Next up on UFC Shenzhen is a women’s catchweight bout at 129 pounds between Wu Yanan and Mizuki Inoue. Round 1: Lots of feints from both women early on. Mizuki is staying busy but nothing of significance is landing for either woman. Mizuki connects with a couple of short hooks inside the pocket and Wu […]
Next up on UFC Shenzhen is a women’s catchweight bout at 129 pounds between Wu Yanan and Mizuki Inoue.
Round 1:
Lots of feints from both women early on. Mizuki is staying busy but nothing of significance is landing for either woman. Mizuki connects with a couple of short hooks inside the pocket and Wu keeps her at bay with leg kicks. An overhand just connects for Mizuki and Wu continues the leg attack.
A nice body shot lands from Wu, who continues to circle around. Mizuki continues to press the action, but Wu landing nicely inside the clinch before they separate. Wu connects on a nice hook to separate another clinch up. The round comes to an end.
Round 2:
A big shot from Mizuki lands, which rocks Wu a bit. Wu blasts back with a body kick followed up by a leg kick. They clinch, Mizuki goes for a takedown, and Wu goes for a standing guillotine but she loses it. A failed trip takedown for Mizuki before they separate and Wui lands an elbow on the way out. Mizuki connects with a left hook. A nice couple of elbows land for Mizuki inside the clinch and they separate.
Mizuki lands a nice jab. Wu fails on a takedown and Mizuki makes her pay with a strike that lands crisp on her way backward. Mizuki puts together a few shots now. Mizuki had a good opportunity for a trip takedown but missed it. Mizuki with a nice right hand to end the round.
Round 3:
Mizuki cracks Wu with a nice shot as she came in for a takedown. Nice jab from Mizuki connects. Wu feints a takedown and connects on a hook. Very nice head movement from Mizuki being shown as she gets in and out of the pocket with ease after connecting on her combos.
Wu was in on a deep takedown attempt but Mizuki defended nicely. Mizuki steps in with another nice combination connecting. Wu lands nice shots after a clinch separates. Mizuki lands a hard 1-2 combination, but Wu puts together a nice combination in response, which ended with an elbow. Hard kick to the body lands for Wu. Both women are exchanging some big shots as the final seconds wind down.
Wu lands nice elbows inside the clinch and a game of rock ’em sock ’em robots breaks out as time expires. Tremendous fight.
Official Result: Mizuki Inoue def. Wu Yanan via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
I love Leslie Smith, but there’s no way I’m not using this kickface. PhotoProps: Esther Lin / Invicta FC
Invicta continues to impress with good matchmaking and stellar action in its latest card, and for the first time, Invicta is available widely through pay per view, leaving behind any old issues with UStream. Apparently this is the first all-female MMA pay per view, so it’s a historic night, and the fights delivered, as usual.
Since I’ve already effectively spoiled the main event for you, why not follow along as I talk out loud about how cool the show was and which ladies be scary.
CagePotato’s Professional Gangsta “Thug” Rose Namajunas was glorious in defeat last night, putting on a highly entertaining bout with Tecia Torres that was an early pick for Fight of the Night. Namajunas looked for a flying armbar, but I guess Torres had heard something about it.
Also, Thug Rose gives zero fucks about your stupid resets, Big John:
I love Leslie Smith, but there’s no way I’m not using this kickface. PhotoProps: Esther Lin / Invicta FC
Invicta continues to impress with good matchmaking and stellar action in its latest card, and for the first time, Invicta is available widely through pay per view, leaving behind any old issues with UStream. Apparently this is the first all-female MMA pay per view, so it’s a historic night, and the fights delivered, as usual.
CagePotato’s Professional Gangsta “Thug” Rose Namajunas was glorious in defeat last night, putting on a highly entertaining bout with Tecia Torres that was an early pick for Fight of the Night. Namajunas looked for a flying armbar, but I guess Torres had heard something about it.
Also, Thug Rose gives zero fucks about your stupid resets, Big John:
Seriously, Namajunas is awesome. I would have beaten her boyfriend in a dance-off and claimed her hand and probably given her my team jacket by now, but her boyfriend has tree trunks for legs and he smiles a lot. You don’t fuck with a guy like that.
Miriam Nakamoto is NASTY, son.
A former Muay Thai champ, Nakamoto leaves a wake of knee-shaped dents everywhere she goes, and now carries a 2-0 record (plus this one NC versus Jessamyn Duke on the last Invicta card, on account of one of her vicious knees being illegal). ”The Queen of Mean” is just one of the bright spots on the horizon at 135.
Also looking bright is the strawweight division.
Mizuki Inoue is a new prospect out of Japan. Her striking looked very crisp against fan favorite Bec Hyatt — at just eighteen years old, she looks like she’s been boxing since she was a zygote. Inoue took a decision win for the upset, and now stands at 6-1. Keep an eye on her.
Also at 115: Claudia Gadelha, JoJo Calderwood and the aforementioned Torres-Namajunas scrap all looked like talented athletes coming up in the sport. Gadelha will get a title shot against current strawweight champ Carla Esparza; Calderwood and Torres both move up in the pecking order. Namajunas gets to vlog for you assholes. So really, who wins?
That’s Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith up top getting footed in the face, in her first fight at 125. Her opponent Jennifer Maia is coming off an upset victory over Zoila Frausto, and the two will turn in a thrilling three-rounder.
You may have heard me say good things about Smith when she fought at 135, now ten pounds lighter at flyweight she’s a beast. As suspected, Smith’s decision victory was good enough to earn her the next crack at 125 pound champ Barb Honchak (although turn in another Fight of the Night performance — Smith’s third — probably doesn’t hurt).
Atomweight standout Jessica Penne got back on track with a first round sub of Nicdai Rivera-Calanoc, but there’s a bit of chatter about her shove after the tap. Check it out and you tell me.
Kind of a dick move, right?
Ediane Gomes did not fight, because like twenty fighters pulled out of this card and it was all kinds of crazy. Also no one wants to get worked by the scary Brazilian lady that doesn’t have a big name. At least if Cyborg knocks you out, people can be like “Well yeah, it was Cyborg, the fuck did you expect?”
Full results:
145 lb. title: Cris Cyborg Justino def. Marloes Coenen via TKO (punches and elbows) in round four
115 lbs.: Claudia Gadelha def. Ayaka Hamasaki via TKO at 3:58 of round three
135 lbs.: Lauren Taylor def. Sarah D’Alelio via UD (30-27, 29-28×2)
125 lbs.: Leslie Smith def. Jennifer Maia via UD (30-27×2, 29-28), Fight of the Night
105 lbs.: Jessica Penne def. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:57 of round one, Sub of the Night
115 lbs.: Joanne Calderwood def. Norma Rueda Center via UD (30-27, 29-28×2)
115 lbs.: Mizuki Inoue def. Bec Hyatt via UD (29-28 x3)
135 lbs.: Miriam Nakamoto def. Duda Yankovich via KO in round one, KO of the Night
115 lbs.: Tecia Torres def. Rose Namajunas via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28)
Prelims
115 lbs.: Emily Kagan def. Ashley Cummins via split decision (30-27×2, 29-28)
115 lbs.: Livia von Plettenberg def Kathina Catron via UD (30-27, 29-28×2)
