Female MMA - News and Info about female mma fighters like Cristiane Justino, Amanda Nunes, Rose Namajunas, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Valentina Shevchenko, Jéssica Andrade and more MMA fighters.
Polish mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer Joanna Jędrzejczyk was born on August 18, 1987 in Olsztyn, Poland.
She is the number one female strawweight and number one pound for pound female MMA fighter in the world at the moment.
Joanna's current record is 14-0-0.
On November 4th at UFC 217, Joanna will take on Rose "Thug" Namajunas (6-3-0).
Considering the pre fight hype and some of the fighters past bouts, this could be a bloodbath.
This lovely young lady is Rena Kubota.
Rena is a little different from some of the other ladies profiled here because Rena isn't technically a MMA fighter, she's a shoot boxer and kickboxer.
She was born in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan on June 29th, 1991.
Although she isn't a MMA fighter as such, she has tangled with her share of female mma fighters including Jessica Penne and Hisae Watanabe.
Her current kickboxing record is 17-5-1 and her last fight was a win over Erika Kamimura (24-2-0) via Unanimous Decision on November 23rd, 2011 at Rise 85 - Rise Heavyweight Tournament 2011 in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
RENA (as it is spelled in all caps at times) was the 2009 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup winner, the 2010 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup winner and the 2011 Rise Queen Champion.
Here's a video posted by RattaKommaIn on YouTube about Rena...
At ShoMMA 7: Johnson vs. Mahe, at the Save Mart Center in Fresno Calif. on March 26, female MMA fighters Miesha Tate and Zoila Frausto went at it, with Miesha coming out on top, winning via an arm bar submission at the 4:09 mark in the second round. This victory brings Miesha up to 9-2-0, and drops Zoila to 5-1-0.
Over at the The Zeitgeisty Report, they pose an interesting question.... "What ever happened to Gina Carano?" One of the conclusions they come up with is... "I’ll wager she never returns to the ring and if she does, it won’t be with anyone that could further damage her looks. If that turns out to be the case, it’ll mean the end of women’s MMA which has tied its entire future up in Carano." You can read the full article here
Although it's kickboxing, not technically MMA, AZUMA defeated Megumi Yabushita in a New Japan Kickboxing Federation (NJKF) fight on Sunday, March 28th, 2010 at Differ Ariake, Tokyo, Japan. AZUMA won by decision. Like I said, it was a kickboxing match up, so I dont think it affects Megumi's 18-16-0 record.
And speaking of Megumi, she is sponsored by MMA apparel company Fight Chix, and CEO of Fight Chix, Elisabeth Nuesser, was just recently interviewed by the MMA Torch. (Boy I went a long way around to get that segue didn't I?) Although you may look at it as just a sponsorship, Fight Chix is just as important to female MMA as TapouT and Affliction are. You can read the interview here
After having Lisa Marie Varon (TNA Knockout Tara) and Erin Toughill both gunning for her, Kim Couture went down to Mexico to take on Rosa Vizcarra and get a first round TKO. To add a little Lucha Libre flavor to the match, Kim wore a mask before the bout. You can see the whole fight here:
And speaking of Erin Toughill (see how good I'm getting at this?), she recently announced on her Facebook page that she was done with Strikeforce, and maybe female MMA altogether. She said: "U R hearing it first: I will no longer b fighting 4 Strikeforce. Its a personal decision tht I mde & one tht was NOT made in haste, trust me. Ill b doin interviews in cming days tht explain "WHY" I have made this hard decision. Cant subject myself 2 wht has bn going on (any longer) Retiring? Dunno, but am on verge due ...to basic issues like: NOT being able FIGHT!!! I am getting zero return for all I have put in...DONE."
I hope she doesn't leave female MMA, because she has always been one of my favorites.
Female MMA fighter Lena "Hunter" Ovchynnikova was born on April 22nd, 1987 in Lviv, in the Ukraine.
Lena is 5'4 and weighs in at around 125 pounds.
Lena has a 4-0 record in MMA, 3-0 in kickboxing and 4-0 in K-1 rules.
She was the 2007 European champion (Thai, International Sport Karate Association)
2007 and 2008 Ukraine professional MMA champion
WKA (World Karate and Kickboxing Association) World champion (K-1 rules)
2009 Europe MMA champion (ISKA)
I had mentioned earlier that Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson will be facing MMA and boxing star Elena “Baby Doll” Reid at “Extreme Beatdown” at Apache Gold Casino on April 11th. I haven't had an entry on Elena here, although I did do one on my female boxing blog back in 2007.
Elena Reid was born November 1, 1981 in Phoenix, Arizona. And although Elena has found success in boxing, she started out in karate and kickboxing, winning an Arizona State Kickboxing Title at the age of 17.
