Lisa Ward never quite seemed to fit in among her childhood peers growing up. As far back as the 115 lb fighter widely considered to be among the best female mixed martial artists in the sport can remember, she always seemed to have a problem blending in.

“It was really rough because I was a little bit chunky all through elementary and junior high so I would get called “fatso”,” recalled Ward. ”I remember girls poking my belly and saying, ‘Pillsbury Dough-Girl’, and then hit me in the head.  I joined the soccer team when I was little and like my first day there this girl comes up to me and says, ‘Pillsbury Dough-Girl’, and then takes the bottom of her hand and hits me in the head as hard as she could.

And the torment didn’t slow up one bit once the stocky teenager made the decision to join the boy’s wrestling team in high school.

“I got harassed,” admitted Ward. ”The guys didn’t take it easy on me at all. If anything, I probably got it worse because I was a girl. I was always the smaller one so I always got kind of shoved around and the guys would say, ‘Hurry up! Don’t make us run more.’”

From the wrestling mat to the hallways of her high school, Ward couldn’t seem to catch a break among those her age.

“I was tortured in school,” said Ward. ”I kept to myself a lot. The boys and the girls would make fun of me because I wrestled and they would just harass me every day.

“I never really had boyfriends. I didn’t date growing up. I remember the girls would say, ‘Oh, are you going to the dance with so-and-so? Aren’t you a lesbian?’, and I would  just turn around and cry. I would cry all the way home. It sucked.”

However, with a ten year high school reunion rapidly approaching for the 27-year-old , Ward would be lying if she said she wasn’t thrilled about the prospect catching up with her childhood critics, stating, “I’m going to be pretty stoked to go to my 10-year-reunion and be like, “What’s up!” I’m excited about it.”

Far separated from the years of torment as a youth, Ward is currently respected as one of the best pound-for-pound female fighters in all of MMA.

With the biggest fight of her career rapidly approaching, the Washington-based submission specialist currently has her sites set on undefeated Irish power-puncher Aisling “Ash the Bash” Daly. The pair of top women’s mixed martial artists will clash in the biggest fight of either of their careers at Bellator 26 in Kansas City to determine the final spot in Bellator’s electrifying women’s tournament.

“Aisling just seems like a bully to me,” said Ward when asked her thoughts on the powerful undefeated prospect. ”She’s strong and she likes to push the pace, and I think that’s a driving force for her. Most females don’t fight like she does. She just kind of seem like a powerhouse bully. She likes to get you in the corner and rough you up and thump on you. But the caliber of the opponents that she’s been beating up have mostly been new fighters so it’s really hard to gauge exactly how good she is.”

Ward will be entering tomorrow evening’s bout with a level of confidence that can only come from testing herself against many of the best in the business for more than six years with impressive results.

“I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a reality check for Aisling Daly,” said Ward. ”First of all, the little girl has to make weight, and second, she has to fight me. I’m much more well rounded. I feel like I’m pound-for-pound one of the best females in the world so it’s going to be interesting.

“I’m nervous because we’re fighting and I’m nervous because she is tough, but in the back of my mind and in my heart, I know that I’m much better than she is.”

Ward and Daly are fighting for the last remaining spot in the Season 3 Women’s Tournament semi-finals.  The winner tomorrow night will join fellow semi-finalists: World’s #1 female fighter Megumi Fujii, hard-hitting Zoila Frausto, and American Top Team product Jessica Aguilar.

Tickets for the event are on sale NOW at ticketmaster.com and at The Midland by AMC box office in downtown Kansas City. General admission tickets start at just $20 in advance/$30 at the door. Ringside and Terrace tickets are also available for $100 and $50 respectively.

You can catch Bellator 26 and all of this season’s Bellator action LIVE on Fox Sports Net, along with action-packed highlight shows on NBC late Saturday nights.

Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez is a young and rising female MMA star.  She has become famous for her decisive  first round victories in 4 of her 5 career wins.  In mid June, Lynn was offered a spot in Bellator’s season 3 Female flyweight tournament and she is chomping at the bit to make a big impact.  Lynn traveled constantly growing up with a father in the military but she finally settled down in Las Vegas in 2000 where she has compiled a 5-1 record in MMA all while getting her degree in nursing and working in the telemetry unit of a Las Vegas hospital.  Lynn will square off with Jessica Aguilar at Bellator 24 in Hollywood, Florida on August 12th.

Brian Hemminger: Your original base before you started MMA was Kajukenbo, can you tell me a little about that martial art?

Lynn Alvarez: Kajukenbo originated in Hawaii.  Pretty much it’s a martial art comprised of 5 different martial arts.  So “Kaju” stands for Karate, Judo and Jiu jitsu and the “kenbo” stands for Kenpo and Chinese boxing.  So Kajukenbo is a combination of all those martial arts.  What happened was the main instructor, he brought everyone from each specialty and he would throw a technique at them and each instructor would defend it in their own way and they pretty much developed the martial art out of that system.

BH: I love the story about how you got your nickname “Lights Out”, would you mind sharing it with our readers?

LA: Pretty much I used to work at a gym where I was training with all boys, I was the only girl at the gym.  One time I was sparring with a boy in the gym and I hit him with a body shot and he fell over to the ground.   Ever since then everyone has been calling me “lights out” because someone was expected to get dropped if they sparred me.  None of the boys wanted to train with me after that because they said I hit too hard, or maybe they were afraid of it happening to them too (laughs).

BH: You’ve said in the past that you wanted to be a part of an organization that treats you fairly and gives you exposure, do you feel Bellator is the perfect fit for you?

