After original opponent Jamie Seaton withdrew from the fight, Minnesota knockout artist Kaitlin Young will now take on unbeaten Strikeforce veteran Liz Carmouche at Crowbar MMA: “Fall Brawl” on September 11th. Young will compete for the first time since a January bout with Jennifer Tate.
Carmouche most recently defeated Colleen Schneider in the reserve bout of the Strikeforce 135-pound women’s tournament last Friday. The victory moved her record to 3-0, with all of her fights taking place in the last three months. Young, meanwhile, looks to get back on the winning track.
Young (4-4-0) opened her career with four straight knockout wins and became an overnight sensation as the winner of the 2007 HOOKnSHOOT Women’s Grand Prix. However, she has since dropped four fights in a row – two of them at weights higher than 135 pounds – against very formidable competition and needs a big win to get back into contention in the flourishing 135-pound division. Known for her devastating Muay Thai, Young should hold an advantage in the striking department, but will need to be wary of Carmouche’s takedowns and ground control.
Carmouche (3-0-0) entered the reserve bout of the Strikeforce tournament as a relative unknown, but put on a solid performance in the bout with Schneider. Displaying impressive clinch control and takedowns, Carmouche did enough to earn the nod from all three judges in the abbreviated Strikeforce bout, which was contested under just two three-minute rounds. She will have a full 15 minutes available in the fight with Young and a victory would immediately put Carmouche on the map as a future contender.
Crowbar MMA: “Fall Brawl” takes place on September 11th at the Urban Plains Center in Fargo, North Dakota. A second women’s bout, originally scheduled to feature Michele Gutierrez against Shimone Brooks, has also been changed. Gutierrez is expected to remain on the card and a new opponent is being sought. The reasons for Brooks’s withdrawal, as well as Seaton’s, have not yet been specified.
