Dana White, Ronda Rousey and the UFC

Dana White, Ronda Rousey and the UFC 

Well either UFC President Dana White had a huge change of mind...or he's getting ready to get into politics!
In a flip-flop that would make any candidate envious, Dana told Sports Illustrated that a female division of the UFC IS going to happen...mainly because of Ronda Rousey.
Dana, who has sworn up and down that women would NEVER fight in the UFC (although he had NO problem with using Gina Carano to promote things) now says that "It's absolutely going to happen,".
Although he does add that it "could happen tomorrow, it could happen a year from now."

Uh-huh.....

Julia "The Jewel" Budd

Looking make over the entries here I just noticed that I have not done a write up on female MMA fighter Julia Budd.
Considering that she was ranked eighth last month in the top female MMA fighters (Featherweights) by MMARising...I guess I had better mention her huh?

 Julia "The Jewel" Budd was born in Port Moody, British Columbia on July 4th, 1983.
She has a current record of 3-2-0.
Of course 3-2-0 may not sound that impressive but you have to remember that her two losses were to Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey, who are by NO means slouches.
Her first fight was a win against Shana Olsen via TKO (Punches) at Strikeforce - Challengers 11 on October 22nd, 2010 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.
Julia's last fight was a win (via TKO) over Elina Nilsson at Invicta FC 2 - Baszler vs. McMann on July 28th, 2012

Besides being a mixed martial arts fighter, Julia is also a fitness model and personal trainer.
And the owner of some of the most incredible abs in MMA.
You can find out more about her at her website here:
http://juliabudd.ca/

Barb Honchak - Female MMA

Barb Honchak - MMA Women
http://femalemixedmartialartists.blogspot.com/

 This is female MMA fighter, Barb "Little Warrior" Honchak.
Barb is making quite a name for herself in female MMA at the moment with a 5-1-0 record.
Her last fight was a win over Roxanne Modafferi (15-9-0) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at BEP 5 - Breast Cancer Beatdown on October 1, 2011 at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher, North Carolina.
(My old home state!)

Barb was born on August 30th, 1979 in Edwardsville, Illinois (she's currently in St. Louis, Missouri).
She stands five foot four and fights at 126 pounds.
Barb trains at Steve Berger's MMA (run by MMA fighter Steve "The Red Nose Pitbull" Berger) and is skilled in kickboxing and jiu-jitsu.
Her first fight was a win over Monica Lovato (5-2-0) at KOTC - Horsepower on November 28, 2009 in Mescalero, New Mexico.
Barb is currently ranked number nine in the MMARising top ten Super Flyweights category.

Here is Barb Honchak taking on Jessica Eye (currently ranked 10th at MMARising) at the 2008 NAAFS Night of Champions



You can keep up with Barb at her Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Barb-Honchak/632282638

Or at her Twitter account here:
http://twitter.com/L_Warrior

Megumi Fujii vs Zoila Frausto Weigh In Pics

Tom Hill over at Tom Hill Photos.com has done it again, this time sending me some pics from the weigh in for the fight between Megumi Fujii (113.5 lbs.) and Zoila Frausto (114.5 lbs.).
The fight is tonight, so by tomorrow we should know if Megumi becomes the first MMA fighter to have a 23 in a row unbeaten record, and the women’s 115-pound championship.



I'm thinking she will

(all photos http://www.tomhillphotos.com/)




Megumi Fujii vs Zoila Frausto Weigh In Pics, posted to http://femalemixedmartialartists.blogspot.com/ on October 28th, 2010

Ultimate Women Challenge

Remember back last year when I did a write up on an upcoming female MMA show called "Ultimate Women Combat" ?
Don't feel bad, neither do I.
I mean it was back in January last year for cryin out loud!

Anyway, it looks like the show is finally making it to the air.
But now it's called "Ultimate Women Challenge".
Joanna Krupa (Dancing With The Stars) is still the host.
Or rather one of the hosts.
The other is Amber Nichole Wood.
Amber is a UFC ring girl and Xyience spokes model.

Well at least Amber has been in a MMA ring...
But to be fair, I did hear last year that Joanna was taking BJJ lessons at Gracie Miami.

Now the ladies actually competing are....

