Olympic silver medallist Sara McMann will make her Strikeforce debut against former bantamweight title challenger Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche at Strikeforce: “Cormier vs Mir” on November 3rd in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. MMAFighting.com was first to report on the targeted matchup today.
McMann remains unbeaten in her pro career and she most recently earned a close decision win over veteran submission specialist Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler at Invicta FC 2. On the same card, Carmouche posted her second straight victory by defeating noted striker Kaitlin Young.
McMann (6-0-0) dominated each of her first four professional opponents and she kicked off her 2012 campaign with a lopsided Unanimous Decision victory over Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano in January. The standout wrestler took a step up in competition to face Baszler in the Invicta FC 2 headliner and walked away with a razor-thin Unanimous Decision win after three back-and-forth rounds. McMann’s aggression on the feet and takedowns in the final round proved to be enough to seal the victory on the scorecards. She was expected to be one half of the inaugural Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship bout early next year, but the promotion released McMann from her contract earlier this week so that she could pursue a fight under the Strikeforce banner.
Carmouche (8-2-0) stepped in on short notice to challenge then-Strikeforce champion Marloes “Rumina” Coenen in March 2011 and, despite giving up a massive edge in experience, dominated Coenen for the better part of three rounds. In round four, Coenen secured a triangle choke and Carmouche was forced to submit. A second consecutive loss against another former Strikeforce champion, Sarah Kaufman, led Carmouche to Invicta FC, and she earned victories on each of the promotion’s first two cards. In July, she overwhelmed Young on the ground in round two before finishing the fight with a rear-naked choke. All but one of Carmouche’s wins have come inside the distance.
The ongoing talent exchange between Strikeforce and Invicta FC has allowed both promotions to build and develop their female bantamweight divisions. The bout between McMann and Carmouche could potentially determine a future title challenger for current Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. If McMann can get past Carmouche in November, a showdown with fellow Olympic medallist Rousey could take place in 2013.
Strikeforce: “Cormier vs Mir” takes place on November 3rd at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The event is headlined by a heavyweight bout between Daniel Cormier and Frank Mir.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)
McMann for the win.