Two of the four opening round bouts for the Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament are official. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed with MMARising.com today that Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii will take on Angela Magana, while Jessica “Jag” Aguilar faces Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez.

Both fights will take place at Bellator 24 on August 12th, which kicks off the promotion’s third season. The remaining tournament bouts are not set. A previously rumoured fight between Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto and Jessica Pene is possible, but not signed and is subject to change.

Fujii (20-0-0), widely regarded as the best female fighter in MMA, made her Bellator debut on June 10th and picked up her first TKO victory when she stopped Sarah “White Tiger” Schneider in the third round. Fujii controlled the fight on the ground and overwhelmed the much larger Schneider, who competes primarily at 135 pounds. The Japanese superstar holds a number of notable wins, including a 2007 victory over fellow Bellator tournament participant Lisa Ward. While seen as a clear favourite to win the tournament, Fujii will have to contend with three quality opponents to do so.

Magana (9-4-0) is no stranger to other members of the Bellator tournament roster, as she has already competed against three of them in her three-year career. She is the only woman to have defeated Alvarez to date, and also holds a win over Aguilar. Most recently, Magana was submitted by Jessica Pene, who will enter the tournament at Bellator 25 on August 19th. Known primarily for her ground game, Magana was a finalist in last year’s HOOKnSHOOT/GFight tournament before dropping a decision to the unbeaten Lisa Higo.

Aguilar (8-3-0), a member of the highly respected American Top Team, has consistently challenged the best since making her pro debut in February of 2006 against a much more experienced Lisa Ward. She has won all but two of her fights since then and is coming off of a big victory over rising prospect Catia “Cat Woman” Vitoria in early June. The win solidified Aguilar’s place in the tournament and she will look to pick up her fourth victory in a row on August 12th. Aguilar is seen by many as a dark horse to advance to the tournament finals.

Alvarez (5-1-0) is a skilled striker, but all but one of her victories to date have come by submission. She is the reigning Freestyle Cage Fighting 115-Pound Women’s Champion and holds notable victories over Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson and Michelle “Thundercat” Ould. Alvarez has not competed since July and ring rust could prove to be a factor, but she will take a big step up in competition in the Bellator tournament and will look to make the most of the opportunity.

Bellator 24 is set for August 12th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

A previously rumoured August 19th bout between Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto and unbeaten rising star Jessica Pene is not yet official and remains subject to change. Bellator has not made any decisions on either of the remaining tournament bouts, but the promotion plans to have all first-round matchups confirmed within the next few days. Frausto had campaigned for a fight with Lisa Ward, who choked out Frausto’s sister Stephanie at Bellator 22, and that matchup may still be a possibility.

Remaining Tournament Participants:

– Lisa Ward (13-5-0)
– Jessica Pene (7-0-0)
– Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly (9-0-0)
– Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto (7-1-0)

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(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)