Having trained around the country and for the first time internationally, Chelsea Rae is looking to make an impression as she steps into the Tuff-n-uff cage February 22 in Las Vegas, and air on tape delay on BeInSports. We talked to Rae about her training camp and making one of her goals come true. Continue reading WMMath Podcast with Amateur Fighter Chelsea Rae
Category Archives: tuffnuff wmma
DeAnna Bennett on Tuff-n-uff Bout; Getting Title Opportunities
Photo Courtesy – Dave Mandel/InvictaFC
DeAnna Bennett has had a rough few years, but she is back on track.
A solid camp behind her and a win at Invicta, she looks to continue her way to a title by defeating Kelly Kobold at Tuff-n-uff’s first all pro MMA event September 14th in Las Vegas.
We talked to Bennett about her return to the cage, the flyweight title picture, and finding a new training home. Continue reading DeAnna Bennett on Tuff-n-uff Bout; Getting Title Opportunities
Tuff-n-uff “Pack the Mack” Crowns 2 New Female Champs
Photo courtesy: John Wood
It was nearly at capacity at the Thomas and Mack center in Las Vegas for Tuff-n-uff’s “Pack the Mack” event Saturday night. Two female title bouts plus a 135 contenders bout were on the docket on the 16 fight card.
Tuff-n-uff had streamed the event live on facebook but due to time constraints the stream was interrupted. We are told Tuff-n-uff will be re-uploading the stream and we will update you where you can find it in the coming days. Continue reading Tuff-n-uff “Pack the Mack” Crowns 2 New Female Champs
Tuff-n-uff “Pack the Mack” – All Female Fighters Make Weight
Three female bouts with two belts on the line will be in front of a huge crowd Saturday night in Las Vegas for Tuf-n-uff’s annual “Pack the Mack” amateur MMA event.
The main event features champion Cheyanne Vlismas battling Ohio’s Crystal Vanessa Demopoulos for the strawweight title. Vlismas tipped the scales at 115 while Demopoulos weighed at 114.6. Continue reading Tuff-n-uff “Pack the Mack” – All Female Fighters Make Weight
Watch “Female Fighting: The Time is Now” Documentary
Three years ago, we set out on a mission to find out what makes a woman want to take up fighting and why it has become so popular.
After the growing popularity of InvictaFC, the UFC adding more weight divisions, and growing interest internationally, there was a lot has changed since the we started, but many of the same themes are still there. Continue reading Watch “Female Fighting: The Time is Now” Documentary
Help us Create a New Wombat Sports
As I explained in my open letter, I am looking to change Wombat Sports to what it was initially meant to be. I can’t do this on my own, and that;s where you come in.
We are looking for contributors to help with writing articles and covering certain combat sports. You would also get to interview talented athletes in those sports.
The main contributors we are looking for is in women’s boxing, Muay Thai, freestyle wrestling, and BJJ. (We already have some people interested in covering the WMMA portion of the site). The cool things is I have the tools to gain news and info for these sports, just not the time to write it up. You can “learn on the job” if you aren’t an expert on these topics; but being curious is the key thing.
You can learn more about what I am expecting and what benefits come with being a part of Wombat Sports here.
2014 WMMA Press Award Winners
Over the next week, the WMMA Press Committee will be awarding their 2014 award winners.
Member websites will be giving the away the awards via written stories and podcasts.
The members include:
- Gina Begley – Pro WMMA Now / Bluegrass MMA
- Pedro Henrique – Da Made Ferro MMA (Brazil)
- Charlie Jewett – CJ’s Report (covering Asian MMA)
- Yael Grauer – Sherdog.com
- MarQ Piocos – WombatSports.com
- Elias Stefanescu – Ground and Pound (Germany)
- Kristin Ursy – Women’s MMA Round-up
The awards will wrap up with Pro WMMA Now giving away the “Fighter of the Year” award on Monday January 19.
We will update the list (and links to acceptance interviews) as each website awards the recipients.
