Women's MMA Report: Eye stops Smith at UFC 180, VanZant shines in octagon debut

Popular bantamweight contender Jessica Eye earned her first official UFC victory on Nov. 15 in a bloody battle at “UFC 180: Werdum vs. Hunt” in Mexico City. Eye walked away with a second-round TKO win when the cageside doctor deemed that opponent Leslie Smith could not continue due to a gruesome ear injury.

Eye (11-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) initially won her UFC debut by outpointing former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman at UFC 166 in October 2013, but the victory was overturned when it was revealed that Eye had tested positive for cannabinoids. The Ohio native’s second UFC bout ended in a close decision loss to recent title challenger Alexis Davis, but Eye proved that she is still a force to be reckoned with by stopping Smith (7-6-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in Mexico.

Eye pressed the action early in Round 1 by landing combinations of punches and body kicks that backed her opponent up, but Smith answered back with a right hook and a head kick attempt. Eye got the better of the striking exchanges as the round progressed and she landed punches to the head and body. A looping right hook from Eye cut Smith’s cauliflowered left ear, which immediately began to bleed, and the opening round ended with an exchange of punches.

After a delay between rounds to check on the condition of Smith’s damaged ear, the fight continued and Eye landed more combinations early in Round 2. The fighters traded knees in the clinch and Eye targeted Smith’s ear with punches. The cauliflowered portion split and blood poured out, forcing referee Herb Dean to halt the action. Smith was checked on by the cageside doctor and, despite Smith’s protests, the bout was waved off at the 1:30 mark of Round 2.

Eye’s impressive stoppage win put her back on track in her quest to earn a UFC women’s bantamweight title shot after the close loss to Davis halted her climb up the rankings. The former top-ranked flyweight continues to showcase improvements in her already strong striking game. Smith has dropped two of her three UFC bouts, but she remains a fan favorite thanks to her gutsy performances and action-packed fights.

Paige VanZant wins long-awaited UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 57

20-year-old strawweight prospect Paige VanZant put on the best performance of her career en route to an impressive third-round TKO victory on Saturday night at “UFC Fight Night 57: Edgar vs. Swanson” in Austin, Texas. VanZant displayed big improvements in her first fight since April 2013 and stopped fellow prospect Kailin Curran with ground and pound.

VanZant (4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was initially slated to be a part of “The Ultimate Fighter 20? cast this year, but she was removed from the show due to her young age. Participants in the grueling competition must meet the legal drinking age of 21 in the U.S. in order to take part due to the producers’ insistence that alcohol be provided in the “TUF house.”

While her journey to the Octagon was delayed by her removal from the “TUF 20? cast, VanZant used the extra time to work on improving all areas of her MMA game. She returned to her original team, the Reno Academy of Combat, and made her long-awaited UFC debut on Saturday against fellow Octagon newcomer Curran (3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

In Round 1, the talented strawweights traded punches and leg kicks right away as the crowd cheered in approval. VanZant backed Curran up against the cage, but Curran countered with a standing elbow and she threw VanZant to the mat. VanZant stood up, but Curran countered her clinch strikes by scoring another takedown. VanZant attempted a series of armbars from her back and Curran punched her way free. In the final 30 seconds, VanZant secured an ankle-pick sweep and she immediately rained down punches from top position as Curran turtled up. Referee Kerry Hatley kept a close eye on the action, but Curran made it to the bell.

Early in the second round, VanZant reversed a rolling takedown and she landed a series of right hands as Curran worked back to her feet against the fence. She landed more punches and knees to Curran’s face until Curran briefly tripped her to the mat. VanZant returned to her feet and she continued to control the clinch battles with knees until Curran took her down late in the round. VanZant attempted an armbar shortly before time expired.

VanZant got Curran down against the base of the cage in Round 3 and she punished her with punches on the way back up. Curran answered with knees to the body in the clinch, but VanZant landed a series of foot stomps that forced Curran to adjust her stance. VanZant took advantage by throwing her forward on to her face. As Curran tried to get back to her feet, VanZant unloaded with left hands until the fight was stopped at the 2:54 mark of Round 3.

The thrilling bout between VanZant and Curran earned “Fight of the Night” honors, with both fighters taking home an extra $50,000 apiece. VanZant’s impressive victory moved her record to 3-0 in bouts that have taken place in Texas. She previously scored wins over Jordan Nicole Gaza and Amber Stautzenberger in action-packed fights in Texas earlier in her career. At just 20 years of age, VanZant is one of the brightest prospects in the women’s strawweight division.

