Women's MMA Report: VanZant lands first UFC main event, Evinger destroys Kianzad

Alex Chambers and Paige VanZant

Fresh off of her third UFC victory earlier this month, strawweight rising star Paige VanZant faces a tough test in her most high-profile fight to date on Dec. 10 at UFC Fight Night 80 in Las Vegas. VanZant battles Scottish standout Joanne Calderwood in the 115-pound main event.

At just 21, VanZant (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is one of the most popular and marketable fighters on the UFC’s roster. She debuted for the UFC in November and scored a thrilling third-round stoppage victory over Kailin Curran, and then defeated experienced veteran Felice Herrig at UFC on FOX 15 in April. On Sept. 5, in her UFC pay-per-view debut at UFC 191, VanZant steamrolled an outmatched Alex Chambers en route to a third-round submission finish.

Calderwood (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) transitioned from muay Thai to MMA in February 2012 and became a top strawweight contender for Invicta FC after winning each of her first eight pro MMA fights. Following a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 20,” Calderwood won her UFC debut in December when she outpointed former Deep Jewels champion Seo Hee Ham. Her next fight ended in a shocking upset loss to Maryna Moroz, but a refocused Calderwood got back on the winning track with a victory in front of her hometown fans at UFC Fight Night 72 in July.

In addition to the VanZant-Calderwood contender’s bout, UFC Fight Night 80 also features a second women’s strawweight matchup between the aforementioned Kailin Curran (3-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) and Emily Kagan (3-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who both find themselves in need of a big win.

Tonya Evinger stops Pannie Kianzad in Invicta FC 14 headliner

Tonya Evigner

Invicta Fighting Championships returned with its 14th all-female fight card on Sept. 12 in Kansas City, Mo. Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger (18-5) cruised to an easy second-round TKO victory in the night’s main event, which was changed to a non-title affair when Evinger’s opponent, Pannie Kianzad (8-1), failed to make weight.

Evinger asserted her dominance over Kianzad right from the opening bell. She took the fight to the mat and battered Kianzad with punches and hammerfists, and threatened with a rear-naked choke and an armbar before the bell. Evinger mounted Kianzad in Round 2 and tried for an arm-triangle choke. Kianzad escaped, but Evinger rained down punches from the top until the fight was stopped at the 3:34 mark of the second round.

Evinger, who was once regarded as a gatekeeper, has now won eight straight fights and she took home one of three “Performance of the Night” bonuses on the card.

DeAnna Bennett (8-0) missed weight, but she kept her undefeated record intact with a controversial unanimous-decision victory over former Invicta FC strawweight champion Katja Kankaanpaa (10-3-1) in the Invicta FC 14 co-feature.

Kankaanpaa scored with punching flurries in Round 1 that prompted Bennett to pull guard in search of a guillotine choke. Kankaanpaa countered with a rolling kimura before the bell, but Bennett escaped and she was relentless with her guillotine choke attempts in the second stanza. The bout appeared to be even after 10 minutes and Kankaanpaa completely dominated Round 3 on the mat, where she nearly finished Bennett with rear-naked and arm-triangle chokes. In spite of Kankaanpaa’s strong final round, all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Bennett, who eked out a contentious victory. Kankaanpaa retired following the loss.

Flyweight veteran Roxanne Modafferi (18-12) got herself back into title contention with a one-sided TKO win over Brazilian prospect Mariana Morais (9-3). Modafferi mauled Morais with ground and pound in Rounds 1 and 2. Morais survived and rallied with a tight guillotine choke early in Round 3, but Modafferi escaped and she finished Morais with a final barrage of punches at the 4:40 mark of the third round.

Highly-touted flyweight rising star Andrea Lee (3-1) rebounded from her first pro loss by submitting Rachael Ostovich (2-2). Lee hurt Ostovich multiple times with body shots in the opening 10 minutes and she nearly finished the Hawaiian with ground and pound in Round 2. After cutting Ostovich with a head kick, Lee controlled the action on the mat in the final round until she was able to force Ostovich to verbally submit to an armbar at the 4:58 mark of Round 3. Lee took home a “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Rounding out the Invicta FC 14 main card, featherweight judoka Cindy Dandois (6-2) overcame her limited striking skills and completely dominated Australia’s Megan Anderson (4-2) on the ground en route to a commanding second-round submission win. Dandois, who has made no secret of her dislike for striking, took Anderson down in both rounds and trapped her in triangle chokes. Anderson escaped in the opening round, but she could not break free from Dandois’ grasp in Round 2 and tapped to the triangle at the 2:41 mark.

