After bouts in Russia failed to materialise, Kaitlin Young will remain at home for her next fight. The Minnesota native is expected to face Canadian Anna “Smiles” Barone in a featured 140-pound matchup on January 6, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis. Both fighters earned wins in October.
Young was originally booked to face Milana Dudieva for ProFC last month, but withdrew from the bout as a result of visa issues and cited promotional disorganisation. The fight was then rebooked for December 10th, but has since been scrapped again and Young will square off with Barone instead.
Details of the bout between Young (6-5-0) and Barone (2-2-0) were first reported by MMAHQ.com earlier today. The pair will face off at “Downtown Showdown 2,” co-promoted by Driller Promotions and Sterling Entertainment Group. Young has not competed in MMA in her home state since a December 2009 loss to Strikeforce veteran Shana “Rock Solid” Nelson, but she remains popular in the area and trains with a number of standout fighters at The Academy in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Both Young and Barone most recently fought and won on October 1st. Young stopped Liz Carreiro in the first round of the main event of Freestyle Cage Fighting 49 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Barone knocked out fellow Canadian Charmaine “Not So Sweet” Tweet in just 18 seconds at BlackEye Promotions 5 in Fletcher, North Carolina. Barone’s bout with Tweet was contested at 155 pounds and she will face a significant weight cut in order to make the 140-pound limit in January.
To date, five of Young’s six victories have come via a form of knockout, while Barone has finished both of her conquered opponents with strikes. The fighters have each won two of their past three fights leading into the showdown next year, but Young will have the fan support in her favour as she competes in front of friends and teammates.
Article updated with information on the event’s title.