Monday, December 31, 2012

Amanda "The Lady Killer" Bell vs Tamikka "Boom Boom" Brents



On Saturday January, 5 At Invicta Fighting Championship 4: "Esparza vs. Hyatt" at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas 


Amanda "The Lady Killer" Bell (0-0-0) will go up against #24 ranked 145 pound fighter Tamikka "Boom Boom" Brents (1-0-0) in a 145 pound professional MMA match.

Amanda is a 5'8 twenty-four year old MMA fighter from Medford, Oregon. She trains at Fabian's MMA where she is coached by Jose Montufar, Lotus Club BJJ where she is coached by Pistol Pete Loncarevich and at Leparis Sports and Fitness where she is coached by Charles Leparis.

I asked Amanda what got her started into MMA here is her response, "I got started when I took an interest in the sport after I watched my first event. I use to not be in to cage fighting very much but when I was offered to build the cage up for a local event and see one first hand I was hooked. I come from a martial arts background so when I was exposed to it I felt like it was something I could really excel in and learn from."

She who is coming off a very successful amateur career that saw her go 6-1 and end her amateur career as the #1 ranked amateur fighter at 145 pounds.

Amanda has not fought since November, 19 of 2011 when she defeated Jessamyn Duke for the AAMMA 145 pound amateur title. This however is no fault of Amanda's who can not count the number of times she thought she had an opponent only to see the fight not happen for some reason. She also holds victories over Paige Grider, Anna Folkesson, Tina Hayes and Kathy Jones.

Her only loss came against Taylor Stratford in March of 20011.

Tamikka is a 5'3 twenty-four year old MMA fighter from Springfield, Illinois who trains at Warrior Concepts and 5 knuckle MMA. Tamikka would like to thank all her coaches: Her Head coach is Scot Ward, her wrestling coach is Curt Bee, Muay Thai coach Jared Rusk, her AJJ & BJJ Coaches are Scot Ward & Lex James, Boxing Coach is Hunter Ansell, Strength & Conditioning: Dave Utinske of The Body Quest Store & Trevor Ward of Beast Mode Crossfit.

Here is Tamikka's response to my question of why she began in MMA, "I started training in MMA in 2006 when I graduated high school at Team Warrior Concepts when my brother, pro fighter Bobby Brents brought me in to see what I could do and to get in shape for the military. After that first initial practice I loved it and kept coming back until I went to U.S. Navy boot camp. After graduating boot camp I found an MMA gym when I was sent to my first duty station in San Diego, CA called Undisputed Gym to continue training. I was honorably discharged 2 yrs later due to an injury from playing basketball in the Navy. As soon as I was healed up I got back in the gym at Warrior Concepts. During the injury I gained a ton of weight but after dropping 50+lbs I competed in my first MMA fight and never looked back."

Tamikka just recently made her pro debut after sitting on top of the 155 pound amateur rankings for over two years with an (11-0-1) record the long awaited pro debut came on November, 10 when she defeated the very formidable veteran Jessica Halverson by first round TKO due to ground and pound.

She holds amateur victories over Nikita Netjes, Tori Adams, Jessica Zomcick twice and Sara Allen. All of whom are highly ranked amateurs, some who have beaten Tamikka to the pro ranks.
In seven of Tamikka's amateur matches, she finished her opponent and six of those finishes came by way of TKO. 
This is the perfect match of two ladies nobody wanted to fight. The #1 female amateur at 145 Amanda Bell vs the former #1 amateur at 155 pounds Tamikka Brents have a combined record of 17-2, this should be a good one.

 You can watch Invicta FC on pay-per view  for $7.95 at 6pm CST at Invictafc.com


Jodie Esquibel vs. Liz "Lightning" McCarthy


On Saturday January, 5 at Invica Fighting Championship 4: "Esparza vs. Hyatt" at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas


#19 ranked 105-pound fighter Jodie Esquibel (2-0-0) will take on #23 ranked 105-pound fighter Liz "Lighting" McCarthy (1-0-0) in a 105-pound professional MMA match.

Jodie is a 5'1 26 year old MMA fighter and Boxer from Albuquerque, New Mexico where she trains at Jackson's/Winkeljohn's MMA. She is coached by Mike Winkeljohn and Greg Jackson.

She has trained to fight since she was fourteen years old, when she joined Mike Winkeljohn’s AKKA, along with teammates Holly Holm, Heather Jo Clark and Nohime Dennisson, primarily to stay in shape.  Esquibel had no aspirations to fight at that time; however, nine months after joining, Winkeljohn convinced her to take her first amateur kickboxing match, which she won, and “the rest is history.”
She took whatever kickboxing or boxing fights she could, but, as difficult as it is now for females to find amateur fights, whether boxing, kickboxing or MMA, it was even more difficult, several years ago.

