After a rollercoaster of uncertainty, Brazil’s Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm has secured a visa in time to compete in the August 13th Strikeforce 135-pound women’s tournament. Sherdog.com first reported on the update and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed the news with MMARising.com.
Late Tuesday night, MMARising.com learned that Damm’s participation in the tournament was at great risk due to visa issues that were attributed to Strikeforce not obtaining the necessary documents in a timely manner. The problems have since been resolved and Damm will compete as planned.
Damm (15-3-0) will make her Strikeforce debut in the one-night tournament, which also features Strikeforce contender Miesha “Takedown” Tate, former Smackgirl champ Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano and 2010 Upcoming Glory Champion Maiju Kujala. First-round matchups, as first reported by this website, will be determined by a random draw on the night of the weigh-ins. While a replacement had been found in the event that Damm could not compete, that will no longer be necessary.
As a result of 36-day delays in processing visa applications at the office in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, MMARising.com had been informed that Damm’s participation would be extremely unlikely. However, as a result of swift action on the part of both Strikeforce and Damm’s team, a resolution was reached and the jiu-jitsu ace can once again set her sights on winning the tournament. The victor will become the number two contender for the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight (135-Pound) Championship, which is presently held by unbeaten Canadian Sarah Kaufman.
Strikeforce Challengers 10, which features the one-night tournament, takes place on August 13th at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. The event is headlined by a 182-pound catchweight bout between Joe “Diesel” Riggs and Louis “Handgunz” Taylor.
