It took just over two minutes for veteran submission ace Lisa Ward to choke out a much less experienced Stephanie “Macaquinha” Frausto tonight at Bellator Fighting Championships 22. The end came just 2:01 into the fight, as Frausto refused to tap out and was choked unconscious.
Ward entered the fight with a 14-fight edge in experience and it showed right from the opening bell, as she overwhelmed Frausto and dominated on the ground. Ward now joins six other announced signings for the upcoming Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament in August.
Two fights have been added to the upcoming Dream.15 card on July 10th, joining a previously announced DREAM Lightweight Championship bout between Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki and Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri. In a newly-announced contender’s bout, recent Strikeforce signee Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante will face Katsunori Kikuno.
Strikeforce came to the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, tonight with a unique Wednesday night card at Strikeforce: “Live.” The Showtime event was headlined by a 195-pound catchweight bout between final EliteXC Middleweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral.
Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that rising star Angela Magana has signed with the promotion and will participate in the upcoming Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament. Magana is the fifth announced signing, joining Megumi Fujii, Rosi Sexton, Lisa Ward and Jessica Pene.
Former boxing and MMA world champion Elena “Babydoll” Reid has been sidelined with multiple knee injuries and has withdrawn from the upcoming Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament. Reid confirmed details of the injuries exclusively with MMARising.com today and the talented striker will be sidelined for at least eight months.
It took just over two minutes for “The Queen of Spades,” Shayna Baszler, to dispatch of fellow veteran Adrienna “AJ” Jenkins in the finals of the FCF Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix last night. The final bout took place at FCF 43 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, with Baszler capturing the grand prix title with a first-round armbar.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada tonight with UFC 115: “Liddell vs Franklin” at General Motors Place. The event was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between former UFC champions Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Rich “Ace” Franklin.
Dutch standout and former 145-pound title challenger Marloes “Rumina” Coenen will be invited to take part in the upcoming Strikeforce women’s tournament at 135 pounds. Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz confirmed the news with MMARising.com today and an official tournament announcement will follow in the next two weeks.