Here are the winners:
Fighter of the Year
Winners of the divisional awards will be eligible
Featherweight of the Year
- Amanda Bell (3-0 in 2014) – winner
- Megan Anderson (4-0 in 2014)
- Latoya Walker (2-0 in 2014)
- Jessy Miele (3-1 in 2014)
Bantamweight of the Year
- Ronda Rousey (2-0 in 2014) – winner
- Bethe Correia (2-0 in 2014)
- Tonya Evinger (2-0 in 2014)
- Pannie Kianzad (3-0 in 2014)
Flyweight of the Year
- Roxanne Modafferi (2-0 in 2014)
- DeAnna Bennett (4-0 in 2014) – winner (listen to her accept her award here)
- Maryna Moroz (3-0 in 2014)
- Emily Corso (4-0 in 2014)
Strawweight of the Year
- Katja Kankaanpää (2-0 won Invicta title)
- Carla Esparza (1-0; won UFC title)
- Jessica Aguilar (3-0 in 2014)
- Joanna Jedrzejczyk (3-0 in 2014 @ 115) – winner (read more here)
Atomweight of the Year
- Herica Tiburcio (1-0 in 2014; won the Invicta title)
- Jodie Esquibel (2-0 in 2014)
- Seo Hee Ham (3-0 in 2014 at atomweight)
- Ayaka Hamsaki (2-0) – winner (Hamasaki’s acceptance speech on the CJ Report)
Fan Favorite Fighter
- Joanne Calderwood (15% of the vote) – Winner (read her acceptance speech here)
- Tonya Evinger (11%)
- Ronda Roousey (10%)
Fight of the Year
- Paige VanZant vs. Kalin Curran
- Catherine Costigan vs. Irene Cabello
- Katja Kankaanpää vs Stephanie Eggink
- Herica Tiburcio vs Michelle Waterson – winner (read Tiburcio’s acceptance speech on DaMadeFerroMMA.com)
- Randa Markos vs Jessica Penne
- Renata Baldan vs. Michele Ângelo
- Cat Zingano vs. Amanda Nunes
- Jéssica Andrade vs. Raquel Pennington
Knockout of the Year
- Eeva Siiskonen vs Inga Kaledeite at Carelia Fight 10 – (Video here)
- Amanda Bell vs Marina Shafir at Chaos At The Casino 5 – (Video Here)
- Bianca Daimoni vs Yelka Torres at Circuito Talent de MMA 9 – (Video here)
- Ronda Rousey vs Alexis Davis at UFC 175 – (Video Here)
- Christine Stanley vs Katie Runyan – (Video here) – Winner (Listen to her accept the award here)
- Joanne Jedrzejczyk vs Rosi Sexton at Cage Warriors 69 – (Video Here)
- Michele Angelo vs. Roberta Gomes at MMASH 3 – (Video here)
Submission of the Year
- Hérica Tibúrcio defeats Michelle Waterson via Guillotine Choke at Invicta FC 10 – (Video on UFC Fight Pass)
- Reina Cordoba defeats Anely Jimenez via Key Lock at CRF 14 – (Video here)
- Jessy Miele defeats Lissette Neri via Scraf Hold Armlock at Gladiator Challenge – (Video here)
- Kirstie Gannaway defeats Adek Omar via Triangle Choke at ONE FC 22 – (Video here)
- Milana Dudieva def. Daria Chibisova via Heel Hook at ProFC 53 – (Video Here)
- Katja Kankaanpää def. Stephanie Eggink via Darce Choke at Invicta FC 8 – (Video on UFC Fight Pass) – winner (read more here)
- Raquel Pennington def. Ashlee Evans-Smith via Bulldog Choke at UFC 181 – (Video on UFC Fight Pass)
- Luana Souza def. Kelly Katiussy via Keylock at X-fest 7 – (Video here)
Newcomer of the Year
- Katlyn Chookagian (2-0 ammy; 2-0 pro in 2014)
- Andrea Lee (3-1 ammy, 2-1 pro in 2014) – winner (listen to her accept the award here)
- Emily Corso (4-0 pro in 2014)
- Jamie Moyle (3-0 ammy, 1-0 pro in 2014)
- Amanda Ribas (2-0 ammy, 3-0 pro)
- Danielle Taylor (4-0 pro)
- Jenny Lou Shiver (3-1 pro)
- Jessy Miele (3-1 pro)
Amateur of the Year
- Brenda Enriquez (3-0 in 2014)
- Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (3-0 in 2014)
- Hannah Zeciri (4-0 in 2014)
- Robin Wissmann (3-0)
- Amanda Lino (6-0) – winner (Lino acceptance speech and interview)
- Sarah Jamila (3-0)
- Alyse Anderson (3-0)
- Alexa Connors (3-0)
Promotion of the Year
- Invicta
- DEEP-JEWELS
- Princesses of Pain
- XFC
- MMA Super Heroes
- Cage Warriors
- UFC – winner (read more here)
