Women’s MMA Report: Budd returns at Bellator 146, Jones-Lybarger wins RFA title

Julie Budd

Top featherweight contender Julia Budd is set to make her return to the cage on Nov. 20 at “Bellator 146: Kato vs. Manhoef” in Thackerville, Okla. The Canadian standout is expected to face off against Brazilian finisher Roberta Paim Rovel, who brings an undefeated record into her North American debut.

Budd (7-2) won four straight fights for Invicta FC and appeared to be on the cusp of a title shot, but a series of injuries to opponents and late fight changes prompted her to seek out other options. She signed with Bellator this past year and made her promotion debut at Bellator 133 in February. Budd cruised to a unanimous-decision victory over Gabrielle Holloway, and she now looks to position herself for a potential Bellator title fight with another key win.

Rovel (4-0) remains a relative unknown to the North American MMA audience, but the fast-rising featherweight has established herself as one of Brazil’s brightest prospects by destroying each of her four opponents to date. After racking up back-to-back stoppage wins in 2013, Paim earned a pair of TKO triumphs this past year before signing on with Bellator. She has waited patiently on the sidelines since then and could make an instant impact by upsetting Budd.

With Bellator still focused on developing its 145-pound women’s division, the Budd-Rovel winner could move on to compete for a newly created women’s featherweight title in 2016.

Jones-Lybarger claims RFA belt

Pat Miletich and Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger

RFA crowned its inaugural women’s strawweight champion on Oct. 9 at “RFA 31: Smith vs. Marunde” in Las Vegas. Rising star Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-1) put forth the best performance of her career in a commanding unanimous-decision victory over former Bellator champion Zoila Frausto (12-5), who missed weight for the co-main-event matchup.

Fulfilling a promise to stand and trade strikes with her opponent, Jones-Lybarger did just that throughout the one-sided fight against Frausto, who struggled to mount any sustained offense. Jones-Lybarger dropped Frausto with a jab in the opening round and continued to batter and bloody Frausto’s face with punches on the feet and on the ground as the bout progressed.

By the end of the fight, Frausto was barely able to see out of either eye, but she made it to the final bell, and the bout went to the scorecards. All three judges saw it 50-45 for Jones-Lybarger, who captured her first major MMA title with her fourth straight victory for RFA. She has rapidly developed into one of the brightest stars on the RFA roster.

Frausto, who entered the title bout with a shoulder injury, sustained multiple facial fractures and additional injuries to her hand, shin and ankle in the fight itself. In between hospital visits, she thanked fans for their support, and indicated that she plans to continue to fight on.

Pena vaults up rankings, Namajunas impressive at UFC 192

Julianna Pena

“The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner Julianna Pena secured the biggest victory of her career in her most high-profile fight to date on Oct. 3 at “UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson” in Houston. The Washington native out-grappled Jessica Eye en route to a clear-cut unanimous-decision win, and she now finds herself on a short list of potential bantamweight title challengers.

Pena (7-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has battled through numerous hardships during her pro MMA career, including a trio of serious knee injuries that left her sidelined for more than three years. Since returning to the sport in April, when she destroyed Milana Dudieva at UFC Fight Night 63, Pena has showcased significant improvements to her skills, and she’s proven doubters wrong by defeating higher-ranked opponents in her quest to become a UFC champion.

In the bout with Eye (11-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC), Pena scored key takedowns in the opening round and finished strong with elbows from side control and a rear-naked-choke attempt. Eye’s best success came in the middle stanza, which included a tight arm-triangle choke and an armbar attempt from the Ohio native. It was all for naught, however, as Eye was docked one point for an illegal knee to the head of a grounded opponent, which left the round even at 9-9.

Already ahead on the scorecards, Pena left no doubt in the judges’ minds by dominating the final round. She nearly finished her opponent with a rear-naked choke and a top-side guillotine, but Eye survived until the final bell. Scores were 29-27 across the board for the normally outspoken Pena, who was “on her best behavior” in her post-fight interview. She did express an interest in challenging current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in the near future.

UFC 192 also featured a brief but entertaining women’s strawweight bout between “TUF 20” finalist Rose Namajunas (3-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and former castmate Angela Hill (2-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC). Namajunas avoided her opponent’s formidable striking skills by taking the fight to the mat early on. She locked on a rear-naked choke in a scramble as her opponent got back to her feet, and Hill tapped out in midair before collapsing face-first on the canvas at the 2:47 mark.