Elena made her MMA debut on December 28, 2007 with a win over Tammie Schneider by TKO in the second round. She has a 2-0-0 record in MMA, and a 19-5-6 in boxing.
Elena is more of a striker and Michelle is more of a ground fighter, so this match up should be interesting.
It's time for another Top Ten "most searched" female MMA update. Which makes this interesting because now I can compare these fighters to the WAMMA Top Ten Rankings.
First up: 1 Gina Carano (7-0-0) What a surprise huh? Didn't see that one coming did you? Number one here and on WAMMA's list.
2. Karen Williams (3-2-0) Number two on this list and number seven on the other list. Her latest loss was to Erin Toughill on February 6th, 2009.
3. Kim Couture(1-1-0) Comes in at three on this list, not on the WAMMA list at all. Understandable because some fight experts regard her as a "novelty"fighter. Not gonna argue the point, it's up to her to prove them wrong.
4. Emily Thompson (3-0-0) Four on mine, eight on theirs. She'll be facing Erin Toughill (man she gets around!) at the Palace Fighting Championship on May 8th.
5. Kaitlin Young (4-2-0) Number five on mine, not ranked on the WAMMA. Just did a write up on her.
6. Michelle Waterson (4-2-0) Six here, again, not ranked at WAMMA. Same record as Kaitlin Young, but then again, she's not ranked either.
7. Christiane Santos (6-1-0) Number seven here and tied with Gina on the WAMMA list. She should be either one or two.
8. Erin Toughill (9-2-1) Eight here and six on theirs. I really think Erin should be ranked higher.
9. Julie Kedzie (9-7-0) Nine here, again, not ranked on WAMMA.
10. Tara LaRosa (16-1-0) Won 16, lost 1? Why isnt she at the top of both lists? Did she just fight chumps?
Looking for some stuff on the web, I ran into two different stories about two different women that I think really shows the drive and determination behind female mixed martial artists. Female MMA is not easy, nor is it an easy road to take. Don't get me wrong, it's hard on the men as well. But the women have to undergo the same training and punishment and still have to deal with being a female in what is basically a man's sport. But like I said, these two ladies show what it takes to compete.
In response to the comment by zoneblog1 on the last entry...... I have featured Shayna Baszler three times on this blog in the past and I think she is a very good fighter. The "Top Ten" list over there in the sidebar is the top ten most "searched" for female mixed martial artists. Not the top ten "best".
Anyway, for those of you that don't know, Shayna Baszler (The Queen of Spades) was born on August 8, 1980 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Her mixed martial arts training is in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and her fight record is currently at 9-5 with all 9 wins via submission. She trains with former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett. Her last fight was a loss to Cristiane Santos by TKO on July 26, 2008 at EliteXC: Unfinished Business .
In all due fairness to her I did run another check and yes, this month Shayna did come into the top ten.....
Gina Carano Kim Couture Kaitlin Young Cristiane Santos Emily Fisher Julie Kedzie Tara Larosa Satoko Shinashi Shayna Baszler Shelby Walker
I will be updating that list shortly.
But in all due fairness to the "over-marketed, picked-4-prettyness-only, hand-picked-opponent-only type ladies you call fighters"...... Out of that list, Cristiane Santos and Tara Larosa have both beaten her by TKO. While Shayna has defeated Julie Kedzie.
It's a bit early to say, but I think the Gina Carano / Kelly Kobold fight may have finally been the event that has pushed female MMA into the spotlight. The amount of articles referencing women in MMA has picked up considerably. Here's just a couple of examples......
First, this article at MMA Funhouse by Michael David Smith.... Gina Carano's Toughest Fight: Getting Recognition for Women's MMA Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin was honored at the Women's Sports Foundation's annual Salute to Women in Sports on Tuesday night in New York City. So was softball player Jessica Mendoza. Dozens of female athletes from sports ranging from basketball to skateboarding were lauded from the podium. And Gina Carano sat in the audience, wondering if her fellow athletes even know that her sport exists. http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/10/15/gina-caranos-toughest-fight-getting-recognition-for-womens-mm/
And this article at SFGate by Kelly Mills.... Women taking their place in kickboxing ring At the Best of the Bay kickboxing event Aug. 16 in San Francisco, there were three women in the ring for one bout, and no one batted an eye. One of the women was the "ring girl," scantily dressed and wearing heels, who walked along the ropes with a sign signaling the round number. The two other women were fighters, dressed in traditional satin muay Thai shorts, tank tops and boxing gloves. As the bell went off, the ring girl teetered off the canvas, and the two fighters emerged from their corners, trading ferocious punches and kicks. The crowd cheered as one fighter landed a hard right cross, while the other threw a whiplike kick aimed at her rival's head. When the bell rang again, the two women returned to opposite sides of the ring, sweaty and slightly bloodied, awaiting coaching from their corners, as the ring girl picked up her sign. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/17/LV8P13GQHV.DTL
Sometimes it's difficult to even find anything on female MMA fighters, but now that seems to be changing.
