Flyweight prospect Tyra “The Honey Badger” Parker begins her move back down towards the strawweight division when she steps back into the cage at Gladiator Challenge: “Kaboom” on January 18th in El Cajon, California. Parker takes on former Tuff-N-Uff title contender Kristi “Violencia” Lopez.

The 120-pound catchweight bout was announced this past weekend. Parker has finished three of her past four opponents and she is coming off of an impressive submission victory over Michele “Diablita” Gutierrez in August. Lopez makes her pro debut in the fight following a 3-1 run as an amateur.

Parker (3-3-0) began her pro career in 2008 at age 18 and proved right away that she was not afraid to take fights against high-level opponents. In her second bout, Parker faced future Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson in a 112-pound bout for Strikeforce. She later scored her first win in June 2010 before taking time away from the sport. Since her return as a flyweight this past October, Parker has put on strong showings in each of her three bouts. She rebounded from a loss to Invicta FC fighter Nina “The Strina” Ansaroff by submitting Gutierrez on August 23rd.

Lopez (3-1-0 amateur) is young in her MMA career, but the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu fighter has climbed the amateur ranks with key wins in recent fights. After opening her career with a second-round TKO victory in February 2011, Lopez made her Tuff-N-Uff debut the following January and handed popular flyweight Rachael “The Panther” Cummins a close decision defeat. Lopez’s lone amateur loss came in her next fight when she dropped a Unanimous Decision to Christine “La Fiera” Ferea, but she made a successful return to the promotion by outpointing Kari Lichtenwalner in a title contention bout in March.

Gladiator Challenge: “Kaboom” takes place on January 18, 2014 at the Sycuan Casino in El Cajon, California. The bout between Parker and Lopez will be contested at a catchweight of 120 pounds.

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