For a fighter with a reputation for winning, as well as the rarity of fighters in her weight class, the difficulty of finding a fight forced Esquibel to travel, and eventually, the glaring reality of travel and fighting costs, which are the responsibility of each individual amateur fighter, pushed her, with the guidance of Coach Winkeljohn, to make the choice to go professional boxer in 2005.

Jodie is coming off of a January, 21st victory against Amy Riehle (0-2) by unanimous decision.

Her pro MMA debut was on April, 9th 2011 when she faced Brittany Horton (0-1) by TKO due to a kick and punches. Brittany had never fought in a cage before this fight and she has yet to return to one since.

Jodie did have one amateur fight back in September of 2004 when she defeated Jessica Thompson (0-1) by unanimous decision.

Jodie has never faced a fighter with a single win in all of her three MMA matches.

The story however is very different when you start talking boxing.

Jodie made her professional boxing debut on June, 24 2005, this meant she could no longer fight MMA as an amateur, and we in turn would not see Jodie fight MMA for almost six years, when she decided to turn pro in MMA.

Her boxing career started off very promising in 2005 with three straight wins. She would lose her first boxing match in September of 2006 by unanimous decision. After a win against a debut boxer she would face defeat for the second time when she was again defeated by unanimous decision. She added another win and a draw before going on a three fight losing streak all of which were championship matches. She would win her next fight before losing her most recent fight in December of 2011 for the IFBA Minimumweight Championship. Her professional boxing record currently stands at (6-6-1) (0-4-0) in Championship matches.

Liz is a 5'2 26 year old fighter from Oregon City, Oregon. She trains at Team Quest Tualatin where she is coached by Scott McQuary and Jamie Huey.
I asked Liz why she started in  MMA, she replied, " I got into MMA because I had friends that were starting to get into it."
Liz is currently on a seven fight win streak, she ended her amateur career as the #2 ranked fighter at 105 pounds with a record of (6-0) 

On July, 28th 2012 Liz would make her professional debut at Invicta FC 2 when she took on the fighter who was ranked above her in the amateur 115 pound rankings Jessica Philippus (7-1) the fighter who I had ranked ahead of her at 105-pounds. Well Liz proved me wrong when she won very impressively over Jessica with a first round TKO due to a doctor stoppage from a huge hematoma forming over the eye of Jessica.

Her amateur victories came against Elizabeth Kelly (0-2) Crystal Jewell (0-4), Shawnee Merrell (2-4) Sarah Lagerstrom (3-4) Jordan McDonald (5-3) and Liz Tracy (1-1) for a combined opponent record of (11-18)

You can watch Invicta FC on pay-per view  for $7.95 at 6pm CST at Invictafc.com

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Emily Kagan vs. Rose "Thug" Namajunas



On Saturday January, 5 at Invica Fighting Championship 4: "Esparza vs. Hyatt" at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas

Emily Kagan (2-0-0) will battle Rose "Thug" Namajunas (0-0-0) in a 115-pound professional MMA match.

Emily is a 5'3 31 year old fighter originally from Bangor, Maine now living and training out of Albuquerque, New Mexico at Jackson's MMA.

When Emily was asked why she started in MMA this was her response, "As a small girl surrounded by boys and picked on by brothers, I had a dream of developing physical prowess “dedicating myself to a life of disciplined training, growth and self-betterment.”

At eighteen, she began in traditional Jujitsu with the American Jujitsu Association, and four years later received her black belt in 2003. That year, she moved to Israel where she continued her training with the World Ju-Jitsu Federation, a local Muay Thai gym, and a few other Gi and no-Gi grappling dojos. When she returned to the US in 2006, she joined Team Irish MMA Academy of Bangor, ME training under Marcus Davis.

 Emily says, “My goal is to become another successful female pro-fighter out there, helping to pave the way for future female fighters and take part in this revolution of women in MMA”

Emily’s fighting career began on March of 2010 where she won her first amateur match by unanimous decision over Jessica Martinez. Her following fight in May of 2010 came against Autumn King who she defeated by TKO.

Next came the first loss of her career when she was defeated by Ashley Weakley.

She would bounce back with a split-decision victory over T.J. Cunanan in August of 2010 in the opening round of the Tuff-N-Uff 125 pound tournament. Emily however would suffer an injury and have to pull out of her rematch with Ashley Weakley. She was replaced by the fighter she beat T.J Cunanan who would go on to beat Ashley Weakley and become the Tuff-N-Uff 125 pound champion.