LA: I think Bellator is perfect.  They give me all the exposure and opportunities I need.  This is definitely where I want to be and I feel like they’re the optimal organization for me.  This is especially because they have so many fights so hopefully if they do keep me onboard or whatever happens in this tournament I can fight for them frequently.  I like that a lot about them

BH: How did it feel to get that call from Bellator with the invite to this prestigious tournament?

LA: I was shocked a little bit because I didn’t think I was known enough.  I’m not really popular and I haven’t been very active so I was shocked and I also felt very honored with this opportunity to display myself.  So yeah, I was shocked, excited, pretty much all of that I got this chance.

BH: Speaking of not being active, your first round match is on August 12th, and it will have been over a year since your last fight.  How hard has it been to find fights out on your own?

LA: It was very difficult for me and that was the main reason that I hadn’t been fighting.  It was just because, I don’t have an organization that can say “Oh, come fight for us this day or that day”.  I had to find things on my own and I came across a lot of times that I would get offered a fight but it would be 2-3 weeks away and just from experience I wouldn’t want to take a fight that I haven’t had proper training to prepare for.  I’ve done it in the past and it didn’t work out for me so I’m really set that I don’t like to take fights unless I have proper notification and I can get trained physically and prepared mentally.  So that was my big issure, I could not find fights, it was difficult.

BH: So that’s another advantage of being with Bellator, they can set all of these fights up for you now.

LA: Yes, definitely.  I’m really excited to be here.

BH: What are your thoughts on your first round opponent Jessica Aguilar?

LA: Jessica, I know she’s a rising star in MMA and I’ve known about her for a long time.  When I first started I knew who she was so I feel like this is a step up for me and it’s a challenge.  She’s a really tough girl and I know it’ll be a great fight.

BH: Do you have a prediction for this fight?

LA: Ummm, just that I’m going to win and that’s it.

BH: Ok, well if your prediction holds true, there is a possibility for you to avenge your only career loss if Angela Magana also wins her first round fight, is that something you are looking forward to?

LA: I’m DEFINITELY looking forward to it.  We were supposed to fight a few times in 2009 and she pulled out twice.  It’s really something I’m looking forward to and I really hope I get the opportunity.  It’s not really anything against her, I just want to see how I’d do against her now, it’s nothing personal.  It’s just the way this sport is.  I lost, I’ve developed as a fighter since then, I’m on a winning streak and I’d like to see how I’d compare against her now.

BH: Four of your wins are by submission and one was a TKO, would you rather force your opponent to tap or get that highlight reel knockout?

LA: Honestly for me I don’t have a preference, you know a lot of the times when I do win by submission it’s because we were standing and my opponents didn’t want to stand anymore so then it ends up on the ground.  I just take it wherever it is, if I can get a submission I’ll go for a submission.  If I have an opportunity to finish it on the feet or with ground and pound I’ll do that too.  It’s just wherever the fight goes I’ll be ready.

BH: A lot of people don’t know that you also have a nursing degree, what is life like balancing being a full time fighter with being a full time nurse in Las Vegas?

LA: In a way it can be difficult with the scheduling because I work full time and I work night shift.  The biggest victim is my sleep schedule.  Sometimes it can be a little difficult to get my training sessions in because say maybe I get off work at 8am and then I have a training session at 12pm.  It’s a little bit difficult in that aspect but I work three days on, so that means I have 4 days of just straight training where I don’t have to go to work.  A lot of it is ups and downs, and you know, a lot of times during training camp the training sessions are so hard I’m like “Gosh I just can’t wait to go to work because no one’s gonna punch me there!”

BH: You’ve mentioned in the past that at some point you’ll want to stop fighting and start a family.  Is that still something that is important to you?

LA: Did I say that?  I think what I may have said was at some point in the future, but for right now it’s not even anything I’m considering.  I mean I have my career, I’m able to balance it with fighting.  No kids for me, that’s definitely not anything I’m interested in at this moment.  I’m way more into my dog than children.  I have this little beagle that is like my little baby and I’m gonna keep it that way.  He can be my baby (laughs)

BH: Thank you so much for your time, do you have any sponsors or anyone else you’d like to thank?

LA: I’ll thank my trainer which is Kenneth Rayford, Cameron Diffley and Anthony Badua.  Those are all my trainers oh and Shandon Eguchi so those four so thank you for helping me prepare!

Aisling Daly (”Ais” is pronounced like “Ash”) hails from Ireland and is one of the fastest rising stars in womens mixed martial arts.  She is currently undefeated with a perfect 9-0 career record.  She earned his nickname “Ais the Bash” for beating on both boys and girls in her karate sparring sessions growing up.  Ais is currently ranked as the number 3 in the world in the 125 lb divions but she’ll be dropping down to 115 to compete in Bellator’s women’s flyweight tournament.  Aisling’s first round opponent will be  Lisa Ward and the bout is taking place on August 26th in Kansas City for Bellator 26.  I tried to set up an interview with Ais over the phone but unfortunately discovered my plan didn’t cover international calls to Ireland.  Ais was kind enough to answer my questions via e-mail.

Brian Hemminger: You started in martial arts at a very young age, when did you decide to be a mixed martial arts fighter?

Aisling Daly: I decided when I was about 16 I wanted to give MMA a go, I had been training MMA for a few years already but when I was 16 I realised that girls were participating in it and that I would have other girls to compete against.  Before that I thought MMA was another one of those things just for the guys and I’d be able to train but never compete.

BH: What are you thoughts on Bellator’s 115 lb women’s tournament and how did it feel to get invited?

