Long time journeywoman fighter Molly Helsel is ready to come back to the fold.

After starting a family and helping her gym, Undisputed Tuscan, grow in Tuscan, AZ, the 22 fight veteran will enter the cage for the first time since 2011 to take on pro debuter Lori Agins at the World Fight Federation’s card in Tuscan November 22.

Hesel lost her last five fights against some tough opponents including Roxanne Modafferi and Aisling Daly. She has been know to bring home quite a few “Fight of the Night” bonuses even in losses. Having no permanent home gym throughout her career, she is hoping that having roots will start what could be an epic comeback story.

Hesel won’t have it easy with the heavy handed Agins, who won her last amateur fight by TKO. The fight will be up from Helsel’s usual flyweight weight class.

The card will also feature an amateur bout between Tracy Cortez and Arianne Christiansen.

The event will be stream on wffmma.com.

Courtesy WSOF

The current number 1 ranked strawweight on the planet isn’t in the UFC, and it doesn’t bother Jessica Aguilar one bit.

The World Series of Fighting champion is defending her title Saturday against the #8 ranked Kalindra Faria. Many people have criticized Aguilar’s spot as the top fighter at 115, but with a win over former InvictaFC champions Carla Esparza (who is in the The Ultimate Fighter title tournament) the WSOF champion seems justified.

“I am the best”, Aguilar told us on the WSOF conference call Thursday. “I’ve proven myself… People have seen me beat the best of the best in our sport.”

Many fans may not be familiar with Faria, but the Brazilian is currently ranked in both the flyweight and strawweight divisions and is riding an 11 fight win streak. When we asked about the WSOF bringing in Faria, a top 10 fighter, Aguilar responded:

“I want to fight the best and it goes to show a lot of people don’t know who Kalindra Faria is. She is top ranked. There is still a lot of talent out there that are top ranked that are out there. The WSOF is doing a great job of finding top opponents for me. I’m ready to take another challenge and prove myself.”

The title match will air live on NBC Sports Net Saturday at 6 p.m. pst/9 p.m. est.

Official weigh-ins will be streamed on WSOF.com at 11:30 a.m. pst/ 2:30 p.m. est Friday.

Miscellaneous News

In action Thursday:

In pro MMA:

• Amy Montenegro defeatd Diana Rael by TKO in round
  2 at King of the Cage in Idaho.

In boxing:

• Ava Knight defeated Guadalupe Martinez by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC International flyweight title in Washington D.C.
• Tyrieshia Douglas gains the vacant WIBA World bantamweight title with an unanimous decision win over Christina Ruiz in Baltimore, MD
• In Westbury, New York, Amanda Serrano defeated Carla Torres by TKO round 1

In amateur MMA action at Gladiator Fighting Association in Topeka, KS:

• Tabby Patterson def. Cara Jo Wesemann by unanimous decision to win the 145 title
• Julie Murray def. Katherine Grasshopper by TKO 1:18 round 2
• Savannah Self def. Alexis Cheatham by TKO 2:32 round 2
• Jessika Brown def. Jennifer Dunn by KO 0:23 round 1

Holly Holm is out of her match with Raquel Pennington at UFC 181 next month.

Holm has suffered a neck injury and will be taking it “day by day” to see if it will heal on its own. No word if Pennington will get another opponent.

Also in the injury front, UFC Strawwweight Tina Lähdemäki has to undergo shoulder surgery and will be out for 9 months.

After losing to Randa Markos, Tecia Torres advanced to the quarterfinals of “The Ultimate Fighter 20″ tournament by defeating Bec Rawlings by unanimous decision. Torres will face former InvictaFC champion Carla Esparza in the next round.

The episode itself drew 578,000 live viewers – one of the best ratings of the season. Wednesday’s broadcast saw the most drama and cattiness of the episodes thus far.

Next week, Randa Markos and Felice Herrig square off in the quarterfinals.

The Princesses of Pain female fighting promotion will return to action November 29 will a docket of exciting fights.

The main event will feature Kate da Silva defend her 60 kg title against Dawn Chalmers.

In other pro bouts:

• Tairi Ford vs Gaela Nixon
• Gentiane Lupi vs Alex Sorthis
• Hera Tamati vs Catherine Drinnann
• Charlene Watt vs Bridget Lords
• Barbara Verlinden vs Tracey Burns

More matches to be announced soon.

A pair of bouts have been announced for OneFC December 5 in Manilla, Philippines.

Ana Jualton looks for her second win of her MMA career as she takes on Egypt’s Walaa Abas, while local favorite Jujeath Nagaowa will battle Tharoth Sam of Cambodia.

Two new fighters have signed to Invicta.

Texas’s Tessa Simpson signed this past week. The 3-1 atomweight returned to action last year with a win over Paulina Granados.

German strawweight Daniela Kortmann signed Thursday to the promotion, The first from Germany yo be signed, she went 3-1 as an amateur and won her pro debut in 2012.

World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo told us during the WSOF conference call Thursday to expect more expansion of the women’s division in 2015. Sefo stated “timing” had a lot to do with not doing it this year. (We can only assume he meant TUF 20.)

He also is looking to develop a bantamweight division.

However, XFC is not too pleased with Kalindra Faria signing to the promotion.

XFC has filed a lawsuit against WSOF in the US over the Brazilian strawweight. Faria had signed an exclusive contract with the XFC before signing to WSOF. Faria will face WSOF champion Jessica Aguilar Saturday. More on that below.

OneFC’s Ann Osmond was featured on Time.com in their “Next Generation Leaders” segment. You can watch the video here.

A new trailer for “Boxing Chicks” is up. The story of former boxing trainer turned coach Terri Moss and her fight team will be released in December. You can see the trailer here.

Zoila Fruasto helped aspiring fighter Jennifer Penfield live out her dream, if just for an afternoon.

Penfield spared with the former Bellator champion in a Ford commercial. You can watch it here.

In the podcast Sunday we will talk to Rachael Smith about her upcoming fight with Kathina Catron and looking for her first pro win.

You can listen here at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est Sunday.

Rumors

Come December 22, Ashlee Evans-Smith will be able to “seek other opportunities” as her “6 month inactive clause” in her WSOF contract will kick in.

Despite her ACL and meniscus tear,  Heather Clark is insisting she will still fight on the TUF 20 finale.

Schedule Matches

Pro MMA

The UFC will make it’s debut in Mexico City, Mexico with a much anticipated scrap in the bantamweight division.

Jessica Eye (10-2; 1NC) and Leslie Smith (7-5-1) look to make their way up the 135 division rankings as they will be the featured bout on the UFC prelims on Fox Sports 1 Saturday. Both tipped the scales at 134.

