Category Archives: MMA

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

BELLATOR MMA™ CHAMP CRIS ‘CYBORG’ DEFENDS FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD TITLE IN REMATCH AGAINST LESLIE SMITH ON SHOWTIME®

April 3, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

BELLATOR MMA 259 AIRS LIVE ON FRIDAY, MAY 21 FROM MOHEGAN SUN ARENA

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LOS ANGELES – BELLATOR MMA and SHOWTIME Sports today announced BELLATOR MMA 259 on Friday, May 21, will be headlined by a featherweight championship rematch pitting current 145-pound titleholder and the top-ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighter Cris “Cyborg” (23-2, 1 NC) against Northern California’s Leslie Smith (12-8-1). The event airs live exclusively on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and emanates from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

In addition to the main event, two matchups are confirmed, as No. 7 lightweight Adam “The Bomb” Piccolotti (12-4) takes on No. 10 Georgi “Insane” Karakhanyan (30-11-1, 1 NC), while the undefeated No. 7Christian “Pain” Edwards (4-0) meets Ben “Big Tuna” Parrish (4-1) in a light heavyweight contest. Additional bouts will be announced at a later date.

“I believe in five years she’s going to be a better fighter. More training, more working and fighting. More experience. The first fight was very fast, so I think this one is going to be a longer fight. She’s a warrior. She likes to fight and it’s going to be nice to fight somebody like this,” said Cyborg, who appeared on tonight’s BELLATOR 255 broadcast to confirm the event.

“Of course, I want this fight. Everyone’s goal is to get a title in the premiere organization, which this is. This is the best organization for my weight class, and the best possible place I can be. I can guarantee it will be an entertaining fight,” added Smith.

Just the second BELLATOR woman’s featherweight champion in the company’s history, Cris “Cyborg” is coming off the first defense of her BELLATOR title, a victory against Arlene Blencowe, that also marked the first submission win of her illustrious career. An MMA legend at 35-years-old, “Cyborg” will be looking to further her legacy as the greatest woman’s mixed martial artist of all-time when she faces Leslie Smith for the second time on May 21. After winning BELLATOR gold in the 12th title fight of her career, the native of Curitiba, Brazil made history by becoming a world champion in her fourth major promotion, previously holding belts in both the UFC and Strikeforce. With a pro record of 23-2, 1 NC, including 19 wins by finish, the Brazilian-born fighter who now calls Southern California home, holds victories over tough competition, including Julia Budd, Holly Holm, Marloes Coenen and Gina Carano.

Known for an exciting in-your-face striking style, Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith will enter the BELLATOR cage on May 21 for the fifth time in her nearly 11-year MMA career. She gets a second shot at defeating “Cyborg,” following their first meeting at UFC 198 in Brazil on May 14, 2016. Since that bout, Smith has won four out of five fights with victories over Irene Aldana and Sinead Kavanagh among them. A teammate of fellow BELLATOR athlete Keri Taylor Melendez, Smith trains out of El Nino Training Center in San Francisco.

The preliminary card for BELLATOR MMA 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 will air LIVE in all U.S. markets on the BELLATOR and SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channels, as well as Pluto TV.

As part of the launch of BELLATOR MMA on SHOWTIME, the network is offering viewers who are new to the SHOWTIME streaming service a 30-day free trial, followed by a discounted monthly subscription fee of $4.99/month for the next six months. Viewers can sign up at SHO.com/BellatorMMA. Subscribers will be delivered two premier BELLATOR MMA events per month throughout 2021 and beyond, with all events scheduled to air live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT anywhere the SHOWTIME service is available.

Updated BELLATOR MMA 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 Fight Card:

Featherweight World Title Bout: C-Cris “Cyborg” (23-2, 1 NC) vs. #4-Leslie Smith (12-8-1)

Lightweight Bout: #7-Adam Piccolotti (12-4) vs. #10-Georgi Karakhanyan (30-11-1, 1 NC)

Light Heavyweight Bout: #7-Christian Edwards (4-0) vs. Ben Parrish (4-1)

*Card subject to change.