 .Emily would return to the cage on February of 2011 to face T.J Cunanan for her Tuff-N-Uff 125 pound title only to lose by first round armbar.

Emily would end her amateur career with two straight wins, one over Valle Rae Mead by unanimous decision and the last win of her amateur career came on January, 21st 0f 2012 against now #3 ranked 125pound amateur Courtney Casey by split-decision. Emily would end her amateur career as a top 5 fighter at 125 pounds with a (5-2) record.

Her pro career started off on September, 8 2012 when she took on Lynae Lovato (0-2) and defeated her by unanimous decision.

On October, 13th of 2012 Emily would get her biggest win to date when she defeated former #1 ranked 115-pound fighter Glena Avila (2-1) by split decision in a 120 pound catch weight match.

This will be the very first time that Emily cuts to 115 pounds, she should be a beast.

Rose is a 5'5 20 year old fighter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she is coached by her boyfriend UFC heavyweight fighter Pat Barry and famed coach Greg Nelson at The Academy. She is also coached by Matt Miller for strength and conditioning and Trevor Wittman who she will be  training with for her last week and a half in Denver.

I asked Rose what made her want to become a fighter, she responded, "My childhood growing up I was surrounded by Dragon Ball Z, WWE, action movies, and if I wasn't at karate or Taekwondo practice I was practicing fighting with my friends in the neighborhood. We had a lot of imagination so that's where my fascination with martial arts began."

Rose has had a meteoric rise up the amateur ranks, she is currently the #4 ranked 115 pound amateur with a perfect record of (4-0)

She made her amateur debut in August of 2010 against Melissa Pacheco (0-1) who she defeated by TKO due to punches in the first round. Melissa once thought to be a promising fighter has yet to enter a cage since.

She would have her second fight in December of 2011 after almost a year and a half since her first fight and face a much more experienced fighter in Heather Bassett (4-2) who was favored to win. Rose however would win that fight by unanimous decision.
On March, 17 2012 Rose would get in the ring with yet another opponent who had twice the amount of fights as her when she faced off against Moriel Charneski (5-2) She would go on to defeat Moriel by unanimous decision.

Her final amateur fight came on June, 30th of 2012 against the very experienced Jen Aniano (6-7-1) who he defeated by TKO due to referee stoppage in the first round of thier fight.

You can watch Invicta FC on pay-per view  for $7.95 starting at 6pm CST at Invictafc.com

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Paige "12 Guage" Van Zant vs. Tecia "Tiny Tornado" Torres



On Saturday January, 5 at Invica Fighting Championship 4: "Esparza vs. Hyatt" at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas.

Paige "12 Guage" Van Zant (2-0-0) will take on Tecia "Tiny Tornado" Torres (1-0-0) in a 115-pound professional MMA match.

Paige is a 5'4 18 year old fighter originally from Reno, Nevada now training in Las Vegas Nevada at The House of Ryu Gym where she is coached by Ron Frazier, who she says is, "Amazing and I am lucky to work with him,"

I asked Paige what got her started in MMA, "My dad was the one who got me started into MMA. He was a wrestler all his all through high school and some of college but he always had a love of MMA. He took me to a class once and I fell in love with it!!".

Paige has been a quick sensation after only one amateur fight, a fight that took place in April of 2012. She defeated Morgan Hunter by first round rear-naked choke.

Only two months after her amateur debut, Paige would make the leap to the pro ranks against a very successful amateur Jordan Gaza who was also making her debut. Paige won a razor thin split decision that many people felt Jordan won.

Just three weeks later Paige would dispatch another very experienced amateur fighter when she defeated Amber Stautzenberger by Unanimous decision.

Now she has had her longest break between fights since she began just eight short months ago and she is with a new Gym and plans to be a much better fighter than ever before.

Tecia Torres is a 5'1 23 year old fighter originally from Massachusetts now fighting out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she has lived most of her life. She trains at American Top Team.

"My mom put me Karate when I was five 1995 and I fell in love with it. I got my Black Belt when I was thirteen and stopped training when I was seventeen to begin college. Then when I was eighteen, I found Muay Thai and fell in love again. I had my first fight at nineteen."

Tecia is fresh off of her pro debut at Invicta FC 3  where she defeated Kaiyana Rain by unanimous decision.

She had one of the most successful runs as an amateur in history and is the favorite to win amateur fighter of the year as she ended her amateur career as the #1 fighter at 115 pounds with a perfect 7-0 record not to mention her extensive amateur Muay Thai record of (24-4)

Her wins as an amateur have come against top tier competition including Amber Stautzenberger, Ashley Greenway, Jamie Moyle, Sarah McLeod, Jill Valenzuela, Rebecca Gruitza and Ivey Turner.