Eye is coming off a loss to Alexis Davis, while Smith is coming off a win over Jessamyn Duke. Both seem acclimated to the higher altitude and look to entertain the fans in Mexico.

The #1 ranked Jessica Aguilar will defend her WSOF title for the second time against the #8 ranked  Kalindra Faria in Tampa, FL Saturday, which will air on NBC Sports Net. Both Aguilar (115) and Faria (114.8) came in on weight.

Aguilar has won 9 straight including her title win over Alida Gray and her title defense over Emi Fujino. With The Ultimate Fighter 20 almost ready to crown a champion, Aguilar need a solid win the stay at the top.

Faria is riding an 11 fight win streak and is looking to make an instant impact at 115. She has finished in 5 of her last 11 wins and is ranked in both the flyweight and strawweight divisions.

Courtesy Dolly Clew/ Cage Warriors

Cage Warriors will crown its first women’s bantamweight champion in London, England Saturday, in a fight that will stream on MMAJunkie.com.

Sweden’s Pannie Kianzad and Finland’s Eeva Siiskonen will duke it out for initial 135 title. Both Kianzad (134.8) and Siiskonen (134.3) came in on weight.

Kainzad (6-0) is undefeated having finished Megan van Houtum in her CWFC debut. This will be the debut of Siiskonen  in the promotion, having two finishes t her credit.

Also on the undercard, Anna Elmose (134.6) will take on Emma Delaney (135.7).

MMA Super Heroes will feature another tournament heading to their card in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In the strawweight grand prix semi-finals, Camila Lima takes on Virna Jandiroba and Aline Sattelmayer faces Marília “Chocolate” Santos. The winners will square off later that night for the tournament crown. Howver, Santos came in at 125 pounds, so may have disqualifed herself from the finals.

In a non-tounament bout, Ariane Lipski battles Daiane Firmino in a strawweight encounter.

Courtesy PXC

Cortney Casey looks for her third profession win as she takes on Gina Iniong at PXC in Manila, Philippines. This will stream on PXC’s livestream channel.

Arizona’s Casey (2-1) won her PXC debut this past June. The former Tuff-n-uff amateur champion has finished in both of her pro wins.champion.

Hometown fighter Iniong (3-1) is coming off a very close split decision over veteran Mei Yamaguchi at her last PXC bout.

In other pro MMA bouts:

• At LegacyFC in Houston, TX, Stephanie Alba takes on Maria Lopez
• In a pair of pro bouts at Sugar Creek Showdown in Hinton, OK, Amber Stautzenberger faces Delaney Owens and Jade DeHaas fights Anita Rodriguez. In an amateur bout Wendy Simmons battles Emily Ducote
• Stephanie Bragayrac takes onm Mariana Moraes at Explosion MMA in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
• At USA MMA in Lafayette, Louisiana, Jazmine Hargrave faces Brooksie Bayard

Ammy MMA

Intense Cage Fight returns to Great Falls, MT and will feature an amateur flyweight bout between Hannah Kampf  and DJ Morrision.

Wombat Sports will be there live to cover the fight, so follow us @WombatSports for results.

In other amateur action:

• In a pair of bouts at Steefist MMA in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mallory Rogers takes on Brenda Enriquez and Alysa Westergard faces Chelsya Howard
• At Ultimate Beatdown in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Samantha Tan battles Goh Shee Han
• Morgana Silva fights Vitoria Ferreira at Gladiator CF in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
• In Chertsey, Surrey, England at Too Much Talent, Louise Hiller takes on Samantha Taylor
• At A-Town Throwdown in Austin, MN, Cynthia Bottelberghe faces Jessica Fresh
• Sereina Comstock battles Megan Wallace at IFC Fight Night in Owensboro, Kentucky
• In Sacramento, California at West Coast FC, Ashley Medina fights Melissa Wang
• At Spartan Combat League in Loveland, Colorado, Samantha Gilliland takes on Kathryn Yost

Boxing

Tori Nelson (c) vs. Victoria Cisneros – WIBA welterweight title & vacant UBF World welterweight title

Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Alejandra Marina Oliveras (c) vs. Erica Anabella Farias – WBC World light welterweight title

In other boxing action:

• In Daegu, South Korea Hye Soo Park takes on Dorkmaipah Kiatpompetch
• Anahi Esther Sanchez battles Betina Gabriela Garino in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Photo courtesy Gabriel Solorio

Wombat Sports was on the scene as two amateur prospects squared off at Intense Championship Fighting 16 Friday night in Great Falls, MT.

ICF vet Hannah Kampf took on accomplished boxer DJ Morrison in the only female bout on the card. The fast paced fight had the crowd going and in the end, Kampf picked up her second victory.

You can watch the math in it entirety below.

Smith Courtesy DTM News Journal

Pennington

WSOF vet Ashlee Evans-Smith has signed to the UFC.

The undefeated CFA tournament champ will be the replacement for Holly Holm against Raquel Pennington at UFC 181 December 6 in Las Vegas. Pennington announced the match-up on her facebook.

Smith won the CFA title with a win over Fallon Fox. Her last fight she defeated Marcia Allen by TKO this past June. Smith was a colligaite wrestler and a teammate of UFC fighter Carla Esparza.

Pennington (4-4) is coming off a loss over a split decision loss to Jessica Andrade. She won her official UFC debut with a decision over Roxanne Modafferi.

The fight is expected to air on Fox Sports 1 December 6.

Pro WMMA

Courtesy Yahoo Sports

Jessica Eye looked impressive in her win against a very game Leslie Smith at UFC 180 in Mexico City, Mexico, which aired live on Fox Sports 1.

Eye’s striking proved to be the factor in the fight, as Eye damaged Smith’s ear. After the first round, the doctor looked at the ear and let it go on. In round two after a heated striking exchange, the referee paused the fight and the doctor declared the damage to the ear was too much to continue, much to the dismay of Smith. Officially, Eye defeated Smith by TKO at 1:30 of  round 2.

Eye improves to 11-2-1.

Courtesy WSOF

The top strawweight on the planet has defended her title and position in the rankings.

Jessica Aguilar took Kalindra Faria to a unanimous decision win at WSOF 15 in Tampa, FL which aired on NBC Sports Net.

Faria hung in the pocket with the champ, but was out classed by Aguilar’s precision striking. The final round saw Faria push for the win, but it was too little too late.

Aguilar hands Faria her first loss in 11 fights and improves to 19-4.

Courtesy Dolly Clew/Cage Warriors

Cage Warriors has crowned its first bantamweight champion.