Please visit BELLATOR.com for additional information.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Showtime

SHOWTIME® TO DELIVER A FLURRY OF BELLATOR MMA™ CONTENT ACROSS PLATFORMS IN ADVANCE OF LIVE BELLATOR DEBUT ON APRIL 2

March 19, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

Exclusive Fight Content Includes Past Events, Highlights, And In-Depth Analysis of Featherweight And Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix

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NEW YORK – MARCH 19, 2021 – BELLATOR MMAis launching on SHOWTIME on Friday, April 2 with BELLATOR MMA 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 followed by two consecutive Friday nights of live championship MMA fight action. In anticipation of the launch, SHOWTIME will air a collection of BELLATOR specials and fight replays across its distribution platforms to set the stage for the April 2 live event featuring the BELLATOR MMA Featherweight World Grand Prix Semifinal, as well as the beginning of the highly anticipated BELLATOR MMA Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix set to begin on Friday, April 9 and Friday, April 16.

Starting this week, both SHOWTIME subscribers and non-subscribers have access to an exclusive collection of fights that have paved the way for the compelling upcoming matchups in each of these premier mixed martial arts tournaments featuring Patricio “Pitbull”, Emmanuel Sanchez, AJ McKee, Vadim Nemkov, Ryan Bader and more.

In addition, SHOWTIME Sports will present a pair of highlight-driven specials hosted by Morning Kombat’s Brian Campbell and Luke Thomas to preview the Pitbull vs. Sanchez featherweight semifinal and the start of the eight-man Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament. Titled ROAD TO BELLATOR MMA, bothspecial programs will consist of highlights, analysis, and fight predictions, as SHOWTIME Sports’ dynamic combat sports duo prepares viewers for the live debut of BELLATOR MMA on SHOWTIME.

ROAD TO BELLATOR MMA: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 will debut on Monday, March 22 while ROAD TO BELLATOR MMA: Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix will premiere one week later on Monday, March 29 on the SHOWTIME Sports and BELLATOR MMA YouTube channels. Both programs also will be available to subscribers on all SHOWTIME On Demand platforms, on SHOWTIME EXTREME, as well as to SHOWTIME distributors for their free-on-demand and online portals.

On Saturday, March 27, a replay of BELLATOR MMA 253: Caldwell vs. McKee will air on SHOWTIME at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The four-fight card, includingMcKee’s iconic “McKee-otine” finish over former BELLATOR Bantamweight World Champion Darrion Caldwell that propelled the young star into the Featherweight World Grand Prix Final, will also replay onSHOWTIME on Sunday, March 28 at 12 Midnight ET/PT, and again on Thursday, April 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

BELLATOR 253, along with several past events which featured the world-class fighters in the upcoming tournaments, will be scheduled on SHOWTIME EXTREME weeknights at 10 p.m. ET/PT and are now available on SHOWTIME On Demand platforms. Select events will be available for free to non-subscribers via SHOWTIME distributor platforms and on Pluto TV’s SHOWTIME Selects and BELLATOR MMA channels.

The following fight replays are scheduled for the weeks ahead as fans prepare for the launch of BELLATOR MMA on SHOWTIME:

· BELLATOR MMA 252: Pitbull vs. Carvalho – (Original air date 11/12/2020)

· BELLATOR MMA 251: Manhoef vs. Anderson – (Original air date 11/05/2020)

· BELLATOR MMA 245: Davis vs. Machida 2 – (Original air date 09/11/2020)

· BELLATOR MMA 244: Bader vs. Nemkov – (Original air date 08/21/2020)

· BELLATOR MMA 222: MacDonald vs. Gracie – (Original air date 06/14/2019)

· BELLATOR MMA 220: MacDonald vs. Fitch – (Original air date 04/27/2019)

· BELLATOR MMA 214: Fedor vs. Bader – (Original air date 01/26/2019)

· BELLATOR MMA 186: Bader vs. Vassell – (Original air date 11/03/2017)

· Plus, two individual bouts from BELLATOR MMA 209: – (Original air date 11/16/2018)

BELLATOR MMA: Davis vs Nemkov
BELLATOR MMA: Pitbull vs. Sanchez

For more information visit www.bellator.com or www.SHO.com, follow on Twitter @BellatorMMA and @ShowtimeSports, on Instagram @BellatorMMA and @ShoSports, or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BellatorMMA.

iKon Fighting Federation, mixed martial arts, MMA

Jason “The Kid” Knight to headline iKON 5

February 20, 2021 FNU47 Leave a comment

iKON 5 STREAMING LIVE & EXCLUSIVELY ON UFC FIGHT PASS^®

MARCH 5th FROM BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI

LAS VEGAS (February 18, 2021) – Mississippi featherweight Jason “The Kid” Knight will headline iKON 5, streaming live and exclusively March 5th on UFC FIGHT PASS^®, starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, from Biloxi Civic Center in Biloxi, Mississippi.