AD: I feel the Bellator 115 lbs tournament is definitely the biggest tournament in Female MMA history it has the best talent pool ever put together and Bellator is going the right way about doing it with 3 x 5 minutes rounds and full rules for the ladies.  There’s no
discrimmination which I love.  I was so happy to be invited to compete in the tournament.  It’s the biggest achievement in my short life so far and I can’t wait to showcase what I can do.  It’s only finally starting to sink in for me now that’s it’s real. I was almost believing it wasn’t going to happen until my flight booking arrived.  Now it’s on!!

BH: Are you planning on coming over to the US early since you’ve never fought here before?

AD: I’m coming over just a couple of days early I arrive on the 21st before fighting on the 26th.  The adjustment should be no problem as the conditions I’ve been training in the gym are suprisingly similar to Kasas City temperature and humidity-wise so I’ll be good to go!

BH: Do you still train with only men at your gym?

AD: For this training camp I’ve actually had a good mix of girls and guys to train with.  There are very few female MMA fighters in this country but I managed to round them all together for sparring and also I’ve had training partners who are very good at specific disciplines such as Boxing and BJJ

BH: Do you think that gives you an advantage?

AD: I think training with men does give you a certain advantage but then again most girls are in the same situation as myself where there are very few female training partners for them. I think it’s more to do with the standard of your male training partners.  It’s very important that your training partners give you the right pressure and pace so you find you are under pressure but also improving.  I’m very fortunate in that I have a group of highly skilled male 135 lbers at my gym and they kick my ass regularly so no 115lb girl is gonna be able to throw me around like they do!

BH: You’ve only had 3 fights in the last 2 years, are you concerned at all about the quick turnaround in Bellator’s tournament format?

AD: I’ve had 3 fights in 2 years but certainly not from not wanting to fight!  The tournament format doesn’t phase me at all.  I look forward to getting some fights under my belt.  When I started fighting I had quite a few fights in quick sucession and then with the lack of opponents the time in between grew.

BH: What are your thoughts on your first round opponent Lisa Ward?

AD: I think Lisa Ward is a great opponent.  She’s highly skilled, has a great reputation & has been around this game longer than me.  I really can’t wait to fight her.  It’s the perfect opportunity to display my skills and show the world what Ais the Bash is capable of!

BH: Do you have a prediction for the fight?

AD: I predict a second round TKO.  I have to give the fans their moneys worth ha ha!

BH: Lisa Ward will be your 10th opponent from ten different countries.  Was that just a coincidence or are you always looking for new challenges from different places?

AD: That really is a coincidence.  I found it is so hard to find opponents in Europe that I really just had to look into every country and see what female fighters there were active and ask if they wanted a match.   Those unfortunate 9 were the ones who said yes lol.

BH: You’ve said in the past that you’d love to face Megumi Fujii, would beating her in the finals be the perfect fairy tale ending for you?

AD: I think it would be a fairy tale ending to the tournament.  Megumi is the number one, she’s the one people talk about.  She’s the woman to beat.  Beating her would make me the undisputed number 1.  Obivously it wouldn’t be a fairy tale ending to my plans in the fight game.  I’ve just arrived and I plan to make some waves so that’ll just be the beginning.

BH: Do you think your pink hair psychs your opponents out?  What’s the backstory on that?

AD: I doubt the pink hair psychs anyone out, pink is a friendly and positive colour  I’ve been dying my hair all sorts of crazy colours since  I was about 14 years old so it was nothing new for me with the pink.  The first time I fought in Denmark I had my hair pink and then I done some TV interviews in Ireland with my hair pink and it just kind of stuck.  It became a trademark “you’re the chick with the pink hair that fights” so I decided it was working for me so stick with it!

BH: Do you have any shoutouts or anyone out there you want to thank?

AD:  I’d like to thank my MMA coach John Kavanagh, he’s awesome, I wouldn’t be here without him.  He puts up with my mini diva fits in training ha ha. My strength and conditioning coach/nutrtionist Eoin Lacey in the Irish Strength Institute.  My sports psychologist David Mullens, he keeps me positive.  Owen Roddy and Conor McGregor for making my stand up sharper than it’s ever been and also to all the guys in Straight Blast Gym Dublin for making the gym such a positive place to grow and improve. Thank you all.  I promise I’ll do you guys proud!

You can follow Aisling Daly on twitter here

NEW YORK (Aug. 3, 2010) – Colleen Schneider and Liz Carmouche will tangle in the “reserve bout” in the first-ever STRIKEFORCE women’s single-elimination welterweight (135 pounds) tournament at STRIKEFORCE Challengers on Friday, Aug. 13, from Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., live on SHOWTIME®.  The match will take place during the non-televised undercard.

If a winner of a completed tournament semifinal fight cannot advance because of an injury or any other reason, they will be replaced by the Schneider-Carmouche winner.

STRIKEFORCE women’s welterweight contenders Miesha “Takedown” Tate, Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm, Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano and Maiju Kujala will compete in the tournament. A draw to determine the semifinal matchups for the two-round tournament will take place at the Official Weigh-In on Thursday, Aug. 12. Each of the tournament tussles and the reserve bout are slated for three, 3-minute rounds.

The tournament winner will become the official No. 2 challenger in the STRIKEFORCE women’s welterweight division (behind Marloes Coenen). On July 23 on SHOWTIME, undefeated world champion Sarah Kaufman impressively retained her STRIKEFORCE crown with a third-round “power slam” KO over Roxanne Modafferi.

The winners of each semifinal bout on Aug. 13 will face off in the tournament final later that night, just before the main event matchup on SHOWTIME between Joe “Diesel” Riggs (32-12) and Louis Taylor (6-1) that will be fought at a catch weight of 182 pounds.