Sponsor of the Year
- Fight Chix
- Tussel Fight Gear
- SportsFood – co-winner (read and listen to them accept here)
- xIonx
- MMA Road Hog – co-winner (read and listen to them accept here)
- Fightergirls
Headline of the Year
- Invicta Inks Deal with UFC Fight Pass
- Bellator Adds Featherweight Division
- UFC crowns Strawweight champion in Carla Esparza – winner (read more here)
- XFC announces female tournaments
- MMA Super Heroes Debuts with Female Tournament
Legacy Award
- Barry Meyer, Tuff-n-uff promoter (Jeff Meyer accepting the award on Barry’s behalf)
Inspirational Fighter
- Cat Zingano (Read more here)
Tuff-n-uff to Crown Invicta 155/145 Tournament Champions
Two news additions to InvictaFC will be decided tonight.
The finals of the Tuff-n-uff featherweight and lightweight tournaments take place tonight (Friday) in Las Vegas, which will stream on GoFightLive.tv for $10.
Amber Leibrock will battle Paola Ramirez in the featherweight final, while Felicia Spencer will fight Jessica Richer in the lightweight final. All made weight.
Leibrock (2-1) was a last minute replacement in the tournament and got a 25 second TKO win in her semi-final contest with Pam Sorenson. Undefeated Ramirez (4-0) won an unanimous decision over Heather Wilson in the other semi-final. They will be the co-main event of the evening.
Spencer (4-1) submitted Leanne Foster with an armbar to send her to the 155 final. Jessica Eve Richer (3-0) would get an unanimous decision to her place in the final. The match will serve as the main event.
The card starts at 7 p.m. pst/10 p.m. est. Click here to purchase and watch the stream.
Tuff-n-uff Creator Barry Meyer Honored with WMMA Press Legacy Award
The WMMA Press committee will from time to time on a deserving basis give out the “Legacy Award” to honor an individual who has helped shape and pioneer women’s MMA.
This year we will give that honor to Barry Meyer (posthumously), who helped run Tuff-n-uff MMA helping develop female amateur mixed martial arts and helped create stars such as Ronda Rousey.
Meyer started the promotion in 1994 but would hold his first amateur MMA event in 2003. He held what would be one of the first all female amateur events in July 2009. Since then, Tuff-n-uff has helped groom Rousey, Marina Shafir, Tonya Evinger, Jessamyn Duke, the Lybarger twins, among others to become stars in MMA.
He also was instrumental in helping Mia Hayes fight for the promotion. Hayes, a cancer patient, wanted to live the dream of being a mma fighter, and Meyer was able to set up a fight under the Tuff-n-uff banner. Meyer established the “Might Mia” Inspirational Fighter of the Year award, an award the WMMA Press has also adopted.
Meyer passed in 2013 but his legacy still continues with his brother Jeff, who has established tournaments to help develop stars for Invicta.
Barry Meyer touch so many involved in the women’s divisions that he more than deserves to be our Legacy Award winner this year.
IMMAF Sets Date for 2015 World Championships
The International MMA Federation has announced the dates for its second amateur world championships.
The event will once again be held in Las Vegas, Nevada during the week of the UFC Expo, July 7-12. The federation will again team up with Tuff-n-uff for the four day tournament which features fighters from across the planet.
The first event saw 23 countries represented and crowned four female champions last year. The hope is more countries will field teams and increase participation, especially in the female ranks.
More news about team qualifications will be announced soon at IMMAF.org.