Sharon Jacobson outpoints Jamie Moyle in Invicta FC 14 “Fight of the Night”

Standout wrestler Sharon Jacobson (4-1) scored her biggest win to date in a featured strawweight matchup at Invicta FC 14. Jacobson took a close decision victory over the previously unbeaten Jamie Moyle (3-1) in the “Fight of the Night.”

Jacobson pinned Moyle against the fence throughout much of Round 1, but Moyle countered with knees to the body that led to an exchange of elbows. Both women were rocked by punches in Round 2, but Jacobson finished the round strong and secured a key takedown before the bell. She escaped from a Moyle armbar attempt in the final round and landed ground and pound that sealed the round in her favor. Scores were 29-28 and 30-27 twice for Jacobson, who has won four straight fights and now takes a big step towards strawweight title contention. In spite of the loss, Moyle remains one of Invicta FC’s brightest prospects.

Atomweight contender Jinh Yu Frey (4-1) moved closer to a future title shot with a well-deserved unanimous-decision win over Liz McCarthy (2-3). Frey’s superior boxing and takedowns in Rounds 1 and 2 allowed her to take an early lead on the scorecards. McCarthy excelled in Round 3, and she repeatedly snapped Frey’s head back with punches after stuffing her takedown attempts, but it was too little, too late. Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Frey, who has won back-to-back fights.

J.J. Aldrich (2-1) walked away with a “Performance of the Night” bonus after viciously knocking out late replacement Rosa Acevedo (3-2), who missed weight for the strawweight fight. Aldrich stunned Acevedo with a one-two and she pinned her against the fence. A knee to the body hurt Acevedo and Aldrich finished her off with two more knees to the face that left Acevedo unconscious on the mat. The knockout came at the 2:24 mark of Round 1.

In flyweight action, Aspen Ladd (2-0) made it two-for-two inside the Invicta FC cage with a second-round submission win over Amanda Bobby Cooper (1-1). Ladd countered early elbows and knees from Cooper by taking her down, and she spent most of Round 1 on top. Cooper tried for an armbar before the bell. Ladd threatened with keylock attempts in the second round and she used elbow strikes from mount to set up a fight-ending armbar that forced Cooper to tap out at the 4:42 mark of Round 2.

Opening up the Invicta FC 14 card, Felicia Spencer (1-0) annihilated fellow pro debutant Rachel Wiley (0-1) in a brief and lopsided lightweight contest. Spencer took Wiley down in the opening minute and she landed numerous punches and elbows that caused hematomas to form all over Wiley’s forehead. Wiley wilted under the pressure and Spencer landed more elbows and left hands until the fight was finally waved off at the 3:32 mark of the opening round.

Kanna Asakura upsets Yasuko Tamada at Vale Tudo Japan 7th

Atomweight prospect Kanna Asakura (3-0) vaulted up the rankings with a big victory on Sept. 13 at Vale Tudo Japan 7th in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. The 17-year-old cruised to a clear-cut unanimous-decision win over former Valkyrie champion and Invicta FC title challenger Yasuko Tamada (15-10-3), who suffered her second straight defeat.

Asakura scored takedowns in all three rounds, but the veteran Tamada was active from her back and she worked for guillotine chokes and a heel hook. Asakura escaped each time and she finished each round by landing flurries of punches and hammerfists from top position that left a lasting impression on the judges. Scores were 30-26 and 30-27 twice for Asakura. She now enters the atomweight top 10 thanks to the biggest victory of her career over the 48-year-old Tamada, who was competing for the first time since Invicta FC 8 one year earlier.

Poliana Botelho claims women’s flyweight title at XFC International 11

Hard-hitting flyweight Poliana Botelho (5-1) captured the XFCi women’s flyweight title with her fifth stoppage victory on Sept. 19 at XFC International 11 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Botelho defeated Argentina’s Silvana Gomez Juarez (5-1) in the championship main event.

Both women showed the effects of the fight with swollen eyes by the end of Round 3, but Botelho was the fresher fighter in the fourth round and she kept the pressure on by battering Juarez’s face with punches. Juarez was unable to answer the bell for Round 5 and Botelho was awarded a title-winning TKO victory.

In other action on the XFC International 11 card, Marilia Santos (5-0) stayed unbeaten with a unanimous-decision victory over Kate Da Silva (9-3) in a flyweight matchup. Former UFC fighter Sheila Gaff (9-6) made a successful strawweight debut by submitting Antonia Silvaneide da Silva (4-3) with an armbar at the 4:46 mark of Round 1. In a third flyweight fight, Ilara Joanne (3-2) stopped Julia Borisova (3-2) with punches at the 2:24 mark of the opening round.

