Undefeated Swedish standout Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad captured her first major MMA title with a clear-cut Unanimous Decision victory tonight at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 74 in London, England. Kianzad defeated Eeva Siiskonen to become CWFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.

Tonight’s inaugural CWFC 135-pound women’s title fight was originally set to feature Kianzad against Polish teen Agnieszka “Kuma” Niedzwiedz, but Niedzwiedz was forced to withdraw due to an injury. Siiskonen stepped in on very short notice, but Kianzad’s superior striking propelled her to victory.

Kianzad (7-0-0) opened tonight’s fight with an overhand right and a head kick attempt, but Siiskonen (3-2-0) caught it and countered with a hard leg kick. Kianzad shot in and took Siiskonen down, then landed short elbows from her guard. Siiskonen was active from her back and she trapped Kianzad in a tight armbar, but Kianzad stacked her and pulled her arm free. The fighters were stood up and Kianzad landed combinations before the bell sounded to end the round.

Kianzad dominated the striking exchanges in the middle rounds by landing front kicks to the body, straight right hands and lead left hooks to the head and liver. The aggression kept Siiskonen on the defensive and she was repeatedly thwarted when she tried to take the fight to the mat. In the clinch, Kianzad landed short knees to the ribs and elbow strikes over the top. She was comfortably ahead on the scorecards after 20 minutes of action.

Knowing that she needed a finish, Siiskonen rushed forward in round five and worked for a takedown against the cage, but Kianzad defended well and stayed on her feet. She landed knees and punches, then took Siiskonen’s back and whipped her to the canvas. Siiskonen quickly regained full guard and returned to her feet, where she landed a pair of front kicks to the face. Kianzad was unfazed and she landed more knees and a combination before the end of the championship fight.

After five rounds, the judges had little trouble in determining a winner. One judge scored the fight 49-46, while the remaining two both had it 50-45. All saw it in favour of Sweden’s Kianzad, who remains one of the fastest rising stars in Europe. Siiskonen, who took the bout on one week’s notice, put on a solid showing in defeat, but she was not able to mount enough sustained offence to capture the title tonight.

Winner: Pannie Kianzad by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) after five rounds. She improves to 7-0-0 and becomes the inaugural CWFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.