Women's MMA Report: Sara McMann wins UFC debut, summer schedule fills up

Sara McMann, 2004 Olympic freestyle wrestling silver medalist, kicked off her UFC career with an impressive victory on April 27 at “UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen” in Newark, N.J.

McMann overwhelmed Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff on the ground en route to a first-round TKO triumph in the UFC’s third women’s bout.

McMann (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) took advantage of Gaff’s overly aggressive style by shooting a quick double-leg takedown to begin the fight. She held down Gaff (10-5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) against the cage and threw short punches to the body. Gaff occasionally postured for an armbar, but McMann easily avoided danger and remained in her opponent’s guard.

After a lull in the action, the fighters were brought back to their feet. Gaff landed some solid knees and reversed a clinch against the cage, but she could not stay on her feet for long. McMann took her back down and passed to side control before moving to a top-side crucifix and landing two hard elbow strikes. Gaff tried in vain to buck and escape, but McMann was too strong for the German fighter. A series of unanswered right hands from McMann forced referee Gasper Oliver to intervene for the TKO stoppage at the 4:06 mark of Round 1.

McMann’s first-round win was the third-fastest victory of her career and her first finish since she submitted Raquel “Rocky” Pa’aluhi under the ProElite banner 20 months earlier. The standout wrestler has defeated former top 5-ranked opponents in each of her past three fights, and she is one of the most powerful competitors in the women’s bantamweight division.

Leslie Smith drops to 125 for title contender’s bout at Invicta FC 6

Popular rising star Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith makes her flyweight debut on July 13 at Invicta FC 6 in Kansas City, Mo. Smith is set to face Brazilian contender Jennifer Maia in a 125-pound title-eliminator bout on the event’s main card.

Smith (5-3-1) has developed a significant fan following during her time with Invicta FC thanks to her four exciting fights for the promotion. The Cesar Gracie-trained Smith is a two-time Invicta FC “Fight of the Night” winner. She earned her second FOTN bonus in her most recent bout against former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman at Invicta FC 5 in April. Kaufman eked out a razor-thin split decision victory in the fight, but Smith stole the hearts of the fans in attendance.

Maia (7-2-1) also was in action on the Invicta FC 5 main card. The 24-year-old picked up her biggest win to date by outpointing former Bellator women’s champion Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto Gurgel in a three-round clash. The victory established Maia as one of the division’s top contenders, and she’ll receive a shot at the Invicta FC flyweight title held by champion Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak if she can get past Smith in July.

The bout between Smith and Maia is the 13th fight announced for the Invicta FC 6 card. Two title fights headline the card. Former Strikeforce champions Marloes “Rumina” Coenen and Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino face off in a rematch for the inaugural Invicta FC featherweight championship in the main event. The co-feature has Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza looking to defend her Invicta FC strawweight championship for the first time against unbeaten Jewels titleholder Ayaka Hamasaki.

Invicta FC 6 fight card (lineup subject to change):

MAIN CARD

• 145 title: Marloes “Rumina” Coenen (21-5) vs. Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (11-1)
• 115 title: Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza (9-2) vs. Ayaka Hamasaki (9-0)
• 135: Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio (7-3) vs. Lauren Taylor (6-0)
• 125: Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (5-3-1) vs. Jennifer Maia (7-2-1)
• 105: Jessica Penne (10-2) vs. Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc (8-6)
• 115: Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood (6-0) vs. Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha (9-0)
• 145: Ediane “India” Gomes (10-2) vs. Julia “The Jewel” Budd (5-2)
• 115: Bec “Rowdy” Hyatt (5-2) vs. Mizuki Inoue (5-1)
• 135: “The Queen of Mean” Miriam Nakamoto (2-0) vs. “Diamond” Duda Yankovich (1-1)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• 115: “Thug” Rose Namajunas (2-0) vs. Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres (2-0)
• 115: Ashley “Smashley” Cummins (3-1) vs. Emily Kagan (2-1)
• 145: “Miss” Mollie Estes (1-2) vs. Veronica “The Heartbreaker” Rothenhausler (1-0)
• 105: “Fancy” Laura Sanko (1-0) vs. Livia “T-Rex” von Plettenberg (1-1)

Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche booked for UFC on FOX 8

Former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha “Cupcake” Tate (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) and recent UFC title challenger Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will meet in a featured 135-pound matchup at “UFC on FOX 8: Johnson vs. Maraga” on July 27 in Seattle. The fight joins a previously announced women’s bout between Julie “Fireball” Kedzie and Germaine “The Iron Lady” de Randamie on the card.