The amateur records of all of Tecia's opponents combined is (18-15) a very good level of competition many of which were much taller than her.

She is the holder of  7 titles. (4x Amateur World Kickboxing Champion & 3x Amateur MMA Champion.

 You can watch Invicta FC on pay-per view  for $7.95 starting at 6pm CST at Invictafc.com

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Katalina Malungahu vs. Veronica Rothenhausler

 

On Saturday January, 5 at Invica Fighting Championship 4: "Esparza vs. Hyatt" at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas

#20 ranked 145-pound professional fighter Katalina Malungahu (2-1-0) will take on Veronica Rothenhausler (0-0-0) in a 145-pound professional MMA match. 

Katalina is a 5'8 31 year old fighter who was born in Tonga and lived there ten years before moving to Utah, where she began training with former UFC fighter Jeremy Horn and his Elite Performance Fight Team. She now fights out of Las Vegas Nevada where she trains at  Xtreme Couture, where she is coached by Denis Davis (Head Coach) Eric Nicksick (Grappling) Kyle Griffin (Wrestling) Tim Lane & Kui Gonsalves (Kickboxing) Neil Melanson & Rich Castro (Jiu Jitsu)

"I started training just to get fit. My uncle Tony Fulilangi was my very first personal striking coach. Then I got a little comfortable with Jiu Jitsu after training with Jeremy Horn and his team, so I decided to go into fighting MMA. Before I had my first fight, I knew once I get started, I had to go all the way to become a champion and turn it into a "career". "ALL or NOTHING." After a year of putting in work with Jeremy Horn's Team, I decided to move to Las Vegas to further my career with Xtreme Couture in MMA. I give all my great trainers credit for the knowledge and skills that I've gained along with great teammates that I  have currently or in the past had the chance to train with who have invested time and blood into my preparations in fight camps."
This will be the second straight time that Katalina fights for Invicta FC, in her last fight at Invicta FC 3 on October, 6 2012 where she lost to #2 ranked 145-pound professional fighter Ediane Gomes by rear-naked choke in the first round of their match.

Before that loss Katalina was on a five fight win streak, which included her first two professional fights as well as her three amateur fights. Her last pro win was on July, 28 2012 when she defeated formerly undefeated and #1 ranked 145-pound fighter Ericka Newsome in Ericka's pro debut.

She made her pro debut in October of 2011 when she defeated undefeated at the time professional fighter Valerie Barney (5-1) by TKO in the first round of their fight.

Katalina had a very successful amateur career that saw her go (3-0) versus Samantha Mosqueda, Kari Lichtenwalner and Jennifer Raff, all of whom she defeated by KO or TKO due to punches.

Veronica is a 5'11 23 year old fighter originally from Reno, Nevada , now fighting out of Sacramento, California at Uriah Faber's Team Alpha Male.

She started MMA two and a half years ago with Battle Born Fight Team, where she was coached by Rich Montoya.
Veronica is currently the #7 ranked 145-pound amateur fighter in the world with an undefeated record of (3-0).

In her last amateur fight on July, 6 2012 she defeated #8 ranked 145-pound amateur Ashlee Evans Smith (5-4) by five second KO in the first round of their Tuff-N-Uff 145-pound championship match. That however as rare as it was was not the first time Veronica has knocked out an opponent five seconds into the fight. On November, 4 2011 Veronica defeated Noelle Cherry by five second first round KO. Although her first amateur fight in September of 2011 was not a five second knockout, she still managed to KO her opponent at the two minute mark.

These are two fighters who will be looking to take eachother's heads off, with a combined eight KO's or TKO's in thier nine professional and amateur MMA fights.

You can watch Invicta FC on pay-per view  for $7.95 at 6pm CST at Invictafc.com




Laura Sanko vs. Cassie Robb



On Saturday January, 5 at Invica Fighting Championship 4: "Esparza vs. Gadelha" at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas

Laura Sanko (0-0) will battle Cassie Robb (0-0) in a 105 pound professional MMA match.

This will be the debut professional MMA fight for both fighters.

Laura is a 5'5 30 year old fighter from Kansas City, Missouri who trains at Grindhouse. She is coached by Brian Davidson, James Krause, Austen Ford, and UFC fighter Tim Elliot.

