Women’s MMA Report: Nunes destroys McMann in Nashville, Namajunas’ return set

Amanda Nunes

Brazilian standout Amanda Nunes took a big step towards a UFC women’s bantamweight title shot with a quick and dominant victory on Aug. 8 at UFC Fight Night 73 in Nashville. Nunes picked up her second straight first-round stoppage win by submitting Olympic silver Sara McMann with a rear-naked choke.

Nunes (11-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) has been on the cusp of UFC title contention for more than a year, but a disappointing loss to future title challenger Cat Zingano in September delayed Nunes’ journey to the belt. Against McMann (8-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC), Nunes put forth her best showing to date en route and scored her biggest career victory.

In the opening minute, Nunes controlled the action with punching combinations, and she thwarted McMann’s attempts to take the fight down to the mat. A missed spinning wheel kick from Nunes allowed McMann to briefly take her back, but Nunes stayed calm and broke free from her grasp. She hurt McMann with a flurry to the head and body, and dropped her with a combination to the jaw. McMann fell to her knees, and Nunes landed more punches on the ground before locking on a rear-naked choke that forced a tap-out at the 2:53 mark of the round.

With UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey already set to defend her title against rival Miesha Tate in a trilogy fight, Nunes will have to wait until at least 2016 for a title shot. But her destruction of McMann made a big statement to the rest of the division and reaffirmed that Nunes is one of the fastest rising stars at 135 pounds.

Namajunas vs. Hill booked for UFC 192

Rose Namajunas

“TUF 20” finalist Rose Namajunas makes her long-awaited return to action on Oct. 3 at UFC 192 in Houston. Namajunas is set to clash with fellow “TUF 20” competitor Angela Hill in a featured strawweight matchup.

Namajunas (2-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) advanced to the “TUF 20” final this past year after posting submission wins over Alex Chambers, Joanne Calderwood and Randa Markos in succession, but her bid to become the first UFC women’s strawweight champion ended in defeat when Carla Esparza submitted her at the TUF 20 Finale.

The highly touted Namajunas had planned to return to the octagon in May, but a scheduled UFC 187 matchup against Nina Ansaroff was scrapped on mere hours’ notice when Ansaroff fell ill.

Hill (2-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was an underdog heading into “TUF 20” due to her limited MMA experience, and she was eliminated in the first round of the competition by eventual winner Esparza. However, the talented striker bounced back with a one-sided unanimous-decision victory over Emily Kagan in her official UFC debut at the TUF 20 Finale in December.

Hill was most recently matched up against fellow prospect Tecia Torres at UFC 188 in June, and she came out on the wrong end of a unanimous decision in a lackluster bout. She likely faces a must-win situation against Namajunas, and a loss could spell the end of her UFC tenure.

10 fights announced for Invicta FC 14

Tonya Evinger

Invicta FC returns home to Kansas City, Mo., on Sept. 12 for its next all-female card, which features a number of new faces. Invicta FC 14 is headlined by a bantamweight championship bout between new champion Tonya Evinger and unbeaten Cage Warriors titleholder Pannie Kianzad.

Evinger (17-5) was dismissed by some as a gatekeeper in 2011 after a 1-3 stretch that included losses to future UFC title challengers Alexis Davis (twice) and Sara McMann, but the standout wrestler has turned around her career and currently sports a seven-fight winning streak. Evinger made her Invicta FC debut in late 2013 and picked up a key victory over Sarah D’Alelio, and she racked up two more wins en route to a title shot. At Invicta FC 13 this past month, Evinger demolished Irene Aldana to become Invicta FC bantamweight champion. She puts her new title on the line for the first time next month.

Kianzad (8-0) opened her career with five straight wins, including notable victories over Milana Dudieva and Annalisa Bucci, but it was her two-fight stint with Cage Warriors that established her as one of Europe’s top female fighters. Kianzad captured the organization’s women’s bantamweight title in November with a five-round decision win over Eeva Siiskonen, and she subsequently signed with Invicta FC when Cage Warriors went on hiatus. In her promotional debut at Invicta FC 13, Kianzad outpointed Australian prospect Jessica-Rose Clark.

In the Invicta FC 14 co-feature, former strawweight champion Katja Kankaanpaa (10-2-1) looks to rebound from her title loss in April when she battles unbeaten contender DeAnna Bennett (7-0).

Kankaanpaa became the second Invicta FC strawweight champion in September when she rallied to submit Stephanie Eggink at Invicta FC 8, but her title reign was short-lived, and she succumbed to a fourth-round triangle choke from Livia Renata Souza in the Invicta FC 12 headliner.

Bennett began her career as a flyweight, where she scored a key victory over “TUF 18” winner Julianna Pena, and she is 3-0 inside the Invicta FC cage. She made a successful strawweight debut in February when she defeated Norma Rueda Center at Invicta FC 11.

Roxanne Modafferi

Elsewhere on the Invicta FC 14 main card, veteran contender Roxanne Modafferi (17-12) takes on 20-year-old Brazilian finisher Mariana Morais (9-2) in flyweight action. Modafferi had enjoyed a career resurgence since signing with Invicta FC, but her two-fight winning streak was snapped in April when she was defeated by Vanessa Porto in a rematch from 2008. Morais has knocked out or submitted eight opponents to date, including six in the first round, and she is one of Brazil’s brightest female prospects. Currently riding a five-fight winning streak, Morais takes a step up in competition when she makes her Invicta FC debut against Modafferi.

