Women's MMA - Tournament Season in Full Swing

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.

Angela Magana

Angela Magana is out of the Bellator 115 pound tournament due to injury. News broke this past weekend that Magana had broken her foot from training with a larger training partner, and under doctor’s orders, couldn’t compete. Magana will be put in as an alternate if anyone gets injured.

Carla Esparza courtesy Brent Matsuno

Magan's replacement is 3-0 Carla Esparza, a world class wrestler. She will face #1 ranked Megumi Fujii on Thursday, while #7 ranked Jessica Aguilar faces #9 ranked Lynn Alvarez this Thursday in Hollywood, FL, which will be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net.

We got to talk to Jessica Aguilar talked bout her training going into her match with Lynn Alvarez on Sportsgeeks.

Jessica Aguilar courtesy SFL Chronicle

“I prepare for my fights the same way,” Aguilar admitted. “My training never changes; only my strategy. I am not training less on the ground because I am good at the ground, but I have a lot to learn.” 

“If (Lynn Alvarez) wants to stand up, I’ll stand up. If she wants to do what she wants to do I am ready to take it where she wants to take it.”

Ashley Weakley Courtesy Ultra Vista/Tuff-n-uff 

The finals are set for the Tuff-n-uff 125 pound and 135 pound title tournaments, as the semi-finals commenced last Friday.

In the 135 pound semi-finals:

Emily Peters-Kagan def. Tsui-Jen Cunanan via Split Decision

Ashley Weakley def. Jillian Lybarger via a first round submission due to a dares choke

Jenny Yum Courtesy Ultra Vista/Tuff-n-uff

In the 125 pound semi-finals:

Jenny Yum def. Lindsay Jones with a spinning back fist in roughly 15 seconds and

Stephanie Eggink def. Katie Klimansky unanimous decision

Stephanie Eggick faces Jenny Yum for the Tuffnuff 125 title and Emily Peters-Kagan will face Ashley Weakley for the 135 pound title on Sept. 24.

In a non-tourmanet match - Autumn Richardson def. Christy Tada 1:20 in the first round via tko due to ground and pound

 Tuff-n-uff also did a moment of silence for Adrienne Simmons, who died shortly after her kickboxing match July 25.

Olympian Ronda Roussy wins in amateur debut

Olympic bronze medalist in judo, Ronda Rousey, won her amateur MMA debut last weekend, at CFL against Hayden Wolf via armbar at :45 seconds of round 1

In the only pro match this week - Roxanne Adams defeats Rena Pena via Unanimous Decision at TCF: Pure Combat 1

Coming up this Friday is the 135 pound Strikeforce tournament, which will feature #10 ranked Miesha Tate, #6 ranked Hitomi Akano, #2 ranked 125 pounder Carina Damm, and Upcoming glory champion Maiju Kujala. Fightergirls and Sportsgeeks were granted Kujala’s first US interview.

Finnish fighter Maiju Kujala

Kujala stated that she has been getting a lot of support from other Finnish fighters.

“Some guys are saying this is really cool,” Kujala said. “They are supporting me and encouraging me all the way. We have had only on fighter in the states in the whole history of MMA in Finland at UFC 13. It’s been a long time.”

“They are all saying not matter (if it’s) male or female, it’s a great step to fight in the states. It feels very nice for them to feel that way.”

The format of the tournament will consist of two 3 minute rounds in the semi-finals, with the judges deciding who will move forward in case of a draw. The finals will be contested in 3 three minute rounds, with an overtime to decide the winner if necessary.

MMA Fighter Colleen Schneider 

In the preliminary card, Tuff-n-uff vet Colleen Schneider will face the undefeated 3-0 Liz Carmouche in an altenate bout. The card is live in Phoenix, AZ and will be shown live on Showtime this Friday.

In the only other pro-fight this weekend – 

Michele Gutierrez faces Cassie Rodish at XFO: Outdoor War 6 in Illnois.

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.

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• Filed Under:  
• Martial Arts, MMA

This post is related to an event on our Calendar:

• Strikeforce Women's Welterweight Tournament