"Brittany S., 19 from Lake Forest, IL Mothers, there are other names for your baby girls. There’s Sharon and Linda and Sue – yes, a bit boring, but come on! This is the third Brittany/Brittney of the competition! This particular B-girl practices mixed martial arts with her cage fighter boyfriend and can only pose in a boxer’s stance."
Gillian Chung was born January 21, 1981, in Hong Kong China. She is a Hong Kong-based actress and singer. She is best known as a member of the Cantopop group Twins, alongside Charlene Choi.In 2000, one of the model agencies that Chung worked for as part-time while in HK contacted Chung about a job opportunity offered by Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG). Chung accepted the offer in 2000, became a contracted artist of EEG and underwent training before her debut. In 2001, the management company assigned her to form a singing duo, Twins, with Charlene Choi. Currently, she is on extended leave to avoid scrutiny by the media and the public due to the Edison Chen photo scandal in February 2008.
After the scandal, Gillian Chung is set to revive her career as a gongfu star Six months after being embroiled in the Edison Chen scandal, Twins member Gillian Chung seems set to return to showbiz. Not as a pop idol, but an action heroine. In the recently released book Angels In The World, the 27-year-old singer-actress revealed plans to star in a martial arts film. http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,4136,174913,00.html
"A few mixed martial artists have been heralded for their high educational accomplishments. But no elite mixed martial artist can come close to the level of education held by professional mixed martial artist, Rosi Sexton, who makes her home in the United Kingdom.
Coming off the heels of a tough split decision victory over Debi Purcell, the 9-1 EliteXC competitor took time to chat with me about everything from school to fighting to family. With a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cambridge and PhD in theoretical computer science from the University of Manchester, this fighter, healer, and mother breaks down her multitude of specialties. Oh, and while building her pro MMA career, she’s simultaneously finishing up another professional degree in osteopathy. Those darn over achievers!"
Okay, this isn't really MMA, but it is martial arts related.
ABC Family will be airing Samurai Girl over a three day weekend starting September 5, 2008.
The series stars Jamie Chung as Samurai Girl (Heaven) and Stacy Keibler as her arch rival.
The mini series is based on a series of fictional books written by Carrie Asai.
Jamie was born born April 10, 1983. She has been in several series including The Real World: San Diego and its spinoff show, Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II, Days of Our Lives, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, CSI: New York and Veronica Mars. Jamie will also be in the Dragonball movie playing Chi Chi.
Her arch rival is played by Stacy Keibler. Stacy is an American actress and former professional wrestler and valet for WCW and the WWE.
Since sword fights will most likely abound in the mini series, I imagine both women had to undergo some training.
We haven't had a Sarah Ponce update in awhile, so here's one.
Yes this lovely woman was the 2003 Ujena Swimwear Model of the Year.
And in case you doubt her creds......
Sarah has a record of 12-1, she is the IKF Women’s Amateur IR U.S. Featherweight Champion, the USKBA Amateur Women’s San Da Lightweight International Champion, and WCL veteran with the Houston Enforcers. She is a member of Team USA and competed at the 9th World Wushu Championships in Beijing, China. Sarah was also a U.S. team member at the 2005 World Wushu Championships which took place in Vietnam. http://gokickbox.com/?cat=87
"Female boxer honored: Tijuana boxer Jackie “Aztec Princess” Nava was given a fighter of the year award by the Commission for Boxing, Wrestling, Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts in Tijuana. Nava's victory against Donna Biggers in Las Vegas in September gave her the World Boxing Council's female superbantamweight title. Nava has a 16-2-2 record. A March rematch in Cordoba, Argentina, against Argentinian Alejandra Olivera ended in a tie. Olivera, 10-0-2, defeated Nava in Tijuana in 2006."
Women find new physical fitness options with kickboxing By: NICOLE SACK - The Californian
MURRIETA - As some people are just starting their Saturday, a group of women have already kicked the day's butt.
Around 8:45 a.m., the Pro-Am Kickboxing and mixed martial arts center on Jefferson Avenue is alive with male fighters who are training under the watchful eye of Lorenzo "Coach" Rodriguez. The three burly men listen for directions from Rodriguez and then sweat through his instructions.
But by 9 a.m., the men clear the floor for the next group of students. Eight women, most wearing yoga pants, T-shirts and tank tops, take their place before Rodriguez. Each has her hands wrapped in gauze. After a few minutes of stretching, the fun part begins: the gloves go on and punches begin to fly.
