Elaina “Beef” Maxwell now has a confirmed opponent for March 30th. The Strikeforce veteran is set to face off against Ashley “Loca” Sanchez at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2: “Yvel vs Alexander” in Kearney, Nebraska. RFA matchmaker Scott Cutbirth announced the fight late Monday night.
Both Maxwell and Sanchez have won back-to-back fights leading into their 145-pound matchup on the RFA card, which is headlined by a bout between UFC veterans Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel and Houston “The Assassin” Alexander. Tara LaRosa competes against an opponent to be determined.
Maxwell (6-4-0) has won four of her past five fights and picked up a pair of victories this past year. In April, Maxwell earned a convincing Unanimous Decision win against Shana “Rock Solid” Nelson and she followed that with a July stoppage of Angela Samaro. Maxwell was initially in talks to face another Strikeforce veteran, Jan “Cuddles” Finney, on the RFA 2 card, but when that bout failed to materialise, Sanchez stepped in.
Sanchez (4-2-0) also fought twice this past year and turned heads by upsetting former top contender Erin “Steel” Toughill in April. Despite returning from a three-year layoff, Sanchez controlled the bout with Toughill on both the feet and on the ground en route to a Unanimous Decision victory. She returned to the cage six weeks later with another decision win, this time against Adrienne Seiber, and will now face arguably her toughest test to date.
Though once regarded as a kickboxer only, Maxwell has developed a more well-rounded game in recent years. Like Sanchez, she has only been finished one time and possesses solid ground and pound skills. Sanchez presents a stern test for Maxwell and looks to break into the top ten at 145 pounds at Maxwell’s expense.
Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2: “Yvel vs Alexander” takes place on March 30th at the Viaero Event Center in Kearney, Nebraska. The card also features an amateur women’s title bout between Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke and Marciea “The Black Widow” Allen in what will likely be the final amateur fight of Duke’s career.
(Photo Credit: Mark Lemmo)