I asked Laura what got her started in MMA and this was her response, "I got into MMA because I was going through some turmoil in my personal life. I got married young and it was a disaster. the marriage only lasted six months and I felt like a complete failure. I had grown up doing karate and realized I miss having a physical outlet and a place where I could forget about my stress and worries for a while. I loved the training so much that I eventually wanted to try to compete."
.
Laura is currently #5 in the Women's amateur 105 pound World Rankings with a record of (4-1). She has won three fights in a row dating back to March of 2011, when she defeated last minute replacement Emily Reed (2-1) by second round rear-naked choke. Emily, has yet to enter a cage since.

The second win on that streak came against #7 ranked 105- pound fighter Kyla Slaughter (5-4) in September of 2011 when Laura submitted Kyla in the first round by armbar.

Most recently in March of 2012 she defeated #6 ranked 105-pound fighter Nadia Nixon (5-4) in a great match by unanimous decision for the Blue Corner 105-pound amateur title.

The only loss of her career came against now inactive fighter Leslie Lockwood (2-3) by TKO.

Laura made her amateur debut on September, 11 2010 when she defeated  115-pound amateur Amanda Hein (2-3) by TKO due to Amanda submitting to punches.

Cassie is a 5'5 22 year old fighter originally from Casper, Wyoming now living and training in Denver, Colorado at Advantage Martial Arts with the Serial Boxe Killers, where she is coached by Benjamin Schissler and professional MMA fighter Diana Rael.

Much like many female MMA fighters, Cassie is an openly gay fighter, who is engaged to fellow professional fighter Stephanie Skinner.

I also asked Cassie why she began to train in MMA and this is what she said, "I used to go to Steve Alley's local fights in Wyoming and thought it would be cool to try it. I used to want to be a boxer so I started boxing and took an MMA fight about two weeks later."

 Cassie is currently the #9 ranked 105-pound amateur in the world with an amateur record of (3-2-1) She is currently on a one fight winning streak, a win that came in October of 2012 against Lilian Orozco (1-1) who she defeated by rear-naked choke in the first round to win the Kick Down MMA 105-pound amateur championship.

The fight before that on August, 17th 2012 Cassie fought Ali Kistler (0-3-1) to a draw. This was an opponent Cassie had previously defeated in February of 2012 by triangle choke.

She also holds a victory over Star Polley (0-1) who she defeated by rear-naked choke. She  lost in her amateur debut to Kiele Lewis (1-1) who caught her in a guillotine choke in the second round of thier fight, a fight that Cassie took after only two weeks of training in boxing.

The combined record of all of Cassie's amateur opponents is (2-6-1) while her opponent Laura Sanko has fought against opponents with the combined record of (16-15).

Laura Sanko would like to thank her sponsor, Century 21 All Pro--Kansas city's leading residential real estate group. Grab their free app by texting C21 to 87778 and get thousands of listings at your fingertips.

You can watch Invicta FC on pay-per view  for $7.99 at Invictafc.com

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Jessica Holcomb-Doerner vs. Nina Ansaroff



On Saturday November, 24 at The Cage Inc: "Battle At The Border 11 at Dakota Magic Casino in Hankinson, North Dakota

Jessica Holcomb-Doerner (2-0-0) will take on Nina Ansaroff (1-3-0) in a 125 pound professional MMA match.

 
Jessica is a 5'4 MMA fighter and professional boxer out of Minton, North Dakota where she trains at Calavera's Martial Arts Academy. She is coached by Richard Calavera and Jordan Calavera.

Jessica is 0-1 in her professional boxing career having lost her debut by decision to Angela Hayes on April, 28th. Her amateur boxing record is 29-11.

Jessica last fought in an MMA match on August, 25th when she defeated Ashley Omsberg by TKO in the first round. Her other victory came against Mariah Johnson who she also defeated by first round TKO.

I asked Jessica what got her into MMA and she responded, "I got into boxing at a young age watching fights with my Dad. I started doing some kick boxing when I joined the Air Force to help me get in shape I fell in love with the sport! I moved to Minot, ND in October 2005 and started training. I started boxing first and then MMA started getting big and I got an opportunity to fight professionally so I started training for my first MMA fight at the beginning of 2011." 

Nina is a 5'5 twenty-six year old MMA fighter from Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she trains at American Top Team with Jessica Aguilar and Ediane Gomes to name a few. She is coached by Marcos Da Matta.  

Nina is currently on a three fight losing streak that dates back to December of 2010 when she lost a close split-decision to Carla Esparza. Despite her losing streak, Nina has fought very good competition including Barb Honchak and Casey Noland.

In her pro debut in September of 2010, Nina defeated Catia Vitoria.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Amanda Bobby Cooper defeats Tracy Emerick

 


On Friday November, 9 at Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting 41: "SFS vs. The World" at 59 West Entertainment Center  in Highland, Michigan.

