The California State Athletic Commission posted negative drug screening results for the only two fighters tested at last months Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman event. Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey and former title holder Sarah Kaufman tested clean, and were the only two fighters tested of the eighteen who competed at the San Diego show. […]
Ronda Rousey (L) works the armbar submission (R) against Sarah Kaufman – Photo via Facebook.com/Strikeforce
The California State Athletic Commission posted negative drug screening results for the only two fighters tested at last months Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman event.
Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey and former title holder Sarah Kaufman tested clean, and were the only two fighters tested of the eighteen who competed at the San Diego show.
Initially the CSAC revealed “invalid” results for the Strikeforce event, pointing to a correctable error for the mistake.
The Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman event took place on August 18, 2012 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California.
Rousey defended her title by finishing Kaufman in 51-seconds with an armbar submission.
Former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Santos (10-1, 1NC) still has a few months left on her suspension following a positive steroids test after a win last December. Despite being unconfirmed for her return bout, the fight on everyone’s mind is one between her and women’s bantamweight title holder Ronda Rousey. Rousey is adamant […]
Cris 'Cyborg' Santos
Former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Santos (10-1, 1NC) still has a few months left on her suspension following a positive steroids test after a win last December.
Despite being unconfirmed for her return bout, the fight on everyone’s mind is one between her and women’s bantamweight title holder Ronda Rousey.
Rousey is adamant that ‘Cyborg’ come down to 135-lbs, while the Brazilian is holding firm to a catchweight at 140-lbs as her limit in order for the two to meet.
In fact, Santos told Fighters Only that she isn’t willing to comment further on this fight until a contract is signed.
“As I said in my last interview, the 145lbs division is my category but I can drop until 140lbs to fight her. It does not depend on me, it is up to the event. My business is to fight inside the cage and do not trash talk outside the fence. I’m available for the event [to talk to me] on those terms”, she told Fighters Only in Brazil.
Cyborg avoided talking about the strategy for this intriguing bout, saying that submission expert Rousey is not confirmed as her next opponent. “I will only talk about his fight when I sign the contract to say she is going to be my next adversary. There is no reason to speak about it, having nothing concrete.”
‘Cyborg’ finished Japanese fighter Hiroko Yamanaka last December in just 16-seconds but tested positive for stanozolol. The result was overturned to a “No Contest” with Santos receiving a one-year suspension from the California State Athletic Commission as well as being stripped of the title.
Press Release – KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Sept. 3, 2012) – One week after it announced the signing of former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight (135 pounds) Champion Sarah Kaufman to fight on its upcoming event on Saturday, Oct. 6, world championship women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion Invicta Fighting Championships has announced that it is sending 2004 […]
Sara McMann
Press Release – KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Sept. 3, 2012) – One week after it announced the signing of former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight (135 pounds) Champion Sarah Kaufman to fight on its upcoming event on Saturday, Oct. 6, world championship women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion Invicta Fighting Championships has announced that it is sending 2004 Olympic Wrestling Silver Medalist Sara McMann to compete in Strikeforce.
“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 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,” said Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp who, last week, sent another undefeated prospect, Cat Zingano, to fight under the Strikeforce banner.
“I am saddened not to be fighting in the first Invicta FC bantamweight title fight,” said 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,” continued McMann, “I hope I will have another opportunity to fight for Invicta FC. Shannon Knapp and Janet Martin (Invicta FC Matchmaker) 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.
“I think the exposure Sara received headlining the last Invicta FC card played a major role in her landing the Strikeforce contract,” said McMann’s manager, Monte Cox. “I appreciate the professional way Invicta FC treats all the fighters and hope they continue to have success.”
McMann (6-0), the first American woman to win a silver medal in the Olympic Games, notched her latest victory, a unanimous decision over Shayna Baszler, in the main event of the Invicta FC card at Memorial Hall in Kansas City on July 28. Zingano’s last start came on May 14, 2011 when she KO’d Takayo Hashi with a slam in the third round (4:42) of their matchup.
