Women's MMA Report: Jessica Eye set for June return, CFA tourney airs Friday

Flyweight star Jessica “Evil” Eye is set to return to the cage on June 1 in front of her hometown supporters in Cleveland. Eye, who has been sidelined since March due to a back injury, faces Brazilian veteran Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm in a featured matchup at “NAAFS: Fight Night in the Flats 9.”

This past December, Eye (9-1) extended her winning streak to six by taking out former Bellator 115-pound women’s champion Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel in just 58 seconds with a standing arm-triangle choke. The win was Eye’s biggest to date, and she had looked to keep the momentum going at Bellator 95 in early April. However, she sustained a serious back injury in the weeks leading up to the event and was forced to withdraw from her planned bout against talented striker Munah “The Perfect Storm” Holland.

During the past two months, Eye has rehabbed the injury in hopes of being ready for a summer return. With the future of Bellator’s women’s divisions currently uncertain, Eye comes home to compete for the NAAFS, where she began her MMA career in 2008.

Standing across the cage from Eye will be one of her toughest opponents to date. Despite recent inconsistencies, Damm (17-8) poses a threat to anyone in the female flyweight division, and the battle-tested veteran has faced a who’s who of the sport throughout her career dating back to October 2004. Damm has earned key victories over the likes of Vanessa Porto, Miku Matsumoto, Jessica Aguilar and Kalindra Faria, but she has not won a fight in the U.S. in more than five years. She looks to change that when she steps in to challenge Eye next month, and a victory would vault Damm back toward the top of the 125-pound rankings.

The Eye-Damm bout will be a prominent part of the NAAFS main card, which also features a pair of championship bouts.

Nakai, Fujino earn submission wins at Pancrase 247

Long-running Japanese promotion Pancrase staged its 247th event on May 19 in Tokyo. For the first time, the event was made available to a worldwide viewing audience via Ustream iPPV. Pancrase 247 included two “Japan vs. New Mexico” female fights, and the Japanese contingent prevailed with a pair of slick submission victories.

Inaugural bantamweight Queen of Pancrase Rin Nakai (14-0-1) overcame a slow start in the night’s co-main event and handed KOTC champion Brenda “Boom Boom” Gonzales (4-1) the first defeat of her pro career. Nakai was extremely cautious in the opening three minutes and circled on the outside while Gonzales jabbed from the center of the ring. The referee halted the action and warned both fighters for passivity.

After the restart, Gonzales pressed forward and attempted a spinning backfist. Nakai ducked under the strike and took Gonzales’ back. She tried to throw Gonzales to the mat, but the American defended well. Nakai was relentless and eventually slammed Gonzales with a suplex. Gonzales landed awkwardly and appeared to break or dislocate her left elbow. Nakai quickly locked on a rear-naked choke, and Gonzales tapped out at the 4:47 mark of Round 1.

Sunday’s fight was Nakai’s first since she became the inaugural Pancrase women’s champion by defeating Danielle West in a December rematch. The fighters previously fought to a split draw in September 2011. Both bouts against West were shrouded in controversy. Many felt that West had won the first fight, and her inability to make weight for the rematch led to a number of last-minute rule changes that heavily favored Nakai. The eccentric Japanese fighter put on a better showing in her victory over Gonzales and has now won four straight fights.

In the second women’s bout on the card, veteran contender Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino (12-6) scored a second-round submission win over Gonzales’ Fit NHB teammate, Amber “The Bully” Brown (2-1), who stepped into the fight on relatively short notice when Monica Lovato was forced to withdraw due to an injury.

After an exchange of strikes in the clinch, Fujino secured a takedown in Round 1 and tried for an armbar. Brown escaped, and the fighters stood and traded knees to the body. Fujino took Brown back down and landed some solid punches from the top before the bell. Brown scored a takedown right away in Round 2 and moved to mount to escape a guillotine choke. She postured up and rained down punches until Fujino swept and took top position in her guard. Brown attempted an armbar, but Fujino scrambled and took her back.

When Brown refused to submit to a rear-naked choke, Fujino switched to a neck crank. With nowhere to go, Brown was forced to submit at the 4:18 mark of Round 2, though she put on a good showing in defeat. Fujino has won three of her past four fights. Her lone defeat since 2010 came in December when Jewels champion Ayaka Hamasaki narrowly outpointed her.

Gadelha improves to 10-0 with decision victory in Brazil

Decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha (10-0) kept her perfect pro record intact with a big win on May 11 at Max Sport 13.2 in Sao Paulo. Gadelha outpointed prospect Herica Tiburcio (5-2) in a competitive three-round battle.

