Following her devastating knockout victory over Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton at Bellator 23, Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto has been officially announced as Sexton’s replacement in the Bellator women’s 115-pound tournament in August. The promotion confirmed the news this evening.
Frausto delivered a crushing knee that knocked out the heavily favoured Sexton, leaving her with a 60-day medical suspension that has forced her out of the highly-anticipated tournament. Frausto will continue her gradual drop down in weight from 135 pounds to make the 115-pound limit.
Frausto (7-1-0) began her career competing primarily at 125 pounds before challenging Miesha “Takedown” Tate in Strikeforce this past March. Fighting at 135 pounds, Frausto was dominated on the ground en route to a second-round submission loss, but vowed to return to a more natural weight class and make a run for the top spot. Following a May bout with Michelle Ould that ended in an unfortunate injury, Frausto took a big step up in competition when she challenged Sexton last Thursday and she made the most of the opportunity.
From the start, Frausto appeared to have a significant size and strength advantage over Sexton and she stuffed the British star’s early takedown attempts. A vicious knee sent Sexton crashing to the canvas and a trio of follow-up punches ended both the fight and Sexton’s plans to take part in the tournament. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney would not immediately commit to featuring Frausto in the tournament, and it remains to be seen whether she can safely make 115, but the promotion ultimately opted to award Frausto with a spot in the tournament ranks.
The Bellator women’s 115-pound tournament will begin at Bellator 24 on August 12th in Hollywood, Florida. Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii, arguably the top female fighter in the sport, is expected to compete on the Bellator 24 card. First-round tournament matchups have not yet been announced.
(Photo Credit: Casper Munoz)