Brazilian rising star Bethe Correia kept her undefeated record intact with a well-deserved victory on Saturday night at “UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira” in Baltimore. Correia outstruck “TUF 18″ quarterfinalist Jessamyn Duke en route to a unanimous decision win in a bantamweight bout on the televised preliminary card.
Leading up to Saturday’s fight, some questioned whether Correia (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) would be able to contend with Duke’s (3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) significant height and reach advantage in the striking exchanges. Correia proved her doubters wrong and she repeatedly scored with leg kicks and right hands throughout the three-round bout.
In the opening round, Correia landed a series of kicks that turned Duke’s lead leg a dark shade of red. She mixed up her strikes well with quick punching combinations and more kicks. When Duke secured a Thai clinch and threw knees in close, Correia countered and broke free. Duke took her down very briefly, but Correia returned to her feet and the fighters exchanged punches. Correia closed out the competitive first round with more hard leg kicks.
Round 2 was more of the same early on and Correia had success with combinations of leg kicks and right hooks. Duke scored a takedown and she worked for a guillotine choke in a scramble, but Correia escaped and she wound up on top in side control. Duke gave up her back and returned to her feet soon after. She took Correia down once more, but she could not keep her down for long and Correia finished the round strong with kicks and overhand rights.
Early in the final round, Correia scored at will with flurries of punches as Duke appeared to be struggling to find her range. Correia landed more leg kicks and a four-punch combination that allowed her to break free from a clinch. She backed Duke up with more punches, but Duke countered with a takedown. Correia escaped out the back and worked from Duke’s guard. The fighters were stood up and Correia stuffed a late takedown attempt.
After 15 minutes of action, the cageside judges returned a unanimous verdict. Scores were 29-28 and 30-27 twice for Correia, whose stock continued to rise with the victory. Duke, who recently joined up with UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler and Marina Shafir to form a powerful stable known as “The Four Horsewomen,” suffered her first official loss as a professional.
Correia appears to have her sights set on conquering the four-woman stable one by one. After defeating Duke, she held up four fingers to symbolize the sign of “The Four Horsewomen,” then put one finger down as if to say, “One down, three to go.”
Baszler, who is currently recovering from an injury, took exception to Correia’s taunts. A bout between Correia and the veteran submission specialist could prove to be an intriguing fight should the UFC choose to match the fighters up later this year.
“TUF 20″ tryouts attract 36 hopefuls for all-female season
On Monday, 36 of MMA’s top female fighters converged in Las Vegas in hopes of earning a spot on the upcoming 20th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” For the first time in the show’s lengthy history, “TUF 20″ will feature an all-female cast and the winner of the grueling competition will become the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion.
“TUF 20″ is set to feature a cast of 16 strawweights plus two alternates. UFC officials initially announced a partial cast of 11 fighters in December, but only eight from the original group will compete on the show. Confirmed participants are Invicta FC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza (9-2), Joanne Calderwood (8-0), Tecia Torres (4-0), Felice Herrig (9-5), Bec Hyatt (5-3), Alex Chambers (4-1), Emily Kagan (3-1) and Rose Namajunas (2-1).
Undefeated BJJ black belt Claudia Gadelha (11-0) will no longer compete on “TUF 20″ due to concerns over her ability to make 115 pounds multiple times during the show. Gadelha’s Brazilian compatriot, Juliana de Lima Carneiro (6-1), was removed from the show’s cast due to her accent and limited English. Rounding out the omissions, 20-year-old Paige VanZant (3-1) did not meet the minimum age requirement in order to participate. All three fighters are expected to bypass “TUF 20″ and move straight into the UFC.
Monday’s tryouts attracted a wealth of talent as champions, veterans and prospects alike all traveled to Las Vegas in hopes of earning a spot on the show, which begins filming on July 1 and concludes in mid-August.
The list of tryout hopefuls included former Invicta FC atomweight champion Jessica Penne (11-2), NAAFS women’s flyweight champion Aisling Daly (14-5), skilled grapplers Lisa Ellis (15-8) and Randa Markos (4-1), Invicta FC veterans Nina Ansaroff (6-3) and Sarah Schneider-Chance (6-6), and long-time contenders Angela Magana (11-6) and Michelle Ould (7-3). Top young prospects in the atomweight, strawweight and flyweight divisions also took part in the tryouts in hopes of becoming the first-ever UFC women’s champion at 115 pounds.