Invicta FC is preparing to roll out its third live event at Memorial Hall. Headlining the 13-bout professional card will be an atomweight (105 pounds) world championship showdown between superstars Jessica Penne (9-1) of Laguna Hills, Calif. and Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama (8-0) of Kyoto, Japan
Kaufman (15-2) of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada will look to return to her winning ways when she faces off with prolific striker Kaitlin Young (7-6-1) of St. Louis Park, Minn. at bantamweight.
Tickets for Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama, priced from $25, are on sale and can be purchased at Memorial Hall box office (913) 549-4853), online at Ticketmaster.com and InvictaFC.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000.
About Invicta Fighting Championships:
Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.
Press Release – KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Aug. 31, 2012) – Professional boxer and undefeated MMA upstart Kim Connor-Hamby (4-0) of Stuttgart, Ark. will collide in a bantamweight (135 pounds) bout with fellow prolific striker Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (3-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. at the highly-anticipated Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama, women’s world championship […]
Invicta FC 3 poster
Press Release – KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Aug. 31, 2012) – Professional boxer and undefeated MMA upstart Kim Connor-Hamby (4-0) of Stuttgart, Ark. will collide in a bantamweight (135 pounds) bout with fellow prolific striker Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (3-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. at the highly-anticipated Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama, women’s world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City on Saturday, Oct. 6.
Connor-Hamby will replace Cat Zingano, whom Invicta FC has sent to compete in Strikeforce.
In Invicta FC 3 preliminary card action, undefeated power puncher Katalina Malungahu (2-0) of Las Vegas, Nev. will face submission specialist Ediane Gomes (8-2) of Coconut Creek, Fla. via Sao Paulo, Brazil in a featherweight (145 pounds) bout, after Malungahu’s original opponent, Taylor Stratford, was forced to withdraw from the commitment due to a knee injury.
“I’m very excited to be fighting with all the big names that are on this Invicta FC card,” said the 31-year-old Connor-Hamby who, to date, has been lighting up her local MMA scene with her polished western boxing skills. “My hands are where it’s at. I want to show everyone what a woman can do with boxing inside the cage and I do not want to go to the ground at all in this fight.”
Since she began her pro career in the boxing ring in 2004, Connor-Hamby has registered a record of 10-2-2 (4 KO’s) in the sport, earning her 10th career victory in the sweet science with a 10-round unanimous decision over Nicole Woods on Aug. 25.
It was four years ago, shortly after giving birth, that Connor-Hamby took up MMA training as a means of getting back in shape, after learning about the sport’s rigorous conditioning routines from a work colleague of her husband. Realizing, soon after, that her boxing skills could be used as a weapon in MMA competition, Connor-Hamby decided to try her hand in the hybrid sport.
In her MMA debut on June 27, 2009, Connor-Hamby needed just 20 seconds to stop Crystal Hamilton with a barrage of punches. Connor-Hamby reeled off TKO victories in each of her next two starts and earned a split decision over Jessica Hilger in her last MMA bout on April 17, 2010.
The 31-year-old Smith is also a seasoned striker. On April 28, she brought fans to their feet at the inaugural Invicta FC event at Memorial Hall, exchanging flurry after flurry of strikes with Kaitlin Young in a matchup that was scored a majority draw by the judges. The bout was recognized as “Fight of the Night” by Invicta FC.
Smith, a product of the Cesar Gracie Academy, went unbeaten (3-0) as an amateur before turning pro on March 6, 2009 and scoring a third round (4:16) TKO on Louise Johnson with a series of punches.
Training at American Top Team, Gomes is looking to notch her third consecutive win. A submission specialist who has tapped out opponents in six of her eight-career victories, Gomes is a five-year veteran of pro MMA competition.