Undefeated Pannie Kianzad (7-0) defeated last minute replacement Eeva Siiskonen by unanimous decision to win the initial 135 title in London, England. Siiskonen, who took the fight on 10 days notice, was able to get a tight armbar attempt in the opening stanza, but the striking was the key throughout the rest of the match to give Kianzad the win.

It is expected Kianzad first title defense will be against the fighter Siiskonen replaced, Agnieszka Niedzwiedz, next year.

In a preliminary bout, Anna Elmose defeated Emma Delaney by TKO 0:19 round 1.

Jandiroba vs. Lima Courtesy MMA Super Heroes

MMA Super Heroes returned to action as they crowned a strawweight tournament champion.

Virna Jandiroba submitted Camila Lima by rear naked choke in round 2 in what was the tournament final.

Marília Santos came in over weight for the tournament and and faced Aline Sattelmayer. If Sattelmayer would have won, she would have advanced. However, Santos won by unanimous decision but would not advance due to the weight discrepancy.

In a non-tourmanet match, Daiane Firmino defeated Ariane Lipski by TKO round 1.

In other pro bouts:

• At PXC in Manila, Philippines, Cortney Casey submitted Gina Iniong by rear naked choke round 1
• In a pair of pro bouts at Sugar Creek Showdown in Hinton, OK, Delaney Owens submitted Amber Stautzenberger by rear naked choke 4:05 round 4 to win their 115 title and  Anita Rodriguez defeated Jade DeHaas by TKO (doctor’s stoppage broken nose) 5:00 round 4 to win their 135 title. In amateur action, Emily Ducote defeated Wendy Simmons by TKO 1:05 round 1  
• At LegacyFC in Houston, TX, Stephanie Alba submitted Maria Lopez by rear naked choke round 1
• Mariana Moraes submitted Stephanie Bragayrac by head and arm choke round 1 at Explosion MMA in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil

Ammy MMA

In amateur action:

• At ICF in Great Falls, MT, Hannah Kampf defeated DJ Morrision by unanimous decision. You can watch the match here.
• In a pair of bouts at Steefist in Salt Lake City, Utah, Brenda Enriquez submitted Mallory Rogers by rear naked choke round 1 and Chelsya Howard defeated Alysa Westergard by TKO round 1
• Jessica Fresh submitted Cynthia Bottelberghe by armbar 0:46 round 3 at A-Town Throwdown in Austin, MN
• At West Coast FC in Sacramento, California, Ashley Medina defeated Melissa Wang by unanimous decision
• Samantha Gilliland defeated Kathryn Yost by TKO 0:42 round two at Spartan Combat League in Loveland, Colorado
• At Gladiator CF in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, Morgana Silva and Vitoria Ferreira fought  to a draw (125)

Pro Boxing

Tori Nelson gained another world welterweight title as she defeated Victoria Cisneros by unanimous decision to win the vacant UBF belt in Fairfax, Virginia. Nelson also successfully defended her  WIBA welterweight title

Nelson (13-0-3) has yet to taste defeat.

In Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico, Erica Anabella Farias defeated Alejandra Marina Oliveras by split decision to gain the WBC World light welterweight title.

Farisa (21-1) is the former WBC lightweight champion and snaps Oliveras’s 12 fight win streak.

A new IBF World super bantamweight champion was crowned in Cordoba, Argentina as Yulihan Luna Avila defeated Carolina Marcela Gutierrez by unanimous decision for the vacant title.

Avila (12-2) wins her first world championship.

In other pro boxing action:

• In Kotka, Finland, Eva Wahlstrom defeated Fatuma Zarika by unanimous decision
• Hye Soo Park defeated Dorkmaipah Kiatpompetch by unanimous decision  in Daegu, South Korea
• In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Anahi Esther Sanchez defeated Betina Gabriela Garino by unanimous decision
• Debora Rengifo defeated Luzmeri Zacarias by TKO in Turmero, Venezuela
• In Pathum Thani, Thailand, Kanittha Kokietgym defeated Saobangrajan Kkp by unanimous decision

Courtesy InvictaFC

After a visa issue has sidetracked Vanessa Porto from getting into the country, Andrea Lee will replace the title contender against Roxanne Modafferi at InvictaFC December 5.

Lee (2-0) made an impressive debut over Shannon Sinn at InvictaFC 9, displaying creative yet accurate striking.  The multi-sport combat athlete is looking to make it to the top 10 with a win.

This will be a huge step up for Lee as veteran Roxanne Modafferi (16-11) has taken on a who’s who in the sport. Modafferi’s striking has developed since leaving Japan and making her home at Syndicate MMA. Her ground game has always been a solid part of her game. A win would solidify her title contendership.

InvictaFC 5 will stream on UFC Fight Pass December 5.

Yamaguchi and Hamasaki

Japanese MMA on New Year’s Eve has been a tradition for the past decade. This year, DEEP MMA will have the honor of bring a card to the Tokyo crowd.

DEEP will borrow talent from it’s sister organization DEEP-JEWELS to bring four female bouts on the card.

InvictaFC vet Ayaka Hamasaki will take on former Valkyrie champion Mei Yamaguchi in an atomweight bout.

Hamasaki (10-1), the former D-J 116 champion, looked impressive in her return to the ring as she defeated former atomweight champion Naho Sugiyama this past August. Hamasaki’s only loss was to UFC title contender Claudia Gadelha.

Yamaguchi (12-7) rebounded from close decision losses to gain a first round choke over Yukiko Seki at DEEP-JEWELS in May.

Fresh off her win a few weeks ago, WSOF vet Emi Fujino (14-8) will take on Emi Tomimatsu (8-8), who is also coming off a win this month.

Returning MMA legend Satoko Shinashi (30-2-2) looks to keep the comeback going taking on Rika Hamada (1-0).

Rounding out the card, Japanese bantamweight Shizuka Sugiyama (12-4-1) looks for her second straight win as she battles former boxing champion Emiko Raika.

Another female bout maybe added as Satoko Shinashi has asked for a fight against Korean star Song Ga-Yeon .

The event will be in a cage versus the traditional ring.

No word on if the event will stream or air in the U.S.

Gomez

XFCi has had a stellar 2014 and will look to finish the year with three bouts in their women’s divisions in Campinas, Brazil December 13th.

In a superfight, XFCi flyweight tournament champion Silvana Gomez will battle Swede Linn Wennergren. Argentina’s Gomez (4-0) won the flyweight grand prix with back to back armbar wins. Wennergren (2-1) has back to back wins and will be the first trip for the Swedish fighter to South America.

The second season flyweight tournament finalists will also be determined as Taila Santos (4-0) takes on Poliana Botelho (3-1) and Debora Ferreira (4-0) battles Antonia Silvaneide da Silva (3-1).

We will have interviews with the fighters in the weeks ahead.