“TUF 20″ hopefuls took part in striking, grappling and interviews during the tryout process as UFC officials and FOX Sports producers looked for the best candidates for the show. A final list of 16 cast members, plus two alternates, will be determined shortly and that list will be announced in the coming months.
The two women who fight their way to the tournament final will then square off for the UFC women’s strawweight title at the TUF 20 Finale.
Kalindra Faria dominates Sanja Sucevic at XFC International 4
One of Brazil’s fastest-rising female stars, Kalindra Faria (15-3-1), posted her 11th straight victory on Saturday night at XFC International 4 in Osasco, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The hometown favorite earned a lopsided unanimous decision win over Serbian prospect Sanja Sucevic (4-3) in the strawweight co-main event.
Faria recently signed a new contract with XFC and she made a statement to the rest of the promotion’s 115-pound women’s division with Saturday’s impressive performance. Early in the fight, Faria scored a takedown and she landed some vicious right hands while standing over her fallen foe. She mounted Sucevic soon after and continued to batter her with punches, but Sucevic weathered the storm. Faria trapped her in two tight armbars, but Sucevic refused to submit and she slammed her way free shortly before the bell.
The fighters traded punches in Round 2 and Faria took Sucevic back down. She avoided a guillotine choke and worked from the top in Sucevic’s guard. With just over one minute remaining in the round, Faria mounted Sucevic again and she landed elbows that cut the Serbian fighter below the left eye and above the right. She closed out the round with more strikes from the top and nearly finished the fight in the process.
Faria did not let up in Round 3 and she scored another quick takedown. Sucevic returned to her feet and Faria landed some hard knees to the body. She countered kicks from Sucevic by taking her down once more. Faria punished her with numerous elbows from the top and transitioned to another tight armbar just before time expired.
None of the cageside judges awarded any 10-8 rounds to Faria, but all three scored the one-sided bout in her favor. Scores were 30-27 across the board for Faria, who has now won 11 straight fights. She has not lost since March 2011 when she was submitted by recent Invicta FC flyweight title challenger Vanessa Porto.
Princesses of Pain books round-robin tournament for May 3
New Zealand’s Princesses of Pain promotion returns with another all-female fight card on Saturday night that includes both a 60-kilogram round-robin tournament and a 55-kilogram single-elimination grand prix. The event features a total of 10 women’s bouts and takes place in Panmure, Auckland, New Zealand.
The A-Class professional portion of the card is comprised of a three-woman round-robin tournament that will determine a champion at 60 kilograms (132 pounds). In the first fight in the round-robin, Desiree-Ann Maaka (0-0) makes her pro debut against Charlene Watt (0-0). The fighters first faced off in the quarterfinal round of Princesses of Pain’s amateur women’s bantamweight tournament in September. Watt earned a third-round submission victory in the pair’s first fight and she advanced on to the finals of the one-night tournament before dropping a unanimous decision to Dawn Chalmers.
In the second round-robin fight, Maaka faces off against jiu-jitsu specialist Kate Da Silva (5-1), who is no stranger to tournament competition. In August, Da Silva moved up in weight in order to take part in the Storm MMA women’s featherweight title tournament. She submitted back-to-back opponents before suffering her first career defeat against recent Invicta FC signee Faith Van Duin in the championship final.
The third and final bout in the round-robin tournament pits Da Silva against Watt. The fighter with the best record at the end of the three-fight tournament will be crowned as the new Princesses of Pain 60-kilogram champion.
Saturday’s card also includes an amateur title tournament at 55 kilograms (121 pounds) that will use a single-elimination format. In the first of two semifinals, Tairi Ford faces off against Hera Tamati. The second semifinal pits Ursula Nicole Marshall-Steele against Serina Cole. Winners of the semifinals will compete later in the night to determine a tournament champion.
In non-tournament action, Missy Laxon faces Tracey Burns, Gabriella Marsters takes on Sabrina Compton, Barbara Verlinden battles Bente Hollen and Lizzie Warner meets Krissy Pettman.