Brighton Hutton
Height: 5’5 Weight: 135lbs
Affiliation: Action MMA – Andrew Chappelle
Hometown: London England
MMA Record: 0-1

Angela Hayes
Height: 5'7 Weight: 130 lbs
Hometown: Colorado Spring, Colorado
MMA Record 2 - 5 - 0

Angela Magana
Height: 5′4 Weight: 120lbs\
Hometown: Farmington, New Mexico
MMA Record: 8-4-0

Brandi Hainey
Height: 5′5 Weight: 128lbs (59kg)
Hometown: Lubbock, Texas
MMA Record: 2-3-0

Colleen Schneider
Height:5’9 Weight:135 lbs
Hometown: Oakland, CA. (by way of Syracuse, NY)
Amateur MMA Record: 4-1

Heather Jo Clark
Height: 5′ 6 Weight: 125 lbs.
Hometown: Los Angeles CA
MMA Record: 0-1-0-0

Barb Honchak
Hometown: High Ridge, MO
MMA Record: 1-1

Julie Kedzie
We all should remember Julie right?
Height: 5′5 Weight: 135lbs
Hometown: Bloomington, Indiana
MMA Record: 13-8-0

Karina Hallinan
Height:?? Weight: 125 lbs
City: Temecula, California
MMA Record: 2-2-0

Kristin Molina
Height: ?? Weight: 125 lbs.
MMA Record: 1-0-1

Casey Noland
Height:5′5 Weight: 139 Lbs
Hometown: Atascadero, CA
MMA Record: 1-0-0

Michelle Ould
Height: 5′ 2 Weight: 125 lbs.
Hometown: Anaheim, California
MMA Record: 4-2-0

Kaitlin Young
Hometown: St. Louis Park, MN
MMA Record: 4-4-0

Patricia Vidonic
Hometown: Medford, OR
MMA Record: 4-1-0

Karina Taylor

Martha Benavides

If you wanna check out more, you can visit their website here:
http://www.ultimatewomenchallenge.com/



Ultimate Women Challenge, posted to http://femalemixedmartialartists.blogspot.com/ on September 14th, 2010

Female MMA - Bellator 24 Results

Tom Hill over at Tom Hill Photos e-mailed me with the results and some pics from the Bellator 24 fights.

Megumi Fujii beat Carla Esparza via submission (armbar) in the second round at 0:57.

Jessica Aguilar defeated Lynn Alvarez via submission (arm triangle choke) in the first round at 4:01.

This puts Megumi's record at an amazing 21-0.
She says now she would like to put on some more muscle and take on Gina Carano or Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos.

Jessica's win brings her to 9-3-0, and sets her on a collision course with Megumi.



Female MMA - Bellator 24 Results , posted to http://femalemixedmartialartists.blogspot.com/ on August 13th, 2010

Cristiane Cyborg Santos vs Jan Cuddles Finney

The Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos vs Jan "Cuddles" Finney tonight is gonna be...
Well, one sided.
I'm sorry, but The Cyborg versus Cuddles?
Can you see the problem here?
Can we just rerun an old Mike Tyson fight where he creams his opponent in like 30 seconds?


Jan is five foot eight and weighs in at 135 pounds.
Her record is 8-7-0.


Cris on the other hand is five foot eight, 145 and her record is 9-1-0.

Of course Finney is the underdog but you have to remember this is MMA and almost anything can happen.
Despite the fact that Cyborg is bigger and more physically powerful than just about any other female mma fighter in the world, Jan could win.
To Jan's credit, she does have the attitude to face Cris, and has a habit of getting in her opponent's faces.

But this will most likely get her killed against someone that is bigger than her, stronger than her, and more skilled than her.
I.E: Santos

So we will just have to wait and see, but I'm saying Santos in the first round.



Cristiane Cyborg Santos vs Jan Cuddles Finney, posted to
http://femalemixedmartialartists.blogspot.com/ on June 26th, 2010.

Megumi Fujii is Returning to the US

It looks like female MMA fans will really have something to look forward to in June.
According to Daniel Herbertson over at MMAfighting.com, one of the best (if not THE best) female mixed martial arts fighters in the world, Megumi Fujii will fight at the June 10 Bellator event.
Bellator hasn't picked an opponent yet, but Megumi's appearance seems to be a sure thing.

I've mentioned her here before, but in case you missed it, Megumi has a solid martial arts background, with a black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and she got her MMA training from the legendary Hiroyuki Abe and former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett.

