Brazilian standout Kalindra Faria captured her first major title outside of her home country with a dominant decision victory tonight at Titan Fighting Championship 41 in Coral Gables, Florida. Faria defeated Carina “Barbie” Damm again to become Titan FC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
Faria, who typically competes between 115 and 125 pounds, moved to 2-1 against rival Damm with a clear-cut victory in tonight’s main event. She outstruck Damm on the feet in all five rounds and controlled the action on the ground en route to capturing Titan FC’s inaugural women’s title.
Faria (18-5-1) landed looping hooks in the opening minute of the fight and she tripped Damm (23-13-0) against the base of the cage. Damm framed up an armbar and Faria stood up to escape, but she quickly returned to Damm’s guard and punched from the top. The fighters exchanged elbows on the ground until Faria mounted Damm in the final 15 seconds and rained down elbows before the bell.
Faria stunned Damm with a counter right hook in round two and she continued to get the better of the striking exchanges. A head kick from Faria backed Damm up briefly and the fighters traded punches. Faria tagged Damm with quick flurries and followed with a body kick. She rocked Damm with a right hand and finished the round with a hard combination.
The third round began with an exchange of punches and Faria landed a side kick to the face. She followed with a hard right hand and looked for a takedown, but Damm defended well with a standing guillotine choke and Faria broke free. Winging punches were exchanged and both women mixed in leg kicks late in the relatively uneventful round.
The fighters clinched against the cage after trading power punches early in round four. Karia threw Damm to the mat and worked from the top with punches and elbows. Damm landed a blatantly illegal upkick to the face and time was called, but she was not docked a point and the fight resumed on the feet. Damm landed a three-punch combo and a leg kick, but Faria took her down again and landed on top in half-guard. Damm regained full guard and threw hammerfists until time expired.
Cautious punches were exchanged in the final round until Faria landed a lead left hook, and she picked her shots with single punches and leg kicks. Damm landed a spinning back kick to the body, but she was unable to follow up and Faria continued to score with kicks and punching combinations. She closed the distance and clinched late in the fight, but Damm trapped her in a guillotine choke.
Faria’s superior striking and takedowns impressed the judges, who returned a unanimous verdict in her favour. The 30-year-old has won three straight fights since dropping a razor-thin decision against UFC title contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz at KSW 30. Damm, whom Titan FC intended to build its women’s division around, is 8-10 in her past 18 fights and continues to struggle against quality opposition.
Winner: Kalindra Faria by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-45, 49-46) after five rounds. She improves to 18-5-1 and becomes the inaugural Titan FC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
(Photo Credit: Cristian Martins)