A pair of quality 125-pound women’s bouts are planned for Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 39 on November 27th. Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton will face “Slick” Sally Krumdiack, while Ireland’s own Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly takes on battle-tested veteran Molly “The Maulinator” Helsel.
MMARising.com first learned of both fights earlier this week, which were subject to approval from Bellator Fighting Championships. Multiple sources close to the negotiations have since confirmed that the bouts are a go for the card, which takes place at Neptune Stadium in Cork City, Ireland.
Sexton (10-2-0) will look to rebound after suffering her second career defeat in June when she was knocked out by Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament finalist Zoila Frausto. The bout was Sexton’s first in a full calendar year and cost her a spot in the Bellator tournament. Sexton’s only other defeat came at the hands of another much larger fighter, Gina Carano in 2006, and she rallied back with five straight wins including victories over Carina Damm and Debi Purcell. Now beginning the battle back to the top of the 125-pound ranks, Sexton will face an accomplished grappler with solid striking.
Krumdiack (8-3-0) has quietly emerged as one of the top contenders in the 125-pound division. Aside from a highly controversial loss to Saori Ishioka at Jewels: “Sixth Ring” last December, in which a miscommunication and referee error led to a premature stoppage, Krumdiack has only tasted defeat once in four years. That loss came against pound-for-pound standout Tara LaRosa in March of 2009, but Krumdiack has looked very impressive in recent bouts and handed Hiroko Kitamura her first loss in one-sided fashion in June. An upset of Sexton would place Krumdiack among the elite at 125.
Daly (9-1-0) opened her career with nine straight victories in and around Ireland, including a win over recent Strikeforce tournament participant Maiju Kujala. She dropped down in weight to enter the Bellator 115-pound tournament, but suffered her first loss in a bout with Lisa Ward at Bellator 26 in late August. Daly was unable to compete with Ward’s dominance on the ground, but she will likely have a striking battle on her hands when she welcomes Helsel to Ireland. All but one of Daly’s wins have come by stoppage and she is regarded as one of the top female strikers in Western Europe.
Helsel (8-9-1) sports a deceiving record that belies her true talent. The veteran of 18 fights has been competing for well over seven years and has faced many of the best female fighters in mixed martial arts. Helsel’s biggest win remains a 2005 submission of Lisa Ward and many of her defeats – including those against Julie Kedzie and Carina Damm – have come via razor-thin decisions. Helsel engaged in a war with then-HCF champ Sarah Kaufman in 2008 and took Raging Wolf champion Alexis Davis the 25-minute distance last year. She will now look to spoil Daly’s homecoming in November.
Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 39: “The Uprising” takes place on November 27th at Neptune Stadium in Cork City, Republic of Ireland. Bout agreements for the Sexton-Krumdiack and Daly-Helsel fights are expected to be signed very soon to make both matchups official. Additional fights will be announced for the card in the coming weeks.