Her record is 19-0-0 and 16 of those wins were by submission.
This five foot three, 114 pound fighter's last bout was a win (by submission) over Tomomi Sunaba (13-12-1) on November 23rd, 2009 at Shooto - Revolutionary Exchanges 3.

The last time Megumi fought in the US, was back on August 24th, 2007, when she defeated Lisa Ward at BodogFight in Vancouver, via (wait for it) yes submission (arm bar).


Megumi Fujii is Returning to the US, posted to http://femalemixedmartialartists.blogspot.com/ on May 10th, 2010.

Female MMA - Kyra Gracie and The 2010 MMA Hawaii Awards

Kyra Gracie has stirred up a lot of controversy here before, and it looks like some more may be coming.

According to MMA Fighting.com, Kyra is considering the move from grappling to MMA.
As a matter of fact, she told MMAFighting.com that even though she had no time frame, her debut would be soon.
You can read the full article here

A lot of people have wondered just how this talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) star would do in MMA, and it looks like we may find out soon.
I've read that Kyra was right around 130 pounds, so that would put her in the same class as Sarah Kaufman, Shayna Baszler and Tara LaRosa if I'm not mistaken.

And to soothe your Kyra Gracie needs, here is a video of her taking on Erica Montoya at the 2005 Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) : Under 60Kg Weight Class Quarter Finals...




MMA Hawaii.com is holding it's 2010 MMA Hawaii Awards and you can vote.
Of course the reason I'm mentioning this is that they have a Female Fighter of the Year award.
The description is....

Female Fighter of the Year
This prize is awarded to the female fighter who embodies the spirit of Mixed Martial Arts. This fighter has remained strong and focused through each and every battle and shown a great commitment to, and love for, the sport. She, may be the underdog, but doesn’t let that defeat her goal for an optimum performance.

Eligibility and Criteria
Competitors are judged on their performances in fights during 2009.
Competitors may be from ANY weight category.
Competitors must be women.
Competitors must have fought at least once during 2009.

The deadline for nominations is April 30th, 2010. Fans will vote online at www.mmahawaii.com from May 1st -15th , 2010. The winners will be announced at a special MMA Hawaii event in June, 2010.

So if you would like to vote, you can go here and do so.
http://www.mmahawaii.com/local/2059-2010-mma-hawaii-awards.html

Gina Carano, Tonya Evinger and Bruce Lee

With female MMA going through some tough times, it's good to see companies stepping up and backing some of the ladies.
For instance, Heavy Knucklez Sportswear will be one of the sponsors of Tonya 'Triple Threat' Evinger at the upcoming 'Valentines Eve Massacre' on February 13, 2009 in Fresno California.
You can visit their website here:
http://www.heavyknucklez.com/

So did anyone catch Bruce Lee and Gina Carano in one of the Pepsi Superbowl ads?
The commercial was doing the " old / new" thing and had a short clip of Lee followed by a short clip of Carano.
I love Gina to death, but to compare her to Bruce Lee?
In the words of one of my favorite websites.....FAIL!
If you want to see the commercial you can check it out here:

Female MMA: Felice "Lil' Bulldog" Herrig versus Iman "Mannie" Achhal

On February 21st, 2009, The Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) will host a battle between women's champion kickboxer Felice "Lil' Bulldog" Herrig and Iman "Mannie" Achhal.
It will take place at UWC 5: MAN "O" WAR in Fairfax Virginia at the George Mason University Patriot Center Arena.
This will be the first professional MMA fight for both women.
You can get more info on the event at the UWC website here.


Felice Herrig is trained in boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai.
She won the 2005 and 2006 IKF Woman's Bantamweight North American Championship, the 2006 W.A.K.O. Woman's Bantamweight National Championship and 2007 W.A.K.O. Woman's Bantamweight National Championship.
Her current record is 18- 2-1 with 4 Knockouts.
Felice appeared on Fight Girls in 2007 on the Oxygen Channel.