Gadelha showed off her underrated striking skills early in Round 1 and backed up Tiburcio with a combination. She took down her opponent and tried to pass to mount, but Tiburcio defended well from the bottom. When Gadelha dropped back for a heel hook, Tiburcio took advantage by moving into top position. A scramble followed, and Tiburcio chained together submission attempts as she worked for triangle chokes and armbars. The fighters were stood up after a lull in the action, and Tiburcio continued her late-round rally by landing a flurry before the bell.

Gadelha began to take control of the fight in Rounds 2 and 3. She kept Tiburcio pinned on the ground throughout the middle stanza and landed punches from the top. Tiburcio briefly looked for an armbar, but Gadelha easily defended and landed more strikes as the round came to a close. Gadelha threw Tiburcio to the ground in the final round and fought off a kimura attempt. She settled into Tiburcio’s guard and landed punches until the 10-second warning. Tiburcio tried to initiate one final scramble, but she gave up her back in the process, and Gadelha held her down until the end of the fight.

All three judges scored the bout in favor of Gadelha, who took the unanimous-decision win. She next faces Scottish striker Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood in a battle between unbeaten rising stars at Invicta FC 6 on July 13.

Sugiyama vs. Ham title bout headlines Saturday’s ‘Jewels: 24th Ring’ event

Jewels featherweight queen champion Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama (8-2) makes the first defense of her title on Saturday at “Jewels: 24th Ring” in Tokyo. Sugiyama faces South Korean standout Seo Hee Ham (10-5) in the three-round main event.

Sugiyama became the first Jewels champion at 48 kilograms (106 pounds) in December 2011 when she defeated top contenders Kikuyo Ishikawa and Misaki Takimoto in the same night at “Jewels: 17th Ring.” She returned to action five months later and picked up her second win over former Valkyrie champ Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada in a non-title rematch. In October Sugiyama made her U.S. debut at Invicta FC 3, but she succumbed to Jessica Penne‘s second-round triangle choke. She returned to Jewels in March and suffered an upset loss to Norway’s Celine Haga, but Sugiyama’s title was not on the line in the two-round bout.

Ham has been one of Asia’s premier female MMA fighters for more than six years. In her pro debut, the skilled striker upset Deep champion Hisae Watanabe, and she faced a proverbial murderers’ row of opponents in each of her next five fights. Since debuting for Jewels in September 2009, Ham has tasted defeat just twice in eight bouts and has totaled a number of key wins along the way. Both of her defeats for the promotion came at the hands of Jewels lightweight queen champion Ayaka Hamasaki. After recovering from a back injury, Ham returned to MMA in April and submitted Ryo Mizunami in just 65 seconds.

The 106-pound title tilt will be Ham’s first MMA fight in the weight class since early in her career, but she has fought lighter than 110 pounds in recent kickboxing and shoot-boxing matches.

In other MMA bouts on the Jewels card, promotional star Mika “Future Princess” Nagano (12-8) takes on Takumi Umehara (1-0), and former Valkyrie champion “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi (10-5-1) faces Seo Ye Jung (0-1). Both bouts were late additions to the event. A fourth MMA fight pits featherweight prospect Jade Marie Anderson (2-0) against grappling specialist Yurika Nakakura (0-0). Anderson, who now lives and trains in South Korea, is coming off of back-to-back wins over MMA pioneer Megumi Yabushita.

CFA women’s tournament semifinals set for Friday in Florida

The second round of Championship Fighting Alliance inaugural women’s featherweight championship tournament takes place Friday at CFA 11 in Coral Gables, Fla. In the AXS TV-televised co-main event, transgender fighter Fallon “The Queen of Swords” Fox (2-0) faces Allanna “Hands of Stone” Jones (2-1). “The Ultimate Fighter 18? hopeful Ashlee Evans-Smith (1-0) returns to CFA to face late replacement opponent Anna “Smiles” Barone (2-3) in the second semifinal fight.

Fox earned her spot in the second round of the tournament by knocking out Ericka Newsome at CFA 10 in March. In the days following the event, it was revealed that Fox had been born male and had undergone gender reassignment surgery, which set off a lengthy debate among fans, fighters and media as to whether Fox should be allowed to continue to compete against female opponents. While the debate rages on, Fox will indeed compete as planned on Friday.

Her opponent, Jones, advanced to the semifinals with a close split-decision victory over former U.S. Marine Kelsey De Santis at CFA 10. Prior to turning pro, Jones went 8-2 as an amateur. She opened her pro career as a bantamweight with a first-round TKO victory in September and contemplated dropping down to 125 pounds following a submission loss in November. The CFA tournament offered Jones a solid opportunity, however, so she moved up in weight in order to compete and made a big statement by defeating the highly touted De Santis in March.