Also at flyweight, Rachael Ostovich (2-1) and Andrea Lee (2-1) clash in a matchup between two of Invicta FC’s top 125-pound prospects. Ostovich has won back-to-back fights and made a successful Invicta FC debut in December. Lee suffered her first pro loss at Invicta FC 10 when she was narrowly outpointed by the much more experienced Modafferi.

Following a disastrous Invicta FC debut in December, Cindy Dandois (5-2) moves back up to featherweight to face Australian rising star Megan Anderson (4-1). Dandois returned to action at Invicta FC 10 following a three-year layoff and was soundly beaten by future bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger. Anderson has won four straight fights and most recently avenged her lone career defeat by submitting Zoie Shreiweis.

Jamie Moyle (3-0), one of the brightest prospects on the Invicta FC roster, faces her toughest test to date when she takes on standout wrestler Sharon Jacobson (3-1) in a strawweight showdown. Moyle earned her Invicta FC contract by winning a Tuff-N-Uff title tournament this past year, and she has since racked up three impressive wins under the Invicta FC banner. Jacobson followed up on back-to-back first-round knockout wins by kicking off her Invicta FC career with a victory over Sugar Creek Showdown champ Delaney Owen in April.

In a bout between two atomweights who are seeking redemption, Jinh Yu Frey (3-1) meets Liz McCarthy (2-2). Frey bounced back from a contentious split-decision loss to Jodie Esquibel in September by submitting Cassie Robb at Invicta FC 10. McCarthy also rebounded from a controversial loss to Esquibel by defeating Robb, but her most recent fight ended in a disappointing split-decision setback when she was edged out by Amber Brown at Invicta FC 9.

Rounding out the action at Invicta FC 14, J.J. Aldrich (1-1) faces Daniela Kortmann (1-0) in a strawweight fight, Aspen Ladd (1-0) battles Amanda Bobby Cooper (1-0) at flyweight, and Rachel Wiley (0-0) meets Felicia Spencer (0-0) in a bout between lightweight pro debutants.

Quick results

Catchweight (99 pounds) – Satoko Shinashi (33-2-2) def. Ye Ji Lee (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 4:53 mark of Round 2 at Road FC 24 on July 25 in Tokyo. Deep champion Shinashi had a tough fight on her hands against 16-year-old late replacement Lee, but she was able to overwhelm the teen with strikes from mount to secure the finish with seven seconds remaining in the fight. Shinashi has now won five straight bouts.

Flyweight – Michelle Pearce (1-0) def. Tiffany Leichliter (0-2) via submission (punches) at the 1:26 mark of Round 1 at “Shamrock Promotions: Throwdown” on July 25 in St. Louis. Pearce kicked off her pro career with a quick and dominant victory.

Bantamweight – Shanna Young (2-0) def. Moriel Charneski via majority decision at “King of the Cage: Attack Mode” on July 25 in Lac du Flambeau, Wis. Young kept her perfect professional record intact with her second victory in a three-month span.

Catchweight (140) – Kimberly Carder (1-0) def. Tricia Yap (0-1) via unanimous decision at IMPI Fighting Championships 2 on July 31 in Hong Kong. Carder made history with the victory in what was billed as Hong Kong’s first-ever professional female MMA fight.

Bantamweight – Stevie Kelly (2-0) def. Linda Nikeller (0-2) via TKO (punches) at the 1:07 mark of Round 3 at FightWorld Cup 19 on Aug. 1 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Kelly remained unbeaten with the third-round stoppage victory after winning her pro debut in November.

Flyweight – Lina Franco Rodriguez (1-0) def. Luisa Fernanda Cifuentes (0-1) via KO (punch) at the 1:54 mark of Round 1 at Latin Fighter Championship 7 on Aug. 1 in Bogota. Rodriguez earned an impressive victory with the vicious first-round stoppage.

Catchweight (130) – Keilly Cameros (1-0) def. Mariajose Hernandez (0-1) via TKO (punches) in Round 1 at Liga Xtreme Fighting 10 on Aug. 1 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Cameros made a successful pro debut with the quick victory.

Flyweight – Montserrat Alvarez Cienfuegos Tendilla (2-1) def. Lisbeth Lopez Silva (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 1:12 mark of Round 1 at Urban Fighting League 6 on Aug. 1 in Cuautitlan Izcalli, Mexico. Tendilla has earned back-to-back first-round finishes this year.

Flyweight – Monica Franco (1-0) def. Jessica Doerner (5-4) via KO (spinning backfist) at the 12-second mark of Round 2 at “Destiny MMA: Na Koa 10” on Aug. 1 in Honolulu. Following a tough 3-6 amateur career against many of Hawaii’s top female fighters, Franco made a big statement in her pro debut by brutally knocking Doerner out early in Round 2 after landing a series of spinning attacks in the opening round.

Flyweight – Brogan Walker (2-0) def. Gabby Romero (0-1) via unanimous decision at Pacific Xtreme Combat 49 on Aug. 7 in Mangilao, Guam. Hometown favorite Walker followed up on her successful pro debut in October with her second straight win inside the PXC cage.

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.