Jessica Aguilar outpoints Kalindra Faria, retains strawweight title at WSOF 15

WSOF women’s strawweight champion Jessica Aguilar made another successful title defense on Nov. 15 in a featured matchup at “World Series of Fighting 15: Branch vs. Okami” in Tampa, Fla. Aguilar won her 10th straight fight by defeating Brazilian standout Kalindra Faria.

Controversy surrounded the bout between Aguilar (19-4) and Faria (15-4-1) in the weeks leading up to the event when XFC officials accused WSOF of breaching Faria’s exclusive XFC contract by booking her in the WSOF title fight. XFC opted not to block the fight from happening and instead filed suit in a Florida court on WSOF 15 event day. Faria overcame last-minute visa issues and arrived in Florida shortly before the pre-fight weigh-ins.

In spite of the controversy, the Aguilar-Faria bout ultimately proceeded as planned. Action was fairly sparse in the first three rounds and Aguilar took an early lead on the scorecards by landing right hands and knees to the body. She took Faria down in Rounds 2 and 3, but Faria countered with punches from her back and an armbar attempt. Aguilar avoided danger and she landed some decent ground and pound. The third round ended with both women landing knees.

Faria stuffed takedowns in Round 4 and she landed a spinning back kick and a flurry of punches to the body. Aguilar finally got her down and moved to mount soon after. She landed punches from the top and attempted a guillotine choke, but Faria escaped to her feet and walked Aguilar down with punches. Faria was aggressive with her strikes in the final round and Aguilar became wild with her punches. Aguilar did score a brief takedown, but Faria got back to her feet and she backed Aguilar up with punches, knees and front kicks.

In spite of Faria’s late rally, all three judges scored the fight 49-45 for Aguilar, who took the unanimous decision win. She remains atop the 115-pound women’s rankings for the time being. With nearly all of MMA’s top female strawweights currently competing in the UFC, however, and with a new UFC women’s strawweight champion set to be crowned next month, Aguilar’s No. 1 spot in the division likely won’t be hers for much longer.

Pannie Kianzad claims women’s bantamweight title at Cage Warriors 74

Unbeaten Swedish standout Pannie Kianzad captured her first major MMA title on Nov. 15 with a clear-cut unanimous decision victory at Cage Warriors 74 in London. Kianzad defeated short-notice replacement Eeva Siiskonen to become the inaugural CWFC women’s bantamweight champion.

Kianzad (7-0) opened the championship fight with a right hook and a head kick, but Siiskonen (3-2) caught it and countered with a hard leg kick. Kianzad took her down and she landed elbows, but Siiskonen was very active from her back and she trapped Kianzad in a tight armbar. Kianzad escaped and she closed out the opening round by landing combinations on the feet.

The middle rounds clearly belonged to Kianzad, who outstruck her opponent by landing front kicks, straight rights and a series of lead left hooks to the head and body. Siiskonen repeatedly tried to get the fight to the ground, but Kianzad stuffed her attempts each time and she landed knees and standing elbows in the clinch battles against the cage.

Kianzad fought off another takedown attempt from Siiskonen in Round 5 and she scored with knees and punches in close. She whipped Siiskonen to the mat and briefly held back control. Siiskonen scrambled and kicked her off, but Kianzad finished the round strong with more punches and knees. After 25 minutes of action, scores were 49-46 and 50-45 twice for Kianzad, who claimed the inaugural CWFC 135-pound women’s title. She will likely face off against her original CWFC 74 opponent, undefeated Polish teen Agnieszka Niedzwiedz, early next year.

Randa Markos submits Felice Herrig, becomes first “TUF 20? semifinalist

Canadian submission specialist Randa Markos became the first woman to advance on to the semifinal round of “The Ultimate Fighter 20: A Champion Will Be Crowned” with a quick and impressive first-round submission victory this past week during Episode 9. Markos submitted teammate and rival Felice Herrig with a scarf hold armlock to earn a spot in the semifinals.

