Barb Honchak vs Nina Ansaroff Possible For “Spring Brawl 2”A 125-pound women’s bout between Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak and Nina Ansaroff is in the works for Crowbar MMA: “Spring Brawl 2” on April 29th in Fargo, North Dakota. Matchmaker Chris Nelson told MMARising.com today that verbal agreements are in place, but the fight is not yet signed.

Honchak is coming off of an impressive win over Felice “Lil Bulldog” Herrig earlier this month, but fought just once in 2010. Ansaroff made her pro debut in September and upset Catia “Cat Woman” Vitoria, but recently suffered her first defeat against Carla Esparza at a December Crowbar MMA event.

Honchak (2-1-0), who went 8-1 as an amateur before turning pro in late 2009, is seen by many as a future top contender at 125 pounds. She won her pro MMA debut against highly regarded boxer Monica Lovato on November 28, 2009, but came up just short in a January 2010 bout with unbeaten rising star Cat “Alpha” Zingano. Surprising some, Honchak got the better of many of the striking exchanges in her bout with Herrig, a skilled Muay Thai striker. After bloodying her opponent’s nose, Honchak rocked Herrig with a spinning backfist late in the fight and took a commanding Unanimous Decision. Ring rust did not appear to be a factor for Honchak, despite a one-year layoff.

Ansaroff (1-1-0) burst onto the scene in a big way last September with her non-title win over Vitoria, the reigning SNMMA Women’s Flyweight Champion. The Florida native, who trains alongside submission wizard Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler, dominated much of the fight with Vitoria en route to a one-sided Unanimous Decision. Ansaroff returned to the Crowbar MMA cage in December and engaged in a competitive bout with Esparza that saw Ansaroff break her opponent’s nose. Esparza’s takedowns and ground control proved to be enough, however, and a late rally from Ansaroff was only good enough to earn the nod from one of the three cageside judges.

As the 125-pound women’s division becomes more competitive, with stars and prospects developing in the United States and Japan, the targeted bout between Honchak and Ansaroff may be a pivotal one. If the bout is signed and becomes official, the victor could take a big step towards contendership as more promotions showcase women’s bouts at 125 pounds this year.

Crowbar MMA: “Spring Brawl 2” takes place on April 29th at the Scheels Arena in Fargo, North Dakota.