MMA returns to Canberra this Saturday night as local promotion Storm Damage hosts show number three. The event will feature a one night, women’s featherweight title eliminator tournament, along with men’s title bouts in the heavyweight and welterweight divisions.
The women’s tournament final — featherweight title fight — will serve as the main event with the 8 single fights slated for the show to take place in between the tournament bouts, and the heavyweight title fight between Andrew Machin and Brandon Sosoli scheduled for the co-main event.
The co-main event will be the third encounter between Brandon Sosoli (pictured) and Andrew Machin. The two heavyweights first met twelve months ago at Storm Damage 1, where Machin walked away with a majority points decision victory. They next met in the promotion’s one night heavyweight title tournament final earlier in the year at Storm Damage 2, Sosoli edged out a split points decision in the fight to capture the inaugural crown, and avenge his storm Damage 1 loss to Machin.
Both heavyweights will be eager to bounce back after suffering defeats outside the promotion since last squaring off. Sosoli recently fought current Brace heavyweight champ Felise Leniu under modified MMA rules at Combat8: 03, and lost via TKO after getting dropped by an uppercut. Machin faced Chris Lokteff in his most recent outing at Brace 20, where the Storm MMA product was forced to tap to a Kimura.
Leo Diaz will now face Kevin Ryan to decide the promotion’s next welterweight champion on Saturday night after former title holder Ali Kocak relinquished the crown after breaking his hand earlier in the month at Capital Punishment 8.
Leo Diaz, who has been fighting professionally since 2005, has two previous Storm Damage appearances under his belt, with mixed results. After outpointing Craig Martin at Storm Damage 1, the 33 year-old suffered a TKO loss against Rod Harris at the promotion’s second show. Kevin Ryan also fought at Storm Damage 2 and took home a TKO win over Sean Godkin.
Women’s Featherweight Eliminator Gauntlet First Round Matchups
Ginny Connors vs Belinda Sedgwick
Ginny Conners hails from Orange, NSW, and will be making her professional MMA debut on Saturday night. She’s had a handful of Muay Thai fights and holds a brown belt in Karate. Local fighter Belinda Sedgwick will be searching for her first pro win after losing to Lisa Sutton at Brace 17 and Amy Adam at Brace 19.
Arlene Blencowe vs Kate Da Silva
Arlene Blencowe boasts a long list of achievements as an amateur boxer, including the NSW State Title, Arafura Games Gold Medalist and Silver Medalist Australian titles. Since making her pro boxing debut in 2012, the Port Macquarie fighter has gone 2-1 in the sport, and captured the WIBA & WBF light welterweight world Boxing titles. As far as her MMA career is concerned, Blencowe is currently 1-2 and last fought at Nitro 9 where she was submitted by Jessy Jess. Fighting out of the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, Kate Da Silva holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and will take an unblemished 3-0 record into the fight, which will be her first since ICNZ 12 back in 2010.
Faith Van Duin vs Michelle Peruzzi
Also fighting out of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand, where she trains at the 101 / warrior Muay Thai gym in Mount Maunganui, Faith Van Duin will enter the Featherweight Eliminator Gauntlet undefeated after two amateur fights and one pro appearance. Michelle Peruzzi will have her hometown crowd behind her as she looks to put back to back wins together after stopping Renee Jones with punches at Storm Damage 2.
Maryanne Mullahy vs Wild Card
Maryanne Mullahy hails from Melbourne and trains under Gustavo Falciroli at Absolute MMA. The 25 year-old is a BJJ practitioner and will take a 1-0 record into the eliminator after submitting Rebecca Steward at Brace’s all women’s show last October. In her first round fight, Mullahy will face one of the losers from the three other first round matchups, to be chosen at the promotion’s discretion.
Storm Damage 3 will take place at the Southern Cross Basketball Stadium in Canberra.
Fight Card:
First Round Women’s Tournament Bouts:
- Ginny Connors vs Belinda Sedgwick
- Arlene Blencowe vs Kate Da Silva
- Faith Van Duin vs Michelle Peruzzi
- Maryanne Mullahy vs Wild Card
Single Bouts:
- Andrew Machin vs Brandon Sosoli (C) – Storm Damage Heavyweight Title
- Leo Diaz vs Kevin Ryan – Vacant Storm Damage Welterweight Title
- Theo Christakos vs David Fowler
- Robert Stanford vs Lee Chesterfield
- David Morley vs Jesse Mauger
- Adam Corbett vs Richard Kemp
- Bao Ho vs Peter Cross
- Chad Price vs Mathew Darke