Tate got off to a strong start in her Octagon debut against “Alpha” Cat Zingano at the TUF 17 Finale this past month, but Zingano rallied in Round 3 and stopped Tate with a barrage of knees and a standing elbow. Tate had won seven of her previous eight fights prior to the setback. The talented wrestler has her sights set on a future rematch against UFC women’s bantamweight champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, who captured Tate’s Strikeforce title in March 2012 with a first-round armbar win.

Carmouche also looks to get back on track after suffering a similar fate in her February UFC title bout against Rousey. Carmouche had the judoka in trouble early in the fight, but Rousey escaped and forced Carmouche to submit to an armbar late in Round 1. Carmouche had earned back-to-back stoppage wins prior to the loss to Rousey, which marked the UFC’s first female fight.

As the UFC women’s bantamweight division continues to grow, the bout between Tate and Carmouche will be a pivotal one in determining which fighter will get back into title contention. The fight is expected to be a part of the FOX-televised main card. Kedzie (16-11 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and de Randamie (3-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) face off on the FX-televised preliminary card.

Pancrase 247 to feature two female fights, event streams live online

Long-running Japanese MMA promotion Pancrase has partnered with Ustream to make its next event available to viewers from around the world via online PPV. Pancrase 247 takes place May 19 in Tokyo, and the card features a pair of women’s bouts.

Bantamweight Queen of Pancrase Rin Nakai (13-0-1) is set to face KOTC junior flyweight champion Brenda “Boom Boom” Gonzales (4-0) in the co-main event on the card. Neither woman’s title will be on the line in the three-round bout, but a championship rematch will likely be booked if Gonzales is able to defeat the eccentric Nakai. The Japanese fighter became the first female champion in Pancrase history when she defeated Danielle West in December. Gonzales, meanwhile, claimed the KOTC title in October and made a successful championship defense two months later. She is arguably Nakai’s toughest opponent to date.

Gonzales’ Fit NHB teammate, Amber “The Bully” Brown (2-0), makes her Pancrase debut against Japanese veteran Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino (11-6) in a strawweight bout on the card. Brown opened her pro career with back-to-back KOTC wins. Fujino looks to rebound from a close decision loss to Ayaka Hamasaki in a Jewels title fight in December.

Both female bouts stream live during the Pancrase 247 online PPV, which is available for $9.99. The card currently includes a total of 29 fights.

Claudia Gadelha returns to face Herica Tiburcio at Max Sport 13.2

On Saturday night, highly touted Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha (9-0) returns to action for the first time since suffering a broken nose in late December. Gadelha is set to face top prospect Herica Tiburcio (5-1) at Max Sport 13.2 in Sao Paulo.

Gadelha originally was scheduled to face Carla Esparza for the inaugural Invicta FC strawweight title in early January, but she was forced to withdraw from the Invicta FC 4 card on just eight days’ notice after breaking her nose in training. The jiu-jitsu ace will make her Invicta FC debut against unbeaten Scottish striker Joanne Calderwood in July, but she must first get past Tiburcio this coming weekend. Gadelha has finished seven of her nine career opponents, and she is one of Brazil’s most promising female fighters.

Tiburcio quietly made a name for herself with five straight wins in her home country. Four of the 21-year-old’s victories have ended via first-round submission. In December, she faced Camila Lima in a rematch from June 2011. Tiburcio appeared to take the first two rounds, but Lima came on strong in Round 3 and dominated the final five minutes. Two judges scored the fight for Lima, who took a controversial split-decision win that left the crowd in a state of shock. The contentious result was briefly overturned to a no-contest, but Lima’s win was later restored. Tiburcio now looks to rebound from her first loss by scoring her biggest win to date.