The card will stream on XFCMMA.com December 13 at 9:30 est/6:30 pst.

Miscellaneous News

In action Thursday, Costa Rican flyweight Reyna Cordoba submitted Anely Jimenez by 3rd round keylock. Cordoba moves to 7-0.

In boxing action Friday:

• In Perth, Australia, Erin McGowan gains the vacant WIBA World lightweight title by defeating Arlene Blencowe by unanimous decision. McGowen improves to 17-2.
• Kenia Enriquez defeated Ana Arrazola by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBO World flyweight title in San Diego, California. Enriquez remains undefeated and gains her first world title.
• In a pair of bout in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Gabriela Marcela Zapata retains her IBF World light middleweight title by second round TKO over Paola Gabriela Casalinuovo, and  Vanesa Lorena Taborda wins the vacant WBC Latino flyweight title with a split decision over Maria Magdalena Rivera
• In Hamilton, Bermuda Kali Reis knocks out Teresa Perozzi in round 3  to win the vacant IBA World Middleweight title. Reis wins her first world title.
• Ruth Stephanie Aquino def. Cristina Beatriz Cuevas by unanimous decision in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• In Las Vegas, Nevada, Layla McCarter defeated Melissa Hernandez by unanimous decision (146)

In an amateur bout Friday, Courtney King defeated Jenna MaCallister by unanimous decision at Prize FC 7 in Denver, CO

Courtesy Fox Sports

The quarterfinals of TUF 20 started this past week, with #14 seed Randa Markos continuing her Cinderella run in the tournament. submitting Felice Herrig by scarf armbar round 1. This was the first time Herrig has been submitted in her MMA career. Markos will face the winner of the Rose Namajunas versus Joanne Calderwood match.

Next Wednesday, Jessica Penne and Aisling Daly will square off in the second quarterfinal

Doctors are estimating 50 days for Leslie Smith’s ear to heal enough to get back in the gym.

Montana’s Fight Force MMA announced a match between local fighter Ariel Beck and MMA vet Angela Hayes December 6.

Beck is coming off a loss in her pro debut to Emily Corso. The boxer is looking to show some of her improved ground game against Hayes (6-7) who also comes from a boxing background. Hayes lost to Holly Holm last year, and has been the only fighter to take Holm the distance.

No word on if this will be streamed.

This Sunday on the podcast, we will talk to InvictaFC star and veteran fighter Tonya Evinger about her current stretch of wins and preparing to fight Cindy Dandois.

You can listen to the podcast here at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est Sunday.

Rumors

Roxanne Modafferi and Vanessa Porto was suspected to be a number 1 contenders match, but Shannon Knapp told CSS Radio this wasn’t the case.

Knapp has yet to decide who will face champion Barb Honchak next, but Modafferi or the winner of the Jennifer Maia and DeAnna Bennett match seems to be the best candidates. Knapp doesn’t want to throw Andrea Lee too deep into the pool as of yet.

Scheduled Fights

InvictaFC vet  Paige VanZant will make her long awaited octagon debut against PXC vet Kailin Curran at UFC Fight Night in Austin, TX. Their match will stream on UFC Fight Pass Saturday. Both Curran (115.8) and VanZant (114.8) made weight.

VanZant (3-1) is coming off a submission win over Courtney Himes last year, and her only loss was to Tecia Torres. Curran has notable wins over Emi Tomimatsu and Kaiyana Rain.

After a two year absence, Molly Helsel will return to action.

The journeywoman fighter has found a home in Tucson, AZ and will compete there for the for WFF promotion against  Lori Agins. Both fighters came in at 136.5.

Helsel is looking for a comeback after several fight of the night performances against some of the toughest fighters on the planet. Agins would get some recognition with a win over Helsel.

In an amateur bout, Tracy Cortez will face Arianne Christiansen.

In other pro matches:

• At Fighters Arena 10 in Poland, Katarzyna Lubonska faces Katarzyna Urban
• Leah Letson makes her pro debut against Christina Jobe at King of the Cage in Carlton, MN. In amateur action, Elizabeth McKenzie takes on Katheryn Bassignana.

Ammy MMA 

Dupertuis and Rainey

V3 Fights will have a trio of female fights Saturday night in Nashville, Tennessee, and you can watch for free V3Fights.com.

Molly Dupertuis will have her final MMA match as she takes on Adriene Rainey. Dupertuis was a rising star in the sport but she has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and wanted one more fight before she hangs up the gloves.

Undefeated bantamweight prospect Jamie Milanowski looks to continue her climb as she takes on 1-1 Erica Fincher.

Rounding out the female bout, Briannah Conaster and Amy Coleman look to break losing streaks in a flyweight bout.

The card starts at 5 p.m. pacific/8 p.m. est.

In other amateur bouts:

• In a pair of bouts at XFO in Chicago, IL, Shaena Cox takes on Ricarda Gomes and Chi Sheibley faces Ashley Samples
• Elizabeth Warner battles Jodie Struzik at UCU 3 in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
• At Shock’n’Awe in Portsmouth, England, Jade Barker squares off with Ffion Davies
• Charlotte Park fights Tracey McFarlane at Scottish Fighting Challenge in Stirling, Scotland

Pro Boxing

In pro boxing action:

• In Marne, France, Anne Sophie Da Costa will defend her WBF minimumweight title against Susana Cruz Perez. Also on the card, Cindy Bonhiver takes on Elfi Philipps
• WIBF and GBU featherweight champion Elina Tissen faces Jasmina Nadj in Ahlen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
• In Toluca, México, WBC World light flyweight champion Ibeth Zamora Silva will battle Jessica Chavez
• In a pair of bouts in Malmo, Sweden, Anna Donatella Hultin squares off against Claudia Ferenci, and Johanna Rydberg dukes it out with Ana Simeonova
• In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Julieta Andrea Cardozo takes on Valeria Gramajo
• Najat Hasnouni faces Borislava Goranova in Antwerpen, Belgium

Clark

Invicta adds another bantamweight to their roster.

Jessy “Jessy Jess” Rose Clark announced Sunday she has signed to the promotion. Combat Press was the first to report the news.

Clark (5-1) is one of the rising stars out of Oceania, with wins over Bellator signee Arlene Blenclow and New Zeland star Kate Da Silva. Out of her five wins, four were finishes.

No word on when Clark will make her debut.

Pro MMA

VanZant

After a 20 month absence, Paige VanZant made her time away from competition count as she handed Kailin Curran her first professional loss at UFC Fight Night this past Saturday in Austin, TX.

In what has become a Fight of the Year candidate, the opening round saw the audience give notice as both had their moments. Curran used her wrestling to stay on top, but VanZant would attack with armbar attempts. Curran hit a strong punch to the grounded VanZant, but VanZant would ankle pick Curran and get ground and pound before the round ended.

