"In all my years traveling around the world, I have witnessed soccer as the one thread that many cultures and people have in common," -Doug Band.

Help bring the World Cup to the United States in 2018/2022! Please visit gousabid.com for more ways you can support the sport- and the country- that you love.

Women's MMA - Busiest Two Months in Women's MMA History

posted by MarQFPR, a Women Talk Sports blogger
Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 4:16am PDT

About MarQFPR:

...more

Welcome to the Fightergirls column on Women Talk Sports brought to you by your source for women’s mma gear and clothing Fightergirls.com. Here is the news for this week.

In breaking news, the New York State assembly has taken out the provision which would have legalized MMA in the state from its budget. The proposal was killed in committee, but assemblyman Steven Englebright, who sponsored the bill and is the chair of the assembly's Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development Committee, will re-introduce the bill next year if he is re-elected.

#7 ranked Jessica Aguilar Courtesy Tom Hill

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney has announced their first two matches in the 115 pound women’s tournament starting Aug. 12 in Hollywood, FL. Number one ranked 115 pounder Megumi Fujii will be facing #8 ranked Angela Magana, and #7 ranked Jessica Aguilar will face #10 ranked Lynn Alvarez.

The other first round matches will be contested in Chicago Aug. 19, with the participants being 125 pounders #3 ranked Zoila Frausto and #5 ranked Aisling Daly plus 115 pounders #4 ranked Lisa Ward, and #5 ranked Jessica Pene. The matches for the Chicago show are yet to be announced.

All matches will be televised on Fox Sports Network.

Jocelyn Lybarger (left) & Amanda Lauland

Tuff-n-uff MMA held their opening around of amateur women’s 135 and 125 tournaments this past Friday. The nearly sold out crowd saw an excellent set of fights, which saw seven women advance in their respective tournaments.

In the 135 pound division -

Tsui-Jen Cunanan defeats Mollie Estes via guillotine choke in the first round

Michelle Velebit defeats Sarah Marang via split decision

Jocelyn Lybarger defeats Amanda Lauland via unanimous decision

and Ashley Weakly defeats Emily Peters-Kagan via unanimous decision.

In the 125 pound division -

Jenny Yumm defeats Nicole Hess via unanimous decision

Lindsay Jones defeats Trish Clarke via unanimous decision

and Stephanie Eggink defeats Jillian Lybarger via triangle choke in third round.

Complete coverage of the Tuff-n-uff tournaments can be found at our forums at Fightergirls.com. Tuff-n-uff also will have a 145 pound tournament later this year, which top amateur fighter Moa Palmer is scheduled to be apart.

#1 125 and #3 135 ranked Tara LaRosa

The July rankings has seen a huge change in the 125 pound division, since the upset victory of Zoila Frausto over the formerly number one ranked Rosi Sexton. Tara LaRosa has taken over the number one spot, making her the first women in the Unified rankings history to have been #1 in two different divisions. LaRosa was ranked #1 in the 135 pound division last year. LaRosa is also ranked in the 135 pound division this month at #3.

Carina Damm stays at number 2, with Zoila Frausto taking the #3 spot. Rosi Sexton drops from the top postion to #4, and Aisling Daly drops from third to fifth.

Erin Toughill

In the 145 pound division, former #2 ranked fighter Erin Toughill has dropped out of the top ten due to inactivity, but will more than likely reappear in the September rankings after her possible fight for Strikeforce Houston on Aug. 21. Strikeforce are still working out the details and no opponent has been announced. Toughill said in a recent interview that she has a seven fight deal with Strikeforce.

With Toughill’s departure from the list, all fighters shifted up a spot in the 145 pound division, with the exception of the number one ranked Cyborg Santos. Marloes Coenen, Gina Carano, Hiroko Yamanka, and Cindy Dandois round out the top five. Emily Thompson enters the list at #10.

The 115 pound and 135 pound divisions remain the same.

To see the complete listings, go to the forums at Fightergirls.com.

Jan Finney Courtesy Ester Lin/Strikeforce

Jan Finney says she is fine after her fight with Cyborg Santos at the last Strikeforce. It was first reported she had an orbital fracture, but says that after being x-rayed that the eye is fine, and all she has is cuts and bruises. She has a mandatory 45 day medical suspension as of June 28. Finney also announced she is dropping back to her natural division of 135 pounds. Depending on her healing process, it is suspected that Strikeforce may put her in the 135 pound women’s tournament.

Carina "Beauty but the Beast" Damm

Speaking of the Strikeforce tournament, four names have been made official by Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. Top ranked fighter and 145 pounder Marloes Coenen will be joined by top 125 pounder Carina Damm, #6 ranked 135 pounder Hitomi Akano, and Upcoming Glory Tournament Champion Maiju Kujala. The card is set to take place in Phoenix, AZ on Aug. 13.

Strikeforce isn’t sure as of yet if this will be a four women or eight woman tournament, and is seeking the Arizona State Athletic Commission’s approval to make this a one night tournament. If this turns out to be an eight woman tournament, Miesha Tate maybe invited to join. #4 ranked Shayna Baszler and Kerry Vera have not been contacted to compete, but aren’t out of the question. Top ranked fighter Tara LaRosa stated to Fightergirls she wasn’t interested in participating.

Lisa Marie Varon photo courtesy April Greene

Our reporter George Syroney was able to catch up with pro-wrestling Lisa Marie Varon, also know as Tara in TNA wrestling, and Varon stated she is in serious talks with several organizations to make her mma debut. Varon said she isn’t looking to mma as a career, but would love to have a few matches under her belt. The complete interview, including her explanation of her incident with Kim Couture last year, can be found at Fightergirls.com.

In matches this week –

Kim Couture will face Marianna Kheyfets at XFC 11: The Next Generation in Tampa, FL, which will be live on HDNet this Friday.

and

Amanda LaVoy will face Karina Hallinan at the IFC event in Mt Pleasant, MI

Fightergirls CEO and top fighter Debi Purcell will be hosting a Women's MMA Bootcamp at the "Fighter Girls Gym" in Irvine, CA this July 8-18. Pre-register to reserve your spot by call 949-215-5595 or for further information go to Fightergirls.com.

That is all for now. Please check out Fightergirls.com for all your women’s mma news and interviews. Plus follow us on twitter @Fightergirls with the most up to the minute breaking news stories in women’s mma.

Also check out the Fightergirls Store for all your mma gear and clothing, now featuring a line of women's and men's shorts. We also carry RevGear, Everlast, and Cleto Reyes boxing and mma gear.

Until next week.

View MarQFPR's Profile

Filed Under:
Martial Arts, MMA, Wrestling

There is 1 comment on this post. Join the discussion!

niamhg

Thanks for the update, it's so exciting to see so many women fighters. Didn't know that MMA is still illegal over in so many American states though, hope that changes soon!

Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 7:28am PDT

SIGNUP FOR A WOMEN TALK SPORTS ACCOUNT:

A Women Talk Sports account allows you to maintain a profile at www.womentalksports.com and login to comment on posts using your WTS identity.

Fields marked with a * are required.

Your First Name*:

Your Last Name*:

Your E-mail*:

Your Website:

Your Location:

Your Twitter Username:

Create a WTS Username*:

Create a Password*:

Confirm Password*:

Check here to receive bi-weekly emails from Women Talk Sports and partners highlighting discussions on our site and upcoming women's sporting events, as well as informing you of new products, services and special offers.

I accept the Terms & Conditions for joining Women Talk Sports