Elena Reid versus Michelle Waterson

Michelle Waterson

Elena Reid

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.

Top Ten Female MMA Update

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?

Female MMA Moving into the Spotlight?

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.

Hijab allowed in Asian karate games

tehran times : Hijab allowed in Asian karate games:

"TEHRAN (Press TV) -- Iran has succeeded in gaining the International Karate Federation's approval for women to compete in the Asian games wearing hijab.

The decision to allow women to participate in the Asian championships while adhering to the Islamic dress code follows talks between IKF officials and Iran's Karate Federation Chief Behzad Katiraei in Morocco, Fars news reported."

Between the ropes: Female boxer puts her heart into ring

Between the ropes: Female boxer puts her heart into ring
By Julie Randle
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 7:18 AM CST

Five years ago, Jamie O'Hare decided to fight back and she's been fighting ever since.

O'Hare, a professional boxer, came to the sweet science after she was stalked as a college student by a man who lived in a half-way house near her Springfield, Mo., apartment complex.

The man used to wait outside her apartment, watch her while she sunbathed at the apartment pool and tried to force flowers on her.After he physically harassed her, she decided she had had enough. She enrolled in a self-defense class at a karate studio.

"It opened me up to self-defense that became my life," said O'Hare, a 25-year-old North County resident. "I became confident and stronger and it gave me a new way to define myself. I didn't feel like a victim."

Self-defense led to kickboxing and then amateur boxing. Twenty amateur bouts and one professional bout later, she will take on Carrine Hamlett from Georgia in a match of welterweights March 8 at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand & Suites Hotel, 800 Washington Ave. O'Hare is one of 24 competitors fighting in the Xtreme Fight Party, an event that will feature boxing and mixed martial arts --- a full contact sports that combines various fighting styles including wrestling, kickboxing and boxing.
full story here:
http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2008/02/27/top_story/sj2tn20080226-0227ssj-boxer00.ii1.txt





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Female boxer breaking new ground in MMA

Female boxer breaking new ground in MMA
Reid will be first boxing world champ to participate in MMA bout
By David A. Avila
MSNBC contributor
updated 10:21 a.m. ET, Thurs., Dec. 27, 2007
Elena “Baby Doll” Reid, the current flyweight champion of the world in boxing, makes her debut in the world of mixed martial arts against Tammie Schneider.

“I’m a fighter,” explains Reid. “Whether it’s boxing, or MMA, I like to fight.”

Reid becomes the first boxing world champion to participate in an MMA bout, beating Riddick Bowe and Floyd Mayweather to the punch when she meets Schneider at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas on Friday.

full story here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22407562/

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Gina Carano fighting in Thailand

Here's a video of Gina Carano fighting in Thailand.

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Kyra Gracie in action

This is a Highlight reel ( no...not Higlight...LOL) from http://www.graciekyra.com/


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Gina " Crush" Carano

Gina Carano recently fought on the September 15, 2007, Showtime EliteXC card, defeating Tonya Evinger via rear naked choke for her first career win by submission.

Previously she fought on the February 10, 2007, Showtime EliteXC card, defeating Julie Kedzie via unanimous decision in what was called "the fight of the night"

Her scheduled bout against Jan Finney at the EliteXC/K-1 Dynamite!! USA event on June 2, 2007 was cancelled due to illness. While initial internet rumors cited a possible pregnancy as the real cause, The Fight Network and other organizations have now reported that she was rushed to the hospital via ambulance while attending a World Extreme Cagefighting event as a spectator.

Along with Lisa King, Carano serves as a mentor to aspiring female fighters in the Oxygen reality series Fight Girls.

Carano will appear as the Gladiator "Crush" on the 2008 version of American Gladiators in January.



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The 61-year-old Gatlinburg resident, Nancy Walker

Nancy Walker is not only winning top awards in the martial arts arena but also winning her battle with cancer.

The 61-year-old Gatlinburg resident was awarded Female Instructor of the Year by the International Isshin-Ryu Association at a banquet in Gatlinburg on Aug. 24. Walker was selected for the honor because of her longtime dedication to the teaching of Isshin-Ryu karate.
The Female Instructor of the Year award was presented to her about a year after Walker was diagnosed with cervical cancer last September.
"I never thought I would have it ever because I was in such good shape," Walker said of her cancer. "But you never know who it's going to choose. That's the scary part of it. My oncologist said, 'How in the world did you ever get cancer?'"
Walker said she endured 25 radiation treatments and four chemotherapy sessions.





