Swedish rising star Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad kept her undefeated record intact with a third-round TKO victory tonight at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 71 in Amman, Jordan. Kianzad stopped Dutch opponent Megan van Houtum with ground strikes in a 140-pound catchweight bout.

Also on the card, Kianzad’s countrywoman and former foe, Lina Akhtar Lansberg, earned her third straight victory by stopping Laura “Hot Head” Howarth. Lansberg dominated the brief fight and did considerable damage with standing elbow strikes that forced Howarth to retire after round one.

Kianzad (6-0-0), who had originally planned to compete in front of hometown fans and supporters before the CWFC 71 card was moved away from Sweden, got off to a slow start in tonight’s fight and van Houtum (1-2-0) controlled the early action with throws and takedowns. Kianzad escaped to her feet on each occasion, but van Houtum dragged her back down again. Kianzad reversed one takedown, but van Houtum attacked with an armbar and a toe hold from the bottom. Kianzad scrambled and trapped her in an inverted body triangle before time expired.

The second round was a much better one for Kianzad, who reversed a throw attempt into top position. She postured up with punches as van Houtum sought out an armbar from her back. Kianzad pinned her against the base of the cage and scored with punches and elbows as the round progressed. She moved to half-guard and landed more short elbows that prompted van Houtum to spin into a heel hook attempt late in the middle stanza.

Van Houtum slowed way down in round three and Kianzad took advantage by taking van Houtum’s back after van Houtum attempted a seoi nage throw. Kianzad moved to mount and she rained down punches as van Houtum struggled to defend against the cage. A final barrage of punches from Kianzad forced the referee to intervene and the bout was stopped.

Following the win, the 22-year-old Kianzad requested a Cage Warriors title bout against Polish teen Agnieszka “Kuma” Niedźwiedź (7-0-0), who has looked very impressive in both of her Cage Warriors bouts to date. Kianzad remains committed to Cage Warriors in spite of the fact that she has already defeated UFC fighter Milana Dudieva.

Winner: Pannie Kianzad by TKO (Punches) at 2:17 of round three. She improves to 6-0-0.

Earlier on the card, Lansberg (3-1-0) overwhelmed Howarth (2-1-0) in the clinch en route to a one-sided TKO victory. Lansberg opened the action with kicks to the lead leg, body and head that got Howarth’s attention. She mixed in right hooks that dropped Howarth at one point and pressured the British fighter in the clinch. Howarth tried in vain to get the fight to the ground and Lansberg punished her with knees and elbows. One big elbow backed Howarth up and caused her nose to bleed heavily. Lansberg finished the round strong with more elbows before the bell.

Between rounds, Howarth indicated that she could not continue and the fight was waved off. Lansberg, who has not lost since dropping her pro debut to Kianzad in late 2012, picked up arguably her biggest win to date. Howarth, who may have earned a Cage Warriors title shot with an impressive win tonight, falls out of contention for the time being.

Winner: Lina Akhtar Lansberg by TKO (Retirement) at 5:00 of round one. She improves to 3-1-0.