Women's MMA Report: Nunes mauls Gaff at UFC 163, Kaufman awaits new opponent

Bantamweight knockout artist Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes picked up a much-needed victory in her octagon debut at “UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie” on Aug. 3 in Rio de Janeiro. Nunes stopped fellow striker Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff in the first round of a featured preliminary-card matchup on FX.

Nunes (8-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Gaff (10-6-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) wasted no time in getting the action started, and both women landed hard punches to open the fight. A right hook from Gaff appeared to briefly stun Nunes, but the Brazilian recovered and shot in for a takedown. Gaff hopped on her back and tried for a rear-naked choke but lost the position. Within seconds, the tides turned, and Nunes took control of the fight.

After taking down Gaff, Nunes scored with some nice knees to the body and elbows from side control that set up a move to mount. Gaff powered out and got back to her feet, but she was immediately taken down again as Nunes resumed her assault from the top. She postured up with punches and followed with three elbow strikes that forced Gaff to cover up. Referee Herb Dean had seen enough and intervened for the TKO stoppage at the 2:08 mark of Round 1.

Nunes’ victory was a crucial one. The 25-year-old had dropped two of her previous three fights and found herself in a potential must-win situation as she entered her first fight in Brazil since February 2010. Nunes passed the test with flying colors and established herself as an exciting addition to the UFC’s women’s bantamweight roster. All seven of her wins have ended inside the distance, and only two of those bouts made it outside of the first round.

McMann out, Kaufman left without opponent for UFC Fight Night 27

Former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Sarah Kaufman (16-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is patiently awaiting a new opponent for her first UFC bout, at “UFC Fight Night 27: Condit vs. Kampmann 2? on Aug. 28 in Indianapolis. Kaufman was scheduled to face unbeaten Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on the card, but as first reported by MMAjunkie.com on Aug. 5, McMann was forced to withdraw from the fight due to undisclosed reasons.

UFC officials are left with few options to replace McMann, as much of the promotion’s female roster is serving medical suspensions following recent bouts. Other potential candidates are outside of the country or otherwise unavailable. Among those who have expressed an interest in facing Kaufman are Invicta FC contenders Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (6-3-1) and Lauren Taylor (7-0). Smith dropped a contentious split decision to Kaufman at Invicta FC 5 but rebounded with a win in her flyweight debut this past month. Taylor is 2-0 inside the Invicta FC cage and has finished five of her opponents to date.

An official announcement has not yet been made as to whether Kaufman will stay on the UFC Fight Night 27 card, but both she and McMann have been removed from the event listing on UFC.com. Should she not compete later this month, Kaufman could potentially face hometown favorite Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton (13-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester, England. That event takes place on Oct. 26. Sexton has not been officially confirmed for the Manchester card, but she has been instrumental in promoting the event in her home country.

Former Smackgirl champs Akano, Yamanaka retire

We have not yet reached the halfway point in August, but two of Japan’s most successful female fighters have already chosen this month to announce their respective retirements from MMA. Former Smackgirl middleweight (128-pound) champion Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano (18-10) confirmed her departure from the sport on Aug. 1, and former Smackgirl open-weight champion Hiroko “Cat’s Eye” Yamanaka (12-3) followed suit five days later.

Akano’s pro career spanned close to nine years and was highlighted by key wins over Takayo Hashi, Carina Damm and Roxanne Modafferi, among others. A long-time training partner of Megumi Fujii, Akano captured the Smackgirl 128-pound title on Sept. 15, 2006, with a second-round submission victory over Molly Helsel. She went on to hand Yamanaka her first defeat at Smackgirl’s final event, and she later fought for Jewels, Strikeforce and finally Invicta FC. Her final bout came on July 28, 2012, when she suffered the first submission loss of her career against Alexis Davis at Invicta FC 2. Akano took a full year to think about her decision before opting to step away from MMA and her close-knit team at Abe Ani Combat Club.

Yamanaka became an unlikely success in MMA after debuting in 2006. The one-time dominatrix began her fighting career at 170 pounds and used her significant height and reach advantage to win her first four fights. On Sept. 6, 2007, she defeated Yoko Takahashi for the Smackgirl open-weight title. Yamanaka suffered her first loss when Akano submitted her in April 2008. Following the defeat, she joined the Master Japan team and began cutting weight for the first time. She defeated Akano in a featherweight rematch at “Jewels: Seventh Ring” in March 2010.

After winning eight straight fights, Yamanaka received a shot at the Strikeforce women’s featherweight title, but champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino stopped her in just 16 seconds. The result of the fight was overturned to a no-contest when Justino tested positive for a steroid metabolite, and Yamanaka fought once more for Strikeforce but lost to Germaine de Randamie. In her final fight, Yamanaka dropped a unanimous decision to Ediane Gomes at Invicta FC 4 on Jan. 5, and she suffered a concussion in the bout. Following the loss, Yamanaka hinted at plans for retirement, and she officially announced the news this past week.

