Joselyne “La Pantera” Edwards
5’6″
Bantamweight
25-years-old
Salon-de-Provence, France
MMA Factory
9-2
3 KO/TKOs
4 Submissions

How will Edwards fare in the UFC:

Joselyne Edwards is a fun fighter but still very raw. She’s fought mostly low-level competition and will now just jump right into top competition in the UFC.

Edwards doesn’t shy away from exchanging on the mat but she’s by far a better striker. After all, she was a member of the Panama national boxing team. Using her long-range Edwards looks to snipe girls on the outside. She has a nice long jab, a good lower calf kick, and a dynamite one-two that she throws. “La Pantera” has both the volume and power to put girls away. From the start, she’s very aggressive with her output and forward pressure.

Where Edwards shines is on the feet, but where she loses that shine is takedown defense. Edwards struggles badly to keep her back off the cage. She doesn’t fight under hooks or wrists, instead just grabbing the head (or trying too) and just accepting going to her back. Edwards is a purple belt in jiu-jitsu and a national champion. She does look decent off her back but against a good positional grappler she will struggle. It would have served her better to get a few more fights on the regional scene since she is only 25. Still, when the UFC calls, you answer. Edwards may do well but if she doesn’t run through girls quickly she could be in trouble.

• Striking: B+
• Kickboxing: B-
• Clinch: C
• Wrestling: C
• Grappling: C+
• Striking Defense: C+
• Takedown Defense: C-
• Cardio: B
• Biggest Strength: Striking
• Biggest Weakness: TDD

How Edwards matches up with Wu:

Wu is a decent fighter but not necessarily UFC caliber. The question is whether Edwards is UFC caliber or not. Wu is a good striker but struggles to get into rhythm and find her range. Her defensive grappling is okay but her takedown defense needs work. Edwards should be the better striker and Wu would be wise to try and control Edwards against the cage and work takedowns. The volume of Edwards has me edging towards her but it’s a close fight.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Joselyne Edwards appeared first on Cageside Press.

Like it or not, weight-cutting is deeply rooted in mixed martial arts. MMA adopted its weight-cutting from the sport of wrestling, where it is presumed to be very advantageous to be the biggest and strongest in your weight class. Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters even in excess of 30 pounds.

Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.

Ahead of UFC Fight Island 7, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first card of 2020, we take a look at a collection of female fighters who have moved up, down, or battled the scales over the years.

Yanan “Mulan” Wu (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC)

Flyweight (125lbs): 1-1 (UFC), Missed weight 1 time

Bantamweight (135lbs): 0-1 (UFC)

Yanan Wu has fought at as heavy as 143lbs in a catchweight bout back in 2015. Wu faced Yana Kunitskaya at bantamweight in 2016 just a couple years ahead of her going on to challenge Cris Cyborg for UFC Women’s Featherweight Title. Wu is currently just 24 years old and stands at 5’8″ so there is real potential for her to move up in weight as her career continues.

Yanan made it to the UFC in late 2017 and made her debut as a bantamweight against Gina Mazany in November. Wu would lose a unanimous decision and for her next fight, just a day shy of a full year later, she elected to move down to the flyweight division. Wu successfully made weight for her fight and beat a then-undefeated Lauren Muller with an armbar in the very first round. In Yanan’s most recent fight back in August of 2019, she weighted in at 129lbs for the flyweight bout, missing weight by 3lbs. To add insult to injury Yanan lost a razor close split decision in her bout with Mizuki Inoue in her fight the following day. For UFC Fight Island 7, Wu will again be fighting at 125lbs when she takes on 9-2 Joselyne Edwards.

The post The Weight Cutting Chronicles: UFC Fight Island 7 appeared first on Cageside Press.

That fight will come against Wu Yanan on December 5.

Claiming that reports of her being cut were “lies,” Correia wrote on her official Instagram account that “Yes! This will be my last fight and it could not be at any event other than the one and only UFC.”

“Countless lies have been told out there, but I remained centered! I know who I am and I know my story. I have a strong and daring personality that has been the essence of my career and has added many rivalries that strengthened Women’s MMA,” she continued. “What I leave behind me is my legacy of a fighter who has a bold posture, presentation and unique celebration style in the fighting world. A personality that makes many curious to know more about me. It’s not by chance that #betheeffect is out there. Love me or hate me, in the end everybody wanted to stop to watch me fight. I reached Pay Per View record numbers that back then had not been reached for many years. I have fought the very best and I always made the news. I am certain that I have left my mark and now it’s time to let a new generation arise.”