VanZant used clinch work to take round 2, leveling short elbows and high knees to Curran. Curran would throw VanZant, but VanZant would battle her way back up and continue her clinch work. One more takedown by Curran towards the end of the round saw VanZant once again try for an armbar as the bell rang.

VanZant again worked strikes in the clinch, and her foot stomps eventually helped her secure a takedown and some ground and pound against the fence. The referee has no choice but to stop the match. VanZant gets the win at 2:54 of round 3, and is the first strawweight to finish her opponent.

The match, which aired on UFC Fight Pass, gained both VanZant and Curran the Fight of the Night bonus, with banked them $50,000 each.

Molly Helsel has made a successful return to the cage as she defeated Lori Agins by armbar in round 2 at WFF 17 in Tuscan, AZ

Helsel (8-13-1) came back after an over 2 year absence from the cage and gained her first win in five years.

In amateur action on the card:

• Tracy Cortez deafted Arianne Christiansen by rear naked choke round 1
• Adriana Martinez defeated Nicole Sontag by majority decision

In other pro action Saturday:

• At King of the Cage in Carlton, MN, Christina Jobe defeated Leah Letson by split decision. In amateur action, Katheryn Bassignana submitted Elizabeth McKenzie by armbar round 1
• Katarzyna Lubonska submitted Inga Kaledaite armbar 4:20 round 1 at Fighters Arena 10 in Poland

Courtesy Bauzen/Victory Combat Sports

Victory VII held a joint Muay Thai and amateur MMA card in Madison Square Garden in New York City this past Friday. The event is the first time mma has been held there.

In the only female MMA bout on the card, Katalina Morales submitted Viktoria Makarova by armbar round 1.

Molly Dupertuis ended her career on a high note as she defeated Adriene Rainey by TKO 1:30 round 1 at V3 Fights in Nashville, TN. Dupertuis has been diagnosed with M.S. and has decided to hang up the gloves. She thanked everyone in a tearful goodbye on the mic post fight. You can watch the match here.

In the other female match on the docket, Jamie Milanowski recovered from her first loss to defeat Erica Fincher by rear naked choke round 1. She improves to 6-1 and is one of the top flyweight prospects in the country. You can watch the match here.

In other amateur fights this weekend:

• At XFO in Chicago, IL, Shaena Cox defeated Ricarda Gomes by unanimous decision
• Jodie Struzik defeated Elizabeth Warner by unanimous decision at UCU 3 in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
• At Shock’n’Awe in Portsmouth, England, Ffion Davies submitted Jade Barker by shoulder lock at 2:41 round 1
• Alyse Anderson defeated Danielle Huff by TKO 0:34 round 1 at  Total Warrior Combat in Lansing, Michigan
• At Jordan Amateur Championship 1 in Amman, Jordan, Leena Fayyad def. Karmel Ghaith by TKO round 2

Left to Right – Tom Madsen (IMMAF) Sarah Jamilia (DEN), Aleksandra Milczarek (POL), Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Nicole Brown (USA), Erika Mattsson (IMMAF)

The International MMA Federation has announced the dates for its second amateur world championships.

The event will once again be held in Las Vegas, Nevada during the week of the UFC Expo, July 7-12.  The federation will again team up with Tuff-n-uff for the four day tournament which features fighters from across the planet.

The first event saw 23 countries represented and crowned four female champions last year. The hope is more countries will field teams and increase participation, especially in the female ranks.

More news about team qualifications will be announced soon at IMMAF.org.

In action Friday morning, Suvi Salmimies and Isabelle Pare fight to a draw at Cage 28 in Finland.

In the second quarterfinal of TUF 20, Jessica Penne defeated Aisling Daly by decision after a third extension round. You can read MMA Rising’s report in the fight here.

Next Wednesday, the finally two quarterfinal matches as Carla Esparza faces Tecia Torres in a match a year in the making, and Rose Namjunas takes on Joanne Calderwood.

Irene Alana has an unknown illness and is out of InvictaFC 10 next weekend against Marion Reneau. A replacement has yet to be named.

Two female bouts have been announced for MMA Super Heroes last card of 2014.

Tournament winner Renata Baldan looks to recover from her first loss as she takes on unbeaten Luciana Treze in a strawweight contest, and Karina Santana de Oliveira looks to gain her second win as a pro against flyweight prospect Mariana Leonardo.

Australia’s XFC (not to be confused with XFC International) will start its flyweight tournament February 28, 2015 in Brisbane.

The opening round features Terissa Wall (1-0) taking on Kate Da Silva (7-2) and Jaz Walker (1-0 ammy) battling Hera Tamati (0-1).

We wish a speedy recovery to InvictaFC vet Jasminka Cive as she is battle a staph infection.

Rumors

Still some heavy rumors that InvictaFC 11 will be in Denver.

Scheduled Fights

Pro MMA

Thompson and Da Silva

Princesses of Pain is back as they are set for their all female MMA card this weekend in New Zealand.

In the main event, champion Kate da Silva will start her drop in weight classes, taking on Rhiannon Thompson in a 132 pound catchweight bout.

In the co-main event, Tairi Ford and Gaela Nixon duke it out in a flyweight contest.

All fighters made weight.

In other matches on the card:

• Gentiane Lupi vs Alex Sorthis
• Hera Tamati vs Catherine Drinnann
• Charlene Watt vs Bridget Lords
• Barbara Verlinden vs Tracey Burns

You can watch a preview of the card here.

Amateur standout Roma Pawelek will make her long awaited pro debut as she takes on the undefeated Ashleigh Heustis at Beatdown in Newtown, ND.

Also on the card, InvictaFC vet Kathina Catron battles Rachael Smith.

In other pro bouts:

• In a pair of bouts at It’s Lanna Time 2 in Germany, Katharina Lehner takes on Sandra Redegeld, and Ania Fucz faces Cinja Kiefer
• Karine Silva battles Sarah Silva at AFC 14 in Lages, Brazil

Ammy MMA

In amateur action:

• In a pair of bouts at Spar Star in Inglewood, CA, Danielle Mack fights Farren Romero and JaShonna Owens faces Selena Lorigo
• Jady Larissa takes on  Paula Eletrica at Copa Striker’s House 44 in Brazil

Brækhus and Retzke

Boxing

Pound for pound queen Cecilia Braekhus will defend her four titles this weekend in Frederiksberg, Denmark.

The 26-0 WBA/WBO/WBC/IBF World welterweight champion will take on #1 contender Jennifer Retzke.

Retzke (15-1-1) has only lost once in the past 4 years. She is the current IBO welterweight champion, but will not be defending her title.