While neither fighter was able to capture an international title, both Akano and Yamanaka had a significant impact on the development of MMA in Japan during the past decade.

MMA fighters Inoue, Yamaguchi win at 2013 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup

Fresh off of her victory at Invicta FC 6 this past month, 18-year-old Mizuki Inoue became a two-time winner of the Shoot Boxing 53.5-kilogram Girls S-Cup tournament on Aug. 3 in Tokyo. Inoue defeated three opponents in one night to become this year’s tournament champion.

While shoot boxing awards points for high-arc throws and standing submission attempts, Inoue stuck to a striking-centered attack in each of her fights. Quick punching combinations propelled Inoue to a unanimous decision victory over “Jet” Izumi Noguchi in a quarterfinal bout and she punched her ticket to the championship final by outpointing Miyo Yoshida in the semifinals.

Inoue needed six rounds to defeat former Shoot Boxing Japan women’s flyweight champion Ai Takahashi in the inaugural 53.5-kilogram Girls S-Cup in 2012. The pair’s third meeting in this year’s final was not as competitive. Inoue rocked Takahashi with a right cross in Round 3 and dominated the remainder of the round en route to a unanimous decision win with scores of 30-29 thrice. The decision victory – her third over Takahashi – improved Inoue’s shoot boxing record to 7-1. After celebrating her 19th birthday on Aug. 19, Inoue will make a quick return to action when she competes in a grappling match at Deep Jewels 1 on Aug. 31.

Former two-time Girls S-Cup tournament finalist and MMA veteran “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi was also victorious on the Aug. 3 card. Yamaguchi earned two shoot points for throws and a catch point for a second-round standing arm-triangle-choke attempt en route to a unanimous decision victory over late replacement Chihiro Kira in a non-tournament bout. Scores were 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26 for Yamaguchi, who improved her shoot boxing record to 8-5.

Japanese superstar Rena Kubota, a three-time winner of the Girls S-Cup, made a successful return to action by defeating Dutch standout Lorena “Lady Pitbull” Klijn in the co-main event. Both fighters landed some solid kicks and punches to the head and body throughout the close fight. After three rounds, the non-tournament bout was ruled a majority draw. In the first extension round, Kubota landed a spinning backfist and two big right hooks. That proved to be just enough to earn her a majority decision victory with scores of 10-10, 10-9 and 10-9. Kubota improved her combined kickboxing and shoot boxing record to 22-5-1 with the win.

Kubota’s top protégé, Mio Tsumura, outlasted two opponents to win her second straight JKS48 high school girls’ tournament title. The 18-year-old defeated Comachi in her semifinal fight and knocked out Yuuki Kira with a devastating right hook in the championship final. Tsumura upped her shoot boxing record to 10-1 with the victories and is one of Shoot Boxing’s top prospects.

2013 Shoot Boxing 53.5-kilogram Girls S-Cup results:

• Mizuki Inoue def. Ai Takahashi via unanimous decision (30-29, 30-29, 30-29)
• Mizuki Inoue def. Miyo Yoshida via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-28, 30-28)
• Ai Takahashi def. Rio Kamikaze via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9)*
• Mizuki Inoue def. Izumi Noguchi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-28, 30-28)
• Miyo Yoshida def. Kanako Oka via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
• Rio Kamikaze def. Matsukuma Kikukawa via unanimous decision (30-21, 30-22, 30-24)
• Ai Takahashi def. Wei-Ting Chen via TKO (standing guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:24

2013 JKS48 high school girls’ tournament results:

• Mio Tsumura def. Yuuki Kira via KO (punch) – Round 1, 1:08
• Mio Tsumura def. Comachi via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-28, 30-29)
• Yuuki Kira def. Anna Murayama via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:52

Non-tournament results:

• Rena Kubota def. Lorena Klijn via majority decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-10)*
• Mei Yamaguchi def. Chihiro Kira via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
• Rena Matsuda def. Nako Otsuka via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-28, 30-28)
• Akari “Eneos” Nakamura def. Tomomi Souda via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-28, 30-28)

* – Extension round needed

Curran stays unbeaten at PXC 38 in Guam

Hawaiian strawweight prospect Kailin Curran (2-0) made it two-for-two inside the PXC cage with a unanimous decision victory at Pacific Xtreme Combat 38 on Aug. 9 in Mangilao, Guam. The 22-year-old defeated Japanese veteran Emi Tomimatsu (5-7) in a closely contested bout.

Curran, who won PXC’s inaugural female fight in March, threw Tomimatsu to the mat early in Round 1. Tomimatsu scrambled back up and countered a head kick with a knee. The fighters battled in the clinch, and Tomimatsu tried to take the fight to the ground, but Curran showed off her ever-improving takedown defense. She eventually threw Tomimatsu back down to the mat and flurried with punches from mount to seal the first round in her favor.