The MRS (WMMA and WBoxing News) – Oct. 31
Miscellaneous News
In boxing action Friday:
- Yesica Patricia Marcos defeats Estrella Valverde at 1:48 round 1 to retain the WBA World super bantamweight title in Mendoza, Argentina
- In Trnava, Slovakia, Zita Zatyko defeats Szilvia Szabados by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBF super middleweight title
Ronda Rousey versus Cat Zingano has been moved to February 28.
UFC President Dana White made the announcement this week of the change of date, which was originally set for January 3rd. The match will now co-main event the UFC 184 pay per view in Los Angeles, the hometown of champion Rousey.
The Ultimate Fight Finale will feature all but Justine Kish competing in December 12 in Las Vegas. Most of the matches won’t be announced till the week before the finale.
UFC fighter Bethe Correia sustained a minor eye injury and won’t be available to compete until February.
InvictaFC president Shannon Knapp told MMA Mayhem Radio she will do all in her power to help Cyborg Justino get her a match with Ronda Rousey.
Cyborg seems to be “on schedule” for her cut to 135 for her match December 10 at Invicta.
Tabby Patterson announced her next fight will be against Cara Jo Wesemann at Gladiator Fighting Association in Topeka, KS for their amateur bantamweight title November 13th.
With Leah Letson turning pro, Florina Moeller will step up to take part of the Tuff-n-uff/InvictaFC featherweight tournament next weekend.
We will talk to Moeller on the Wombat Sports podcast Sunday to discuss preparing for her first semi-final match and her career as a fighter.
You can listen live here at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est Sunday.
Rumors
InvictaFC atomweight Jessica Philippus tweeted she will be returning to action early next year.
Amateur strawweight standout Kali Robbins will make her pro debut At Super Brawl in Milwaukee January 23rd.
USA Olympic wrestler Adeline Gray stated in a recent article she is looking to pursue a MMA career after the 2016 Olympics. She won’t start serious training until after then.
Scheduled Matches
Pro MMA
InvictaFC 9 is this weekend with nine scheduled bouts Saturday night in Davenport, Iowa; streaming on UFC Fight Pass at 8 p.m. central time.
You can check out the weigh-in results here.
Shortly after, come back to Wombat Sports and we’ll have the post-fight presser stream.
Also Saturday night, XFCi will start its season season strawweight tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The will stream on XFCMMA.com starting at 10:30 est/7:30 pst.
Strawweight tournament Quarterfinals
- Marcela Yineris vs Liana Ferreira Pirosin (115)
- Marina Moroz vs Karine Silva (115)
- Dora Perjes vs Luana Santos Medeiros (115)
- Fernanda Priscila Barros Pinheiro vs Viviane Pereira (115)
In the co-main event, Julie Werner and Iryna Shaparenko will square off in a non-tournament bout.
In a rare Monday event, DEEP-JEWELS will hold it’s sixth card in Tokyo, Japan. The main event will feature atomweight champion Seo Hee Ham defending her belt against Saori Ishioka.
In other fights on the card:
- Emi Fujino vs Ayaka Miura (115)
- Shizuka Sugiyama vs Yurika Nakakura (135)
- Tomo Maesawa vs Yuko “Amiba” Oya (115)
- Satomi “Sarami” Takano vs Mina Kurobe (105)
- Yukiko Seki vs. Naomi Taniyama (105)
- Brittany Ann Decker vs. Pan Hui (105)
Cage Warriors happens Saturday morning in Newcastle, England as Irene Cabello takes on Vanessa Reinsch in an atomweight bout. The fight will be part of the non-streamed prelims.