Schneider (0-1), of Oakland, Calif., by way of Syracuse, N.Y., trains with STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight (155 pounds) Champion Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez at his El Nino Training Center in San Francisco.  She moved to the West Coast in 2000 to attend University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in Physics and Astrophysics. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004.

“While at Cal, I met some people from the Taekwondo team who convinced me to come and try it, and I loved it,” Schneider said. “I did it for a few years there, and things kind of went on from there.”

After seven years of Taekwondo, three years of Karate, two years of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, two years of Muay Thai, several tournaments and countless unsanctioned fights, Schneider turned to Mixed

Martial Arts (MMA). She compiled a record of 4-0 in the amateurs before making her MMA pro debut on March 19, 2010.

“I am very happy to be fighting for STRIKEFORCE, which is the place to be right now in the women’s division,” said Schneider,” an aggressive striker known for her unorthodox kicks.

Carmouche (2-0) has triumphed in both her starts inside the distance.  After winning by second-round TKO in her pro debut last May 29, she registered a second-round submission (armbar) over Margarita de la Cruz the following June 26.

A 25-year-old of Lebanese descent, Carmouche was born in Okinawa, Japan, and currently resides in San Diego. She spent seven years in the Marines in which she spent time fighting in the Middle East.

Carmouche currently trains at Undisputed Fitness and Training in San Diego with Manolo Hernandez and Baret Yoshida, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion.

Tickets for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event are on sale at the Dodge Theatre Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (800) 745-3000, and online at www.livenation.com<http://www.livenation.com/>  and  www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> .

Dodge Theatre doors will open at 5 p.m. local time. The first preliminary bout will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8.

The SHOWTIME telecast will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.)

Four-Woman, Single-Elimination 135-Pound Tournament To Be Contested Friday, Aug. 13, At Dodge Theatre, Phoenix, Ariz., Live on SHOWTIME; Winner Earns World Title Shot

SAN JOSE, Calif. (July 22, 2010)-Four women, three fights, one night!

With a world title shot on the line, STRIKEFORCE Women’s welterweight prospects Miesha “Takedown” Tate, Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm, Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano and Maiju Kujala will compete in the first-ever STRIKEFORCE Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) women’s single-elimination tournament at STRIKEFORCE Challengers on Friday, Aug. 13, from Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., live on SHOWTIME®.

The draw to determine the semi-final matchups for the two-round tournament will take place at the Official Weigh-In on Thursday, Aug. 12. A complete list of tournament rules will be provided in the coming days.

The SHOWTIME telecast (live at 11p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) will begin with the two semi-final bouts. The winners of each bout will compete in the tournament final later that night, just before the main event matchup of Joe Riggs vs. Louis Taylor.  Each of the three tournament fights are scheduled for three, 3-minute rounds.

“We are going to fast-track these four talented prospects in a quest to determine the best in this deep women’s division,” STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker said. “Having all four women square off on one night with the chance to separate themselves from the pack is what STRIKEFORCE Challengers is all about.”

The tournament winner will become the official No. 2 contender in the competitive STRIKEFORCE women’s welterweight division. This Friday, July 23, live on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast), current world champion Sarah Kaufman will risk her 135-pound crown against top-ranked challenger Roxanne Modafferi. The winner of that title fight will face Marloes Coenen next. The tournament winner will be the next in line.

“Marloes has made the move down to welterweight and she will get the next title fight,” Coker said. “She has proven that she belongs in the cage with our champion.  So, after the tournament, we’ll have another legitimate contender to challenge for the title.

“We will have some terrific women’s matchups at 135 pounds in the next several months. It all starts this Friday with Kaufman and Modafferi, which is an excellent fight.”

The 23-year-old, 5-foot-7 Tate (9-2), of Olympia, Wash., is known for her superior skills, athleticism and determination. She notched her eighth professional victory on March 26, 2010, by submitting previously unbeaten Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto with a textbook armbar in the second round (4:09) of a hard-fought bout during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on SHOWTIME at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

As a teenager, Tate joined her high school boys’ wrestling team in order to compete in a fast-paced, aggressive sport.  She was introduced to MMA by a friend in college and, soon thereafter, her desire to challenge herself led to the birth of a professional career.

Recently, Tate began using her MMA skills for a noble cause – rape prevention.  Last month, she began production on a DVD in which she and MMA legend Frank Shamrock thoroughly demonstrate MMA techniques that can be used by women to effectively defend themselves against attackers.

Damm (15-3), a 31-year-old resident of Brazil and sister of STRIKEFORCE veteran Rodrigo Damm, has been dubbed “Barbie Girl” by the Brazilian media because of her striking appearance. While competing in Japan in 2006, the 5-foot-4 Damm gained widespread public notoriety and was featured in a clothed pictorial for the Japanese edition of Playboy magazine.

A student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since the age of 15 and a professional mixed martial artist since 2004, Damm enters the tournament on a stellar 10-fight win streak.  Her last victory, a first-round TKO (punches) over Aline Serio, came last Feb. 27 in Brazil.  The Aug. 13 tournament will mark Damm’s third start in The United States.  On April 3, 2008, she submitted (armbar) Sophie Bagherdai in the second round (1:52) in Los Angeles. One month later, she crushed Lashonda Knox with a knee strike in just 11 seconds in Racine, Wisc.

Akano, a 35-year-old who fights out of Tokyo, Japan, is a former champion of the Japanese women’s promotion Smackgirl and is an expert in submission holds.  Fifteen of her 22 career victories have come by way of submission.