The second round was very close, and both fighters had their moments. Tomimatsu scored with overhand rights and looping hooks, and Curran fired back with a big combination. Tomimatsu landed another overhand right late in the round couldn’t get Curran to the ground. Curran stuffed more takedowns in Round 3 as both fighters began to slow down. Tomimatsu pressed the action with her punches, but Curran countered well and landed some nice strikes of her own. The competitive bout went to the scorecards, and all three judges saw the fight for Curran. No scores were announced.

Curran’s victory was her first since she relocated to California to join the renowned Reign MMA team under the tutelage of UFC middleweight Mark Munoz. Prior to turning pro, Curran racked up an impressive 4-1 record as an amateur that included four stoppage victories.

Quick results

Rhiannon “The Tornado” Thompson (4-0) def. Kenani “Mad House” Mangakahia (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 2:43 mark of Round 3 at FightWorld Cup 15 on Aug. 3 in Nerang, Queensland, Australia. Thompson continued her streak of finishes with the third-round victory. None of her four bouts to date has gone the distance.

Kerry “Rocksteady” Hughes (1-0) def. L.J. Adams (1-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at Ultimate Challenge MMA 35 on Aug. 3 in London. Hughes has quickly risen to become one of Europe’s top female bantamweight prospects. She made a successful pro debut with the clear-cut victory following a 3-0 run in the amateur ranks.

Livia Renata “Livinha” Souza (3-0) def. Andressa “Meg” Araujo Rocha (3-1) via submission (armbar) at the 4:02 mark of Round 2 at Predador Fight Championship 24 on Aug. 9 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Souza pulled guard in the late stages of the second round and defended against Araujo Rocha’s ground and pound. From the bottom, Souza locked on an armbar for the tap-out victory. She has submitted all three of her pro opponents to date.

Aline Sattelmayer (3-3) def. Mylla Souza Torres (3-4) via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) in Round 2 at “Coyotes Fight Night 1: Openweight is Back” on Aug. 10 in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Sattelmayer halted a three-fight losing skid with the stoppage win. Torres, who stepped into the fight on short notice, was unable to follow up on her 19-second KO upset of Camila Lima from this past month.

Kinberly Novaes (7-2) def. Jessica Suelen (0-3) via TKO (retirement) at the 5:00 mark of Round 2 at Nitrix Champion Fight 15 on Aug. 10 in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Novaes and Suelen battled back and forth on the feet for two rounds in a bout that was paused repeatedly in order to fix Suelen’s gloves. Suelen landed some good shots on the feet, but Novaes wore her down over time. Suelen was unable to continue after the second round.

Upcoming fights

Justine Kish (1-0) faces Christine Stanley (1-0) at “Resurrection Fighting Alliance 9: Munhoz vs. Curran” on Friday in Los Angeles. Both fighters make their returns to the cage following lengthy absences. Kish has not fought since she submitted flyweight contender Munah Holland in December 2010. Stanley, a training partner of UFC bantamweight Liz Carmouche, won her April 2012 pro debut when she knocked out Leah Barfield in just 29 seconds.

Laura Balin (2-1) faces Luly “La Vampiresa” Silva (0-0) at Desafio Kaeshi MMA 3 on Aug. 17 in Concordia, Entre Rios, Argentina. Balin looks to rebound from her first pro loss in June when she returns to face Silva, a talented muay Thai striker who makes her pro MMA debut.

Sabrina Garcia (0-0) faces Jade “Quiet Riot” De Haas (0-0) at Xtreme Knockout 19 on Aug. 17 in Dallas. Garcia makes her professional debut following a 3-0 run as an amateur in 2012. De Haas, who went 4-2 in the amateur ranks, also competes as a pro for the first time.

Michele “Diablita” Gutierrez (3-3) faces Tyra Parker (2-3) at “Dakota FC 16: Fall Brawl 2013? on Aug. 23 in Fargo, N.D. Gutierrez hasn’t fought since she dropped a unanimous decision to Sarah Maloy on the inaugural Invicta FC card in April 2012. Prior to her current two-fight losing skid, she had won three straight bouts. Parker’s two-fight winning streak was snapped when Nina Ansaroff defeated her in December. All five of her pro fights have ended via submission, and the bout with Ansaroff marked the first time that Parker had seen Round 2 as a professional. She steps into this fight on short notice in place of Jordan Nicole Gaza.

Raquel “Rocky” Pa’aluhi (2-4) faces Priscilla “The Gorilla” White (0-1) at “Destiny MMA: Proving Grounds 2? on Aug. 24 in Honolulu. Local star Pa’aluhi has faced high-level competition throughout her pro career. She most recently succumbed to a first-round guillotine choke from fellow Invicta FC veteran Raquel Pennington at a Destiny MMA event in September. White remains in search of her first win after falling to Gina Mazany in her March pro debut.

Milana Dudieva (8-2) faces Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad (3-0) at ProFC 50 on Aug. 25 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Dudieva rebounded from a loss in her pro debut with eight straight victories, but her impressive winning streak came to an end when current UFC fighter Jessica Andrade upset her in April. Sweden’s Kianzad is coming off of back-to-back TKO victories in December and now looks for her biggest career win.

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.