Props to Reddit MMA for informing us that former Road FC ring girlSong Ga Yeon (aka Ga Yeon Song, aka songkayeoun) won her MMA debut last month, TKO’ing Emi Yamamoto in the first round of their headlining match at Road FC 17 in Seoul. Song is a 19-year-old atomweight from Gumi, South Korea, who is semi-famous in her home country for appearing on the Big Brother-style reality show Roommate.
Surprisingly, Song’s MMA debut wasn’t just a stunt to sell tickets; this girl can actually bang. Watch the video below to see her come out like a swarm of bees against Yamamoto, mixing aggressive strikes and a serviceable takedown game before ending the fight with ground-and-pound at the video’s 6:25 mark. Impressive.
We’ve put eight more Song Ga Yeon photos after the jump, if you’re interested…
Props to Reddit MMA for informing us that former Road FC ring girlSong Ga Yeon (aka Ga Yeon Song, aka songkayeoun) won her MMA debut last month, TKO’ing Emi Yamamoto in the first round of their headlining match at Road FC 17 in Seoul. Song is a 19-year-old atomweight from Gumi, South Korea, who is semi-famous in her home country for appearing on the Big Brother-style reality show Roommate.
Surprisingly, Song’s MMA debut wasn’t just a stunt to sell tickets; this girl can actually bang. Watch the video below to see her come out like a swarm of bees against Yamamoto, mixing aggressive strikes and a serviceable takedown game before ending the fight with ground-and-pound at the video’s 6:25 mark. Impressive.
To borrow a phrase from the CME, these two certainly look good getting off the bus. On the other hand, VanZant and Curran land on the low end of the UFC experience spectrum, to put it gently. VanZant is 3-1 professionally with all three of those wins coming against women who were making their pro debuts. Curran’s pro record is a similar 3-0, with all three victories by unanimous decision under the Pacific Xtreme Combat banner — and none of those wins coming against an opponent with a winning record.
VanZant and Curran have something else in common: They both tried out for TUF 20. While VanZant was blocked from the show due to age requirements, Curran simply didn’t make the cut. Or maybe the UFC hand-picked her as VanZant’s first opponent, for aesthetic reasons.
Speaking of which, 12 more photos of Kailin Curran are in the gallery after the jump. Enjoy, and check out her Instagram page for more.
To borrow a phrase from the CME, these two certainly look good getting off the bus. On the other hand, VanZant and Curran land on the low end of the UFC experience spectrum, to put it gently. VanZant is 3-1 professionally with all three of those wins coming against women who were making their pro debuts. Curran’s pro record is a similar 3-0, with all three victories by unanimous decision under the Pacific Xtreme Combat banner — and none of those wins coming against an opponent with a winning record.
VanZant and Curran have something else in common: They both tried out for TUF 20. While VanZant was blocked from the show due to age requirements, Curran simply didn’t make the cut. Or maybe the UFC hand-picked her as VanZant’s first opponent, for aesthetic reasons.
Speaking of which, lots more photos of Kailin Curran are in the gallery above. Enjoy, and check out her Instagram page for more.
One name stuck out for a different reason — Lia Mata’afa, the only fighter on the list with a 0-0 professional record. So why would TUF bring on a fighter with no professional experience? Well, as the UG informs us, she happens to be really attractive.
But make no mistake: Mata’afa is a freak athlete with a ton of potential. In addition to her 4-1 amateur MMA record, Lia was a two-time girls State wrestling champion in her native Hawaii, and according to the Meltzer report she played varsity rugby at Boston University and is currently a member of the American Samoa national rugby team. She is Kendall Grove‘s sister-in-law, and a product of Chris Leben’s Ultimate Fight School in Honolulu.
We’ve gathered a few of our favorite Lia Mata’afa photos for your consideration — which continue after the jump — along with a video of her MMA debut. Visit Lia’s Facebook page for more.
One name stuck out for a different reason — Lia Mata’afa, the only fighter on the list with a 0-0 professional record. So why would TUF bring on a fighter with no professional experience? Well, as the UG informs us, she happens to be really attractive.
But make no mistake: Mata’afa is a freak athlete with a ton of potential. In addition to her 4-1 amateur MMA record, Lia was a two-time girls State wrestling champion in her native Hawaii, and according to the Meltzer report she played varsity rugby at Boston University and is currently a member of the American Samoa national rugby team. She is Kendall Grove‘s sister-in-law, and a product of Chris Leben’s Ultimate Fight School in Honolulu.
We’ve gathered a few of our favorite Lia Mata’afa photos for your consideration — which continue after the jump — along with a video of her MMA debut. Visit Lia’s Facebook page for more.
Props to BabesofMMA and MMAJunkie for turning us on to Paige VanZant, a 2-0 professional MMA fighter who will be facing Tecia Torres on the prelims of this Saturday’s Invicta 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt event in Kansas City.
A model and student-athlete since childhood, the 18-year-old fighter began training in MMA when she was 15, and currently trains at the House of RYU in Las Vegas. Paige began competing this year, first picking up an amateur win in April, then winning decisions in professional matches against Jordan Gaza and Amber Stautzenberger. (She’s also done ring girl gigs for Shark Fights and Ultimate Reno Combat.) According to this Examiner article, Paige likes wrestling and throws, doesn’t enjoy getting hit in the face, and her future goals include opening a restaurant and fighting Cris Cyborg.
Check out lots more of our favorite Paige VanZant photos in the gallery after the jump — as well as four bonus videos of Paige chatting, fighting, and steam-mopping — and follow her life on Facebook and Twitter.