Iman Achhal was born on January 12, 1977 in Tetuan, Morocco, she does her mixed martial arts training full time at Capital Jiu-Jitsu.
You can read an interview with her by Capital Jiu-Jitsu here

Carina Damm Becomes First Female MMA Fighter to Test Positive for Steroids

Carina Damm Becomes First Female MMA Fighter to Test Positive for Steroids
Posted May 17th 2008 8:18AM by Michael David Smith
Filed under: Fighting, PEDs, MMA, MMA/Boxing

Carina Damm, a Brazilian who is one of the world's most famous female mixed martial arts fighters, has tested positive for steroids.

Damm, who has been nicknamed "Beauty But The Beast" and "MMA Barbie," was found to have a nandralone count of 37.9 nanograms per milliliter -- or nearly 20 times the permissible threshold of 2 ng/ml -- after her 11-second knockout win over Lashonda Knox on April 3 in Los Angeles.

full story here:
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/05/17/carina-damm-becomes-first-female-mma-fighter-to-test-positive-fo/

Jeeja Yanin - Chocolate

AFP: Petite Thai action star plans to take on the world:

"BANGKOK (AFP) — She may be small and weigh not much more than a drink of water, but tiny Thai martial arts star Yanin 'Jeeja' Vismitananda is proving that petite packages can still pack a punch.
At only 162 centimetres (five foot three inches) tall and 43 kilograms (95 pounds), she is the first woman in two decades to win a leading role in a Thai martial arts movie.
The 24-year-old actress is even being styled as the successor to kickboxing phenomenon Tony Jaa, whose work includes the most successful Thai films ever to hit foreign screens.
As the star of the new Thai film "Chocolate," which is due for its first international screenings in Hong Kong next month, she proves a woman can look sweet and act tough.
Jeeja, as she is affectionately known, did all her own stunts for the movie under the tutelage of Jaa, who starred in world-wide hits like 'Ong Bak' and 'Tom Yum Goong'.
'Yes, people compare me to him a lot, but I would like to set things straight,' said the actress who has studied taekwondo since she was 11 years old."

Here is Jeeja Yanin in a scene from "Chocolate" inspired by the Icehouse fight in Bruce Lee’s Fists of Fury.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger - Black Belt

Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a martial arts black belt.


"When I do anything, I do it one hundred percent," she told us, and that is no less true for her religious life than for her martial arts practice (at age fifty, she has a recently attained black belt in karate).
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:IporSP1wqLoJ:www.wie.org/j12/laura.asp+Dr.+Laura+Schlessinger+karate&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

She is a tiny, karate-kickin’ perfect physical specimen, tireless and "hypereducated" (her term).
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:xpwBnN8I1cYJ:choppedliverproductions.com/rants/dr-laura.html+Dr.+Laura+Schlessinger+karate&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

Dr. Laura is a wife, and, of course, she is her kid's mom. She is also a black belt in karate. Whether there is a relation between those two things I will let her say.
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:wSxuSF_WC7kJ:www.claremont.org/publications/pubid.177/pub_detail.asp+Dr.+Laura+Schlessinger+karate&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us

And she rattled on constantly about taking karate lessons, much like someone who’s, um, found religion. She seemed like a person who could easily cross the line between enthusiasm and obsession.
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:HeXX_H2PUd8J:blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2005/11/some_postive_th.html+Dr.+Laura+Schlessinger+karate&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=us

Eesha Narang (Isha Koppikar) - Tae Kwon Do

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...

"I start my day with Taekwondo and dancing."
http://www.your-martial-arts-resources.com/martial-arts-celebrities.html

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

In 2009, she got her Black Belt
http://bollyscreen4u.blogspot.com/2009/09/isha-koppikar-gets-black-belt-in.html

Eesha was also the host of the Indian Pro Wrestling show "100% De Dhana Dhan".



Eesha Narang (Isha Koppikar) - Tae Kwon Do, posted to http://femalemixedmartialartists.blogspot.com/ on 7-16-2007

Diana Hayden - Martial Arts

Diana Hayden was born on May 1st, 1973 in Hyderabad, India.
She is a former Femina Miss India World 1997, Miss World 1997 and actress.

She first came to attention when she represented India at the 1997 Miss World pageant. Diana became a known face when at 24 she won the crown.
She became the third Indian woman to win the Miss World pageant.
Like the second Indian winner of the crown, Aishwarya Rai, Diana followed up her win by launching an acting career in the Indian film industry and internationally.
She made her debut with a guest appearance (in Holby City, a TV series in 2003) but established herself with the film, Ab Bas! (2004).