Sarah Kaufman meets Germaine de Randamie at UFC on FOX 17

Sarah Kaufman

Following months of campaigning, former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Sarah Kaufman (17-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has at last received a fight. Kaufman will next face off against multi-time muay Thai world champion Germaine de Randamie (5-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC on FOX 17 on Dec. 19 in Orlando, Fla.

Kaufman sat out for a full calendar year following her decision win over Leslie Smith at the TUF Nations Finale. She returned to the octagon in April in a trilogy fight with fellow Canadian Alexis Davis at UFC 186, but Davis gained a measure of revenge by submitting Kaufman with a second-round armbar and avenged one of her past losses in the process.

De Randamie kicked off her UFC career with a victory over Julie Kedzie in July 2013, but a TKO loss to current top contender Amanda Nunes later in the year led to a prolonged hiatus for de Randamie, who did not fight again until UFC 185 in March. She showed no signs of ring rust in her return to the cage and destroyed Jungle Fight champ Larissa Moreira Pacheco.

The bout between Kaufman and de Randamie will likely be featured on the preliminary card.

Two atomweight bouts set for Deep Jewels 10 in Tokyo

Deep Jewels officials have announced a pair of atomweight contender’s bouts for the upcoming Deep Jewels 10 event on Nov. 23 in Tokyo. In one, former Deep Jewels interim 115-pound champion Emi Tomimatsu (9-10) looks for her second straight victory when she takes on rising star Satomi Takano (7-6), who came within one win of becoming the Deep Jewels atomweight champion in May.

Tomimatsu moved down to the atomweight division in February, but she was unable to advance on in the Deep Jewels atomweight title tournament and dropped a narrow split decision to Mina Kurobe. She got back on track this past month with a quick submission win over short-notice replacement opponent Natsuki Shimomakise at Deep Jewels 9.

Takano began her pro career with a disappointing 3-5 record against some of Japan’s top female fighters, but she has since become a true contender by winning four of her past five fights. She advanced to the finals of the Deep Jewels atomweight grand prix in May before suffering a TKO loss to champion Mei Yamaguchi. On Aug. 22, she earned her second win for Road FC by outpointing Jeong Eun Park at Road Fighting Championship 25.

Also on the Deep Jewels 10 card, former Jewels champion and Invicta FC title challenger Naho Sugiyama (10-4) faces highly-touted prospect Mina Kurobe (5-1). Both fighters seek redemption after suffering defeats in their most recent fights. Sugiyama was stopped by current Invicta FC ace Ayaka Hamasaki at Deep Jewels 5 in August 2014. Kurobe dropped a decision to Deep Jewels champ Mei Yamaguchi in the semifinals of the Deep Jewels atomweight grand prix.

Quick results

Atomweight – Vanessa Rico Fernandez (2-1) def. Morgane Delagnau (0-3) via submission (armbar) at the 4:32 mark of Round 2 at Hombres de Honor 68 on Sept. 10 in Madrid.

Flyweight – Also on the Hombres de Honor 68 card, Karla Benitez (11-8) def. Marija Malencia (0-1) via unanimous decision.

Flyweight – Rebecca Ruth (5-1) def. Alice Smith Yauger (2-4) via TKO (punches) at the 33-second mark of Round 3 at “Shamrock Fighting Championships: Fuel” on Sept. 11 in St. Louis.

Strawweight – Kaline Medeiros (6-4) def. Kathina Catron (6-7) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at Legacy Fighting Championship 45 on Sept. 11 in Tulsa, Okla.

Catchweight (121) – Virna Jandiroba (5-0) def. Cristiane Lima Silva (0-2) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 2:53 mark of Round 1 at Velame Fight Combat 4 on Sept. 12 in Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil.

Strawweight – Marina Alcalde Rodriguez (2-0) def. Caroline Silva (0-2) via unanimous decision at Aspera Fighting Championship 24 on Sept. 12 in Sao Jose, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Strawweight – Polyana Viana Mota (6-1) def. Karoline Teles (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 2:24 mark of Round 1 at Jungle Fight 81 on Sept. 12 in Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil.

Bantamweight – Also on the Jungle Fight 81 card, Mayra Cantuaria Rodrigues (1-0) def. Fabiana Barrenquevitcz (0-1) via submission (armbar) at the 1:52 mark of Round 2.

Atomweight – Thaty Bergamaschi (4-0) def. Graziele Ricotta (1-5-1) via unanimous decision at New Corpore Extreme 1 on Sept. 12 in Rio de Janeiro.