Dato' Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng ( born August 6, 1962) is a Malaysian actress and dancer, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990's.
Born in Ipoh, Malaysia, she is based in Hong Kong and was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1997.
She is credited as Michelle Khan in some of her earlier films.
Michelle Yeoh was born to an ethnic Chinese family in Ipoh, Malaysia on August 6, 1962. She was very sporty when she was young and had a passion in dance. She started to study ballet at the age of four years old. At the age 15, her parents accompanied her to England and enrolled her at a boarding school there. Later Yeoh entered London Royal Academy of Dance, majoring in Ballet. But a spinal injury ended her dream of being a prima ballerina, and she consequently had to switch her focus away from dance to choreography and other arts. She later received a B.A. degree in Creative Arts with a minor in Drama.
It was at the age of 21 when Yeoh became the winner of the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant in 1983. She was also Malaysia's representative at the 1983 Miss World pageant in London. From there, she appeared in a television commercial with Jackie Chan which caught the attention of a fledgling film production company called D&B Films.
Yeoh's career in Hong Kong started with a few commercials for Charles Jourdan, opposite action movie heroes Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-Fat before being offered a film contract. The Charles Jourdan brand was handled by D&B Group in Hong Kong, run by Yeoh's future husband, Dickson Poon. In 1988, she retired after marrying Poon. Three years later, the couple divorced, and Yeoh returned to acting in 1992. Her first movie after the comeback was Police Story 3, which was partly shot in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Yeoh started her film career acting in action and martial arts movies such as The Heroic Trio in 1993, and the Yuen Woo-ping films Tai Chi Master and Wing Chun in 1994. Yeoh has had no formal martial arts training and she relies on her dance training and instructors, and does many of her own stunts.
Yeoh learned English and Malay before Cantonese, and cannot read Chinese characters. As she does not speak Mandarin, she learned the lines for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon phonetically.
Like many other Hong Kong stars, Yeoh has attempted to break into Hollywood. She starred in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies as Wai Lin (1997) and the popular Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Thereafter she was offered the role of Seraph in the two Matrix sequels, and she could not accept due to a scheduling conflict (the Matrix writers then changed Seraph into a male character and cast Collin Chou in the role). In 2002, she produced her first English movie, The Touch through her own production company, Mythical Films.
In 2005, Yeoh starred as the graceful Mameha in the film adapation of Memoirs of a Geisha, and she continued her English-language work in 2007 with Sunshine.
technorati tags:mixed martial arts ,mixed martial art ,mixed martial arts fights ,mixed martial arts fighting ,mixed martial arts news ,female mixed martial arts ,martial arts karate ,martial arts ,martial art ,japanese martial arts ,filipino martial arts ,shaolin martial arts ,chinese martial arts
"Her career took off when she auditioned for a supporting role in Andre Gregory's adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland", where she actually landed the lead role. Lucy's success was partly due to her fluency in Mandarin, and also because of her practice of Kali-Eskrima-Silat, an Indonesian martial art." http://www.netglimse.com/celebs/pages/lucy_liu/index.shtml
Bollywood actress Eesha Narang has had more names than you can shake a stick at.
She has apppeared as Ishaa Kopikar, Isha Kopikar, Eesha Koppikar, Eesha Koppikhar and Eesha Timmy Narang.
I think it has to do with both numerology and getting married.
This lovely young lady from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India has a martial arts background...
Kanishka Sharma, a 29-year-old martial-arts expert, who choreographed the fight sequence in Don, has had doctors, teachers and designers punching and puffing at his Shaolin Chan Academy at Andrews Ganj . “Viveik Oberoi and Isha Koppikar too have shown interest in learning kickboxing,” says Sharma. http://www.kickboxing.martialarm.com/
“But Shabri has more than made up for that,’ she says, after a pause, and elaborates: “Unlike the action in Don with its harness and cables, the action in Shabri is more real and raw, minus the technology. It’s back to boxes and sacks to break your falls. I was well-prepared for it as I’m a red belt in Taek Won Do and practise regularly.” http://www.hindustandainik.com/news/181_1800776,001100030003.htm
Trisha Hill- Leo
Nickname: TNT
Height: 5' 3"
Preferred Fighting Weight: 125 - 130 lbs
Date of Birth: March 18,1977,Atlanta, GA
Dominant Hand: Right
Fighting out of: Alliance Martial Arts
Atlanta, Georgia U.S.A.
Trainer: Marshell Davis,managed by Kelly Leo
Styles: Karate, Kickboxing & Boxing
Website: www.trammellfitnessandmartialarts.com
WKA US Featherweight Champion
2000 & 2001 US National Amateur Champion
1999 Bas Rutten Invitational Vale Tudo Women's Champion
