Wand Fight Team prospect Michele “Diablita” Gutierrez will take a step up in competition when she returns to action on December 10th. Gutierrez will face Strikeforce veteran Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman in a featured bout at Crowbar MMA: “Winter Brawl” in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Gutierrez earned a dominant third-round stoppage of Tammie Schneider at “Fall Brawl” on September 11th and has now won three straight fights since dropping her pro debut in November 2009. Schuckman has won two of three fights since her lone Strikeforce appearance last September.
Gutierrez (3-1-0), a Muay Thai specialist who trains alongside former PRIDE Middleweight Champion Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, has won all three of her fights in 2010; two by a form of knockout. She was submitted in her pro debut by fellow striker Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig, but has since worked hard on the other aspects of her game to complement her striking skills. Her bout with Schneider was a largely one-sided affair before the fight was called early in round three due to an eye injury from strikes. Schuckman will arguably be Gutierrez’s toughest test to date.
Schuckman (5-3-0) had a successful career as an amateur before making her professional debut in the 2009 HOOKnSHOOT/GFight Women’s Grand Prix. She advanced to the semi-finals before losing to unbeaten British prospect Lisa Higo and later made her Strikeforce debut against Jeri “Fists of Fury” Sitzes. Though Schuckman came up short in her lone appearance for Strikeforce, she put on a solid performance and displayed competent striking skills against the much more experienced kickboxer. Schuckman will now look to rebound from a July loss to recent Bellator signee Carla Esparza.
Crowbar MMA: “Winter Brawl” takes place on December 10th at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Also competing on the card are UFC veteran Jesse “Kid Hercules” Forbes, TUF 12 contestant Pablo “The Scarecrow” Garza and Nina Ansaroff. Opponents for all three fighters will be announced soon.
(Photo Credit: WomenTalkSports.com)