Strawweight – Also on the New Corpore Extreme 1 card, Karoline Martins Moreira (2-0) def. Nayara Hemily (1-3) via TKO (doctor stoppage) at the 4:34 mark of Round 1.

Strawweight – Kyna Sisson (2-0) def. Raquel Magdaleno (3-2) via TKO (punches) at the 4:34 mark of Round 1 at “North American Fighting Championship: Battledome” on Sept. 12 in Waukesha, Wis.

Strawweight – Kyra Batara (3-3) def. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc (8-9) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at “Combate Americas: Road to the Championship” on Sept. 17 in Las Vegas.

Flyweight – Jaymee Jones (5-1) def. Ronni Lawrence (0-1) via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) at “Xtreme Fighting League: Xtreme Fight Night 25” on Sept. 18 in Tulsa, Okla.

Strawweight – Rachael Short (2-1) def. Adek Omar (0-3) via submission (kimura) in Round 2 at “Warrior Fighting Championship 2: Combat Carnivale” on Sept. 19 in George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

Bantamweight – Janay Harding (2-1) def. Jess Doueihi (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 1:26 mark of Round 1 at Brace For War 36 on Sept. 19 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Flyweight – Kate Jackson (7-2-1) def. Linn Wennergren (2-3) via split decision (30-27, 30-28, 28-29) at Lappeenranta Fight Night 13 on Sept. 19 in Kuopio, Northern Savonia, Finland.

Flyweight – Lucie Pudilova (3-0) def. Suvi Salmimies (3-2-1) via split decision at Cage 31 on Sept. 19 in Helsinki, Finland.

Strawweight – Tanja Hoffmann (4-4) def. Aitek Emadi (1-3-1) via submission (armbar) at the 1:30 mark of Round 1 at “Respect Fighting Championship: Respect Amazons” on Sept. 19 in Karlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.

Featherweight – Also on the Respect Amazons card, Stephanie Egger (1-0) def. Judith Ruis (0-1) via submission (armbar) at the 1:30 mark of Round 1.

Bantamweight – L.J. Adams (3-2) def. Jaye Haynes (0-1) via TKO (punches) in Round 1 at “Golden Ticket Fight Promotions: Fight Night 1” on Sept. 19 in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England.

Catchweight (110) – Celine Haga (8-13) def. Catherine Costigan (5-2) via submission (armbar) at the 4:46 mark of Round 1 at “BAMMA 22: Duquesnoy vs. Loughnane” on Sept. 19 in Dublin.

Bantamweight – Also on the BAMMA 22 card, Sinead Kavanagh (1-0) def. Hatice Ozyurt (1-4) via TKO (punches) at the 17-second mark of Round 1.

Bantamweight – Priscila de Souza (10-6) def. Deise Lee Rocha (5-5-1) via unanimous decision at “Frontline Fight Series 1: Vina vs. Junior Abedi” on Sept. 19 in Sao Jose dos Pinhais, Parana, Brazil.

Strawweight – Kenya Miranda da Silva (2-2) def. Natalia Cristina Miranda Silva (1-3) via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1 at Ratinho Fighting Championship 4 on Sept. 19 in Caratinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Strawweight – Luana Carolina Carvalho de Souza (2-1) def. Ana Merlin (0-1) via TKO (punches) in Round 1 at “Thunder Fight 5: Para vs. Negao” on Sept. 19 in Sao Paulo.

Bantamweight – Isabelly Varela (7-0) def. Mariana Leonardo dos Santos (4-3) via unanimous decision at Elite Fight Night on Sept. 19 in Sao Paulo.

Strawweight – Kakau Costa (1-2) def. Raiane Abreu (0-3) via unanimous decision at X Force MMA on Sept. 19 in Brazil.

Strawweight – Gleucivania Alves Melo (1-1) def. Kerolayne da Silva Teixeira (0-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at the 1:41 mark of Round 1 at Norte Leste Fight 4 on Sept. 19 in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.

Strawweight – Hannah Cifers (2-1) def. Miki Rogers (1-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at Fight Lab 50 on Sept. 19 in Greensboro, N.C.

Flyweight – Emily Whitmire (1-0) def. Emily Ducote (0-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) at Freestyle Cage Fighting 50 on Sept. 19 in Shawnee, Okla.

Catchweight – Jessica-Rose Clark (5-2) and Emiko Raika (2-2) fought to a no contest in Round 3 at “Tribe Tokyo Fight: Challenge 5” on Sept. 23 in Tokyo. Clark stopped Raika with third-round elbows, but the bout was ruled a no contest due to Clark missing weight by six pounds for what was intended to be a flyweight bout.

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.