Carla Esparza
Former Invicta FC strawweight champion Carla Esparza made history once again on Dec. 12 at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale in Las Vegas. Esparza submitted fellow “TUF 20″ finalist Rose Namajunas with a rear-naked choke to become the first UFC women’s strawweight champion.
Esparza (10-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) earned her spot in the “TUF 20″ final by defeating Angela Hill, Tecia Torres and Jessica Penne in succession during the grueling competition. Namajunas (2-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) advanced to the championship bout with impressive submission wins over Alex Chambers, Joanne Calderwood and Randa Markos.
In the opening 10 minutes, Esparza showcased her much-improved boxing and countered Namajunas’ arsenal of kicks by taking her down on multiple occasions. Esparza dominated round 2 on the mat with vicious ground and pound that had Namajunas in all sorts of trouble before the bell. She took Namajunas back down in round 3 and flattened her out with punches, then locked on a rear-naked choke that forced Namajunas to submit at the 1:26 mark.
The slick submission victory earned Esparza the coveted UFC women’s strawweight title and extended her winning streak to five. She has not lost since June 2011 when she dropped a contentious split decision to current WSOF champion Jessica Aguilar, who holds the No. 1 spot in the women’s strawweight rankings for the time being. Esparza’s next opponent has not been officially confirmed, but she is expected to defend her new title in the coming months.
Esparza’s friend and training partner, former Invicta FC atomweight champion Jessica Penne (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), also picked up a key victory on the TUF 20 Finale main card. Penne edged out Canadian standout Randa Markos (4-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in an entertaining three-round battle that was primarily contested on the ground.
Penne cut Markos below the right eyebrow early in Round 1 and she threatened with numerous submission attempts later on. Markos mounted her and landed some solid ground and pound in Round 2, but Penne came on strong in the final round and she attacked with punches and a rear-naked choke. One judge scored the close fight 29-28 for Markos. The remaining two had it 30-27 and 29-28, respectively, for Penne, who took the split decision win.
Felice Herrig
Earlier on the card, Felice Herrig (10-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) forced veteran Lisa Ellis (15-9 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to submit to an armbar at the 3:05 mark of round 2. Ellis nearly choked Herrig out with a standing guillotine early in round 1, but Herrig survived and rallied in the second round.
Heather Clark (7-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) overcame a torn ACL and posted a unanimous decision victory over rival Bec Rawlings (5-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Clark controlled the first two rounds on the ground with punches and rear-naked choke attempts. Rawlings battled back in round 3, but it was not enough. Scores were 29-28 across the board for Clark, who underwent surgery on her damaged knee following the fight.
In a battle between two of the 115-pound division’s top strikers, Joanne Calderwood (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) kept her perfect professional record intact by outpointing DEEP Jewels featherweight champion Seo Hee Ham (15-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Ham scored with leg kicks and combinations, but Calderwood found her range as the fight progressed and she nearly finished Ham with an arm-triangle choke in round 3. Scores were 30-26 and 30-27 twice for Scotland’s Calderwood.
Highly-touted prospect Tecia Torres (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) earned a lopsided unanimous decision win over the outspoken and polarizing Angela Magana (11-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Torres battered Magana with punches and kicks throughout the one-sided fight. She took home the victory with scores of 30-26 and 30-27 twice, and plans to fight her way to a rematch with Esparza for UFC title gold in the future.
On the preliminary card, Aisling Daly (15-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) submitted Alex Chambers (4-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with an armbar at the 4:53 mark of round 1. Daly, who missed weight, put Chambers on the defensive right away and threatened with armbars until she was able to secure the tap.
Angela Hill (2-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) mauled Emily Kagan (3-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with punches, kicks, knees and elbows en route to a clear-cut unanimous decision victory. Scores were 30-27 and 30-26 twice for Hill, who continues to impress fans with her formidable striking skills.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk upsets Claudia Gadelha at UFC on FOX 13
One day after a UFC women’s strawweight champion was crowned at the TUF 20 Finale, Polish standout Joanna Jedrzejczyk made a strong case for a shot at the belt with a huge victory at “UFC on FOX 13: Dos Santos vs. Miocic” in Phoenix. Jedrzejczyk (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) edged out Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Claudia Gadelha (12-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in a back-and-forth battle.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Gadelha controlled most of round 1 on the ground, but Jedrzejczyk stole the round back by dropping her with a devastating uppercut in the dying seconds. Gadelha took the fight back down to the mat in rounds 2 and 3, but Jedrzejczyk was active from her back and she did more damage with her strikes.
After 15 minutes of action, and late punches from both fighters after the final bell, the bout went to the scorecards. One judge had it 29-28 for Gadelha, but the remaining two both favored Jedrzejczyk’s striking and scored it 29-28 in her favor.
While not yet officially confirmed, Jedrzejczyk will likely be the first woman to challenge Carla Esparza for the newly-established UFC women’s strawweight championship in 2015.