Both Brækhus (64.6 kg) and Retzke (66 kg) made weight.

Also on the card,  Klara Svensson will defend her  interim WBC World light welterweight title against Lucia Morelli.

In Guanajuato, Mexico, Jessica Gonzalez will defend her interim WBC World female bantamweight title for a second time against Magali Rodriguez.

Gonbzalez (5-1) won the title last year, and is coming off a split draw to Estrella Valverde this past August. Rodriguez (14-5-1) is coming off a TKO win over Marisela Landa in August and is looking for her first win.

In other boxing bouts:

• In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fernanda Soledad Alegre takes on Ana Laura Esteche
• Enis Pacheco faces Paola Rojas in Montelibano, Colombia
• In Samobor, Croatia, Ivana Habazin battles Galina Gumliiska
• Megan Ouvrard fights Cyrielle Hebert in Charente-Maritime, France

An unexpected treat Wednesday night as Fox Sports Live announce six of the fights that will happen on the TUF 20 finale.

Besides the championship match to crown the first ever UFC strawweight champion, Korean MMA star and former DEEP-JEWELS champion Seo Hee Ham will make her debut. Justin Kish will be the only cast member not to fight due to injury. It is expected the two semi-finalist that lose on next week’s episode will square off with each other.

Here are the fights announced for December 12 in Las Vegas:

• Joanne Calderwood vs. Seo Hee Ham
• Tecia Torres vs. Angela Magana
• Bec Rawlings vs. Heather Clark
• Lisa Ellis vs. Felice Herrig
• Emily Kagan vs. Angela Hill
• Ais Daly vs. Alex Chambers

The some of the fights will air on Fox Sports 1, while others on UFC Fight Pass December 12.

Sixteen fighters will hit the scales for InvictaFC’s tenth card.

The main event features Michelle Waterson defending her atomweight title against Brazilian star Herica Tiburcio. Also bantamweight Tonya Evinger welcomes a returning Cindy Dandois.

• Michelle Waterson (105) vs Herica Tiburcio (105) 
• Tonya Evinger (134.75) vs Cindy Dandois (135)
• Roxanne Modafferi (125) vs Andrea Lee (125.5)
• DeAnna Bennett (125) vs Jennifer Maia (124)
• Andria Wawro (149) vs Peggy Morgan (145) **
• Alexa Grasso (115.25) vs Alida Gray (115)
• Jinh Yu Frey (106.25) vs Cassie Robb (105.4) *
• Rachael Ostovich (126) vs Evva Johnson (125)

* Frey has 2 hours to cut 0.25 pounds
** Warwo has 2 hours to cut 3 pounds

You can watch the weigh-ins below

Pacific northwest standout Emily Corso has signed to Invicta.

Corso made the announcement of the signing Thursday on her blog. She won all but 1 of her fights as an amateur, finishing in her nine wins. She has submitted her past eight opponents; which includes her four pro bouts.

She made a stellar pro debut at Intense Championship Fighting with back to back wins in one night. You can see her fight with Ariel Beck from the card below. You can see out post fight interview with Corso from this earlier this year here.

No word on when Corso will make her debut.

InvictaFC will have it’s tenth card Friday night in Houston, Texas, which will stream on UFC Fight Pass starting at 6 p.m. pst/9 p.m. est. Few promotions could say they have that kind of streak being on a major platform.

The last card of the year has eight fights. Two bouts scrapped due to some unforeseen circumstances.  Irene Aldana had came down with a case of bronchitis and had to drop off the card. Meanwhile, the Texas Commission nixed a fight between Charmaine Tweet and Faith Van Duin after Tweet was requested to take additional tests due to her age and she had failed one of them. It is not known what test it was.

With that in mind, the eight fights Friday are some of the closest to be booked by the promotion.

All photos courtesy Esther Lin/InvictaFC

Rachael Ostovich (126) vs Evva Johnson (125)

The Fighters:

Rachael Ostovich (1-1): The Hawaiian star has looked impressive, coming off an armbar win over Misha Nassiri.

Evva Johnson (1-0): A staple of the Ohio River Valley MMA scene, Kentucky’s Johnson has been a submission machine in most of her fights.

—–

The Storyline:

Ostovich is looking to continue what has been a strong run of Hawaiian based female fighters making an impact on the mainland. Johnson will be dropping down to flyweight in hopes to work her way through what has been InvictaFC’s marquee division.

Both are looking to be impressive in their debuts.

—–

What to expect:

Ostovich doesn’t only have a solid striking game but has a wrestling and judo background. Johnson’s BJJ could be problematic to Ostovich if the fight goes to the ground as Johnson could work submissions off her back.

Jinh Yu Frey (106.25)* vs Cassie Robb (105)

The Fighters:

Jinh Yu Frey (2-1): Frey is coming off a razor thin loss to Jodie Esquibel. The kickboxer has racked up some nasty knockouts over her career.

Cassie Robb (0-2): After a relatively successful amateur career, Robb is seeking her first pro win.

——

The Storyline:

Robb was expected to fight in 2013 at InvictaFC 7 but due to her opponent vastly missing weight, the commission nixed the fight. She was promised by Shannon Knapp a match on a future card, and that promise was fulfilled.

Frey’s loss was somewhat controversial in some people’s eyes and is looking to get back in the win column. She is the homestate fighter in the match.

—–

What to expect:

Frey’s striking is pretty vicious once she gets going, so it’s important for Robb to control the pace. Robb’s striking has improved the past year, and can hang in the pockets with Frey, but only for so long. For Robb to have a chance, she needs to take it to the ground.

*Frey missed weight and decided not to cut the extra 0.25 pounds. Will forfeit 25% of her purse to Robb

Alexa Grasso (115.25) vs Alida Gray (115)

The Fighters:

Alexa Grasso (5-0): The Mexican fighter looked impressive in her InvictaFC debut. The striker is one of the rising stars in the strawweight dvision.

Alida Gray (4-1):  Her only loss being to the #1 strawweight on the planet, Gray has had a Knockout of the Year Award.

——

The Storyline:

Grasso and her teammate Irene Aldana have put Mexico on the map in terms of a new WMMA hotspot.  She is looking to work her way into the InvictaFC strawweight title mix with a win.

Gray is also looking to get into the title hunt, and recover after a heartbreaking loss to WSOF champion Jessica Aguilar.

—–

What to expect:

If this stays standing, it will be a war. Both have the possibility for getting the knockout. The edge on the ground goes to Grasso, who is a grappling champion in Mexico.

Andria Wawro (147)** vs Peggy Morgan (145)

The Fighters:

Andria Wawro (3-1): On the cusp of the top 10 in the feathweight division, Warwo has back to back wins.