Since she stormed onto the competitive MMA scene in 2011, Malungahu has gained recognition for her furious punching abilities, stopping both of her professional opponents and all three of her amateur opponents inside of two rounds. She is coming off a 36 second KO (punches) victory over Ericka Newsome on July 28.
Tickets for Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama, priced from $25, are on sale at Memorial Hall box office (913-549-4853), online at Ticketmaster.com and InvictaFC.com and by phone at (800-745-3000)
In the main event, atomweight (105 pounds) superstars Jessica Penne (9-1) of Laguna Hills, Calif. and Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama (8-0) of Kyoto, Japan will square off in the first-ever Invicta FC world championship bout.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (14-7) of Sioux Falls, S.D. will return to action in the bantamweight co-main event and take on Invicta FC 2 winner Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (6-2) of San Jose, Calif.
Former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman (15-2) of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada will face off with prolific striker Kaitlin Young (7-6-1) of St. Louis Park, Minn.
Another Invicta FC 2 victor, Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak (6-2) of Bettendorf, Iowa will throw down with rising star and exciting finisher Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly (13-3) of Dublin, Ireland in a flyweight (125 pounds) contest.
Submission expert and women’s MMA pioneer Tara LaRosa (21-2) of Woodstown, N.J. will lock horns at flyweight with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vanessa Porto (14-5) of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (9-3) of Albuquerque, N.M. will battle Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman (7-5) of Lakewood, Colo. in an atomweight scrap.
In the leadoff main card bout, Julia “The Jewel” Budd (3-2) of Port Moody, Canada will meet Elaina “Beef” Maxwell (7-4) of San Jose at featherweight.
The six-bout preliminary card will be topped by a strawweight (115 pounds) matchup between Carla Esparza (7-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. and Lynn Alvarez (5-2) of Las Vegas.
Two undefeated prospects, Ashley Cummins (3-0) of St. Louis, MO. and Joanne Calderwood (3-0) of Glasgow, Scottland will collide at flyweight.
Amy Davis (3-3) of Idaho Falls, Idaho will face Stephanie Frausto (3-4) of Middletown, Ohio in an atomweight affair.
Fresh off her professional debut win at Invicta FC 2, highly-touted Jessamyn Duke (1-0) of Richmond, Ky. will face unbeaten Marciea Allen (1-0) of Sioux Falls in a bantamweight battle.
Tecia Torres (0-0) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and Kaiyana Rain (0-0) of Los Angeles, Calif. will make their respective professional debuts against each other at strawweight.
About Invicta Fighting Championships:
Invicta Fighting Championships (www.invictafc.com) is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.
Press Release – Newport Beach, Cali. (August 28, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today the promotion will return to Dayton, Ohio for Bellator 78 LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial free HD on EPIX from Wright State’s Nutter Center on Friday, October 26. The night will feature the Bellator Season 7 Welterweight Semifinals, as […]
Zoila Gurgel
Press Release – Newport Beach, Cali. (August 28, 2012) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today the promotion will return to Dayton, Ohio for Bellator 78 LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial free HD on EPIX from Wright State’s Nutter Center on Friday, October 26. The night will feature the Bellator Season 7 Welterweight Semifinals, as well as the long awaited return of Bellator Women’s Champion Zoila Gurgel.
Tickets for the event will be available this Wednesday, August 29 and are available at the WSU Nutter Center box office, Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling (800) 745-3000.
“From Bellator 5 in Dayton to Bellator 66 in Cleveland, the state of Ohio has been great to Bellator, so we’re excited to return to Ohio and visit the Nutter Center with Ohio favorites like Brian Rogers and Zoila Gurgel,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney.
The night will feature the semifinals of the $100,000 Bellator Season 7 Welterweight Tournament, which begins September 28 from Caesars Atlantic City. Headlined by Lyman Good, Jim Wallhead, Marius Zaromskis and Russian phenom Andrey Koreshkov, the tournament is loaded with world class Welterweights eager to earn their guaranteed title shot against reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren.