Props to BabesofMMA and MMAJunkie for turning us on to Paige VanZant, a 2-0 professional MMA fighter who will be facing Tecia Torres on the prelims of this Saturday’s Invicta 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt event in Kansas City.
A model and student-athlete since childhood, the 18-year-old fighter began training in MMA when she was 15, and currently trains at the House of RYU in Las Vegas. Paige began competing this year, first picking up an amateur win in April, then winning decisions in professional matches against Jordan Gaza and Amber Stautzenberger. (She’s also done ring girl gigs for Shark Fights and Ultimate Reno Combat.) According to this Examiner article, Paige likes wrestling and throws, doesn’t enjoy getting hit in the face, and her future goals include opening a restaurant and fighting Cris Cyborg.
Check out lots more of our favorite Paige VanZant photos in the gallery above — as well as the four bonus videos below of Paige chatting, fighting, and steam-mopping — and follow her life on Facebook and Twitter.
Bonus videos:
(“Real Girls Kick Ass” video profile from 2011. Props: rmsellars)
(Highlights of Paige VanZant’s first amateur fight against Morgan Hunter. Props: Gofightlive)
(Paige VanZant vs. Jordan Gaza, 6/30/12. Props: Mike Jackson)
(Paige VanZant sells the hell out of the Bissell Steam Mop Deluxe, circa 2010. Hey, we all gotta pay the bills.)
Rachel Wray‘s unlikely transition from NFL eye-candy to aspiring cage-fighter started with a fateful trip to a boxing gym. As she explained to KCMMA:
“I have been a cheerleader or dancer my whole life and I moved [to Kansas City] from Arkansas to cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs. I started working out at Title Boxing Club with some of the girls for an alternative workout. I really enjoyed it and started taking private lessons after a little while. One day, I came in and they wanted me to spar. I was nervous about someone actually punching me in the face, but I did it.
I was absolutely horrible. This drove me to want it even more. I knew I had to make a choice between fighting and cheerleading. I chose fighting. I trained harder and took more private lessons. In the same shopping center was [Jason High and LC Davis’s gym] HDMMA and I wandered in there to see what was going on. Everyone was so nice and just not what I expected from a MMA gym. So, I started training there too. One thing led to another, and now I feel comfortable enough to compete in the cage…I hope to fight 4-5 times over the next year.”
Though Rachel’s last scheduled match didn’t take place due to her opponent not showing up — gotta love regional MMA! — she won her amateur debut by second-round TKO. (You can watch it here and here.) Rachel’s next fight is slated for January 25th at Harrah’s Casino in Kansas City, against an opponent to be named later.
Get to know Rachel better by checking out her photo gallery after the jump, as well as our short-‘n’-sweet interview with the lady herself…
Rachel Wray‘s unlikely transition from NFL eye-candy to aspiring cage-fighter started with a fateful trip to a boxing gym. As she explained to KCMMA:
“I have been a cheerleader or dancer my whole life and I moved [to Kansas City] from Arkansas to cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs. I started working out at Title Boxing Club with some of the girls for an alternative workout. I really enjoyed it and started taking private lessons after a little while. One day, I came in and they wanted me to spar. I was nervous about someone actually punching me in the face, but I did it.
I was absolutely horrible. This drove me to want it even more. I knew I had to make a choice between fighting and cheerleading. I chose fighting. I trained harder and took more private lessons. In the same shopping center was [Jason High and LC Davis’s gym] HDMMA and I wandered in there to see what was going on. Everyone was so nice and just not what I expected from a MMA gym. So, I started training there too. One thing led to another, and now I feel comfortable enough to compete in the cage…I hope to fight 4-5 times over the next year.”
Though Rachel’s last scheduled match didn’t take place due to her opponent not showing up — gotta love regional MMA! — she won her amateur debut by second-round TKO. (You can watch it here and here.) Rachel’s next fight is slated for January 25th at Harrah’s Casino in Kansas City, against an opponent to be named later.
Get to know Rachel better by checking out her photo gallery above, and read on for our short-’n’-sweet interview with the lady herself…
CAGEPOTATO.COM: When do you plan on going pro? Is your goal to make it into the UFC one day? RACHEL WRAY: At this time I’m not sure where fighting will take me. Right now I’m just focusing on getting some amateur experience, but if things keep going well for me then I may be able to go pro someday. It would be cool to fight for the UFC, obviously, but I wouldn’t say that’s my goal in life. I’ve been a dancer and cheerleader my entire life, and I’ve only been fighting for ten months. Right now all I can think about is winning my next fight.
What’s the most satisfying move to land in a fight?
I have never landed a submission in an actual fight, but that is definitely the most satisfying move to land at practice. I specialize more in boxing, so when I armbar or choke somebody it feels really good. I don’t go for many takedowns, but those are even better.
What do you like to do when you’re not fighting or training?
Fighting and training are pretty much my entire life. That’s what I do for fun, I enjoy it so much. Other than that I love spending time with my family. I’m a super girly-girl, so I love shopping with my mom, going to the spa, getting my nails done, and going out with the girls. I also enjoy reading books and playing the piano.
What’s the most important lesson you learned from Jason High?
Jason High is an amazing coach, he always leads by example. He has done a great job of showing me how to successfully train and live the right lifestyle of a fighter. From all the techniques of MMA to strength and conditioning, lifting weights, running, and the fighter diet, he truly has taught me everything I need to know to succeed in this sport. I moved back home to Arkansas recently, but after training with Jason, I feel confident that I can make it down here as a fighter on my own.
Rousey vs. Carmouche at UFC 157 — how does it end?
First-round armbar, no doubt. I bet Ronda gets it within the first two minutes.
