If we are talking about the future of the women’s divisions of MMA, look no further than the IMMAF.
Their youth divisions for athletes under 18 have provided a secure environment to grow and learn. It also gives them an opportunity to prove their skills against others and win championships.
In the coming weeks we are highlighting some of these athletes.
Abigail Alvarez took home gold at the IMMAF Youth World Championships in Bulgaria representing One Legacy Training Center and Barreto BJJ lin San Diego, California. A second generation fighter, she is coached by her father Christian along side Victor Barreto and Victor Cubillas. She fell in love with Muay Thai at a young age, but took a while until she could train striking martial arts. Since then she is finding success in all aspects of the sport.
If we are talking about the future of the women’s divisions of MMA, look no further than the IMMAF.
Their youth divisions for athletes under 18 have provided a secure environment to grow and learn. It also gives them an opportunity to prove their skills against others and win championships.
In the coming weeks we are highlighting some of these athletes.
Lariah Gill won the gold at atomweight at the 2021 IMMAF Youth Championships in Bulgaria and is already looking like a prodigy in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Starting only four years ago in BJJ under Ricardo Guimaraes at Gracie Humaita Temecula, she started to win local titles in her weight class. This soon picked up to training other arts, including Muay Thai at Hernandez Kickboxing with Richard Hernandez, Judo at Socal Judo with Israel Hernandez, and Wrestling at Lions Den with Brandon Williamson.
If we are talking about the future of the women’s divisions of MMA, look no further than the IMMAF.
Their youth divisions for athletes under 18 have provided a secure environment to grow and learn. It also gives them an opportunity to prove their skills against others and win championships.
In the coming weeks we are highlighting some of these athletes.
Andrea Frisque got the silver at the 2021 IMMAF Youth Championship in Bulgaria, which solidified Kihon MMA even more as a hotbed for young talent. Having trained in taekwondo at a young age, Frisque soon met Coach Eddie Bates and transitioned into MMA and has been training in it for five years.
If we are talking about the future of the women’s divisions of MMA, look no further than the IMMAF.
Their youth divisions for athletes under 18 have provided a secure environment to grow and learn. It also gives them an opportunity to prove their skills against others and win championships.
In the coming weeks we are highlighting some of these athletes.
Alexis Hazelton is coming off a bronze medal at the 2021 IMMAF Youth Championship and is proving to be the future of the MMA Gold gym in El Dorado Hills, California. Under her coach Jim West, she is also a teammate of current UFC star Aspen Ladd. Hazelton isn’t one not to learn from one coach, as she also trains boxing at Mike Guy Boxing, Muay Thai with with Jake Douangdara, and strength and conditioning with Coach Doug Casebier at Our House Fitness. Not to mention is a part of the Folsom High School and Mad Dawg Wrestling Club.
If we are talking about the future of the women’s divisions of MMA, look no further than the IMMAF.
Their youth divisions for athletes under 18 have provided a secure environment to grow and learn. It also gives them an opportunity to prove their skills against others and win championships.
In the coming weeks we are highlighting some of these athletes.
A Gold medalist at the 2021 IMMAF Youth Championship in Bulgaria, Hannah Wagstaff is a second generation martial artist trained by her father Christopher at Kihon MMA in Desert Hot Springs, California. Along with coach Eddie Bates, Hannah made a quick impression on the world stage at flyweight.
If we are talking about the future of the women’s divisions of MMA, look no further than the IMMAF.
Their youth divisions for athletes under 18 have provided a secure environment to grow and learn. It also gives them an opportunity to prove their skills against others and win championships.
In the coming weeks we are highlighting some of these athletes.
Coming off a bronze medal finish in the IMMAF World Youth Championships in Bulgaria, 14 year old Allison Keenan is providing a vision of where USA’s female athletes are heading. She is training out of Kihon MMA in Desert Hot Springs, California under coach Eddie Bates.
History will be made this weekend as this will be the first time a mother and daughter will fight MMA on the same card.
Cindy Dandois and her daughter Lola will be taking part of the Conquest of the Cage event near Spokane, Washington Saturday. Mom will be competing in pro MMA against Bethany Christensen; while her daughter will be making her amateur MMA debut against the Juliana Pena trained Darina Glassburn.
In what will be a busy week between PFL, Tuff-n-uff, UFC, One Championship, Rizin, and Combates; we give you the fights to watch. We will be live at the PFL playoffs and Tuff-n-uff and our guest Chelsea Rae helps us break them down as she prepares for her own fight at Tuff-n-uff Saturday. She will also be coaching some of the Wimp 2 Warrior participants in their first MMA bouts.
Invicta was this past weekend and we go through the results and give you the line-up for the next card.
It is becoming more and more common that girls are coming from the BJJ realm to wrestling and finding success.
In only a few years, Autumn Gordon has become one of the top girls in wrestling, having taken home the 2017 Junior Folkstyle National championship and became a qualifier for the US Senior World Team Trials. Not to mention she has been invited to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. This after she won a IBJJF title.
The teenager signed to the University of the Cumberlands wrestling team and a possible run at the 2020 Olympics isn’t out of the question. Continue reading Future Stars: Autumn Gordon→
Girls competing in combat sports isn’t only in the United States.
Europe continues to see more and more girls looking to make fighting a career. Great Britain’s Yanida Driscoll is no exception. The 11 year old has already won titles in kickboxing not only locally but in Europe. Her latest being WFMC British Ring Kickboxing Champion.
Out of Fight Solutions HQ in Long Beach, California, 13 year old Destiny Moreno is already making waves in Californian combat community.
Having won multiple titles in jiu-jitsu (IBJJF Kids international Champion, SJJIF Worlds Champion, and Jiu Jitsu World League Champion just to name a few), she is round out her game in Muay Thai, winning the USMTO MuayThai West Coast Championship.
Out of New Jersey, Layla Newton is getting a huge head start.
The 11 year old already has 7 NAGA titles under her with one in kickboxing. dhe has been training out of Team Taino martial arts with Eddy Torres, Yasmeen Salhani, Taylor Samarco and Rell Jefferson for the past 4 year.
Wombat Sports: What got you interested in getting involved in combat sports?
Layla Newton: I got interested in combat sports by watching the ufc with my dad. I saw Ronda Rousey fighting and I said to my dad girls can do this??? He said girls can do anything they want. Continue reading Future Stars: Layla Newton→
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