#7 ranked 125 pound fighter Amanda Bobby Cooper (6-3-0) defeated Tracy Emerick (2-2-0) by submission (rear-naked choke) in the third round of their 125 pound amateur MMA championship unification bout
 
Amanda trains at scorpion Fighting Systems in Howell, Michigan where she is coached by James Gray an 11x National Jiu Jitsu Champion. Steve Wedekemper is her striking coach and she also works with Tim Farr and Chris Vish.

Amanda recently quit her job as a daycare worker so that she could train full-time. She also hopes to turn pro in the near future.

This is how Amanda replied when i asked what made her become an MMA fighter? " In December it will be my two year mark of when I first stepped into the cage, I had been boxing on and off since i was 13 and boxing shows were getting very boring so my dad (who was training me at the time) asked me one night at the boxing gym if I ever wanted to do a MMA fight and he thought I would be good at it. and I at first told him I didn't think so but then by the end of the night i was convinced that I wanted to take just one fight to see were I stood. MMA was starting to get so popular and I could hardly get fans to go to my boxing matches so I told my dad yes and the next day he called me and said I had a fight in two weeks. I didn't train anything other then boxing and I fought Kathleen Albany and knocked her our in the 2nd round, and I fell in love with the sport.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Nicole Ertzberger vs. Allison Haynes



On Thursday November, 15 at Fight Lab 29: Cage Fighting at Coyote Joe's in Charlotte, North Carolina.


Nicole Ertzberger (1-0-0) will take on Allison Haynes (0-0-0) in a 115 pound amateur MMA match.



Nicole is 5'2 26 year old fighter from Gastonia, North Carolina who trains at Renegade Fighting Systems where she is coached by Phil Wills for boxing and Michael Allen for her wrestling and Jiu Jitsu.


Nicole only recently started training in MMA in January of this year, when she was encouraged by her husband who told her that he always knew she would be good at it. "I guess he thinks I'm mean or something '" she said.

She made her amateur debut on May, 12 of this year by defeating Marisa Lowry by TKO after Marisa would not answer the bell for the start of the second round. 


Allison Haynes is a 5'3 37 year old mother of three who trains at Tech MMA and Fitness Academy in Christiansburg, Virginia where she is coached by Perry Gibson. 

Her past combat sports experience includes an amateur  kick boxing record of (3-0) She holds two kick boxing titles and has only been training in the discipline for eight months.

I asked Allison why she began to train in kick boxing and MMA and she replied, "
  I guess I'm crazy and just got in great shape and was ready for a new goal! once I met my fitness goals.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Rachel Wray vs. Mia "The Cat" Marie



On Friday November, 30 at Ultimate Blue Corner Battles 17 at Harrahs Casino in Kansas City, Missouri

Rachel Wray (1-0-0) will go up against Mia "The Cat" Marie (0-1-0) in a 115-Pound amateur MMA clash.

Rachel is a from Overland Park, Kansas. She trains at HD MMA where she is coached by Jason High and LC Davis. She also trains Jiu Jitsu & strength training with Travis Conley and she trains boxing with Melvin Wesley and Don Hinson. 

 This will be her second MMA fight her first fight she defeated Ashleigh Tillman.

Rachel is originally from Arkansas, where she went to the University of Arkansas. Some of her past activities include being the captain of the Pom Squad in college as well as being a dancer, cheerleader and gymnast her entire life. She moved to KC a year and a half ago after she graduated to become a Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader. One of the perks of being a Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader was a free membership to train and keep in shape at Title Boxing Club. Soon after joining the gym she fell in love with punching a bag. Its there that she met Melvin Wesley and Don Hinson who taught her everything she knows about boxing. She later joined HD MMA where she met Jason High and LC. Davis. She originally started training just because it was fun and an amazing workout, but after a couple months she fell in love with fighting and had to retire from cheerleading and try her hands as an amateur fighter in the cage.

When I asked Rachel how her parents felt about her fighting she responded, "My parents were weary at first, but they are completely supportive of me now. Especially my dad who is my inspiration to be a fighter, having overcome some major battles in his life and he is the strongest person I know. He believes in me and supports my fighting completely and gives me the motivation and confidence I need to win."

Mia "The Cat" Marie is a nickname that was chosen for this 5'5 30 year old MMA based fighter when she first began to train over a year ago by
her strength and conditioning coach Jason Buford, because she moves fast and has strong legs.

Mia currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri where she trains with Wayne Marble at Blue Springs Ji-Jitsu & Judo as well as with Louis Pena at Welcome Mat Elite Martial Arts. Mia is originally from Shawnee, Kansas.