Peggy Morgan (2-2): The TUF 18 vet is returning to featherweight after an unsuccessful run at bantamweight.

——

The Storyline:

We dubbed this “The Battle of the Red Heads”. Warwo is looking to make her mark in her InvictaFC debut and work her way into title contention. Morgan is looking for redemption after a heartbreaking loss in her InvictaFC debut.

—–

What to expect:

Warwo has an experience edge coming in and has been on a roll. Morgan’s drop to 135 made her looked drained and tired. The question will be if Morgan will be stronger and faster at 145 and if Warwo will be a little more drained after trying to cut some more pounds after her first weigh-in.

**Warwo missed weight on the first try at 149. Weighed in at 147 on second try. Will forfeit 25% of her purse.

DeAnna Bennett vs Jennifer Maia (125)

The Fighters:

DeAnna Bennett (5-0): The Utah fighter has finished in 4 of her five pro wins. She is coming off a TKO over Michelle Ould in both their InvictaFC debuts.

Jennifer Maia (9-3-1): The InvictaFC vet is coming off back to back wins in her home country of Brazil.

——

The Storyline:

The decision on who will face flyweight champion Barb Honchak next will depend on how this fight and the Modafferi versus Lee fight pans out. #3 ranked Maia has been on the cusp of title contention and needs a win to move forward. Bennett has moved to the #4 spot and will look to make her run for the belt.

—–

What to expect:

Maia has found difficulty finishing opponents, but has edged out wins in the judges’ eyes. Bennett is stepping up in competition, but has proved to be a finisher. If it goes the distance, the edge goes to Maia, but Bennett could shock the world with a finish once again.

Roxanne Modafferi vs Andrea Lee (125)

The Fighters:

Roxanne Modafferi (16-11): The 11 year vet of the sport snapped a six fight win streak at InvictaFC 7.

Andrea Lee (2-0): The rising star of the flyweight division has been impressive in the first two pro wins.

——

The Storyline:

With Vanessa Porto out due to injury, Lee is stepping up in competition for the match. An accomplished striker, a win would move her into the top 10 of the flyweights.

Modafferi has seen a renaissance in her career, with her new striking skills that has made her a more well rounded fighter. A win her will get here one step closer to a rematch with Honchak.

—–

What to expect:

Although Modafferi’s striking has improved, Lee has had more experience outside MMA and is at a higher level. Modafferi has more experience on the ground, but Lee has a blue belt in BJJ and a brown in judo. If it does goes to the ground it will be an interesting chess match with the patient Modafferi and the more aggressive Lee.

We will see if Modafferi’s overall experience advantage will win the day or if Lee prove to be the next superstar in the flyweight division.

Tonya Evinger vs Cindy Dandois (135)

The Fighters:

Tonya Evinger (14-5): Winner for 5 straight, Evinger’s submission over Ediane Gomes at InvictaFC 8 has made her a contender for the vacant bantamweight strap.

Cindy Dandois (5-1): After a three year absence from action, Dandois is looking to be impressive in her comeback.

——

The Storyline:

Evinger’s win streak and no non-sense attitude has made her one of the top stars in the promotion. On the cusp of gold, a win over Dandois would solidify her status.

Dandois will be dropping to 135 for the first time and is coming back after a long absence. She had been training with Miesha Tate off and on over the past year.

—–

What to expect:

Evinger has seemed to be more focus her past couple of fights after being inconsistent a few years ago. The question mark will be Dandois as she may have changed as a fighter with two years of training and not fighting. Will cage rust effect Dandois or will we see a new star in the making?

Michelle Waterson vs Herica Tiburcio – 105 title

The Fighters:

Michelle Waterson (12-3):The InvictaFC champion has taken the mantle of being the go-top star of the promotion.

Herica Tiburcio (8-2): The Brazilian stand out has 6 of eight wins by submission.

——

The Storyline:

Waterson is in need of challengers and with Ayaka Hamasaki set to fight New Years Eve and Seo Hee Ham moving to the UFC, Tiburcio gets the call to get the title shot in her second match at 105.

—–

What to expect:

This is a huge step up for Tiburcio. Waterson’s striking was on a whole other level in her fight with Yasuko Tamada. Tiburcio strength is in her ground game. If the fight goes past three rounds, there is a big question mark on Tiburcio conditioning.

Courtesy Cynthia Vance/InvictaFC

In what was a comeback year for Invicta, promotion President Shannon Knapp has sketched out a plan for the promotion come 2015. Knapp was on MMA Junkie Radio Friday to talk about where the promotion is heading in the new year.

Six events are planned with places like Denver, Ohio, and a return to Houston in the works. Word is Cyborg Justino will kick off the year defending her featherweight title in February. An announcement is expected at InvictaFC’s event Friday night on where the fight will take place, her opponent, and an exact date.

We should also to expect Friday shows more often.

Knapp hinted at a Vegas date, which could piggy back off of an UFC event. The idea would be to get the mainstream MMA media to cover their events more often and to expose more UFC fans to their product.

Invicta will also be using the UFC’s “octagon” style cage in future events.

After what has been a late start this year for Invicta, this next year will hopefully see Invicta build off its new found momentum.

Miscellaneous News

In action Wednesday:

• In pro MMA at PeruFC, Mariana Moraes defeated Cristina Mejía by unanimous decision
• In boxing in New York, New York, Heather Hardy defeated Elizabeth Anderson by unanimous decision.

In action Thursday at Circuito Team Nogueira in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Juliana Velasquez defeats Priscila de Souza by unanimous decision in a pro MMA bout. In amateur action, Karoline Martins defeated Nicole Ball by knockout.

At OneFC Friday morning, Ana Julaton defeated Walaa Abas by unanimous decision and  Jujeath Nagaowa defeated Tharoth Sam by TKO round 2.

Justino

Cyborg Justino has given up on going to 135 for now.

The InvictaFC featherweight stated to MMA Fighting her injury has delayed the cut and she is questioning if she can even make 135.

The plan is for Justino to defend her 145 title at InvictaFC’s 11th event in February. We are expecting an announcement Friday night during InvictaFC 10 on the location and opponent.

On Wednesday’s episode of TUF 20, two fighters advanced to set the semi-finals.

Former InvictaFC champion Carla Esparza defeated Tecia Torres in a grudge match. Esparza’s wrestling is what gave her the edge in the majority decision win. Esparza will face another former InvictaFC champion in Jessica Penne in the semi-finals.

The other semi-final saw Rose Namajunas submit Joanne Calderwood by kimura. Namajunas used her bjj skills to attack Calderwood. Calderwood tried to make up ground with strikes in round two, but Namajunas was able to get the kimura on the ground to get tap. This was the first time Calderwood was submitted in an MMA competition. Namajunas will face Randa Markos in the semi-finals.

