Recent Bellator tournament participant Jessica Pene will drop down to 105 pounds to face talented striker Amy “Lil’ Dynamite” Davis at The Cage Inc.’s “Battle At The Border 7” on November 19th. The fight marks Pene’s debut in the strawweight division as she looks to rebound from her first defeat.
Davis will compete for the second time in four months after spending nearly four years away from MMA. The Muay Thai kickboxer is coming off of a big victory in July when she defeated Colorado prospect Jennifer “Lil’ Ice” Berg and would take a big step up in the division with an upset of Pene.
Pene (7-1-0) won seven straight fights to open her career and entered the Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament in August. Notable victories over “Slick” Sally Krumdiack and Angela Magana highlight the California native’s record and she was seen as a dark horse entrant in the Bellator tournament. Ring rust appeared to play a factor, however, as Pene was defeated in the quarterfinals by a much larger and stronger Zoila Frausto. While additional fights at 115 pounds are not out of the question, Pene will now seek success in the 105-pound division and won’t have an easy fight for her strawweight debut.
Davis (1-0-0, 1 NC), despite having less experience in MMA, is an extremely talented kickboxer. She was once ranked at number one in the United States and number five in the world for Muay Thai. Davis made her mixed martial arts debut against Sumie Sakai in October of 2006, but the bout was ruled a No Contest after the first round due to confusion among the promoters over both the rules and length of rounds in the fight. After nearly four years away, Davis returned to MMA in July and defeated Berg via a convincing decision. She will now look to score another upset when she faces Pene.
The Cage Inc: “Battle At The Border 7” takes place on November 19th at the Dakota Magic Casino in Hankinson, North Dakota.