Mia Marie started MMA last year because of a rough time in her life that saw her get raped as well as having to deal with the fact that her father was very ill and facing death. These unfortunate circumstances caused Mia to search for a way to escape the harsh realities she was facing in her life.

Mia was defeated in her amateur debut on March, 31st by Sara Mace. She describes this first fight as an emotional roller coaster for her with the passing of her father soon after the fight. She does however look at the positive in the fight and is very proud of herself for being able to go all three rounds and put on a hell of a performance without getting too tired. She says she is blessed with a lot of people believing in her because of her heart and the fact that she won't let anyone tear her down.

Mia is  not only a fighter but also a model who can be seen on the front cover of NLM Magazine, as well as on the Tom and Ann's Haircolorist Building in Leavenworth, Kansas. 

Mia would like to thank her main sponsor Jack Hartman of Big Twins Cycles in Edwardsville, Kansas.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Mercedez Campos defeats Denise Brukner






On Saturday October, 6 at Art Of  War Productions: MMA Gold Best Of The Best " at Chicken Ranch Casino in Jefferson, California.

#5 ranked 115-pound fighter Mercedez Campos (3-0-0) defeated Denise Brukner (1-1-0)  by  2nd round submission (armbar) for the Art Of War 115-Pound amateur MMA Championship.

Mercedez last fight was on April, 21of this year for King Of The Cage where she defeated Tatiana Casanova by first round rear-naked choke. She also holds a victory in her debut MMA fight over Julia Garcia on June, 18 by 29 second KO.

Mercedez trains at Oakdale MMA with Last Stand Fight Team in Sacramento, California where she is coached by Professor Tom

Mercedez is currently looking for sponsors, if you are interested you can contact her on Facebook.


Thursday, July 26, 2012

Danika Thibault defeats Masen Nichols




On Saturday, July, 21 at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, Danika Thibault defeated Masen Nichols by unanimous decision  in the finals of the IKF Girls 14-15 Junior Flyweight International Rules Kickboxing World Classic Championship in Orlando Florida.

“It was a challenge,” Danika said. “She was tough, she was tall, and a lot heavier.
I basically dominated the whole time,” Danika said. “But by the end I got tired and I had to work harder for it.” 

Danika is now on to part 2 of her quest to win 3 major championships in 3 forms of fighting this year. Next month she will travel to San Diego for the Womens International Grappling Championships. In December she will take part in the Silver Gloves amateur Boxing Championships.

Danika was cornered by Bob Shermer of Combat Do in Cicero Illinois.
Danika's standup coach is Pat White out of AHP Boxing in Aurora Illinois.

Danika is now 4-0 in kickboxing. 1-0 in Boxing and 1-0 in modified MMA.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Tecia Torres vs. Amber Stautzenberger



On Monday July, 16 at American Battle Championships in West Palm Beach, Florida

#2 ranked 115-pound fighter Tecia Torres (5-0-0) will go up against #3 ranked 115-pound fighter Amber Stautzenberger (4-2-0) for the ABC 115-pound amateur title and the #1 spot in the amateur women's MMA rankings.

Tecia is a 5'1 22 year-old fighter from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, who trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. She is coming off of a victory against Jamie Moyle on May, 17th. She also holds victories over Sarah Mcleod, Jill Valenzuela. Rebecca Gruitza and Ivey Turner.

Two of her wins are by finish one being a first round TKO and the other by rear-naked choke.

Amber is a 5'6 24 year-old fighter from Dallas, Texas who trains at Mohlers MMA in Dallas, Texas where she is coached by Will Campuzano and Tristan Grimsley. Amber last fought on June, 11 2011 when she defeated Lylna Thao by first round rear-naked choke. She also holds victories over Kelly Irvine, Maria Witt and Rhonda Fetty. 

Amber has finished three of the four opponents she has defeated, two by submission and one by TKO.