Satomi Takano submits Ga Yeon Song at Road FC 20
Japanese prospect Satomi Takano (4-5) halted a tough three-fight losing skid by scoring her biggest win to date on Dec. 14 at Road Fighting Championship 20 in Seoul, South Korea. Takano put herself in “Submission of the Year” contention by finishing South Korean star Ga Yeon Song (1-1) with an inverted triangle kimura in the Road FC 20 co-feature.
Takano, who was coming off of disappointing losses against some of Japan’s top female talent, was in complete control of the bout with Song from start to finish. After a big exchange of punches on the feet, Takano took Song down and chained together submission attempts until she was able to trap her in an inverted triangle choke and kimura combination. The much-hyped Song could not escape and she tapped out at the 4:28 mark of Round 1.
Julia Budd vs. Talita Nogueira booked for Bellator 133
Following a 4-0 run for Invicta FC, Canadian striker Julia Budd (6-2) is set to make her Bellator debut on Feb. 13 at Bellator 133 in Fresno, Calif. Budd meets undefeated Brazilian finisher Talita Nogueira (6-0) in a featured featherweight bout on the main card.
Budd kicked off her pro MMA career for Strikeforce in late 2010 and went 2-2 against the promotion’s top female talent at 145 pounds including current UFC champion Ronda Rousey. She moved on to Invicta FC and looked to be in line for a featherweight title shot on multiple occasions, but injuries and opponent changes delayed Budd’s journey to the belt. She subsequently signed with Bellator and now looks to hand Nogueira her first defeat. Nogueira has knocked out or submitted all six of her opponents to date including back-to-back submission finishes this past year. Both women last competed on Dec. 7, 2013.
Quick results
Katie Howard (3-3-1) and Kara Kirsh (1-1-1) fought to a majority draw at Hard Knocks Fighting Championship 40 on Dec. 12 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Howard took an early lead on the scorecards with takedowns and clinch control, but an illegal knee in Round 3 cost her a point and resulted in two judges scoring the fight even at 28-28.
Also on the HKFC 40 card, Lindsay Garbatt (1-0) def. Stephanie Essensa (1-1) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). The action-packed fight saw both women score with takedowns, ground and pound and submission attempts. Garbatt nearly finished the bout with a modified rear-naked choke in Round 2, but Essensa held on. The entertaining battle went to the scorecards and Garbatt walked away with a close decision win.
Roxane Teixeira (5-2) def. Daria Chibisova (0-2) via TKO (punches) at the 2:32 mark of Round 2 at “World Warrior Fighting Championship: Cage Encounter 2″ on Dec. 13 in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. Teixeira has racked up four straight victories this year since suffering a close split decision loss in a one-night tournament in February.
Gloria Lemus (1-1) def. Ericka Garcia (0-1) via TKO (punches) in Round 1 at “XFC (Extreme Fighting Combat) 6: The One” on Dec. 13 in Santa Tecla, La Libertad, El Salvador. Lemus rebounded from a decision loss in April with the ground and pound stoppage win.
Aline Sattelmayer (8-6) def. Polyana Viana Mota (4-1) via unanimous decision at Real Fight 12 on Dec. 13 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Sattelmayer has won three of her past four fights since dropping a decision to current Invicta FC champion Herica Tiburcio in May. Viana Mota suffered her first defeat in the fight after opening her pro career with four stoppage victories.
Anne Karoline Nascimento (2-2) def. Geisyele Nascimento (0-4) via TKO (punches) at the 59-second mark of Round 1 at Power Fight Extreme 12 on Dec. 13 in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil. Anne Karoline has picked up two straight wins this year. Geisyele has suffered first-round stoppage defeats in each of her four pro fights.
Silvana Gomez Juarez (5-0) def. Vanessa Melo (3-4) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at XFC International 8 on Dec. 13 in Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Juarez landed big combinations throughout the bout and dropped Melo on two occasions en route to a well-deserved victory on the scorecards. The Argentinian flyweight remains unbeaten as a pro.
In other action on the XFCi 8 card, Antonia Silvaneide da Silva (4-1) def. Debora Ferreira (4-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Da Silva took Ferreira down in all three rounds and controlled the fight from top position. She moves on to face Poliana Botelho in the finals of XFC’s latest women’s flyweight tournament.
Jenny Liou Shriver (3-1) def. Susy Watson (0-2) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at “Super Fight League 36: America 2″ on Dec. 13 in Tacoma, Wash. Shriver got back on the winning track with the victory following a one-sided decision loss to Jamie Moyle at Invicta FC 9.
Alyssa Krahn (2-0) def. Michelle Howse (0-2) via TKO (elbows) at the 1:08 mark of Round 1 at Unified MMA 21 on Dec. 19 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Hometown fan favorite Krahn earned her second straight victory under the Unified MMA banner. She previously defeated Chaleur Jones in her professional debut at Unified MMA 20 in September.
MMAjunkie.com publishes the Women’s MMA Report every few weeks. Its author, Robert Sargent, is a veteran MMA journalist who also runs MMARising.com. Feel free to email us at news [AT] mmajunkie.com with any questions, news tips or suggestions.
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