In her professional MMA debut in Tokyo on Nov. 26, 2004, the 5-foot-4 Akano lost a unanimous decision to Megumi Yabushita, but bounced back and reeled off seven straight wins, the last of which was a unanimous decision over American star Debi Purcell in Smackgirl on Feb. 15, 2006.

On April 11, 2009, Akano made her STRIKEFORCE debut when she moved up in weight to challenge the No. 1 female fighter in the world, Cris Cyborg.  Despite giving up size to the naturally bigger 5-foot-7, 145-pound Cyborg, Akano fought valiantly and took the hard-hitting Brazilian into the third and final round before being stopped via strikes.

Three months after the loss to Cyborg, Akano rebounded and forced Miki Morifuji to tap out from an armbar in the second round (4:17) in Tokyo.

A woman of many talents, Akano is known for using “Between the Sky,” a song she wrote, as her entrance music.

Kujala (4-1), a native of Imatra, Finland, has already been victorious in tournament competition, winning a single-elimination tournament in The Netherlands on March 27.  In the semifinal round of the event, Kujala submitted Akvile Vitkauskaite with a rear-naked choke in the second stanza (4:12) and, in the championship bout, she earned a unanimous decision over Titiana van Polanen after 10 minutes of battle.

Kujala brings a three-fight winning streak to the STRIKEFORCE Challengers cage.  Her sole loss came to Aisling Daly via unanimous decision on Nov. 7, 2009.

Tickets for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event are on sale at the Dodge Theatre Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (800) 745-3000, and online at www.livenation.com and  www.STRIKEFORCE.com.

In the main event, Phoenix native and MMA star Joe “Diesel” Riggs (32-12) will square off with knockout artist Louis Taylor (6-1) at a catch weight of 182 pounds.

A former super heavyweight who once competed at over 300 pounds, the 27-year-old Riggs is now a dangerous threat in multiple STRIKEFORCE divisions.  He holds the rare distinction of having competed at heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight during the course of an eight-year career.

Taylor, of Chicago, has rattled off two consecutive knockout wins since the STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL:  Fedor vs. Rogers event in Chicago, Ill. on Nov. 7, 2009.  The 5-foot-11 Taylor has scored knockouts in four of his six victories and has only gone to the judges’ scorecards once in his pro career.

Dodge Theatre doors will open at 5:15 p.m. MT for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event.  The first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m.

The SHOWTIME telecast will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.)

STRIKEFORCE Challengers, where tomorrow’s champions are born, is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

With a perfect 7-0 record, Jessica Pene is one of the hottest USA prospects in women’s MMA.  Since she began fighting in 2006, she has displayed a very well rounded mixed martial arts game that includes some diverse striking as well as some slick submissions on the ground.  Of her 7 career victories, 4 have come via submission, 2 by decision and she holds one knockout.  Jessica was invited to Bellators flyweight women’s tournament and she will take on the very dangerous Zoila Frausto in the first round at Bellator 25 in Chicago on August 19th.

Brian Hemminger:  You were the first woman to fight for Bellator and now you’ve been given an opportunity to fight for their title in the flyweight tournament.   How did it feel to get that phone call with the tournament invite?

Jessica Pene: I thought it was a great opportunity and I feel very excited and glad that I’d been considered.

BH: I’ve read that you got into MMA because you saw some K-1 kickboxing on TV and really liked it.  When was that, and did you have any formal training in any form of fighting before that?

JP: It was not just the K-1 match that got me interested.  I had wanted to wrestle but my school did not allow females to wrestle at that time.  I wanted to find a sport to channel my competitiveness.  I had no real training before that, that was about 5 years ago and I’ve been training ever since.  I always wanted to compete I just wasn’t sure where.  Through Muay Thai I discovered Brazilian jiu jitsu and then MMA, so that’s how I got here.

BH: You’ve joked that the women in your weight class don’t hit hard, but your upcoming opponent Zoila Frausto just had one of the most devastating knockouts in women’s history.  Are you concerned about her power?

JP: No, not really.

BH: Have you been training anything specifically to prepare for Frausto and her diverse striking?

JP: No, just working on improving myself.  Sharpening things up to be the best I can be.  That’s the only thing I can control.

BH: Most of the women in this tournament are dropping down a weight class (or two!) to make 115 lbs.  You’ve said in the past that you’d be more comfortable fighting at 110 pounds, how are you preparing for a potential size disadvantage?

JP: I don’t know, unlike them, I don’t have to worry about my weight or diet.  I just have to focus on my training so that actually gives me an advantage.  I’m always training as the smallest in my gym so I’m used to it.

BH: Your last fight was a big win over fellow tournament participant Angela Magana, has that given you confidence that you’ll do well in this tournament?

JP: I think all my fights have given me confidence, not just that fight.  I’ve taken something from all my fights and grown from it.  Every one of them has helped me in some way in my career.

BH: That last fight also took place about 10 months ago, are you worried at all that ring rust will be a factor?

JP: I’m not worried about ring rust, I sure would have liked to compete, but I’ve been unable to.  I’ve been focusing on everything I can, trying to prepare myself to become a better athlete.  Sometimes you need to take time off to get better.

BH: You did a little bit of modeling last year , what are your thoughts on female fighters being sex symbols?

JP: Well my thing wasn’t really modelling, it was something for a sponsor.  I think it’s sad that women have to be categorized like that.  They should respect us for our fighting abilities.

BH: Has your life gotten a little less hectic since you finished your degree at Cal State Fullerton?

JP: It was just a time management thing, trying to balance things out.  Now that I don’t have to go to school I can focus on myself and training and work, not having to worry about homework.