An Anglo-Indian, Diana comes from parents who are separated, but her family was still very close-knit.
As a teenager, she was a tomboy, tall (She's five foot eight) and gangly.

Diana also hosts a popular show on the History channel called "Biography".

Diana studies Wu Shu with Master Deepak Das....

"If I am not shooting I do my martial arts. Martial arts keep me fit. It not just helps in the physical strength and appearance but martial arts is also about your mind. It helps in your overall development."
http://www.your-martial-arts-resources.com/martial-arts-celebrities.html

Her teacher, Master Das, is a 4th Dan Black Belt, founder and director of Taoist Power Yoga and a Wu Dang Taoist Traditional Internal Martial Arts Expert.
He also teaches Modern Wu Shu, Tai Chi, Muay Thai and Kick Boxing, Karate, Taoist Power Yoga, San Shou (Chinese Kickboxing) and Mixed Martial Arts.

You can find out more about Diana here:
http://www.dianahayden.com/



Diana Hayden, posted to http://femalemixedmartialartists.blogspot.com/ on 7-15-2007

Cynthia Rothrock - Female Martial Arts

 Cynthia Rothrock (born 8 March 1957) is an American actress specializing in Martial arts films. She was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and was brought up in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

She is five-time (and undefeated) World Karate Champion in forms and weapons between 1981 and 1985. These categories are not combat-orientated, being displays of fluidity of movement rather than fighting, and are therefore not segregated into male and female categories but fully open to both sexes.

She holds five Black belts in various Far Eastern martial disciplines, including Tang Soo Do (also "tangsudo", Korean), Tae Kwon Do (Korean), Eagle Claw (Chinese), Wu Shu (contemporary Chinese), and Northern Shaolin (classical Chinese). She also works as a martial arts instructor.

Northern California was her home in 1983 where she worked with the West Coast Demonstration Team. At this time Golden Harvest was searching in Los Angeles for the next Bruce Lee. Rothrock's forms and maneuvers were observed and the Golden Harvest signed a contract with her. It was two years (1985) later that she made her first martial arts movie for them, Huang gu shi jie (also known as Yes Madam or In the Line of Duty Part 2) which also starred Michelle Yeoh. It proved to be a box office success. She ended up staying in Hong Kong until 1988 doing seven films there. She may be the first Caucasian actor that ever had a lead role in a Chinese picture as a "good guy." At the time, the typical role for Caucasian was cast as either the bad guy or as comic relief.

Rothrock became one of the few Caucasian performers to achieve genuine stardom in the local Hong Kong film industry before achieving success in their own country. Producer Pierre David initiated Rothrock's move to the American turf. David offered her a costarring role with Chad McQueen in Martial Law, Rothrock's first U.S. production. For the next ten years led successful career in B-grade action movies. Her films include China O'Brien and China O'Brien 2, Guardian Angel, Honor & Glory, No Retreat, No Surrender 2 and Prince of the Sun amongst a roster of thirty films. Rothrock also appeared as Bertha Jo in the 1997 television film The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion. She was an inspiration for the video game characters Sonya Blade[citation needed] of Mortal Kombat and also King of SNK's The King of Fighters and Art of Fighting games, and lent her voice on the animated series Eek the Cat.

Rothrock's stated that, "throughout my life, I've been opening the door for other women to get involved with this (martial arts movies). I was the first woman to be on the cover of a karate magazine and the first woman to win a men's championship."

technorati tags: Cynthia Rothrock,ufc, media, pride, japan, mixed martial arts, k-1, news, ifl, whaledog, boxing

Holly "Hellfire" Fernely - MMA

Holly "Hellfire" Fernely

Height: 5' 5"
Preferred Fighting Weight: 120 - 128 lbs
Dominant Hand: right
Fighting out of: Thunderlegs Gym,Sydney, Pymble Australia

Rank:
IKF World Full Contact Champion
IKF World MuayThai Champion
IKF World Leg Kick Champion
IKBF World MuayThai Champion
ISKA South Pacific Champion


REALLY good article on Holly, and the state of female professional fighting in Australia ( the above pic came from there) here:
http://blogs.smh.com.au/inkslinger/archives/2005/08/same_sex_boxing.html