Leading up to the quarterfinal fight, Markos (seeded No. 14) and Herrig (No. 6) clashed over a disagreement involving training schedules on Team Pettis. Against the wishes of Herrig and No. 1 seed Carla Esparza, Markos chose to attend a training practice where Herrig was preparing for the bout after a team agreement the previous day established a two-practice schedule to separate the team into two groups. Not wanting to miss out on any valuable training time, Markos returned to the gym for Herrig’s practice and tempers flared.

Come fight time, however, the drama from the days prior was left in the past and Markos made another big statement by handing Herrig her first submission loss. She clinched and tried for a takedown in the opening minute, but Herrig reversed on the way down and wound up on top. Markos fought back to her feet and she used a headlock throw to take Herrig down into the scarf hold position. Seconds later, Markos locked on a scarf hold armlock and Herrig immediately tapped out at the 2:13 mark of Round 1.

While she was initially viewed by many as an underdog due to her No. 14 seeding, Markos has established herself as one of the top contenders on “TUF 20? with two big victories. Prior to submitting Herrig, Markos upset highly-touted rising star Tecia Torres in the first quarterfinal fight that aired during this season’s premiere episode. She will next face off against the winner of an upcoming semifinal bout between Joanne Calderwood and Team Melendez’s lone remaining competitor, Rose Namajunas.

Next week’s episode features an intriguing matchup between Team Pettis members Jessica Penne (No. 4) and Aisling Daly (No. 5). “TUF 20? airs each Wednesday night on FOX Sports 1 in the U.S. and on Sportsnet One in Canada. The winner of the competition will become the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight champion.

Holm injured, Evans-Smith steps in to face Pennington at UFC 181

A neck injury has forced former multi-time boxing world champion Holly Holm out of her much-anticipated octagon debut against Raquel Pennington at “UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler 2? on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas. Undefeated CFA women’s featherweight champion Ashlee Evans-Smith, who recently moved down to 135 pounds, has signed with the UFC and she is set to challenge Pennington on next month’s UFC 181 card.

Evans-Smith (3-0) kicked off her pro career in the opening round of the CFA women’s title tournament in March 2013. She advanced on to the next round and avenged an amateur loss by defeating Tori Adams. After receiving a bye to the championship final, Evans-Smith stepped into the cage against transgender fighter Fallon Fox to determine CFA’s inaugural women’s featherweight champion at CFA 12. She stopped Fox with ground and pound in the third round to win the title, but CFA has yet to promote an event since then and Evans-Smith transitioned to World Series of Fighting earlier this year. She won her lone WSOF bout by stopping Marciea Allen in June and now steps in on short notice to make her UFC debut.

Pennington (4-4) won three of her first four professional bouts before taking a big step up in competition to face current UFC top contender Cat Zingano at Invicta FC 3. Zingano prevailed via third-round submission and Pennington subsequently suffered a decision loss to former training partner Leslie Smith at Invicta FC 4. This past year, Pennington joined the cast of “The Ultimate Fighter 18.” She was defeated in the semifinal round, but rebounded with a victory over Roxanne Modafferi at the TUF 18 Finale. Pennington’s most recent fight ended in a close split decision loss to Brazilian rising star Jessica Andrade at UFC 171.

UFC 181 takes place on Dec. 6 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The bout between Evans-Smith and Pennington is expected to air on the televised preliminary card.

Miesha Tate vs. Sara McMann booked for UFC 183 in January

Former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate faces a tough test in her next fight at “UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz” on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas. Tate is set to face off against Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann in a battle between two of the top contenders at 135.

Tate (15-5) became the third woman to hold the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title when she took the belt from Marloes Coenen in July 2011, but her title reign was short-lived and she was submitted by current UFC champion Ronda Rousey in her first championship defense. After winning her final fight for Strikeforce, Tate began her UFC career in April 2013 and got off to an excellent start before succumbing to third-round strikes from opponent Cat Zingano. When Zingano sustained a serious knee injury, Tate stepped in to challenge Rousey for a second time this past December. She suffered a second submission loss to the champion, but Tate remains focused on the belt and she has posted wins over Liz Carmouche and Rin Nakai this year.

McMann (8-1) is one of the most skilled female wrestlers in MMA today, and the Olympic medalist also has her sights set on getting back into UFC title contention. McMann opened her pro career with six straight wins including a victory over Shayna Baszler in the Invicta FC 2 main event. She transitioned to the UFC and mauled Sheila Gaff en route to a first-round TKO victory at UFC 159. The win set up an all-Olympian battle between McMann and Rousey for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship at UFC 170 in February, but Rousey stopped McMann with a knee to the body in just 66 seconds. McMann returned to her winning ways with a narrow split decision win over former Invicta FC champ Lauren Murphy in August.

