It was 2011 when Cris Cyborg was in Las Vegas for the GFight Summit, doing an all women’s seminar.
A decade and several belts later, she is still helping the next generation of female fighter and encouraging girls to start training in combat sports.
“For me it’s very special when I see the girls. ‘I started training after I saw you fight Gina Carano’,” Cyborg told us in a sit down interview this past week. “I am very blessed. After the fights the girls still talk to me (about fighting). It wasn’t big at the beginning but now I can leave a little bit more (of a legacy). A lot of people like to watch women in MMA which makes me very happy.”
Cris Cyborg and her family are celebrating their 10th card with a trio of female title bouts.
Nação Cyborg‘s all female event is set for October 21st in Bocaiuva do Sul, Parana, Brazil and opens up “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”. The main event features atomweight champion Aline Pires (4-4) defending her title against 3-1 Elisandra “Lili” Ferreira.
Update; InvictaFC and Legacy FC vet Nicolle Caliari (4-2) was going to face Mayara “Cangaceira” Reis (6-2-1) for the vacant strawweight title. (See pictures above) but Caliari has dropped out of the fight due to weight issues.
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.
Sweden has established itself as the new hotbed of female talent in MMA.
The team took home five medals with three of them gold at the IMMAF’s World Cup in Prague Czech Republic the week for September 11. Germany would take home three medals.
The event featured some of the best up and coming amateur talent in MMA in Europe.
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.
A special event at this year’s Olympics has been the addition of the home country’s sport of Karate.
It is a demonstration sport and isn’t a permanent sport as of yet. The action is high paced in the kumate portion with the artistic and technical side showing in the kata portion.
Wombat Sports 