Namajunas, who was competing for the first time since falling to Carla Esparza in the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight title bout in December, has submitted her foes in all three of her pro victories. She also scored notable “TUF 20” wins over Joanne Calderwood and Randa Markos.

Ham vs. Casey slated for UFC Fight Night 79

Seo Hee Ham

After spending part of 2015 on the sidelines due to a nasal fracture, former Deep Jewels champion Seo Hee Ham returns to the octagon and competes in her home country on Nov. 28 at “UFC Fight Night 79: Henderson vs. Alves” in Seoul. The South Korean is scheduled to take on Cortney Casey in a strawweight bout.

Ham (15-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vacated her 106-pound Deep Jewels championship in November following a successful title defense and stepped in on short notice to face fellow striker Joanne Calderwood at the TUF 20 Finale. Calderwood out-struck Ham on the feet en route to a competitive decision victory, and Ham was subsequently sidelined when a nasal fracture brought on a severe case of asthma.

Casey (4-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), much like her opponent next month, is also coming off of a short-notice decision loss to Calderwood. She stepped in for an injured Bec Rawlings in July and had Calderwood in all sorts of trouble early in their UFC Fight Night 72 battle. However, Calderwood rallied in Rounds 2 and 3 and prevailed via a close but well-deserved unanimous decision. Casey’s spirited performance earned her a “Fight of the Night” bonus.

The Ham-Casey matchup is expected to be featured on the UFC Fight Night 79 preliminary card.

Markos faces Kowalkiewicz at UFC on FOX 17

Randa Markos

“TUF 20” semifinalist Randa Markos looks to take a big step toward a UFC women’s strawweight title shot when she steps back into the octagon on Dec. 19 at “UFC on FOX 17: Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2” in Orlando, Fla. Markos welcomes KSW champion and former top Invicta FC contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz to the UFC in a featured matchup.

Markos (5-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) shied away from the drama inside the “TUF 20” house and let her performances inside the cage speak for themselves. She advanced to the semifinals with big victories over Tecia Torres and Felice Herrig before falling to Rose Namajunas. At the TUF 20 Finale, Markos dropped a close split decision to fellow semifinalist Jessica Penne, but she notched her first official UFC win in April by outpointing Aisling Daly at UFC 186.

Kowalkiewicz (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes her long-awaited UFC debut after spending the majority of her career competing in her home country of Poland, where she is the current KSW women’s strawweight champion. In November, Kowalkiewicz traveled to the U.S. to face Japanese prodigy Mizuki Inoue at Invicta FC 9, and she took home a well-deserved split-decision win. She most recently edged out Kalindra Faria in a non-title bout at KSW 30.

UFC on FOX 17 also features a previously announced women’s bantamweight bout between former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman and Muay Thai standout Germaine de Randamie.

Schneider edges out Fissori at Pancrase 270

Colleen Schneider

While the cageside commentary was nothing short of a disastrous train wreck, the legendary Pancrase promotion made an otherwise successful and entertaining UFC Fight Pass debut on Oct. 4 with Pancrase 270 in Tokyo.

In a bout between two American bantamweights, Colleen Schneider (9-6) eked out a narrow split-decision verdict over Bryanna Fissori (2-1) after three hard-fought rounds. Schneider fared well in the early clinch battles and scored a nice takedown into side control. Fissori rallied and completely dominated the middle stanza on the mat after catching a spinning wheel kick. She landed numerous punches and elbows before attacking with a rear-naked choke.

The close fight appeared to be even heading into Round 3, which began with Fissori landing a series of right hands that were answered by kicks from Schneider. Fissori secured a headlock throw that allowed her to land a handful of punches before the final bell, but her late offense was not quite enough to take the victory. One judge scored the fight 29-28 for Fissori, but the remaining two both had it 29-28 in favor of Schneider, who has won three straight.

Five more bouts added to Deep Jewels 10 card

Emi Fujino

Recent Deep Jewels strawweight title challenger Emi Fujino (16-9) looks to rebound from a decision loss in August when she competes on Nov. 23 at Deep Jewels 10 in Tokyo. Fujino is set to face popular kickboxing prospect Nori Date (0-0) under MMA rules in one of five “Deep Jewels vs. Team Date” bouts on the card.