UFC 183 takes place on Jan. 31 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Tate and McMann are expected to face off on the PPV main card and the winner will take a big step towards another shot at UFC title gold.

Quick results

Arielle Souza (3-3) def. Bianca Reis (3-3) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 25-second mark of Round 1 at MMA Super Heroes 6 on Oct. 25 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This bout was the third fight in a one-night atomweight grand prix. Souza was defeated earlier in the night, but advanced on when her initial opponent, Janaisa Morandin, was unable to continue.

In other action at MMA Super Heroes 6, Reis def. Amanda Torres (4-3) via unanimous decision and the aforementioned Morandin (7-0) def. Souza via unanimous decision.

Jessica Miele (2-1) def. Lissette Neri (5-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 3:25 mark of Round 1 at “Gladiator Challenge: Aftershock” on Oct. 25 in San Diego. Miele has posted back-to-back submission victories this year and she halted Neri’s five-fight winning streak.

Also on the Gladiator Challenge card, Bryanna Fissori (1-0) def. Catalina Madril (0-4) via TKO (punches) at the 33-second mark of Round 1. Fissori made a successful pro debut with the quick victory. Madril has suffered first-round stoppage losses in all four of her pro bouts.

Satoko Shinashi (30-2-2) def. Ye Jin Jung (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 2:15 mark of Round 1 at “Deep: 69th Impact” on Oct. 26 in Tokyo. Competing for the first time in more than six years, Deep women’s flyweight champion Shinashi overwhelmed her 15-year-old South Korean foe on the mat. She was unable to secure one of her signature armbars, but finished Jung in quick fashion with a barrage of punches on the ground.

Terissa Wall (1-0) def. Helen Malone (2-2) via TKO (punches) at the 3:32 mark of Round 1 at Xtreme Fighting Championships 22 on Nov. 1 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Wall made a successful pro debut with the victory following a pair of amateur wins earlier this year.

Irene Cabello (2-2) def. Vanessa Reinsch (1-2) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 53-second mark of Round 2 at Cage Warriors 73 on Nov. 1 in Newcastle, England. Cabello bounced back from a contentious split decision loss in March with the impressive tapout win. Both of her professional wins have come via submission. Reinsch, who was competing for the first time since late 2011, suffered her second submission loss.

Taylor Turner (1-0) def. Katelyn Dykas (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 3:08 mark of Round 2 at Valor Fights 16 on Nov. 1 in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Taylor made a successful pro debut with the second-round finish.

Jaymee Jones (2-1) def. Krystal Manues (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 2:50 mark of Round 1 at “Xtreme Fighting League: Xtreme Fight Night 21? on Nov. 1 in Tulsa, Okla. Jones has picked up two straight first-round finishes for XFL this year.

Diana Belbita (3-0) def. Alice Ardelean (0-1) via submission (armbar) at the 3:05 mark of Round 2 at “Romanian Xtreme Fighting 14: Coming to America” on Nov. 3 in Sibiu, Transylvania, Romania. Belbita has finished her opponents in all three RXF bouts in 2014.

Also on the RXF 14 card, Roxana Dinescu (1-1) def. Roxanei Crisan (0-2) via submission (guillotine choke) at the 3:46 mark of Round 1. Dinescu earned her first pro win in the fight after suffering a submission loss to Belbita in August.

Kirstie Gannaway (1-0) def. Adek Omar (0-1) via submission (triangle choke) at the 2:34 mark of Round 1 at “One FC 22: Battle of Lions” on Nov. 7 in Kallang, Singapore. Gannaway put on a strong showing in her pro debut in front of a partisan crowd. The atomweight fighter is the latest female prospect to debut for the renowned Evolve MMA team.

Stephanie Skinner (4-5) def. Kyra Batara (1-2) via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) at “Resurrection Fighting Alliance 20: Sanders vs. Mercado” on Nov. 7 in Broomfield, Colo. Batara dominated the opening round with ground and pound and submission attempts. Skinner fared well in the striking exchanges in Rounds 2 and 3, but Batara got her down again and appeared to have won the fight. Two judges disagreed and Skinner walked away with the victory. She has won back-to-back fights this year.

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.