Now 37, Correia (11-5-1) has won just two fights since her failed title bid against Ronda Rousey at UFC 190 in 2015. The Brazilian began her UFC career on the three fight win streak, including victories over Jessamyn Duke and Shana Baszler. As two of Rousey’s “Four Horsewomen” that was enough to earn her a title shot against the champ, forgoing having to fight the other contenders in the division at the time. The buyrate for the event was in the 900,000 range — a number that would be impressive today, although it has been eclipsed multiple times since.

In her most recent outing, Correia lost a unanimous decision to Invicta FC and TUF alum Pannie Kianzad. Prior to that, she earned her own decision win against Sijara Eubanks. Overall, Correira sits at 5-5-1 in her UFC career.

The post Bethe Correia to Compete in One Final UFC Bout, Announces Retirement appeared first on Cageside Press.

Japanese standout and Invicta alum Mizuki Inoue made her debut at UFC Shenzhen on Saturday. Taking on China’s own Wu Yanan, Mizuki (who often goes by just her given name) was looking to build off a win over former UFC fighter Viviane Pereira under the Invicta FC banner. Wu, meanwhile, had missed weight for the bout, but came in off a win over Lauren Murphy. She was 1-1 in the UFC to date, and fighting at home.

Mizuki closed the distance early, punching her way in, but was unable to make anything happen. Wu then looked to load up on a kick, while Mizuki shot for a single leg, nearly eating a knee as a result. Wu would stay on the outside, circling, while Mizuki tried to close distance again. A body shot landed for Wu, who was beginning to connect upstairs as well. Mizuki feigned a takedown, then came over the top, later clinching, as time wore down, but the taller, rangier Wu seemed to have a slight edge.

A right hand by Mizuki caught Wu napping early in the second round. A follow-up right seemed to wake her up, as she fired back quickly. Wu then grabbed onto a standing guillotine as Mizuki tried to take the fight down. Wu broke free, and later added a standing elbow. Wu was back on the outside, on her heels; Mizuki pressed, clinching when possible, adding elbows. The downside, she had through the midway point of the fight failed to take Wu down. Wu would try her own takedown attempt, giving up on it quick, while Mizuki would chase her opponent down as the round wore on. Mizuki’s head movement was proving key, as she was able to slip Wu’s punches and connect with her jab.

Some big swings from both ladies came early in the third, and Wu dropped for a takedown that looked strong — but that Mizuki was able to fight off. With the third being a critical round, a successful takedown, were it to happen for either woman, could steal the fight. Mizuki, again, was finding success slipping and feinting, then ripping off a few right hands. Wu answered back, and they opened up in the final twenty seconds, standing, trading, with both women landing! A takedown never did come, and on the scorecards, two judges saw it for Inoue, who pressed the action and controlled the cage more than her opponent.

Mizuki Inoue def. Wu Yanan by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Shenzhen Results: Debuting Mizuki Inoue Earns Close Split Decision Against Wu Yanan appeared first on Cageside Press.

Like it or not, weight-cutting is deeply rooted in mixed martial arts. MMA adopted its weight-cutting from the sport of wrestling, where it is presumed to be very advantageous to be the biggest and strongest in your weight class. Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters even in excess of 30 pounds.

Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.

Yanan “Mulan” Wu (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC)

Flyweight (125lbs.): 1-0 (UFC)

Bantamweight (135lbs.): 0-1 (UFC)

Wu is another one of those fighters that looks like she is going to benefit heavily from the UFC’s most recent weight class addition, the women’s flyweight class. At 5’9″ and a 66 inch reach, Wu just cannot make the 115lb weight cut. But the women at 135lbs are too big for Mulan to handle. So the 125lb division is just perfect and she even can use her stature to her advantage in most match-ups within the division.

Mizuki Inoue (13-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC)

Mizuki Inoue is 5’4″, has a 64″ reach and is making her UFC debut. Inoue has a shoot boxing background which is pretty unique to see nowadays especially at this level of MMA. Inoue has struggled with cutting weight and even missed weight for one of her title bouts at 115lbs back in another mixed martial arts promotion.