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Kyra Gracie Links

Kyra Gracie's homepage:
http://www.graciekyra.com/


Kyra on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jkg9ovWh70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFgDbur4FF8


Interview with Kyra:
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/11970/



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MMA Clothing Line FightGirl to Release 18 Month Calendar Featuring Ms. Tapout Worldwide

MMA Clothing Line FightGirl to Release 18 Month Calendar Featuring Ms. Tapout Worldwide

Houston, TX, October 03, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Mixed martial arts fans finally have something other than the latest match to get excited about. Official FightGirl, Inc. announces today the release of the super hot 18 month FightGirl calendar.

FightGirl clothing is the premier clothing line for mixed martial arts female fans. The line, developed by Kristie Brown, meets the needs of female MMA fans from around the world. Kristie Brown noticed a lack of comfortable, casual, sexy apparel for women at various MMA events. Soon after the realization, FightGirl was born. The FightGirl brand has been seen at such major MMA events as Cage Rage in the UK, Art of War, and IFC Caged Combat to name a few.

“I noticed that every martial arts event I attended women had nothing distinguishable to wear. These events are a lot of fun, and I wanted my line to offer women something to wear that would add to the excitement of the event and to show our support for this great sport. FightGirl was born.” Explains FightGirl CEO Kristie Brown.

full story here:
http://www.pr.com/press-release/54507



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MMA: Pillow Fighting ?

Okay okay, I know Pillow Fighting is a far cry from " ground and pound" but what caught my attention in reading this article was the following....
" But while the WWE's convention of making crap up was adopted for the characters, PFL fights are a genuine combination of boxing and mixed martial arts. "
And ....
" The difference is in the training. Seasoned PFL fighters employ grapple techniques and hit the mat looking for submission holds. Amateurs, lacking formal instruction and generally too timid to tackle a stranger in front of 200 screaming fans, stay on their feet and exchange thunderous head shots."

Here's the article from ESPN, written I think with tongue firmly planted in cheek.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=janowitz/070123

Link to their site:
http://www.canadapfl.com/

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Shayna Baszler

The Jordan Breen show returned on the Sherdog Radio Network on Thursday, and was joined by standout female fighter Shayna Baszler.
Shayna's last fight was a submission victory over Jan Finney on July 27, 2007 at ShoXC.
http://www.sherdog.com/news/radio.asp?id=271

More photos from SMACK Girl

Here's a couple more photos from SMACK Girl, the Japanese women's mixed martial arts federation...

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

SMACK Girl

Here are some photos from SMACK Girl.
I think this is the largest international all women mixed martial arts competition in the world.
Or it's a shameless promotion where promoters dress up strippers and let them have at it.
I keep finding conflicting reports. I know there are some top level fighters there, but I also hear there is a lot of WWE type over the top promotion as well.
Anyone care to shed some light?

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

Rachel Duangsima

Rachel Duangsima
Fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada
Trainers: Kenny Rayford, Apollo Sebastian, and Ken Hahn at Sebastian Muay Thai and Master Chan at Master Toddy's.

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Madonna

Madonna takes karate classes ( Why not? I think she has studied everything else under the sun.)
Her husband Guy Ritchie got her into it, so Madonna and her daughter Lourdes are both studying.
I read one place that she had her black belt, but I don't know if this is true or not. The way she throws herself into things though, I wouldn't doubt it.
But you know, I see Madonna as more of a MMA person....

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MMA RISING SUPERSTAR GINA CARANO AILING, FORCED TO WITHDRAW FROM JUNE 2 MMA EVENT

LOS ANGELES (May 17, 2007) – Gina Carano has pulled out of the “Dynamite!! USA” June 2 mega-MMA fight card at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum due to illness, EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw announced today.

Carano, of Las Vegas, Nev., was scheduled to clash with Jan Finney of Springfield, Ohio, in one of the featured EliteXC fights on SHOWTIME on June 2.

“I just feel terrible about this,’’ said the popular, crowd-pleasing Carano, who spent part of April in Thailand filming a television reality series. “I don’t know how or where I got sick, but I have not felt right since returning to the United States.

full story at:
http://www.mmaringreport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1235&Itemid=79

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Ilonka Elmont - MMA

Ilonka Elmont
Nickname: Killer Queen
Height: 5' 2"
Preferred Fighting Weight: 110 - 114 lbs
Date of Birth:
Dominant Hand: right
Fighting out of: F.F. Carbin,Amsterdam, Holland
Trainer: Lucien Carbin

http://www.tuffgrrlz.com/index.asp?page=competitors&fighter_id=6

Ilonka Elmont's hompage:
http://www.killer-queen.nl/

Interview with Ilonka Elmont:
http://www.fscclub.com/interviews/elmont-e.shtml

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