More info on Holly here:
http://www.tuffgrrlz.com/index.asp?page=competitors&fighter_id=5

technorati tags:ufc, media, pride, japan, mixed martial arts, k-1, news, ifl, whaledog, boxing

MMA - Olga Bakalopoulos

Nickname The Greek Sensation
Height 5ft 6in (168cm)
Weight 175lb (79kg)
Born January 20, 1978
Fighting out of Beverly Hills Jiu Jitsu
Town of birth Toronto, Canada
Fighting style Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Olga Bakalopoulos (born January 20, 1978 in Toronto, Canada) is a mixed martial artist. She was born in Toronto, Canada, where she lived for 15 years, also living in Greece for 3 years (she is fluent in Greek). She now lives in Los Angeles, California, of which she says "it was always a dream of mine to come".

She states on a female bodybuilding site that "as a teenager I was always interested in sports and strength events", taking part in basketball, field hockey and soccer, among others. At the age of 17, she found inspiration in the female bodybuilder Nikki Fuller - "I thought and still think that that's the way a female is meant to look". She has worked with weights extensively since then, lifting 4 times a week.

She began her martial arts training after a friend introduced her to wrestling. Having competed in that sport, she later took up brazilian jiu-jitsu; she has been trained by 4th degree black belt Marcus Vinicius at the Beverly Hills Jiu Jitsu Club since February 1999. Bakalopoulos then moved into MMA during the year 2000 (she states in an ADCC interview that she started in 1998, but this may refer to her wrestling). When asked by Thomas Gerbasi about women in combat sport, Bakalopoulos replied:

"In every other sport you see women having a place. Women have as much right to be in this as the guys do. In the beginning, it wasn't all that great but now you have women like Lucia Rijker and Laila Ali, they're just phenomenal fighters. Every year the sport gets bigger, more women get into it, and they're saying 'hey, I can do this.' It's going to be awesome."
According to her entry on Fightergirls.net, she counts Bas Rutten and Marco Ruas amongst her former trainers.

Due to her beautiful appearance and her cosy nature, Olga had lots of fans all around the world. Olga was one of the best wrestling and MMA instructors in the world and transmitted her knowledge on several tours around the world. In 2005, Olga retired as a professional MMA fighter and no longer gave private MMA and wrestling lectures.

1st Place Winner, California International on March 10, 2001 in CA
1st Place & Overall Winner, U.S. Open in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on Nov. 5, 2000 in Santa Cruz, CA
2nd Place Winner, World Wide Championships in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on July 26, 2000 in Rio, Brazil
Winner in MMA by submission at the Underground in Killen, TX in June 2000
Winner in MMA by submission at the Cobra Challenge in CA on June 2000
1st Place and Overall Winner, California State Championships in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on March 26, 2000 in CA
1st Place Winner, Gamness Tournament in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

technorati tags: ufc,martial arts ,boxing ,karate ,judo,muay thai ,kick boxing ,pride fighting ,jiu jitsu ,67 ufc ,mma ,fighting ,mixed martial arts ,brazilian jiu jitsu,grappling

MMA - Gina Carano

Mean Gina takes center stage in Elite Xtreme Combat

Gina Carano is not your typical MMA fighter.

Then again, the typical woman doesn't beat up other women for a living, either. On Saturday, Carano will continue treading where few -- if any -- women have ever gone.

Carano, a 24-year-old Las Vegas native, will participate in the first women's MMA fight for Elite Xtreme Combat in that group's debut show in Southaven, Miss. EXC will air live on Showtime, which is also a first for that network.

For Carano, being a female MMA fighter usually means that people will judge her not just for her fighting skills, but for her looks.

"I think by this time in my life, I am pretty used to it," Carano said. "Everybody's got their own opinion. As long as I am eventually loved by one person, then I am okay."

A comment about her appearance was the spark that lit the fire for Carano to start training for Muay Thai and MMA fighting. She went to Master Toddy's Muay Thai Academy with her then-boyfriend to watch him do some pad work with his trainers. Master Toddy's assistant, Master Chan, introduced himself to Carano in a way she will never forget.

http://www.sportsline.com/boxing/story/9984315

technorati tags: ufc ,muay thai ,boxing kick ,pride fighting ,jiu jitsu ,mma,mixed martial arts ,brazilian jiu jitsu ,grappling ,ufc fighting ,fight ufc ,nhb