Fujino earned her shot at Deep Jewels gold in August by winning three straight fights, but her championship hopes were once again dashed by rival Mizuki Inoue, who defeated Fujino for the third time. Nori secured a spot on the Deep Jewels roster by winning an amateur bout for the upstart T-Rex promotion. She most notably took former Shoot Boxing champion Ai Takahashi to a razor-thin majority decision in June, and won a J-Girls kickboxing match earlier this month.

Joining Nori on the Deep Jewels 10 card are four other members of Team Date, which includes a number of young female fighters who almost exclusively compete using ring names. In an atomweight bout, Hana Date (0-0) clashes with grappling specialist Emi Yamamoto (0-2). Karei Date (0-0) meets prospect Sachiko Fujimori (3-1) at strawweight. Proof Date (0-0) debuts against Pan Hui (1-0) in atomweight action, and Nao Date (0-0) takes on Reina Miura in an amateur bantamweight bout.

Deep Jewels 10 also features a pair of atomweight contender’s bouts. In one, former interim strawweight champion Emi Tomimatsu faces Satomi Takano. Former Jewels champion Naho Sugiyama returns to battle Mina Kurobe in the other.

Quick results

Catchweight (110) – Irene Cabello (5-2) def. Amelie Lebrun (0-4-1) via submission (armbar) at the 2:20 mark of Round 1 at Arnold Fighters 3 on Sept. 25 in Madrid.

Strawweight – Mandy Polk (2-2) def. Anne Malinoff (1-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at Hoosier Fight Club 25 on Sept. 25 in Hammond, Ind.

Strawweight – Daizy Singh (4-1) def. Lalvenhimi Lalthuamlina (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 1:26 mark of Round 1 at “Super Fight League 43: Capital Collision” on Sept. 26 in Gurgaon, Haryana, India.

Flyweight – Natalya Denisova (2-1) def. Marina Lvova (0-2) via TKO (punches) in Round 2 at “Fight Star: Battle on Sura 4” on Sept. 26 in Penza, Russia.

Flyweight – Also on the Fight Star card, Anna Malyukova (1-0) def. Tatiana Portova (0-1) via unanimous decision.

Strawweight – Solange Tirolli (1-0) def. Graziele Ricotta (1-6-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 2:52 mark of Round 1 at Impactotal Fight 6 on Sept. 26 in Garca, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Bantamweight – Vanessa Melo (4-4) def. Juliana Leite (0-2) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 4:01 mark of Round 1 at “Gold Fight 7: Babuino vs. Serginho” on Sept. 26 in Taboao da Serra, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Flyweight – Ariane Carnelossi (3-0) def. Ana Paula Ventrilio (0-1) via TKO (punches) in Round 3 at “Champions Fight: Costa vs. Tche” on Sept. 26 in Presidente Prudente, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Flyweight – Anely Jimenez Garcia (8-4) def. Lisbeth Lopez Silva (0-2) via split decision at Jasaji Fighting League 9 on Sept. 26 in Tlalnepantla de Baz, Mexico.

Flyweight – Katy Collins (3-1) def. Briannah Conatser (0-2) via TKO (punches) at the 3:13 mark of Round 1 at “ExciteFight: Throwdown at the Thunderbird” on Sept. 26 in Norman, Okla.

Catchweight (120) – Jenny Liou Shriver (4-3) def. Heather Denny (1-1) via submission (armbar) at the 4:01 mark of Round 1 at “Super Fight League 44: America 6” on Sept. 26 in Tacoma, Wash.

Flyweight – Genah Fabian (1-0) def. Joanne Obolevics (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 1:20 mark of Round 2 at “K-Oz Entertainment: Bragging Rights 7 – Resurrection” on Sept. 27 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia.

Catchweight (119) – Angela Lee (2-0) def. Mona Samir (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 3:49 mark of Round 1 at “ONE Championship 31: Odyssey of Champions” on Sept. 27 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Atomweight – Anne Ferreira (1-0) def. Maria Oliveira Mota (0-1) via submission (armbar) at the 2:33 mark of Round 1 at Shooto Brazil 57 on Sept. 27 in Rio de Janeiro.