BH: Ok, prediction time, how do you see your fight ending on August 19th?

JP: Honestly I have no idea, I just know I’m gonna go in there and put on a great show.

BH: Thank you very much for your time, do you have any shoutouts or anyone you’d like to thank?

JP: I want to thank to my team mates and coaches at Subfighter MMA as well as LA Boxing, Lake Forest and Joker’s MMA.  I’d also like to thank my sponsors All Pro Science and Sinful

Angela Magana has faced a plethora of top opposition in her mixed martial arts career.  Before getting the invite into Bellator’s flyweight tournament, she squared off with fellow tournament participants Lynn Alvarez, Jessica Pene and Jessica Aguilar (3 times!)  Despite such tough opposition, she holds an 8-4 professional MMA record.  She was in the midst of a coaching session during our interview, but she still set aside enough time to really open up about a difficult past and the current state of women’s MMA.  Angela will square off against the consensus #1 ranked flyweight Megumi Fujii on August 12th in the first round of Bellator’s tournament.

Brian Hemminger: You’ve overcome quite a lot to get to where you are today, do you mind sharing with our readers a little about your past?

Angela Magana:  Yeah, I was born in Los Angeles, addicted to heroin, at least that’s what I’ve been told.  I was with my mom and dad for 6-7 years while they abused drugs.  I was on the streets of LA as a child, eating out of trash cans and stuff, and I didn’t know any better.   How could I know?   My mom nodding off occasionally, she actually died of a heroin overdose about 10 years ago.  My grandparents gained custody of me and I moved to New Mexico, and they were very supportive.  My dad eventually moved out here too.  I started wrestling with the boys, and my grandpa didn’t want me to.  One day in the kitchen he was trying to stop me from doing something and I got away from him and showed my strength.  He was impressed and after that I was allowed to compete.  I made varsity at 119 lbs which is crazy because I fight at lower than that now.  I graduated high school at 16, got pregnent at 18, and my daughter has been the light of my life.  I always wanted to be a fighter growing up, it just seemed like the natural progression.

I’m still having to overcome things even today, 1 1/2 months ago, my boyfriend passed away the day after he asked me to marry him.  Fighting keeps me sane though, it keeps me anchored.  I’d probably be off partying somewhere trying to forget it all if I didn’t have the training and MMA in my life.  I started a non-profit organization to get kids off the street and harness their energy in a good direction.  It takes about 8 months to get it all set up so it’s not official yet, it’s gonna be called Salvaging Sisterhood.  I do motivational talks with the local youth, I try to be a roll model for them.

BH: How important has your trainer Floyd Sword been in your life?

AM: He’s everything to me, I owe everything to him.  I met him when I was about 13, he would compete in those barroom brawl Tufman contests, and I was doing some amateur boxing at the time.  I started training with him when I was 15, and my boxing coach kicked me out for doing it.  He’s my hero, he’s everything.  If I ever need advice, I go to him.  He’s like my dad, more like my uncle actually, he was at my graduation.

BH: You had over 40 fights in amateur boxing, yet most of your MMA victories are submissions.  Do you have a soft spot for Brazilian jiu jitsu?

AM: Yeah, you know, I’m just really good on the ground, I guess I’m a natural.  I hope to show my standup more in this Bellator tournament, though.  I haven’t fought in nearly a year so these fighters don’t know me as well as they think they do.

BH: Bellator’s flyweight tournament is one of the best collections of women fighters in history, how much of an impact do you think it will have on women’s MMA?

AM:  I think it’ll be a milestone.  It’s gonna be one of the best tournaments ever in the sport.  I’m so happy because it’s in the lower weight class, all the higher weight classes get the exposure.  It’s gonna be monumental, there’s gonna be a lot of surprises.  I’m very anxious.

BH: What is it like balancing being a professional MMA fighter with being a single mom?

AM: It’s very fulfilling.  Sometimes I feel bad that my daughter has to be here at the gym so much, but I make it work.  She’s doing homework with the guys while I’m teaching a class, and I’m putting her to bed at 8pm while I work.  I’m pretty strict.  There’s always cute stories though, for Christmas, each kid wrote a compliment about their fellow students and someone told her that “I like you because your mom’s a cage fighter”.  She actually trained a little jiu-jitsu a little bit while I was hurt with my back injury a couple years ago, she’s pretty tough.

BH: You’ve got more experience against the rest of this tournament field than anyone else, do you feel that will give you an advantage?

AM: I hadn’t actually thought about it like that, I suppose it would help if anyone makes it to the finals that I’ve faced.  I’m more concerned about facing Megumi though.

BH: What were your thoughts when you found out you were facing consensus #1 fighter Megumi Fujii?

AM: I’ve been training my whole life to fight Megumi.  She’s one of my favorite female fighters, her, Rosie Sexton and Lisa Ward I’ve been a fan of since I started fighting.  I’m very honored, she’s number one.  The only way to be number one is to beat number one.  I’ve always wanted to fight her.  It’s the perfect time in my career to do this.

BH: Have you been doing anything specifically in training to prepare for Megumi?

AM: Just, checking my hips.  Not letting my opponent get their hips in.  I’ve been sparring some southpaws too since she’s left handed.  I’ve also been working on not throwing kicks since I don’t want to get taken down.  Pretty much just the judo stuff.

BH: Would it be asking too much to get a fight prediction out of you?  You’ve said in the past that they’re not your thing.

AM: I don’t really like to do that.  I lost my clairvoyent abilities a while ago haha, I think I’ll be the winner.  It’s gonna a great fight, even when I’ve lost it’s been a great fight.  My only prediction is that it’s gonna be fight of the night.