Quick results

Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova (9-2) def. Fathia Mostafa (1-1) via submission (guillotine choke) at the 3:36 mark of Round 1 at Super Fight League 16 on April 26 in Mumbai, India. Mostafa landed some nice right hooks in the early striking exchanges, but Ovchynnikova clinched and pulled guard with a guillotine choke. She rolled into mount and tightened her grip on the choke, which forced Mostafa to tap out. The win was Ovchynnikova’s first inside the SFL cage.

Agnieszka Niedzwiedz (3-0) def. Klaudia Apenit (1-2) via TKO (punches) at the 4:02 mark of Round 2 at MMA Attack 3 on April 27 in Katowice, Poland. All three of Niedzwiedz’s victories have come via a form of knockout. The 18-year-old is one of Poland’s top female prospects.

Iasmine “Mine” Fernandes (2-0) def. Aylla Caroline Lima da Silva (0-1) via KO (punches) at the 47-second mark of Round 1 at “Imperium: MMA Pro 3? on April 27 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Fernandes backed Lima da Silva up against the cage and dropped her with a series of powerful hooks for the quick knockout win.

Erica Paes (2-1) def. Gisele Maciel (1-2) via submission (triangle choke) at the 4:03 mark of Round 1 at Gringo Super Fight 6 on April 27 in Rio de Janeiro. Paes, the only woman to ever defeat former Strikeforce champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, was competing for the first time since October 2005. Santos was in attendance and served as a guest official for the fight.

“Little” Patricia Vidonic (8-5) def. Jessica “Black” Doerner (3-2) via submission (armbar) in Round 1 at “Golden Cage MMA: Magic City Mayhem 2? on May 4 in Minot, N.D. Vidonic stepped in on short notice and moved up in weight to take the flyweight fight. The victory got her back on track following a controversial spli- decision loss to Jessica “Jag” Aguilar at Bellator 94 in late March.

Upcoming fights

Lana “The Black Mamba” Kate (1-1) faces Amy Adam (1-1) at Australian Fighting Championship 5 on May 10 in Melbourne, Australia. This bout is a rematch from Brace For War 18 in December, when Kate edged out Adam via split decision. Adam rebounded from the close loss with a first-round victory at Brace For War 19 in February.

Shauna “Little Thunder” Carew (1-1) faces Nusreen Isphany (0-0) at “Eternal MMA 2: Remorseless” on May 11 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Carew looks to rebound from an upset loss in her most recent fight in February. Isphany makes her pro MMA debut.

Kalindra Faria (8-3-1) faces Dayse “Guerreira” Santos Nascimento (1-1) at Detonic Fight 2 on May 11 in Ouro Fino, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Faria has won four straight fights and became the inaugural Pink Fight 121-pound champion in March 2012. She recently signed with the Texas-based Legacy FC and will likely debut later this year. Santos Nascimento fought two times in a one-week span in September. She won her pro debut via unanimous decision and suffered a submission loss to Camila Lima in her second fight.

Cheryl “Kid Chaos” Chan (0-1) faces Amy Cadwell (0-0) at Cage Warrior Combat 4 on May 11 in Kingston, Wash. Chan went 6-2 with six submission wins and captured three titles during her amateur career. The Canadian submitted Cadwell with a fourth-round triangle-armbar in the pair’s first meeting in September 2011. In her July pro debut, Chan dropped a unanimous decision to Jocelyn Lybarger at Invicta FC 2. Cadwell has amassed a wealth of experience during her lengthy amateur career, and she makes her pro debut in the rematch.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk (2-0) faces Kate Jackson (4-1) at “Professional League of MMA 17 Extra: Warmia Heroes” on May 18 in Olsztyn, Poland. Jedrzejczyk picked up a pair of victories in 2012, including a notable win over fellow prospect Sylwia Juskiewicz. England’s Jackson rebounded from her lone loss with back-to-back wins this past year. Two of her four wins have ended via TKO inside the first minute.

Ligiane Coelho (0-0) faces Roberta Paim (0-0) at JVT Championship 4 on May 18 in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Both fighters make their pro debuts in the welterweight bout.

MMAjunkie.com publishes the Women’s MMA Report every other Monday. 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.