You can read MMA Rising’s accounts of the matches here.

Both semi-finals will air this coming Wednesday on Fox Sports 1 with the finals the following Friday.

You can see six of the 8 bouts set for the TUF 20 finale here.

Awakening Fights are looking for nominees for the WMMA Awards.

The female fighting site is asking fans for three nominees per category by December 10, and will open voting soon after.

You can enter your picks here.

You can add Julia Jones versus Alyssa Garcia to the four other matches announced for Rock Xtrreme Combat in Texas January 10th.

V3 has announce an amateur bantamweight title match in Memphis for January 24 pitting two top amateur prospects.

We have us a challenger for the undisputed V3 female champ, Amberlynn Orr (8-1) will take on Alyssa Vasquez (6-4).

It will most likely be streamed and we will have more info closer to the event.

Gina Carano made a visit to the CSA gym in Dublin, CA this past week. CSA is home gym to Alexis Davis, Zoila Gurgel, and Miriam Nakamoto among others. She was just visiting there and not there to train, at least no seriously.

You can see a pic of her and Frausto here.

On the podcast Sunday at 1 p.m. pst/4 p.m. est, we will talk to InvictaFC’s Marion Reneau, who was supposed to be fighting Friday night. We will review the action from the card, and her aspirations in the promotion.

You can listen here live on Sunday.

Rumors

Rose Namajunas has brought in RFA star Kyra Batara into training camp. Batara, an atomweight star, comes from a solid wrestling background. (Hint hint!)

We should be expecting some female bout announcements in the next few weeks from the UFC. Holly Holm says she will be ready to go come February, and TUF 18 winner Juliana Pena in March.

Sarah Kaufman is now challenging Jessica Andrade to a fight her next.

Scheduled Bouts

Pro MMA

Friday night is InvictaFC 10 on UFC Fight Pass. Stream starts at 6 p.m. pst/9 p.m. est. You can see our preview of the card here.

On Saturday, undefeated Ashlee Evans-Smith will make her UFC debut taking on Raquel Pennington in Las Vegas. Both Smith (135.5) and Pennington (136) made weight.

Smith (3-0) won the CSA featherweight tournament last year and soon signed to the World Series of Fighting. She got the TKO over Marciea Allen in June and was waiting for another fight. She was released from the WSOF just as the UFC offer came around.

TUF 18 vet Pennington (4-4) is coming off a close loss to Jessica Andrade this past March. Pennington won her official UFC debut with a decision over Roxanne Modafferi.

The fight will kick off the UFC televised prelims on Fox Sports 1.

MMA Super Heroes will close its year with two female bouts.

Tournament champion Renata Baldan is lookig to recover from her first loss as she takes on Luciana Treze. Also, Karina Santana de Oliveira takes on Mariana Leonardo in a flyweight bout.

In other pro bouts:

• At Roshambo in Australia, Megan Anderson takes on Zoie Shreiweis
• Ariel Beck faces Angela Hayes at Fightforce on Butte, MT
• At Maringá Combat in Maringa, Parana, Brazil, Hevellyn Moura battles Hilana Rezende
• Jessica Zomchik fights Stacey Sigala at Gladiators of the Cage in Pittsburgh, PA. In amateur action, Jena Baldwin takes on Jamie Driver and Melissa Gasdick faces Sarah Click

Ammy MMA

In amateur MMA:

• At Conflict MMA in Hardeeville, SC, Jenna Fox faces Annie DeCresente
• At SGB in Ireland, Jaye Hayes battles Sinead Kavanagh
• In a pair of bouts at British Challenge MMA in Colchester, Essex, England, Jaye Haynes fights Sinead Kavanagh and Wendy McKenna faces Ameesha Bhudia (125)
• At Cowboy Extreme Fighting in San Antonio, Texas, Dominique Gallegher-Gonzales takes on Stephanie Builderback and Laurie Ashby battles Brandi Narvaez (115)
• In a pair of bouts at Rumble at the Roseland in Portland, OR, Chun Yang fights Hailea Brooks and Kalyn Schwartz takes on Lisa Spangler 
• Yumi Matsumoto faces Danielle Alfapada at King of the Cage in Las Vegas, Nevada
• At Matrix Fights in Philadelphia, PA, Serena DeJesus battles Amanda Kramny
• Victoria Franco fights Makana Clemons at Kingdom 3 in Houston, TX

Boxing

Undefeated Nicole Wesner will look for her first world titles as she takes on Gina Chamie for the vacant WIBF and vacant WBF lightweight title in Vienna, Austria.

Wesbner (8-0) has only started as a pro two years ago, but has stayed active on her run to a title match. Chamie is the former WBC Youth lightweight title holder.

WBC World flyweight champion Shindo Go will look to defend her title for the third time as she takes on Arely Mucino in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.

Go (14-2) is on a four fight win streak and has 9 KOs to her credit. She has yet to be stopped. Mucino (20-2) if the former interim WBA and IBF World flyweight champion .

In Sonora, Mexico, Jackie Nava will defend her WBC and WBA super bantamweight title against Sayda Mosquera.

Nava (30-4) won her past seven fights, gaining the belts along the way. Undefeated  Sayda Mosquera (7-0) is the current WBC Latino female bantamweight champion

In Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Sonya Lamonakis and Carlette Ewell will fight in a rematch for the vacant IBO World heavyweight title. The two faced each other in 2012 and fought to a draw.

Lamonakis (9-1-2) is coming off back to back wins and is the current New York State heavyweight title. Ewell (15-7-1) is returning after a two year absence since her draw with Ewell.

Karine Rinaldo will defend her EBU female super bantamweight title against Nevenka Mikulic in  Corse-du-Sud, France.

Rinaldo (10-1-1) won the vacant title this past June with a TKO win over Marianna Gulyas. Mikulic (4-2-1) has finished in all but one of wins.

In other boxing bouts:

• In a pair of bouts in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Vanesa del Valle Calderon takes on Valeria Almiron and Valeria Vanesa Gramajo faces Natalia Vanesa Lopez
• Shelly Gibson battles Simone Hoyte in Georgetown, Guyana
• In Emilia Romagna, Italy, Simona Galassi fights Evgeniya Zablotskaya
• In a pair of bouts in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Jelena Mrdjenovich dukes it out with Pasa Malagic and Kandi Wyatt takes on Lita Mae Button
• Sabrina Giuliani faces Farida El Hadrati in Puy-de-Dôme, France
• In Differdange, Luxembourg, Caroline Thea Andre battles Gabriella Vetro