Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts standout Julie “Fireball” Kedzie captured her first major title in more than five years on Saturday night in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Displaying improved striking skills, Kedzie defeated knockout artist Kaitlin Young in the main event of Jackson’s MMA Series 4.
The victory earned Kedzie the inaugural Jackson’s MMA Series Women’s Bantamweight Championship, but her bout with Young was much closer than the judges’ scores would suggest. Taking over the later stages of the fight with strikes and a takedown, Kedzie earned a Unanimous Decision.
The opening round saw Kedzie (16-8-0)* and Young (4-5-0)* exchange leg kicks and right hooks, but both were cautious early on. Kedzie appeared to be the quicker fighter and moved in and out with punches before Young could respond. However, Young landed some decent punches of her own before the extremely even round came to an end.
Round two was spent mostly in a clinch against the cage, where Young took control with short knees to the leg and body. The fighters were eventually separated and Young countered kicks from Kedzie with punches that backed Kedzie up. The round appeared to be clearly Young’s, but Kedzie defended well in the clinch.
Kedzie began to use her jab more effectively in the third round, as she kept Young at bay and avoided Young’s punching combinations. Young sprawled out of a takedown, however, and landed an elbow. The fighters traded punches and leg kicks, and Young tripped Kedzie to the mat to potentially steal the close round.
As the fight entered the championship rounds, Kedzie began to take over and she landed a nice one-two and a right hook in round four. She outstruck Young in subsequent exchanges, and the fight returned to a clinch. Young landed a standing elbow and two leg kicks, but Kedzie snapped her head back with a front kick to the face. She followed with more punches and a head kick to take the round.
The fifth and final round was contested in a clinch against the cage until Kedzie took Young down. She struck from the top and tried to pass to side-control, but Young managed to regain full guard. Kedzie threw hammerfists from the top as Young countered with elbows, and Kedzie punched to the body until the final bell.
With the fight seemingly up for debate after five hard-fought rounds, the judges’ scorecards were puzzling, but Kedzie was awarded a Unanimous Decision victory in a very competitive matchup.
Winner: Julie Kedzie by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) after five rounds. She improves to 16-8-0* and becomes the first Jackson’s MMA Series Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
As was addressed by the commentary team on Saturday, the fight between Kedzie and Young was actually a rematch from September of 2010, when they faced off in the finals of the Ultimate Women Challenge competition. The result from the first fight cannot be disclosed due to ongoing litigation between the fighters and producers from the show. As a result, neither fighter’s listed record is correct, and both are therefore listed with an asterisk.