Freestyle Cage Fighting will showcase eight of the top bantamweights in the world in the opening round of the FCF Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix on January 30th. The promotion has confirmed with MMARising.com that the event will stream live on FreestyleCageFighting.com in high-definition.

Featuring familiar faces such as Kaitlin Young, Jennifer Tate and Shayna Baszler, the grand prix will crown a champion who will receive a Strikeforce contract and may challenge for a title in the promotion. A complete video of the tournament bouts will also be available for download.

Efforts to air the opening round of the tournament live on HDNet appeared promising following an overwhelming show of support from hundreds of fans and journalists who contacted the network, but an agreement could not be reached in time. FCF has remained committed to showcasing the talented combatants in the tournament and will stream the first round on their website in high-definition video for a modest fee of $9.99.

The event marks a significant step forward for women’s MMA and has garnered considerable attention. Experienced veterans will clash with rising young stars and additional women’s bouts in FCF have already been proposed. A complete list of the grand prix participants and first-round matchups can be found here. Companies or individuals who are interested in sponsoring the event or any of the fighters on the card should contact FCF.

Freestyle Cage Fighting 39, which features the opening round of the FCF Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix, takes place on January 30th at the FireLake Grand Casino in Shawnee, Oklahoma. MMARising.com will be live on-site to provide in-depth coverage of the event.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)