On the other side of the bracket, Evans-Smith looks to stay unbeaten when she faces Barone, who enters the tournament as a short-notice replacement. Evans-Smith advanced to the semifinals by outpointing former amateur rival Tori Adams in a rematch at CFA 10. She had been scheduled to face Peggy “The Daywalker” Morgan at CFA 11, but both Evans-Smith and Morgan were removed from the card after taking part in the “TUF 18? tryouts.

Earlier this month, Evans-Smith was brought back into the CFA tournament fold, but Morgan was not. She was replaced by Barone, who now has a golden opportunity to advance to the final round if she is able to upset Evans-Smith. Both of Barone’s pro wins have come via knockout, including an 18-second stoppage of Charmaine “Not So Sweet” Tweet.

The winners of Friday’s semifinal bouts will then face off in the tournament final later this year. One fighter will take home the inaugural CFA women’s featherweight championship and a check for $20,000.

Andrade prepares for busy summer schedule

Brazilian prospect Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (9-2) fought seven times in 2012 and is planning to maintain an active fighting schedule once again this year. Andrade, who upset Russian standout Milana Dudieva in April, is already 2-0 in 2013 and has four more fights lined up in the coming months.

On June 15, the 21-year-old Andrade is set to face Pink Fight 121-pound champion Kalindra Faria (9-3-1) at Real Fight 9 in Sao Paulo. Faria has won five straight fights and is coming off of back-to-back stoppage wins under the Detonic Fight banner this year. She will be one of Andrade’s toughest and most experienced opponents.

Three weeks after she faces Faria, Andrade will compete against jiu-jitsu ace Ana Maria “India” (3-4) at Web Fight Combat 2 on July 7 in Rio de Janeiro. Maria’s MMA record is deceptive and she is one of her country’s most skilled female grapplers. Her most notable win came in her third fight when she submitted Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes in just 35 seconds. Maria has not competed in MMA since May 2010, but she will have a chance to even her record at 4-4 when she faces Luana Teixeira this coming weekend.

On July 10, just three days after she is scheduled to face Maria, Andrade hopes to compete again against an opponent to be determined in Peru. Andrade’s most difficult fight has been saved for last. She is expected to face Carina Damm (17-8) at Golden Fighters 6 in Itajai, Santa Catarina, Brazil, on Sept. 14.

The four-fight stretch may appear to be a daunting one on paper, but Andrade prefers to face quality opponents on a regular basis in order to continue to improve at a rapid rate. She jokingly states that she hopes to one day sport a record like that of 309-fight veteran Travis “The Ironman” Fulton (249-49-10).

Quick results

Lana “The Black Mamba” Kate (2-1) def. Amy “Ace” Adam (1-2) via TKO (punches) at the 1:41 mark of Round 3 at Australian Fighting Championship 5 on May 10 in Melbourne. Kate previously earned a close split decision victory over Adam in December. She left nothing to chance in the rematch and finished Adam with punches midway through the final round.

Daizy Singh (2-0) def. Ola “Barby” Ahmed (1-1) via submission (bulldog choke) at the 43-second mark of Round 2 at Super Fight League 17 on May 10 in Mumbai. Singh dominated the fight on the ground in the opening round and attempted a series of chokes. She threw Ahmed to the ground early in Round 2 and locked on a modified bulldog choke from side control. Ahmed tried to roll to escape the hold, but she couldn’t break Singh’s grip and eventually tapped out to the unique variation of the choke.

Shauna “Little Thunder” Carew (2-1) def. Nusreen Isphany (0-1) via unanimous decision at “Eternal MMA 2: Remorseless” on May 11 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Carew was a step ahead of Isphany in the striking exchanges throughout the fight and all three judges scored the bout in her favor. The win got Carew back on track after she suffered an upset loss to Christina Nicole Tatnell in February.

Kalindra Faria (9-3-1) def. Dayse “Guerreira” Santos Nascimento (1-2) via submission (armbar) at the 2:31 mark of Round 2 at Detonic Fight 2 on May 11 in Ouro Fino, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Faria has won five straight bouts and she earned her first submission victory in the fight. She is tentatively booked to compete on June 1 against an opponent to be determined and will fight again two weeks later against Jessica Andrade at Real Fight 9.

Amy Cadwell (1-0) def. Cheryl “Kid Chaos” Chan (0-2) via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) at Cage Warrior Combat 4 on May 11 in Kingston, Wash. Cadwell was making her pro debut in the fight after a lengthy stint as an amateur. With the win, she avenged a fourth-round submission loss to Chan from when the fighters first faced off in a September 2011 amateur bout.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk (3-0) def. Kate Jackson (4-2) via TKO (retirement) at the 5:00 mark of Round 2 at “Professional League of MMA 17 Extra: Warmia Heroes” on May 18 in Olsztyn, Poland. Jedrzejczyk battered Jackson with strikes on the ground throughout the second round. The doctor allowed the fight to continue, but Jackson, who missed weight by five pounds, failed to answer the bell for Round 3, and Jedrzejczyk picked up her third straight win.