To sign up for UFC FIGHT PASS, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, please visit www.ufcfightpass.comor download the UFC app.

iKON 5 is presented by iKON Fighting Federation in association with Roy Jones Jr. Boxing.

“We’re thrilled to return to where iKON Fighting Federation started last September,” iKON president Keith Veltre said. “We’ve improved each show from then and are prepared for a breakout year in 2021. We were able to successfully launch a new MMA company during a pandemic, despite all of the challenging restrictions, and we’re moving forward full force this year as we continue growing.”

The 28-year-old Knight (20-6-0), fighting out of Lucedale (MS), is coming off an impressive bare knuckle fighting victory last November, when he stopped former UFC fighter Artem Lebov in the fifth round. A Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai specialist, Knight fought in the UFC between 2015 and 2018. He is matched against Taurean Boggues (15-11-0) in the main event.

Undefeated Louisiana welterweight “The Ghost” AJ Fletcher (6-0-0) will face an opponent to be determined in the co-featured event.

Tallahassee (FL) welterweight Socrates “The Sounds of Kaos” Pierre (11-6-0), who is matched against local favorite Harris “Sandman” Stephenson (6-2-0), another fighter with a bare-knuckle fighting background.

Also slated to be in action is Charlie Decca (2-0-0), of Miami, who will throw-down with Alabama’s Kyle McDonough (0-1-0) at a catchweight.

Three female strawweight matches are scheduled: California’s Valerie “The Violator” Wong (0-1-0), who made her pro debut in Invicta, vs. Denver’s Kathryn Paprocki (2-1-0)), Louisiana’s pro-debuting Macy Breaux vs. Orlando’s (FL) Shawna “Bam Bam” Ormsby (2-2-0), and West Palm Beach’s (FL) Kayla “K-Rock” Hracho (3-2-0, iKON: 2-0-0) vs. Knoxville’s (TN) Emilee King (4-4-0). There is another female fight on tap between pro-debuting Alabama flyweight Griffin Fisk vs. Connecticut’s Alexandra Ballou (1-0-0), who won her pro-debut in Bellator competition.

Card subject to change.

INFORMATION:

Websites: http://www.RoyJonesJrBoxing.com, www.ufcfightpass.com

Facebook: /UFCFightPass, /KeithVeltre

Twitter: @iKONFightingFederation, @UFCFightPass, @Keith_Veltre, @RoyjonesJRfa @RoyJonesJrOfficial

Instagram: @iKONFightingFederation, @UFCFightPass, @KeithVeltre, @RoyJonesJrBoxing

ABOUT ROY JONES JR, BOXING PROMOTIONS: Co-founded in 2013 by 10-time world champion Roy Jones, Jr. and Keith Veltre, Roy Jones, Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions is on its way to reinventing boxing. RJJ has already made a huge impact in the boxing community in a few short years. Creating exhilarating content for UFC Fight Pass, CBS Sports, Showtime, ESPN and beIN Sports in some of the finest venues across the country, RJJ has proven it is conquering the sweet science of the sport.

Based in the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas, NV, Roy Jones Jr. Boxing Promotions is climbing to the top at a fast pace, adding young talent to its growing stable: NABF super flyweight champion, IBF #8 and WBC # 15 Jade “Hurricane” Bornea (15-0, 10 KOs); two-time world title challenger, WBO #11 bantamweight “Mighty” Aston Palicte (26-4-1, 22 KOs); NABF welterweight champion, WBC #14 and Santiago “Somer” Dominguez (24-0, 18 KOs); former NABA welterweight champion Kendo “Tremendo” Castaneda (17-2, 8 KOs), former Interim World middleweight title challenger John “The Phenom” Vera (19-1, 11 KO), unbeaten super middleweight prospect Juan “Just Business” Barajas (11-0-1, 7 KOs), and former WBC World Youth heavyweight titlist Alexander “The Great” Flores (18-3-1, 16 KOs).