This fight will determine who will be #1 in the August Rankings at 115-pounds.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Sarah "White Tiger" Schneider: Fighter Profile




Record: 6-5-0
Age: 31
Weight: 115
Height: 5'3
Team: Caveman Crew/ American Ju Jitsu Academy
From: Kansas City, Missouri




Upcoming Fight



7/28/12
VS.
Carla Esparza
Invica FC 2
Kansas City, Kansas


Professional Fights


2/28/12
Defeated
Sally Krumdiack
Invicta FC 1: Coenen vs. Ruyssen
Submission (Armbar) Rd. 1
10/1/11
Defeated
Ivana Coleman
Black Eye Promotions: 5
Submission (Armbar) Rd. 1
6/10/10
Lost
Megumi Fujii
Bellator Fighting Championships: 21
TKO (Punches) Rd. 3
1/30/10
Lost
Adrienna Jenkins
Freestyle Cage Fighting: 39
Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) Rd. 2
4/23/09
Lost
Sarah Kaufman
Palace Fighting Championships: B.O.B.W. 2
TKO (Punches)
3/14/09
Defeated
Julie Kedzie
Duke City MMA Series 1
Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) Rd. 1
11/1/08
Lost
Jennifer Tate
Pure Combat: 6
Split Decision
6/6/08
Lost
Tonya Evinger
True Fight Fans
Unanimous Decision
4/3/08
Defeated
Ashley Sanchez
Fatal Femmes Fighting: 4
Unanimous Decision
2/1/08
Defeated
Kaitlin Young
Tuff-N-Uff: Thompson vs. Troyer
Submission (Armbar) Rd. 2
9/22/07
Defeated
Corinna West
Titan Fighting Championships: 9
Submission (Armbar) Rd. 1


Amateur Fights


6/24/06
Defeated
Autumn Burnett
Adrenaline Extreme Combat: 12
TKO (Punches) Rd. 1


Fight Video


Interviews


Highlight Video


Articles

Sally Krumdiack vs. Sarah Schneider

Pictures





Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Danielle "The Curse" West: Fighter Profile




Record: 4-3-1
Age: 35
Weight: 145
Height: 5'6
Team: New Wave Academy
From: London, England


Professional Fights


4/1/12
Lost
Milana Dudieva
ProFC: 40
TKO (Punches) Rd. 1
2/12/12
Defeated
Jorina Baars
Girl Fights Only: 7
TKO (Punches) Rd. 3
9/4/11
Draw
Rin Nakai
Pancrase: Impressive Tour 9
Draw (Split)
5/7/11
Lost
Elina Nilsson
The Zone FC: Unbreakable
TKO (Punches) Rd. 2
10/2/10
Defeated
Maria Hougaard
Fighter Gala: 16
Unanimous Decision
4/4/09
Defeated
Maria Hougaard
Fighter Gala: 8
Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) Rd. 3
10/25/08
Lost
Taja Luthje
Cage Fighters Championsip: 4
TKO (Punches) Rd. 1
8/11/07
Defeated
Willemijn Van Zon
Survival FC: Battle of the Gladiators
TKO (Punches) Rd. 1

Amateur Fights

6/14/03
Lost
Kelli Salone
Ultimate Combat: 6
TKO (Corner Stoppage) Rd. 1

Fight Video

Interviews


Highlight Video


Articles


Pictures





Monday, May 21, 2012

Charmaine "Not So Sweet" Tweet: Fighter Profile




Record: 1-2-0
Age: 35
Weight: 145
Height: 6'0
Team: CHI KI Training 
From: Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada 




Professional Fights



2/24/12
Defeated
Marshelle Weinberger
Hard Knocks FC: School of Hard Knocks 20
Submission (Guillotine Choke)
10/1/11
Lost
Anna Barrone
Black Eye Promotions 5
KO (Punches)
6/17/11
Lost
Ronda Rousey
Hard Knocks FC: School of Hard Knocks 12
Submission (Armbar)


Amateur Fights


5/28/11
Defeated
Tia Wishart
Saturday Night Fights III
Submission (Guillotine)

Yana "Foxy" Kunitskaya: Fighter Profile



Record: 7-1-0
Age: 22
Weight: 145
Height: 5'8
Team: Patriot Team
From: St. Petersburg, Russia





Professional Fights

3/3/12
Defeated
Anna Melikhova
Lion's Fights 1
Unanimous Decision
2/11/12
Defeated
Ekaterina Saraykina
Verdict Fighting Championship
TKO (Punches) Rd.1
11/19/11
Defeated
Arune Lauzeckaite
Bushido Lithuania: Hero's Lithuania 2011
TKO (Punches) Rd.1
2/10/10
Defeated
Cindy Dandois
M-1 Challenge 22
TKO (Punches) Rd.1
1/20/10
Defeated
Kamila Balanda
Bushido Lithuania - Hero's Lithuania 2010
TKO (Punches)
5/29/10
Lost
Maria Hougaard
Fighter Gala: 14
Unanimous Decision
11/28/09
Defeated
Vladena Yavorskaya
Bushido FC - Legends
Submission
5/23/09
Defeated
Magdalena Jarecka
K-1 - World Grand Prix 2009
TKO (Punches) Rd. 1



 Fight Video

Fighter Interviews

Articles

Pictures