Roberta Paim Rovel (1-0) def. Ligiane Coelho (0-1) via TKO (punches) at the 2:25 mark of Round 1 at JVT Championship 4 on May 18 in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Paim Rovel overwhelmed Coelho with strikes en route to a quick win in the welterweight bout.

Upcoming fights

Ana Maria “India” (3-4) faces Luana Teixeira (7-3) at Team Nogueira MMA Circuit 3 on May 24 in Rio de Janeiro. Maria has not fought since scoring a second-round victory in May 2010. All three of the skilled grappler’s wins have come via submission. Teixeira looks to rebound from a pair of losses this past year. She had won five straight fights prior to the setbacks.

Jessica “Raising Havoc” Halverson (3-2) faces Kate “The Great” Bloomfield (1-2) at “Disorderly Conduct 19: The Tribute” on May 24 in Omaha, Neb. Halverson has been inactive since she was stopped by Invicta FC fighter Tamikka “Boom Boom” Brents in November. All three of her wins to date have come via a form of knockout. Bloomfield earned her first pro win under the Disorderly Conduct banner in February.

Kerry Barrett (1-0) faces Arlene “Angerfist” Blencowe (0-1) at Brace For War 20 on May 25 in Brisbane. Barrett made a successful pro debut on the all-female Brace For War 17 card in October. Blencowe seeks her first win after dropping her pro debut in April.

In featherweight semifinal bouts, Jessy Schwarz (1-2) faces Anne Merkt (0-0) and Alexandra Buch (6-2) faces Jannie Schmits (0-0) at No Compromises Fighting Championship 2 on May 25 in Hamburg, Germany. The winners of the semifinal fights will then face off in the tournament final for the No Compromises women’s featherweight title.

Jocelyn “Lights Out” Lybarger (1-0) faces Jessica Armstrong-Kennett (0-1) at “KOTC: World Championships” on May 25 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Lybarger kicked off her pro career with a unanimous decision win at Invicta FC 2 in July. Armstrong-Kennett also returns to the cage for the first time since July and she remains in search of her first pro win.

Paulina “Firefox” Granados (1-0) faces Maria Lopez (0-0) at Legacy Fighting Championship 20 on May 31 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Granados is one of MMA’s top atomweight prospects and she is coming off of a unanimous decision victory in her March pro debut. Lopez competes as a professional for the first time and looks to score an upset.

Maria Hougaard Djursaa (4-4) faces Lina Akhtar Lansberg (1-1) at “Trophy MMA 2: Cities Collide – Malmo vs. Kopenhamn” on June 1 in Malmo, Sweden. Djursaa most recently scored an impressive stoppage victory over Jorina “JoJo” Baars in April. She looks for her third straight win against Lansberg, who posted a unanimous decision win over L.J. Adams in March.

Tanja Hoffman (1-3) faces Jannie Schmits (0-0) at Gladiators Fighting Championship 2 on June 1 in Lauda-Konigshofen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Hoffman returned to action following a layoff of close to four years and picked up a first-round submission win in April. Schmits is set to compete twice in one week. She first faces German standout Alexandra Buch in the No Compromises featherweight title tournament before taking on Hoffman.

Laura Balin (2-0) faces Vanessa Guimaraes (1-1) at 360 Pro Fight 2 on June 1 in Corrientes, Argentina. Balin has earned first-round finishes in both of her pro wins, and she most recently stopped Ana Blank on the inaugural 360 Pro Fight card in November. Brazil’s Guimaraes is coming off of a highlight-reel knee knockout victory in April.

Charmaine “Not So Sweet” Tweet (3-3) faces Amanda “The Lady Killer” Bell (0-1) at “Battle For The Border 2: Redemption” on June 1 in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. Tweet has secured submission wins in three of her past four fights and she has only been out of the first round once in her career. Bell dropped a unanimous decision to Tamikka “Boom Boom” Brents in her pro debut at Invicta FC 4 in January. Prior to the loss, Bell put together a stellar 6-1 run as an amateur with six stoppage wins including a TKO victory over top prospect Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke. This event marks the second time that the Battle For The Border promotion has brought MMA to the small city of Cranbrook. The inaugural BFTB event was held in September.

MMAjunkie.com publishes the Women’s MMA Report every other Monday. 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.