ABOUT UFC FIGHT PASS^®: UFC FIGHT PASS^® is the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports. Since launching in 2013, UFC FIGHT PASS is now available in more than 200 countries and territories. UFC FIGHT PASS provides its members with unlimited access to live UFC FIGHT PASS Prelims; live mixed martial arts and combat sports from around the world; original series and historical programming; special features; behind-the-scenes content; in-depth interviews; and up-to-the minute reports on the world of combat sports. UFC FIGHT PASS subscribers also have 24/7 access to the world’s largest fight library, featuring more than 20,000 bouts from dozens of combats sports organizations, as well as every fight in UFC history. Fight fans can access UFC FIGHT PASS on personal computers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony TVs with Android TV. For more information, please visit www.ufcfightpass.com.

Bellator, CBS Sports Network, mixed martial arts, MMA

OFFICIAL RESULTS & PHOTOS FOR BELLATOR 252: PITBULL VS. CARVALHO

November 14, 2020 FNU47 Leave a comment

**COMPLETE EVENT PHOTOS HERE**

**COMPLETE POST-FIGHT VIDEO INTERVIEWS**

*Bellator 252: Pitbull vs. Carvalho* Main Card:
**Patricio “Pitbull”** (31-4) defeated **Pedro Carvalho** (11-4) via KO (punch) at 2:10 of round one
**Yaroslav Amosov** (25-0) defeated **Logan Storley** (11-1) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
**Emmanuel Sanchez** (20-4) defeated **Daniel Weichel** (40-12) via unanimous decision (48-46, 49-46, 49-45)

**Preliminary Card:**
**Aaron Pico** (7-3) defeated **John de Jesus** (13-9) via KO (punch) at 4:12 of round two
**Keri Taylor Melendez** (5-0) defeated **Emilee King** (4-4) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:02 of round one
**Manny Muro** (12-6) defeated **Devin Powell** (10-5) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
**Jornel Lugo** (5-0) defeated **Schyler Sootho** (4-1) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
**Lucas Brennan** (4-0) defeated **Andrew Salas** (6-5) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
**Roman Faraldo** (4-0) defeated **Pat Casey** (6-4) via (TKO) punches at 2:30 of round two
**Trevor Gudde** (2-1) defeated **Khonry Gracie** (2-2) via TKO (knee) at 3:28 of round three

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.

Bellator, CBS Sports Network, mixed martial arts, MMA

OFFICIAL FIGHT NIGHT RESULTS & PHOTOS FOR BELLATOR 250: MOUSASI VS. LIMA

November 3, 2020 FNU47 Leave a comment

**COMPLETE EVENT PHOTOS**

*Bellator 250: Mousasi vs. Lima* Main Card:
**Gegard Mousasi** (47-7-2) defeated **Douglas Lima** (32-8) via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
**Henry Corrales** (18-5) defeated **Brandon Girtz** (16-10) via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)
**Dalton Rosta** (4-0) defeated **Ty Gwerder** (5-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

**Preliminary Card:**
**Jake Hager** (3-0, 1 NC) defeated **Brandon Calton** (2-1) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
**Sabah Homasi** (14-8) defeated **Bobby Voelker** (33-14) via knockout (punches) at :20 of round two
**Johnny Eblen** (7-0) defeated **Taylor Johnson** (6-2) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
**Adam Borics** (15-1) defeated **Erick Sanchez** (9-6) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
**Cody Law** (1-0) defeated **Orlando Ortega** (0-1) via submission (D’Arce Choke) at 2:41 of round one

Bellator, CBS Sports Network, mixed martial arts, MMA

BELLATOR MMA CHAMPION ILIMA-LEI MACFARLANE DEFENDS FLYWEIGHT WORLD TITLE AGAINST UNDEFEATED JULIANA VELASQUEZ ON THURSDAY, DEC. 10

October 29, 2020 FNU47 Leave a comment

**LOS ANGELES** – On Thursday, December 10, Bellator MMA presents a long-awaited world title bout featuring a clash of undefeated flyweights, as champ **Ilima-Lei Macfarlane** (11-0) defends her 125-pound championship belt against Brazil’s **Juliana Velasquez** (10-0) at *Bellator 254.* The event airs live on CBS Sports Network from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

**CBS Sports Network** will air *Bellator 254: Macfarlane vs. Velasquez* LIVE in all U.S. markets, while preliminary matchups will stream on CBSSports.com and Bellator MMA’s YouTube channel. Additional bouts will be announced at a later date.