For Brian Rogers, “The Predator” is eager to get back into the Bellator cage and showcase his skills in front of the Ohio faithful. While an opponent has not been finalized, Rogers is intensely focused on getting back into the win column and re-entering a future Bellator Middleweight Tournament.
“Last time I was in Ohio it was the biggest fight of my career and I embarrassed myself and let tons of buckeye friends and family down that spent their time and money to see me fight,” said Rogers. “It’s rare that a fighter at my level gets to fight near home often. Fortunately I get that opportunity again in Dayton. I owe the state of Ohio a better performance and on October 26 when bright lights come on I’m going to show up and put on a great show.”
After collecting victories over Rosi Sextton, Jessica Aguilar and Megumi Fujii, Bellator Women’s Champion Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel is ready to re-introduce herself to MMA fans after spending over a year on the sidelines dealing with a string of injuries. Now calling Ohio home, Gurgel will have a huge following on October 26 from The Nutter Center in Dayton.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is the world’s largest tournament based Mixed Martial Arts organization. Televised to nearly 500 Million homes worldwide, Bellator’s majority owner is entertainment giant Viacom. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on MTV2, in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Starting in January of 2013 Bellator will be broadcast on MMA television leader, Spike TV. With over 150 world-class athletes under contract, Bellator is home to many of the sport’s top athletes. Bellator’s founder &CEO, Bjorn Rebney, an experienced fighting sports and entertainment executive with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes, believed that title shots should be earned, not given. This belief gave rise to Bellator’s real sport, tournament-based format, which gives Bellator’s tournaments a true playoff feel that keeps the sport true and distances itself from the political/subjective side of fighting sports. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Southern, California.
About MTV2
Available in approximately 80 million homes MTV2 is man’s best friend. Since its launch in 1996, the network has reflected the subversive interests and behaviors of young men with a compelling and diverse programming line-up inspired by ordinary guys who do extraordinary things. MTV2 is part of Viacom Media Networks, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information, go to www.mtvpress.com or follow us on Twitter @MTVPress.
About EPIX
EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies.
EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry’s most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.
About mun2
mun2 is the leading Hispanic cable network for young millennial adults 18-34. From reality to music, on-air to digital, mun2 creates original content that resonates across a multi-screen platform. Young, vibrant and unabashedly Latino, mun2 has a distribution to over 38 million households. The network is part of Telemundo Media, a division of NBCUniversal.
Press Release – KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Aug. 27, 2012) – Former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight (135 pounds) Champion Sarah Kaufman (15-2) of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada will look to return to her winning ways when she faces off with prolific striker Kaitlin Young (7-6-1) of St. Louis Park, Minn. at the Invicta Fighting Championships world championship […]
Sarah Kaufman
Press Release – KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Aug. 27, 2012) – Former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight (135 pounds) Champion Sarah Kaufman (15-2) of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada will look to return to her winning ways when she faces off with prolific striker Kaitlin Young (7-6-1) of St. Louis Park, Minn. at the Invicta Fighting Championships world championship women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City on Saturday, Oct. 6.
Tickets for Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama, priced from $25, are on sale and can be purchased at Memorial Hall box office (913) 549-4853), online at Ticketmaster.com and InvictaFC.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000.
“Invicta FC has made huge waves for women in MMA over the last five months. It’s been amazing to watch so many of the top women all fight on the same card, so I’m looking forward to be a part of their next show,” said the 26-year-old Kaufman, who is looking to rebound from a first-round (:54) submission (armbar) defeat at the hands of undefeated Strikeforce champion Ronda Rousey.
“Kaitlin is a very strong 135 pounder,” said Kaufman. “She’s got a lot of height and is quite technical in many areas. I’m excited to get in there against her, especially in the wake of the worst performance of my career. I’m hungry to get back in there and prove why I’m ranked at the top of my weight class.”
