The second round of the Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix takes place this Saturday night at FCF 40 at the FireLake Grand Casino in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Four of the top 135-pound female fighters in the world will clash for a chance to advance to the June 12th finals.

Strikeforce and EliteXC veteran Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler will square off with Canadian standout Alexis Davis, who replaces Jennifer “Rosebud” Tate, while Adrienna “AJ” Jenkins faces heavy-handed striker Jan “Cuddles” Finney. MMARising.com previews the semi-final bouts.

Shayna Baszler (10-6-0) has already competed on the biggest stages, including an appearance on CBS for EliteXC. All ten of her victories have come by submission and she picked up her second win via Twister when she dispatched of Megumi Yabushita in the opening round of the tournament. Renowned for her ground game and constantly improving her striking, Baszler is one of the most dangerous fighters in the 135-pound division and is eager to get back in the mix in Strikeforce. Her key to victory on Saturday is to take the fight to the mat early on and lock on a submission before Davis can wear her down or create any momentum.

Alexis Davis (7-2-0) enters the tournament as a late replacement for Jennifer Tate, who withdrew due to her second pregnancy. Davis is known primarily for her ground skills and captured the Raging Wolf Women’s Flyweight Championship last October. Having already faced the best fighters in the division, Sarah Kaufman and Tara LaRosa, Davis has not had an easy time during her short career and now looks to become a household name in her quest to earn a Strikeforce contract. Her key to victory against Baszler is to keep the fight standing. Davis’s striking has improved greatly over the past two years and she must use it to break down Baszler.

Adrienna Jenkins (17-2-0) has quietly made a name for herself competing in and around Iowa. Until her opening-round matchup with Sarah Schneider, Jenkins had never been outside of the first round of a fight. With solid wrestling and an excellent submission game, Jenkins has tasted defeat just twice in her career and is now poised to make a run at the big show in Strikeforce. Jenkins is no stranger to brawls, but testing Finney’s power is not a winning strategy. Her key to victory is to take Finney down and retain top control so that she can work for a submission or use ground and pound to finish the fight.

Jan Finney (7-7-0) is one of the true veterans of mixed martial arts in the United States. She has already faced many of the biggest names in women’s MMA and is regarded as one of the hardest hitters in the division. Finney advanced to the second round by defeating Liz Carreiro at FCF 39 in a fight that saw Finney drop Carreiro and dominate the striking exchanges. Four of Finney’s wins have come by knockout and she will look to make a statement on Saturday. Finney’s key to victory is to keep the fight on the feet and stay patient. A single punch could be all that she needs for the win.

The second round of the Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix takes place this Saturday, March 27th, at the FireLake Grand Casino in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The winners of the semi-final bouts will advance on to FCF 43 on June 12th, where a tournament champion will be crowned and awarded a guaranteed Strikeforce contract.