Returning to the Bellator cage for the first time since a victory over **Kate Jackson** in her hometown of Honolulu last December, Macfarlane will look to continue her dominance over Bellator’s elite woman’s flyweight division as she defends her title against Julianna Velasquez on December 10. The inaugural Bellator flyweight champion, Macfarlane enters the contest with a perfect professional record of 11-0, including eight coming by way of stoppage. Adding to her impressive resume, “The Ilimanator” has the most victories amongst women in the Bellator cage (10) and has no plans of slowing down, as she seeks to add to her legacy inside the cage with her fifth successful title defense at *Bellator 254.*

With a professional record of 10-0, Rio de Janeiro’s Juliana Velasquez looks to remain perfect in her first chance at Bellator gold. The black belt judoka will attempt to become the second women’s flyweight champion in Bellator history when she looks to extend her promotional winning streak to six. With prior stoppage wins over Rebecca Ruth and Kristina Williams, Velasquez also defeated former 125-pound title challenger **Alejandra Lara** en route to her upcoming title shot. Much like Macfarlane, the 34-year-old Team Nogueira-product will be competing for the first time in 2020, nearly a year removed from her *Bellator 236* unanimous decision victory over **Bruna Ellen**.

**Updated *Bellator 254: Macfarlane vs.* *Velasquez* Main Card:**
**CBS Sports Network | DAZN**

*Flyweight World Title Bout:* **Ilima-Lei Macfarlane** (11-0) vs. **Juliana Velasquez** (10-0)

*Card subject to change.

Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.

mixed martial arts, MMA

SFT strawweight title fight headlines “SFT 22: The Return” Oct. 31 in Sao Paulo, Brazil

October 29, 2020 FNU47 Leave a comment

SAO PAULO, Brazil (October 26, 2020) – Halloween Night in Sao Paulo will mark the return of live SFT MMA & Xtreme (Standout Fighting Tournament) mixed-martial-arts shows in Brazil, as “SFT 22: The Return,” features an all-female main card in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, headlined by Andreia “Thai” Serafim (4-0-0, SFT: 2-0-0) versus fellow Brazilian Pamela Mara Assis (4-2-1, 2-0-0) for the vacant SFT female strawweight title.

SFT 22: The Return will be aired live on network television in Brazil in English and Portuguese, as well as streamed live in the United States and worldwide on pay per view via the FITE app and website (www.FITE.tv), starting at 10:45 p.m. EST / 7:45 p.m. PST, for only $14.99.

“In the main fight of the night,” “SFT president David Hudson said, “the SFT strawweight title will be at stake. Undefeated in MMA with four victories, including two in SFT competition, Andreia ‘Thai’ Serafim will measure her strength against Pamela Mara Assis, who, like her opponent, comes is unbeaten in the SFT in two fights. The co-featured event, Karine ‘Killer’ Silva faces always tough Sidy Rocha, former Pancrase bantamweight champion, who will be making her SFT.debut.”

An assistant “hodman,” (a laborer for a bricklayer or mason carrying bricks, mortar, and cement), Serafim will be challenged by Assis, who has won her last four fights in a row.

“I respect her (Serafim) consistent ground game and I believe our fight will be a classic ground game,” Assis commented, “but I’m not just going to fight in one MMA mode. I feel good and I’m ready in all areas. I will be prepared for whatever comes fight night.

“I always expect to bring my best. I’m always working hard to get good results and I want to realize my dream of winning this SFT belt, and proving I belong at the top of my weight class. We’re going into this fight in search of a big win and I’m working daily to give MMA fans a good fight.”

Silva (12-4-0, SFT: 1-0-0) and Rocha (12-7-2, SFT: 9-0-0) are well matched in a battle of Brazilian bantamweights, while strawweight Julia Polastri (7-2-0, SFT: 0-0-0) risks her 5-fight win streak against Jessica “So Na Manha” Evelyn Cunha (8-2-0, SFT: 0-0-0).

Brazil vs. Argentina is always a fierce rivalry in any sport, especially MMA, and the renewal pits Brazilian strawweight Bianca Sattelmayer versus her Argentinian opponent, Florencia Greco, in an SFT Xtreme match (SFT Xtreme allows striking, kicking and knees with 4-ounce gloves; clinching and fighting on the mat is prohibited).

