Ashley “Smashley” Cummins makes her return to the Invicta FC cage to face Scotland’s Joanne Calderwood at Invicta Fighting Championships 3 on October 6th in Kansas City, Kansas. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the battle between the unbeaten strawweight prospects earlier today.
Cummins claimed three amateur titles before making the jump to the pro ranks in November. She has since solidified her place among the top 10 at 115 pounds with three straight wins. Calderwood has won all three of her fights this year, including Scotland’s first pro women’s bout in February.
Cummins (3-0-0) has successfully balanced a full-time job as a St. Louis police officer with her career in MMA and she remains undefeated through 11 fights. As an amateur, Cummins defeated all eight of her opponents and enjoyed title reigns for the Midwest Fight League, Tuff-N-Uff and HOOKnSHOOT. In her first pro fight, Cummins submitted Xtreme Fighting League champion Chelsea “The Italian Princess” Colarelli to add yet another title to her collection. She is coming off of back-to-back triumphs this year including a convincing Unanimous Decision win over Sofia Bagherdai on the inaugural Invicta FC card. A victory against Calderwood would move Cummins one big step closer to title contention.
Calderwood (3-0-0) kicked off her career with a first-round TKO victory in Scotland’s first professional women’s mixed martial arts bout on February 26th, but it was her strong performance in her next fight that put her on the map as a potential future star in the strawweight division. Facing Ukrainian standout Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova at Super Fight League 3 in May, Calderwood dominated her opponent for three rounds en route to a clear-cut Unanimous Decision victory. She returned home to Scotland and defeated Ainara Mota at On Top 5 on June 2nd. Now set to make her U.S. debut, Calderwood has an opportunity to crack the top 10 at strawweight if she can get past Cummins in October.
Invicta Fighting Championships 3 takes place on October 6th at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The event is headlined by an Invicta FC Atomweight Championship bout between Jessica Penne and Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama.
Invicta Fighting Championships 3 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Jessica Penne vs Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama [Atomweight (105-Pound) Championship]
– Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler vs Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio [135 Pounds]
– Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak vs Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly [125 Pounds]
– Tara LaRosa vs Vanessa Porto [125 Pounds]
– Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith vs Cat “Alpha” Zingano [135 Pounds]
– Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson vs Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman [105 Pounds]
– Julia “The Jewel” Budd vs Elaina “Beef” Maxwell [145 Pounds]
– Carla Esparza vs Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez [115 Pounds]
– Ashley “Smashley” Cummins vs Joanne Calderwood [115 Pounds]
– Amy “Lil’ Dynamite” Davis vs Stephanie “Macaquinha” Frausto [105 Pounds]
– Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke vs Marciea “Black Widow” Allen [135 Pounds]
– Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres vs Kaiyana Rain [115 Pounds]
– Katalina Malungahu vs Taylor “No Mercy” Stratford [145 Pounds]