Brazil’s first all-female mixed martial arts promotion, Pink Fight MMA, will hold its inaugural event on January 29th in Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil. The card is headlined by a 125-pound bout between Maria Elisabete Tavares and Kalindra Carvalho Faria and will also include five additional fights.
Pink Fight MMA is led by successful Jungle Fight promoter Wallid Ismail, a former fighter who competed for both the UFC and PRIDE in the early days of each company. He aims to provide a new platform for female fighters to compete in Brazil and hopes to stage additional events later this year.
In recent years, Ismail’s Jungle Fight promotion has propelled a number of fighters onto the big stage that is the Ultimate Fighting Championship. With Strikeforce now under the Zuffa banner and currently putting a renewed focus on the 135-pound women’s division, fighters who excel on Pink Fight cards in Brazil could earn spots on the roster of Strikeforce or another prominent North American promotion.
For now, Ismail is primarily focusing on holding a successful first event this month. One of Brazil’s top female fighters, Vanessa Porto, was originally scheduled to be a part of the January 29th card, but the promotion was unable to secure an opponent for the veteran when ten fighters declined invitations to face her. Nevertheless, the six-fight card features some familiar names as well as new prospects who could develop into stars in the coming years.
In the night’s main event, Maria Elisabete Tavares brings a four-fight winning streak into her bout with noted striker Kalindra Carvalho Faria, who earned a victory in her most recent fight this past August.
The current fight card is as follows:
– Maria Elisabete Tavares (4-2-1) vs Kalindra Carvalho Faria (2-3-1)
– Juliana Werner Aguiar (4-3-0) vs Weyde Ventura (1-1-0)
– Aline Sério (1-2-0) vs Mylla “Souza” Torres (1-1-0)
– Alessandra “Cyborguinha” Silva (2-6-0) vs Hérica Tiburcio (1-0-0)
– Rosana “Chun-Li” Albuquerque (1-0-0) vs Cristiane Schmitz (0-0-0)
– Antonia “Maguila Gorilla” Deize (0-1-0) vs Kaká “Naja” (0-0-0)