Brazilian bantamweights Thalita Diniz (2-1-0, SFT: 0-1-0) and Claudia Leite (4-2-0, SFT: 2-1-0), and in a grappling match, Isabela “Belinha” de Padua (5-2-0, SFT: 4-0-0 MMA) and Patricia Barbosa de Sousa MMA) will fight at a 128-pound catchweight. Padua is, who is now a UFC fighter, returns to SFT to grapple. She won all four of her SFT MMA fights and three weeks after her last SFT match, she signed with UFC.

“We’re really excited about this unique event,” Hudson concluded. “SFT’s return to Brazil is a special event because it’s for Breast Cancer Awareness. The main event has all the ingredients to be one of the best female fights in years. Our Xtreme fight showcases the ultimate rivalry in sports, Brazil versus Argentina. SFT 23promises to be a memorable evening of female combat sports action.”

INFORMATION:

Website: www.sftmma.com

Facebook: /SFT.MMA, /SFT.Xtreme, davidhudson.SFT

Twitter: @SFTMMA

Instagram: @SFTMMA, @SFTEXTREME, @DavidHudson.SFT

You Tube: /SFTUSA, /SFTBrasil

mixed martial arts, MMA

“SFT 22: The Return” for Breast Cancer Awareness Oct. 31 in Sao Paulo, Brazil

October 21, 2020 FNU47 Leave a comment

SAO PAULO, Brazil (October 19, 2020) – SFT MMA & Xtreme’s (Standout Fighting Tournament) rescheduled “SFT 22: The Return”, originally scheduled for August 1^st but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been replaced by an all-female main card in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, to be held Halloween night (Saturday, Oct. 31) in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“Two years ago,” SFT president David Hudson said, “we dedicated our card to Breast Cancer Awareness. It was an all-female card: fighters, referees, and cut-women. Even two of our ring-card girls brought their boyfriends to be ring-card boys. It was the first time in Brazil’s long MMA history that featured an all-female event. The first year I had joined SFT less than three months earlier and we weren’t able to get enough women fighters, so the main card was all-females.

“Earlier this year, prior to the pandemic, we were going to promote a card for International Women’s Day. We’re promoting SFT: 22 for Breast Cancer Awareness with a six-fight all-female card.”

The main event will pit undefeated Andreia “Thai” Serafim (4-0-0, SFT: 2-0-0) against Pamela Mara Assis (4-2-1, SFT: 2-0-0) for the vacant SFT Strawweight Championship. Undefeated Sarafim is an assistant “hodman,” a laborer for a bricklayer or mason who carries bricks, mortar, and cement. Both title challengers are undefeated in SFT action with identical 2-0-0 records. Assis is riding a 4-fight win streak

In the co-featured event, Karina “Killer” Silva (12-4-0, SFT: 1-0-0) takes on Sidy Rocha (12-7-2, SFT: 9-0-0) in a battle of Brazilian bantamweights, and strawweightJulia Polastri (7-2-0, SFT: 0-0-0) puts her 5-fight win streak on the line against Jessica “So Na Manha” Evelyn Cunha (8-2-0, SFT: 0-0-0).

Brazil vs. Argentina is always a fierce rivalry in any sport and Brazilian strawweight Bianca Sattelmayer meets her Argentinian opponent, Florencia Greco, in an SFT Xtreme match (SFT Xtreme allows striking, kicking and knees with 4-ounce gloves; clinching and fighting on the mat is prohibited).

Brazilian bantamweights Thalita Diniz (2-1-0, SFT: 0-1-0) and Claudia Leite (4-2-0, SFT: 2-1-0) square off, while Isabela “Belinha” de Padua (5-2-0, SFT: 4-0-0 MMA) and Patricia Barbosa de Sousa MMA) will fight at a 128-pound catchweight.

“We’re really excited about this unique event,” Hudson concluded. “It’s a nice coincidence that we return to Brazil promoting a special event like this for Breast Cancer Awareness, in addition to showcasing the strength of Brazilian women MMA fighters. There’s still some bias against female fighters, but women always give their best in fights.

“The main event has the recipe to be one of the best female fights in years. Our Xtreme fight is Brazil versus Argentina and this is the ultimate rivalry. I’m sure fans will be talking about this night for a long time.”

INFORMATION:

Website: www.sftmma.com

Facebook: /SFT.MMA, /SFT.Xtreme, davidhudson.SFT

Twitter: @SFTMMA

Instagram: @SFTMMA, @SFTEXTREME, @DavidHudson.SFT

You Tube: /SFTUSA, /SFTBrasil

Bellator, CBS Sports Network, mixed martial arts, MMA