Catchweight (130) – Stephanie Bragayrac (6-3) def. Maria Vega (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 3:57 mark of Round 1 at Explosion MMA 6 on Oct. 2 in Asuncion, Paraguay.

Strawweight – Yajaira Romo de Carano (3-0) def. Viridiana Gonzalez (3-1) via unanimous decision at The Supreme Cage 6 on Oct. 2 in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Catchweight (120) – Chaleur Jones (2-3) def. Diana Atkin (2-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 2:13 mark of Round 2 at Rumble in the Cage 51 on Oct. 2 in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

Strawweight – Ashley Yoder (4-1) def. Angela Danzig (0-1) via submission (armbar) at the 4:50 mark of Round 1 at “BAMMA USA: Badbeat 17” on Oct. 2 in Commerce, Calif.

Flyweight – Micol DiSegni (1-0) def. Danella Eliasov (1-1) via unanimous decision at Extreme Fighting Championship 44 on Oct. 3 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Catchweight (121) – Jennifer Gonzalez (2-1) def. Maria Russo (0-1) via TKO (punches) in Round 1 at Chilean Fighter Andino 7 on Oct. 3 in Los Andes, Chile.

Bantamweight – Erin Harpe (1-0) def. Jamie Driver (0-1) via TKO (elbows and punches) at the 3:23 mark of Round 1 at Toe 2 Toe Fights 3 on Oct. 3 in Portland, Maine.

Catchweight (130) – Moriel Charneski (2-2) def. Trisha Clark (3-8) via TKO (punches) at the 3:47 mark of Round 1 at Kansas City Fighting Alliance 17 on Oct. 3 in Independence, Mo.

Heavyweight – Sarah Patterson (3-2) def. Erica Grover (1-1) via submission (punches) at the 3:41 mark of Round 1 at “SteelFist Fight Night 37: Stacked” on Oct. 3 in Farmington, Utah.

Strawweight – Stephanie Frausto (5-5) def. Maria Andaverde (2-4) via submission (armbar) at the 3:05 mark of Round 2 at “King of the Cage: Total Elimination” on Oct. 3 in Oroville, Calif.

Bantamweight – Stephanie Egger (2-0) def. Mara Romero Borella (4-3) via TKO (corner stoppage) at the 5:00 mark of Round 1 at Arena Fighting Games on Oct. 4 in Milan, Italy.

Flyweight – Daniela Maria da Silva (3-2) def. Queren Hapuque (0-2-1) via unanimous decision at Natal Fight Championship 9 on Oct. 8 in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

Flyweight – Irina Mazepa (1-0) def. Ann Osman (3-2) via KO (punches) at the 3:05 mark of Round 1 at “ONE Championship: Tigers of Asia” on Oct. 9 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Strawweight – Cheryl Chan (2-3) def. Alyssa Krahn (2-1) via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) at “Xcessive Force Fighting Championship 7: Bad Blood” on Oct. 9 in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada.

Catchweight (110) – Minna Grusander (1-0) def. Iman Darabi (2-2) via majority decision at Fight Night Finland 10 on Oct. 10 in Turku, Finland.

Flyweight – Marianthi Samouhou (1-2) def. Roula Tasioula (0-1) via submission (armbar) at the 1:43 mark of Round 1 at The Rocks of Martial Arts 2 on Oct. 10 in Kozani, Greece.

Catchweight (132) – Lili Sophie Riesinger (1-0) def. Sylvia Nagel (0-3) via KO (punch) at the 3:15 mark of Round 1 at We Love MMA 16 on Oct. 10 in Hamburg, Germany.

Catchweight (132) – Jennifer Maia (11-4-1) def. Marta Souza (2-8-1) via TKO (punches) in Round 1 at “Samurai Fight Combat 12: Hearts on Fire” on Oct. 10 in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil.

Strawweight – Viviane Araujo Gomes (1-0) def. Ana Karla Morais (0-2) via submission (heel hook) at the 3:35 mark of Round 1 at “Fight K: Aguia” on Oct. 11 in Gama, Federal District, Brazil.

Atomweight – Shino VanHoose (4-3) def. Jody Lynn Reicher (0-2) via submission (armbar) at the 1:53 mark of Round 1 at “Intense Championship Fighting 22: Tough Enough to Fight in Pink” on Oct. 16 in Great Falls, Mont.

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.