the 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist.
The move comes on the heels of Strikeforce sending its former women’s bantamweight champion, Sarah Kaufmann, over to Invicta to compete on its Oct. 6 show in Kansas City against Caitlin Young.
“Since we established Invicta FC at the beginning of this year, our goal has been to produce the best possible matchups between women mixed martial artists,” stated Invicta president Shannon Knapp. “And, to achieve this, we sometimes need to import talent like Sarah Kaufman from elsewhere as well as to send talent like Sara McMann to a place like Strikeforce where there is a healthy amount of championship level professional women’s MMA competition just like there is on our roster.”
McMann improved to 6-0 in her MMA career on July 28 when she scored a unanimous decision over veteran Shayna Baszler in a match-of-the-year-candidate caliber contest.
“I am saddened not to be fighting in the first Invicta FC bantamweight title fight,” stated McMann. “I am not sure how long my MMA career will last and, with the time I have left in the sport, I need to take every opportunity that comes my way to fight the best competition out there, so this move is part of a bigger picture for me.
“Since Invicta FC and Strikeforce work closely together,” McMann continued, “I hope I will have another opportunity to fight for Invicta FC. Shannon Knapp and [Inicta FC matchmaker] Janet Martin have treated the other fighters and me better than any other promotion I have ever worked with and I am grateful to them for helping me with this opportunity in Strikeforce.
Details on McMann’s first Strikeforce bout have not yet been determined. Likewise, Rousey does not yet have a next opponent named in the wake of her first-round stoppage win over Kaufmann on Aug. 18.