Da Un Jung (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)

Heavyweight (265lbs.): 5-2

Light Heavyweight (205lbs.): 5-0

Da Un Jung is a young 25-year-old, UFC newcomer out of the Korean Top Team. Da Un Jung is right around the 215-220lbs range when he is healthy and in fight shape and for virtually all of his heavyweight fights he has shown up at this weight and done relatively well, with just two losses. But, Da Un Jung has cut the extra weight off to go down to light heavyweight five times, and all five occasions were wins. Now the 6’4 South Korean who has all of his wins but one by stoppage looks to take on the UFC’s light-heavyweight division and weight cutting too.

Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade (20-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC)

Strawweight (115lbs.): 7-1 (UFC) UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion (no successful title defenses)

Bantamweight (135lbs.): 4-3 (UFC)

Jessica Andrade might be short in stature, but what she lacks in height and reach, she makes up for with her power and tenacity.  Jessica stands at just 5’2″ and has a 62″ reach, with an extremely muscular build. The Brazilian first broke on to the UFC scene back in the latter half of 2013, in the bantamweight division.

Andrade is a very stocky woman and definitely fights in a way that utilizes that attribute. Even when Andrade was clearly the smaller woman in the 135lb division, and though she could get wins on her record in that division, wins in the top ten and within title shot contention always eluded her.

Fast forward to 2016 where after an underwhelming stint at bantamweight, Jessica took a grappling match at 125lbs. A nice little warm-up, to transition to move down in weight 20lbs, to the strawweight weight class just five months later. In her next 8 fights, Jessica would only lose one time, to Joanna Jedrezejczyk, by unanimous decision in 2017 when Joanna was still the champ. At strawweight, Jessica’s hands and strength are especially apparent and most of her wins come via overwhelming and overpowering her opponent, like her brutal slam KO slam of now-former champion Rose Namajunas. Andrade was pushing the average UFC female bantamweight around and now with a weight cut, she is dethroning the top fighters at strawweight.

The post The Weight Cutting Chronicles: UFC Shenzhen appeared first on Cageside Press.

The UFC is coming to Shenzhen, China inside the Universiade Sports Centre on August 31. The card is headlined by UFC strawweight champion Jessica Andrade defending her title against rising star Weili Zhang. With seven bouts already announced, there are already six debuts slated. Luana Carolina was set to take on Yanan Wu but Luana pulled out due to injury. Now, Invicta FC veteran Mizuki Inoue will step in on short notice in enemy territory. The news was first reported by RealFight.ph, and later confirmed by Inoue.

How Inoue will fare in the UFC:

Inoue has good experience in shoot boxing/kickboxing going 11-2. Despite that, in her MMA career, she has solely got it done on the mat with her jiu-jitsu. Of her nine finishes all have come by submission. With a strong ground game, Inoue isn’t afraid to stand and trade. She has good qualities such as her jab and her check right hook as her shot selection is pretty varied. What she struggles with on the feet is her speed. Especially when she’s the one pressing; as a result she finds more success counter fighting. She can outdo the bottom tier of the 115 division on the feet but will have a tougher time once she fights top-flight talent.

Inoue, however, excels on the mat and her wrestling to get it there is good. She has a solid execution on the single leg and does a commendable job chain wrestling. Most of her takedown attempts are initiated in the clinch, so she relies on her forward pressure and footwork. With that said, she cut angles well being able to set up her takedowns. Her biggest weakness is in fact her takedown defense and off her back, she isn’t too much of a threat. She is able to off her back and is always moving but as in her fight with Virna Jandiroba, she struggles against good wrestlers/grapplers. Overall, she’s still very young and could develop into a top 15 fighter in the next three years.

How she matches up with Wu:

In her debut, Wu was dominated by Gina Mazany, losing all three rounds and being taken down five times. While Wu did get back on the board with a win over Lauren Mueller in her second UFC bout, that loss overshadow the win. Wu may have the advantage on the feet because she just throws more. But with that said, if Inoue closes the distance she should easily get Wu down. The big challenge though is Wu is the bigger fighter with a five-inch height advantage as Inoue is moving up from strawweight. It might be hard for Inoue to get Wu down due to the size advantage. Still, Inoue though has fought much better competition and Wu is at the bottom of the division. The pick here is Inoue as this fight is sure to hit the mat, and her BJJ is superior.

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