A former professional dancer, Kaufman began training MMA after a martial arts studio opened underneath her dance studio seven years ago. Her competitive spirit pushed her to enter the fight world and, under trainer Adam Zugec, she reeled off victories in her first 12 professional bouts, defeating fellow former Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate as well as superstar Alexis Davis and submission ace Shayna Baszler along the way.
Like Kaufman, the 26-year-old Young will look to return to the win column following a second round (3:34) submission (rear-naked choke) loss at the hands of rising star Liz Carmouche on the last Invicta FC card on July 28.
“Sarah is a great fighter who has made a big name for herself in the sport, so I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Young, who took up Tae Kwon Do at the age of 14 and earned her black belt in the discipline before discovering Muay Thai.
To date, Young has earned six of her seven professional wins by KO. In her third start, she scored a memorable KO on Tate with a head kick just 30 seconds into their matchup.
Young earned “Fight of the Night” honors at the inaugural Invicta FC event, slugging it out with Leslie Smith in a relentless, see-saw battle for three rounds before the fight was declared a majority draw.
In the Invicta FC 3 main event, superstar Jessica Penne (9-1) of Laguna Hills, Calif. will face off with undefeated phenom Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama (8-0) of Kyoto, Japan at atomweight (105 pounds) in the first-ever Invicta FC women’s world title bout.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (14-7) of Sioux Falls, S.D. will return to action in the bantamweight co-main event and take on Invicta FC 2 winner Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (6-2) of San Jose, Calif.
Another Invicta FC 2 victor, Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak (6-2) of Bettendorf, Iowa, will collide with rising star and furious finisher Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly (13-3) of Dublin, Ireland in a flyweight (125 pounds) contest.
Invicta FC will welcome one of the original pioneers of women’s MMA, submission expert Tara LaRosa (21-2) of Woodstown, N.J., who will lock horns at flyweight with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vanessa Porto (14-5) of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (3-2-1) of Pleasant Hill, Calif. will meet an opponent to be determined in a bantamweight matchup. Smith’s original opponent, Cat Zingano, has withdrawn from their scheduled matchup.
Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (9-3) of Albuquerque, N.M. will also make her first start under the Invicta FC banner against Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman (7-5) of Lakewood, Colo. in an atomweight scrap.
In the leadoff main card bout, Julia “The Jewel” Budd (3-2) of Port Moody, Canada will meet Elaina “Beef” Maxwell (7-4) of San Jose, Calif. at featherweight (145 pounds).
The six-bout preliminary card will be topped by a strawweight (115 pounds) matchup between Carla Esparza (7-2) of Redondo Beach, Calif. and Lynn Alvarez (5-2) of Las Vegas.
Two undefeated prospects, Ashley Cummins (3-0) of St. Louis, MO. and Joanne Calderwood (3-0) of Glasgow, Scottland will collide at flyweight.
Amy Davis (3-3) of Idaho Falls, Idaho will face Stephanie Frausto (3-4) of Middletown, Ohio in an atomweight affair.
Fresh off her professional debut win at Invicta FC 2, Jessamyn Duke (1-0) of Richmond, Ky. will face unbeaten Marciea Allen (1-0) of Sioux Falls in a bantamweight battle.
Tecia Torres (0-0) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and Kaiyana Rain (0-0) of Los Angeles, Calif. will make their respective professional debuts against each other at strawweight.
Unbeaten Xtreme Couture prospect Katalina Malungahu (2-0) of Las Vegas, Nev. will battle an opponent to be determined at featherweight after her original opponent, Taylor Stratford, was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a knee injury.
About Invicta Fighting Championships:
Invicta Fighting Championships is a world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series dedicated to providing female athletes with a major platform to hone their skills on a consistent basis. Founded in 2012 by longtime MMA executive Shannon Knapp and sports aficionado Janet Martin, Invicta is committed to pioneering the future growth of women’s MMA by promoting the best possible matchups between female competitors and identifying and developing future superstars of the sport.