BH: You’ve had quite a history with fellow tournament participant Jessica Aguilar.  How did it feel to get that win in your third fight with her, and do you mind explaining some of the controversy of the first two fights?

AM: Well the first fight she tried to go for the takedown I got the mount and we’re in the ropes.  They reset us in the middle and the ref asked if I was ready and I shook my head no during the reset and he started it anyways and she put me in an armbar right away.  The second fight she put me in an armbar and the ref stopped the fight, even though I was beating on her and she was bleeding on me.  She got booed by her home crowd, it was such a bad decision by the ref.  Oh and it was so great to get that win in the third fight.  I actually had this documentary crew following me around for that one and I said I didn’t care about anything else in that tournament, I just wanted to face her and get that win.

BH: You’ve said that the Jean-Claude Van Damme film Bloodsport inspired you to get into MMA.  How many times do you think you’ve watched it total?

AM: Oh when I was a kid I’d watch it 3 times a day.  I watched it last week and I fell asleep to it the week before last.  That’s pretty sad isnt’ it?  It brings those memories of of being a kid and dreaming of getting in the big show.  I bet I’ve watched it 700-800, maybe 1000 times.  I would practice moves on my friends and my sister and they would get sooo pissed at me.

BH: Thank you very much for the interview, do you have any shoutouts or anyone you’d like to thank?

AM: I’d like to thank my coach, my family my friends, everyone that supports me.  Wanderlei’s fight team.  Four Corner’s Orthodontics, my gym Team Four Corners, and in loving memory of my boyfriend Seth Englehart.

Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto’s career has really skyrocketed in 2010.  After losing a spirited battle against Strikeforce’s Meisha Tate, she’s rebounded with devastating victories over Michelle Ouild as well as a knockout of the year candidate against Rosie Sexton, who was ranked #1 in the world in the women’s 125 lb division at the time.  Sexton had actually been invited to the Bellator 115 lb women’s tournament, but due to a suspension from her injuries, Frausto was given an invite in her place.  She will be taking on undefeated Jessica Pene at Bellator 25 on August 19th, and she set aside a little time to talk to me about it.

Brian Hemminger: For those that are just discovering you, how exactly did you get involved with women’s MMA?

Zoila Frausto: I’ve been in martial arts since I was younger, I kind of got away from it for a while.  After playing soccer at college, I was looking for another challenge.  I started boxing and met some guys from Fresno and it all really started rolling from there.

BH: How did it feel to get that invite into Bellator’s 115lb women’s tournament?

ZF:  Oh my goodness, it was fantastic.  All the hard work that I’ve put into it, to get to this point, it’s just a culmination of all that I’ve done.  Yes, I’m very happy.

BH: You’ve fought at 135 and 125 lbs pretty much your whole career thus far, are you concerned at all with the weight cut to 115 for the Bellator tournament?

ZF:  No, not at all.  I was actually more concerned about the 120 catchweight for Bellator 23, but I made that pretty easy.  I’ve got this new nutrition plan, and after that I knew I could cut the weight easy, 115 isn’t gonna be a problem.

BH: Do you feel your size will give you an advantage over you opponents in Bellator?

ZF:  Definitely, that’s one of the big things that I know I’ll have over my opponents.  Even at 125 and 135 I had the strength advantage over my opponents.  Sexton was one of the strongest women at 135 in the world and I was so much bigger than her, it’s given me a lot of confidence that I’ll be bigger and stronger than everyone else in the field.

BH: You’re been known for your exciting and diverse striking, what was it like getting that first career knockout at Bellator 23?

ZF:  It was like my time had come.  I always knew I had more power behind my strikes, I was flashy but not accurate enough.  I was getting too excited, not enough accuracy.  It was like everything came together, it was the biggest fight of my life.

BH: Some are saying it was the best knockout in women’s MMA history, how has your life changed since June 24th?

ZF:  I’m blessed, all the hard work that I’ve put into it it’s finally coming out.  People are finally seeing the real me and what I’ve been capable of.  It’s kind of hard doing all the interviews and everything but I feel blessed to be able to do what I’m able to do and give people a nice show.  I’m very happy right now.

BH: Your opponent in the first round of the tournament is scheduled to be the undefeated striker and submission specialist Jessica Pene, what are your thoughts on her?

ZF:  She looks to be a good striker, she has some decent ground.  Going into this fight I’m going to be a lot stronger, I think my striking is a little better than hers.  I’m looking to overpower her.  I’ve been training even harder than before and I haven’t really fought another striker other than the boxer Rokoczy, so I’m looking forward to actually facing another striker for once.  I have a feeling though that once she feels my power she’s gonna become a ground fighter really fast.

BH: Do you have any predictions for the fight?

ZF:   I’d like to get another knockout, everyone loved that.  After that last win, I don’t want anything less.  I’m going to train even harder to get that win.  I know I’m gonna be a lot stronger, whatever it takes to get the win, you know?

BH: One of the tournament participants, Lisa Ward, choked out your sister in the first round a week before your knockout of Rosie Sexton.  Are you looking forward to the possibility of avenging your sister?

ZF:  That was one of the main reasons why I wanted in on the tournament.  It is what it is, if anybody does anything to hurt someone’s family, you’ve gotta defend them.  I didn’t like it and I wanted to get that back.  The best way to do that is through me, my sister is a little less experienced and I feel I can definitely get the win in her honor.  I really want that fight, the sooner I can get this win the faster I can get to her.  That actually motivates me a lot.

BH: What aspect of your game do you feel you’ve improved the most since you began mixed martial arts?