In other pro bouts:
- At FWC 19 in Nerang, Queensland, Australia, Lana Kate takjes on Zoie Shreiweis
- Jaymee Jones battles Krystal McGuire in Tulsa, OK at XFN 21
- At XFC Australia in Mansfield, Queensland, Terissa Wall faces Helen Malone
- Katelyn Dykas fights Taylor Turner at Valor Fights in Pigeon Forge, TN
- At AFC 13 in Brazil Claudia Rey takes on Yelka Torres
- Ana Karla Morais faces Werônica Medeiros at NFA inTrindade, Goias, Brazil
Ammy MMA
In amateur MMA:
- At Clan Wars in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Leah McCourt faces Aoifé Murphy
- Hannah Sears battles Hannah Elswick at King of Jacksonville – Jacksonville, North Carolina
- At Cage Wars in Albany, New York, Amanda Brundige fights Brittany Ehntholt
- In a pair of bouts at Gladius Fights in Ithaca, New York, Janice Meyer takes on Fernanda Araujo and Kate Riley battles Casey Garland (150)
- Stephanie Hull faces Cassie Schmeekle at Shofights in Branson, MO
- At Destiny Na Koa in Honolulu, Hawaii, Angela Lee takes on Audrey Perkins
Boxing
Eva Voraberger will look to defend her WIBF and WBF super flyweight title as she faces Renata Domsodi in Vienna, Austria.
Voraberger (18-3) has won back to back since her last loss, and has 9 KOs to her credit. She won the titles in June.
Domsodi (12-5) is the current WBF International and UBO international bantamweight champion and had 5 KOs to her credit.
Yuko Kuroki will defend her WBC minimumweight title for the first time as she takes on Katia Gutierrez in Fukuoka, Japan.
Kuroki (11-4-1) is unbeaten in her past three fights and won the title in June. Gutierrez is the former IBF world minimumweight champion eight of her last 9 fights.
On other boxing action:
- In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ruth Stephanie Aquino takes on Laura Martinez
- Viviane Obenauf battles Zsofia Bedo in Berne, Switzerland
- In Hamilton, Bermuda, Teresa Perozzi faces Kali Reis
- Felice Moncelli fights Sasa Janjic in Lazio, Italy
The MRS (WMMA & WBoxing News) October 24
Miscellaneous News
In action Friday morning, Brogan Walker defeated YooJin Jung by unanimous decision at PXC 45 in Guam.
Jessica Eye versus Leslie Smith has been moved to the main card at UFC 180 in Mexico City, Mexico November 15\, so it will be on PPV rather than Fox Sports 1.
Brazil’s Osvaldo Paqueta announce the nominees for their Female Fighter of the Year award.
Nominees include Herica Tiburcio (InvictaFC), Jennifer Maia (InvictaFC), Kalindra Faria (XFC/WSOF), Karine Silva (XFC), and Livia Renata Souza (InvictaFC).
Voting for the Brazilian award will start in December.
Leah Letson has decided to forego the Tuff-n-uff tournament and pursue a pro career. She will take on Christina Jobe at King of the Cage in Carlton, MN November 22.
Letson (5-0) has three finishes to her credit, while Jobe (5-4) has finished in all but one of her amateur bouts.
Letson will be on the Wombat Sports podcast Sunday at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est. You can listen live here.
Two other pro bouts were also announced this week.
- Breea Gilbert and Carolyn Biskup will look for their first pro wins at Hoosier Fight Club in Valparaiso, Indiana November 8th.
- Poland’s K-1 champ Ania Fucz will look for her second MMA win as she takes on 1-1 Cinja Kiefer at Lanna Time II in Bochum, Germany November 29.
In amateur bouts announced this week:
- On November 8th, Nikki Duncan takes on Chelsi Westdorp in a flyweight bout at Vertex MMA in Cadillac, MI.
- November 22 at Total Warrior Combat in Lansing, MI Alyse Anderson will defend her atomweight title against Danielle Huff.
InvictaFC is running a instragram MMA costume contest with the winner getting V-mode headphones, an autographed InvictaFC 9 poster, or an InvictaFC sweatshirt. More details here.
Cassie Rodish is auctioning off her fight outfit from RFA 19 for Stop Cancer the Marni Fund. You can make your bid here.
If you haven’t noticed – Sqor, the upstart social media platform, has been using the cast of TUF 20 to promote it. The fighters have been getting good sums of money in the deal, with Felice Herrig banking $10,000.
Finnish fighter Vuokko Katainen, who lost in the opening round of the XFC flyweight tournament by majority decision, has signed a six fight deal with the promotion.
Swedish fighter Linn Wennergren will join her at XFC. She will make debut with the promotion November 22.
The GFight Women’s MMA summit will return in 2015. More details will be forthcoming but you can check out updates and give us some input by joining the GFight facebook group.
