Unbeaten 19-year-old prospect Tay Stratford will make her long-awaited Tuff-N-Uff debut on November 12th against Team Quest’s Shauna Dugger. The featured bout will be part of an eight-woman 145-pound tournament that will crown the first Tuff-N-Uff 145-pound amateur women’s champion.
Stratford, currently the number one-ranked amateur featherweight fighter in the United States, has been touted as a future star in the division, but she will face a tough lineup in the tournament. Also competing is 2008 Olympic Judo Bronze Medallist Ronda Rousey, who faces Autumn Richardson.
Stratford (5-0-0 Amateur MMA) made her debut in the sport on November 14, 2009 for Ultimate Reno Combat. She defeated Elsa Magana by Unanimous Decision and went on to win four more times for the promotion. Most recently, she earned a Split Decision win over Raquel Pennington, who was the first fighter to defeat reigning Tuff-N-Uff 135-Pound Women’s Champion Tsui-Jen Cunanan. Stratford now looks to make the most of a golden opportunity in the 145-pound tournament when she faces Dugger, who will make her mixed martial arts debut.
On the other side of the bracket, Rousey (1-0-0 Amateur MMA) will take on Tuff-N-Uff veteran Autumn Richardson (3-1-0 Amateur MMA) in another highly-anticipated bout. Rousey made her MMA debut on August 6th and effortlessly submitted Hayden Munoz with an armbar in mere seconds. The decorated judoka has already been projected as a potential challenger for Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in the future. Meanwhile, Richardson has won two straight fights and most recently defeated Jessica Martinez on October 22nd.
Four additional fighters will be announced for the eight-woman 145-pound tournament in the coming days. Olympic Wrestling Bronze Medallist Randi Miller is also rumoured to be competing on the November 12th card, though an opponent and weight class have not been announced.