July rivals Marianna “The Crushen Russian” Kheyfets and Kim “Sugar Free” Couture will compete on the same card again on October 23rd, but not against each other. Kheyfets and Couture will be part of Ring of Combat 32 and both will take on talented kickboxers from Team Tiger Schulmann.
Kheyfets, who submitted Couture at XFC 11 on July 9th, will face Melissa Bopp. Couture, meanwhile, will look to rebound from the loss to Kheyfets when she takes on 2007 Golden Gloves Boxing Champion Munah Holland. Both Bopp and Holland will be making their pro MMA debuts.
As first reported by Mid-Atlantic MMA earlier today, Kheyfets (1-0-0) will face Bopp (0-0-0) in an undercard bout on the ROC 32 card. Kheyfets won the XFC’s open tryouts and earned her spot in the XFC 11 co-main event in July. She made the most of the opportunity and rocked Couture with punches, then submitted her with a triangle choke. While Bopp will be making her pro MMA debut, she is no stranger to competition and holds a pro kickboxing record of 3-1. She was also perfect as an amateur kickboxer, with a record of 4-0. Kheyfets displayed an impressive ground game in the brief fight with Couture, but also showed crisp striking and should be comfortable wherever the fight with Bopp goes.
Despite losing to Kheyfets in July, Couture (2-3-0) is expected to once again be in the co-main event when she faces Holland (0-0-0). Couture, who has faced considerable criticism for receiving high-profile fights and displaying striking skills that leave a lot to be desired, will once again face an MMA debutant. However, Holland boasts a very impressive résumé with multiple accolades in boxing, including a 2007 Golden Gloves Championship. She sports an 18-8 record in amateur boxing and a 3-1 record in amateur kickboxing. Holland will hold a decided advantage over Couture in the striking department and Couture will need to take the fight to the ground quickly.
Ring of Combat 32 takes place on October 23rd at the Tropicana Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event will air live on iPPV on GoFightLive.tv.