Quick results
Angela Hill (1-0) def. Stephanie Skinner (2-5) via TKO (punches) at the 1:35 mark of Round 2 at “US Freedom Fighter Championship 18: Metal and Mayhem” on April 26 in Winston-Salem, N.C. Hill, a decorated Muay Thai fighter, made a successful pro MMA debut with the stoppage victory. She was one of 36 fighters who tried out for “TUF 20″ on Monday.
Mariah Prussia (3-0) def. Shannon Gunville (2-1) via submission (punches) at the 1:20 mark of Round 2 at “Dakota FC 18: Spring Brawl 2014″ on April 26 in Fargo, N.D. Prussia overwhelmed Gunville with ground and pound en route to the verbal submission victory. She has finished all three of her opponents with strikes and none of her fights have made it past the second round.
Shannon Sinn (1-0) def. Courtney Himes (0-2) via submission (armbar) at the 51-second mark of Round 1 at “Sparta Combat League: Army vs. Marines 5″ on April 26 in Loveland, Colo. Sinn followed up on her stellar 5-1 amateur career by winning her pro debut in impressive fashion.
Also on the Sparta Combat League card, Amanda Bell (1-2) def. Brittney Elkin (1-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 3:48 mark of Round 2. Invicta FC veteran Bell picked up her first professional victory with the second-round tapout win. She notably stopped current UFC fighter Jessamyn Duke in a November 2011 amateur fight.
Aline Serio (9-5) def. Paula Baack (1-3) via split decision at Gringo Super Fight 10 on April 27 in Sao Jose dos Pinhais, Parana, Brazil. Serio has won three of her four fights in 2014 and her lone defeat this year came via a competitive decision against Kalindra Faria.
Upcoming fights
Aya Saeid Saber(2-3) faces Ana Julaton (0-0) at “One FC 15: Rise of Heroes” on May 2 in Manila, Philippines. Saber put an end to a three-fight losing skid by earning a first-round submission victory this past month. She makes a quick return to action to face Julaton, a highly-skilled striker who makes her much-anticipated pro MMA debut. Julaton sports a 13-4-1 boxing record that included WBO and IBA super bantamweight title reigns.
Also on the One FC 15 card, Jeet Toshi (2-1) faces Jujeath Nagaowa (0-0). Toshi most recently earned a first-round submission win in October. She returns to One FC to face local Filipina favorite Nagaowa, who makes her pro debut.
Lynnell House (2-1) faces Stephanie Essensa (1-0) at Havoc Fighting Championship 5 on May 2 in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. House looks to rebound from her first professional defeat against “TUF 20″ hopeful Randa Markos in a strawweight title fight this past month. She had previously earned back-to-back first-round knockout wins. Essensa made a successful pro debut for Havoc FC in January when she choked out Jennifer Stumborg.
Pannie Kianzad (4-0) faces Annalisa Bucci (6-2) at “Superior Challenge 10: Helsingborg” on May 3 in Helsingborg, Sweden. Kianzad is one of Europe’s top female prospects and she is coming off of a big win over Russian standout Milana Dudieva in October. She competes in front of hometown supporters against Italy’s Bucci, who is riding a five-fight winning streak.
Betina Baino (0-2) faces Claudia Vasconcellos (0-0) at Samurai Combate 5 on May 3 in Gravatai, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Baino looks for her first pro win when she faces off against Vasconcellos, who makes her professional debut on the card.
Cassie Crisano (1-1) faces Glauciele Silva (0-0) at “Strike Fight Combat: Olimpia Fight 2″ on May 3 in Olimpia, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Crisano picked up her first pro victory in November when she submitted Ana Paula Oliveira. She will make a very quick return to action following the bout with pro debutant Silva and next faces Beatriz Zambonini on May 11.
Reagan Benedetti (1-0) faces Katie Howard (1-1) at CageSport 30 on May 3 in Tacoma, Wash. Benedetti followed up on her unbeaten amateur career by choking out Invicta FC veteran Cheryl Chan in her February pro debut. Howard is coming off of a razor-thin split decision loss to Glena Avila earlier this month.
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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