AUSSIE MAUY THAI STAR MAKES MMA DEBUT ON FIGHT PASS
Australian Muay Thai superstar Jade Thomson makes her eagerly-awaited MMA debut in the main event of BRACE MMA 38 in Sydney this weekend. The three-time national champion will take on New Zealand flyweight Hera Tamati, 5-2 in MMA, in what will be the first female main event in the 11-year history of the Australian promotion.
The MMA debut of the star striker has excited Aussie MMA fans. BRACE promoter Kya Pate said: “I’m excited to finally see Jade transition into MMA. She got her hands full as she faces the extremely experienced opponent in Hera ‘The Nytmare’ Tamati. Both women like to stand and trade and I think this will be a blockbuster main event.”
The entire BRACE card will live-stream on FIGHT PASS on Friday night in the US (11/8pm ET/PT) which is 3am Saturday in the UK and 2pm, Saturday, AEDT in Australia.
Aged 36, Thomson is making the move to MMA late in her martial arts career, but has trained at altitude to prepare for what she believes will be a frenetic pace.
“I always intended to compete in MMA. I’m known as a Thai boxer, but I’ve trained in jiu-jitsu since I was a young girl and believe I'm a really well rounded fighter who has very precise technique,” Thomson told UFC.com. “I'm really excited to be headlining such a massive show, especially being my MMA debut. It's a big honor, and it's going to be an action packed fight.”
New Zealander Tamati, 30, comes into the fight with ambitions of her own, though. BRACE has already announced plans to hold events in New Zealand later in the year and Tamati knows a win over the much-hyped Thomson will all but assure her of a spot on one of those cards.
"It’s an awesome opportunity to be headlining such a prestigious promotion as BRACE,” Tamati said:. “Without local shows in Australia and New Zealand there would be nowhere for us to apply our skills so I think it’s brilliant that more and more opportunities are presenting themselves here."
Full BRACE 38 card for FIGHT PASS:
1. Women’s bantamweight: Jade Thomson vs Jessica Rose-Clark
2. Featherweight tournament bout: Rory O’Connell vs Luke Catubig
3. Featherweight tournament bout: Myles Simpson vs Bayden Mandich
4. Featherweight tournament bout: Ali Cevik vs Ethan Duniam
5. Welterweight tournament bout: Theo Christakos vs Kahn Sandy
6. Bantamweight tournament bout: Ben Watson vs George Malizis
7. Middleweight: David Francis vs TBA
ANOTHER REASON TO CHECK OUT FIGHTOGRAPHY: NEIL MAGNY
Sticking with Australia for a moment, Neil Magny scored the biggest win of his career in Brisbane on Saturday night, stopping Australian-based welterweight Hector Lombard in the third round of a thriller at UFC FIGHT NIGHT: HUNT vs MIR.
It was a stunning win that saw Magny rocket up to No.7 in the official UFC.com rankings, and continued the story Magny shared in his recent Fightography on UFC FIGHT PASS.
Speaking to the Fightography camera, Magny confessed that, after suffering two listless defeats in his first three UFC fights, he considered hanging up his gloves for good. The former Ultimate Fighter contestant even interviewed for and took the entrance exam to join his local police department but, after deciding to give MMA one more try, a fully focused and rededicated Magny began to rip through the welterweight division.
If you are still wondering how the he survived Lombard’s early salvo’s, check out Neil Magny’s Fightography here: http://www.ufc.tv/video/fightography-neil-magny
NOW STREAMING PIONEERS OF MMA: VITOR BELFORT
Even more Original Content is streaming on FIGHT PASS this week: as the popular Pioneers of MMA returns with a half-hour special focusing on the long and already legendary career of Vitor Belfort.
That Belfort made his UFC debut in 1997 and yet, as of writing, is the No.3 ranked middleweight in the UFC illustrates just how unique the career the “Phenom” truly is.
In this latest episode of the popular Pioneers series, Belfort speaks candidly about getting his start in martial arts with the legendary Carlson Gracie aged only 8-years old, the heartbreaking kidnap and murder of his sister, and his classic battles with the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Randy Couture, Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson and much more.
Whether you are a newer fan looking to learn more about the “Young Dinosaur” who continues to score some of the most spectacular KOs in the sport, or an older fan who wants to relive those epic nights from the late nineties – check out Pioneers of MMA here: http://www.ufc.tv/video/pioneers-of-mma-vitor-belfort.
JUST ADDED TO THE FIGHT PASS LIBRARY
The FIGHT PASS fight library already has over 12,000 fights from over 20 major MMA and fight organizations from around the world.
Not a UFC FIGHT PASS member? What are you waiting for? Start your 7-day free trial now!
Over 30 fights from the iconic Cage Rage organization – including early bouts with Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping – have just been added
VAULT BUSTER
UFC FIGHT PASS members, dive deep into the FIGHT PASS vault to bring you five of the hidden gems in the vast, 12,000-plus fight deep library.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson EliteXC: Heat, October 4, 2008
In a huge fight for the now-defunct EliteXC organization former UFC heavyweight champ – and future UFC contender - Andrei Arlovski took on rising star Roy “Big Country” Nelson.
Bas Rutten vs. Ryushi Yanagisawa Pancrase 1, September 1993
Future UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten took on Japanese striker Ryushi Yanagisawa at the original Pancrase event, held two months before UFC 1. Rutten won inside a minute via a shocking palm-strike which sent the much bigger Yanagisawa to the hospital for two days.
Cowboy Cerrone vs Kenneth Alexander, WEC 30, September 4, 2007
Future UFC star Donald Cerrone was a 7-0 hotshot when he made his debut in the rising WEC organization. The “Cowboy” made an immediate impact and signaled his intentions with a rapid-fire win.
Michelle Waterson vs. Yasuko Tamada, Invicta FC 8, September 6, 2014
A star was born on UFC FIGHT PASS, as “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson dominated Yasuko Tamada in a defense of her Invicta FC atomweight title.
Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama, PRIDE 21: Demolition
YOU MUST WATCH THIS WAR! Arguably, the wildest and most exciting MMA bout in MMA history as famed Japanese pro wrestler Yoshihiro Takayama entered the PRIDE ring for an epic encounter with Don “The Predator” Frye who was on an 8 fight win streak.