ZF:  Everything actually, my striking is getting more accurate.  I’m a lot smarter than what I was before, I used to just kick, kick, kick but now I’m looking to set things up.  My jiu-jitsu is getting so much better, that armbar was the only thing I’d learned and I got that against Rakoczy which was pretty awesome.  I’ve improved a lot, I’m excited to be able to use everything.  These women are the tops in the world, so I can’t wait to be tested.

BH: Were you a big fan of Xena: Warrior Princess growing up?

ZF:  (laughs) Yes I was

BH: Is there any significance to the Roman soldier style pink skirt for your fights?

ZF:  Yes it is, it’s exactly what it is.  It’s been with me for a while, (the name).  She was a strong powerful woman.  Back then people couldn’t say my name (Zoila) so they just said Xena and it just fit perfect especially once I started fighting.

BH: Thank you very much for the interview, any final words?

ZF:  Thanks to everyone that’s supported me, my fans, my family, Premier Training, Fight Chicks, there’s so many people that I’m forgetting.  My nutritionist Mike’s power training, Vanquish Sports, they’ve helped with my banner and shirts.  Again, thanks to everyone that has supported me.

The Rockstar Girls

RED CORNER BLUE CORNER Fedor  Emelianenko — 229 Pounds Fabricio Werdum — 238 1/2 Pounds 31-1 13-4-1 Stary Oskol, Russia Marina del Rey, Calif. Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith — 184 3/4 Cung Le – 184 3/4 Pounds 18-6, 1 NC 6-1 Elk Grove, Calif. San Jose, Calif. Cris Cyborg — 144 1/2 Pounds Jan “Cuddles” Finney — 143 1/2 Pounds 9-1 8-7 Curitibia, Brazil Springfield, Ohio Josh “The Punk” Thomson — 155 1/4 Pounds Pat “Bam Bam” Healy — 155 1/4 Pounds 16-3, 1 NC 23-15 San Jose, Calif. Portland, Oregon _________

Non-televised Undercard begins at approximately 5:00 p.m.

_________ Ron Keslar– 173 3/4 Pounds Chris Cope — 175 Pounds 5-1 175 lbs 3-1 San Jose, Calif. San Diego, Calif. Brett Bergmark — 168 3/4 Pounds Vagner Rocha — 171 Pounds 5-1-1 5-0 Concord, Calif. Pembroke Pines, Florida Yancy Medeiros — 183 1/4 Pounds Gareth Joseph — 185 1/4 Pounds 8-0 4-2 Waianae, Hawaii San Diego, Calif. Bobby Stack  — 154 1/2 Pounds Derrick Burnsed — 155 1/2 Pounds 6-1 5-0 San Jose, Calif. Sacramento, Calif.

By Brian Hemminger

As many of you know, social networking has been taking the world by storm.  Sites like facebook and twitter have millions upon millions of users.  What I really love about twitter is the instant connection you can gain with mixed martial arts fighters and personalities.  Twitter gives you access to the thoughts and occasional ramblings of fighters, and the ability to interact with them.

But obviously, an even cooler thing is the ability to post links to blogs, articles, pictures and videos.  With how important this new social network has become, I felt it would be a cool idea to get a collection of all the MMA twitters out there.  This inaugural edition of the MMA Twitter Tracker will focus on the ladies.

Fighters:

Gina Carano

She was never a crazy twitter user, and it appears she deleted all her old tweets recently.  I’m mainly posting the link so I have an excuse to show her picture.

Miesha Tate

Miesha is as dangerous as she is beautiful.  She holds a 9-2 career record with all 7 of her most recent victories coming via stoppage.  She hasn’t been afraid to use her image to sell tickets, and she is definitely a dangerous fighter in the 135 pound division.

Debi Purcell

Debi hasn’t done much fighting in the last few years, but she’s been a part of the sport for a very long time, and she’s worked really hard to help the growth of women’s MMA.  She is currently the only female Black Belt in Ruas Vale Tudo.

Kyra Gracie

Ok, Kyra isn’t an actual mixed martial arts fighter, but she’s one of the only female member of the Gracie family tree to really get involved in Brazilian jiu jitsu.  She is a very highly decorated BJJ champion and has been a good ambassador for the sport.  Her tweets are protected so you’ll have to await approval before you can read them.

Sarah Kaufmann

Sarah is the first and current Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion.  She won the title in a Strikeforce Challengers event this past February and is currently undefeated with an 11-0 career record.

Ring Girls:

Arianny Celeste

Ok, you can’t have a ring girls section without Arianny, who is arguably the most popular ring girl of all time.  She made her debut with the UFC in 2006 and is still just as popular as ever.  She’s won multiple “Ring Girl of the Year” awards and recently was a cover girl for Maxim.

Chandella Powell

Chandella is one of the newest editions to the UFC ring girls stable.  She made her debut at the end of 2009 and even helped out at the WEC 48 event this past weekend.

Brittany Palmer

A professional dancer and model, Brittany has been a WEC ring girl since 2008.  She runs a very active blog where she loves to post pictures of herself, boy that must be horrible to look at.

Rachelle Leah

Rachelle has been semi-retired as a UFC ring girl until recently when she worked the octagon for UFC 111 in New Jersey.  Rachelle was also the host of the classic fights section of the UFC Undisputed 2009 video game.  In 2008 Rachelle even posed for Playboy.

Natasha Wicks

Ok, so Natasha isn’t actually a ring girl anymore after being let go by the UFC late last year, but she has stayed active in the MMA community.  She commonly updates her twitter with pictures cageside at events or even of her hanging out with MMA fighters.