Rumors
Jessica Aguilar told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour podcast that her fight with Kalindra Faria is still on. She also re-confirmed two more matches on her contrast including the Faria fight and she will be able to “test the waters” to be signed elsewhere when it’s up.
Add Livia Renata Souza to the list of possibles for InvictaFC 10 in December.
Scheduled Fights
Pro MMA
Former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen will make her Bellator MMA debut Friday night in Mulvane, KS as she takes on Italian MMA star Annalisa Bucci. Both Coenen (145.9) and Bucci (145.2) made weight for the 145 pound bout that will air on Spike TV.
Coenen (21-6) is coming off her second loss to Cyborg Justino in Invicta, and looks to help jump start the women’s featherweight division in Bellator.
Bucci (7-3) is coming off a win over InvictaFC’s Maria Hougaard Djursaa. This will be her US debut.
MMA Super Heroes will have an one night atomweight tournament Saturday in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
In semi-final bouts:
- Amanda Torres takes on Bianca Reis
- Arielle Souza faces Janaisa Morandin
The tournament will stream for free on EI Nordeste youtube channel at 7:30 est/4:30 pst Saturday.
WMMA pioneer Satoko Shinashi will return to action after a six year absence from the sport to take on Ye Jin Jung at DEEP in Tokyo, Japan Sunday.
Shinashi (29-2-2) is a 13 year veteran of the sport, and holds the record for most armbar submission wins. She is the former DEEP atomweight champion. She took time off to start a family, but decided to return to competition.
Korea’s Jung will make her pro debut after having several amateur MMA bouts under RoadFC. The 15 year old also has some kickboxing experience.
In other pro bouts:
- At PLMMA 41 in Legionowo, Poland, Barbara Nalepka takes on Izabela Badurek
- At DFC Fall Brawl in Frago, ND, Summer Bradshaw battles Mariah Prussia
- In a pair of bouts at Gladiator Challenge in San Diego, CA, Lissette Neri fights Jessy Miele and Bryanna Fissori faces Catalina Madril
- Rachael Short takes on Zhen Wei at MIMMA in Malaysia
- At Strikers House Cup in Brazil, Mariana Morais battles Geisielli Nascimento (125)
Ammy MMA
WMMA returns to South Africa as Fightstar MMA will feature an amateur MMA bout.
Iris Rodrigues will look for her second win as she takes on the debuting Shana Power. Rodrigues won her MMA debut with a unanimous ddecisionover Santa-Marie Venter.
In other amateur bouts:
- In a pair of bouts at Fight to Win in Glendale, Colorado, Brittany Boone takes on Hanna Schaefer while Grace Cleveland faces Cady Kinzie
- Małgorzata Smaczniak battles Agnieszka Więcek at Memoriał Pawła Kamińskiego in Gniezno, Poland
- At RUF in Parker, Arizona, Valerie Quintero fights Erika Norato and Nicole Sontag takes on Terry Rucker
- Amber Ortiz faces Brittany Simms at Midtown Throwdown in Eugene, OR
Boxing
Yazmin Rivas will defend her WBC World bantamweight title against Susie Ramadan in Durango, Mexico.
Rivas (30-8) won the title in June with an unanimous decision win over Alesia Graf. She has won 7 of her last eight fights.
Also on the card Alondra Garcia will duke it out with Maria Salinas
In Nagano, Japan WBA atomweight champion Ayaka Miyao will defend her title for the 6th time taking on Satomi Nishimura.
Miyao (18-5) has held the title since 2012, and hasn’t been beaten since 2010. Nishimura (7-1) is looking for her first world title.
In other pro boxing bouts:
- NABF flyweight champion Chantel Cordova will defend her title against Gloria Salas in Pueblo, Colorado
- In London, United Kingdom, Marianne Marston and Marianna Gulyas will duke it out for the vacant Malta (MBC) International super bantamweight title
- Ana Lozano faces Liliana Palmera in Barranquilla, Colombia
- In Cataluña, Spain, Daniele Limone takes on Abigail Medina
- Adela Celeste del Carmen Peralta battles Cristina Beatriz Cuevas in Santa Fe, Argentina
