Last Updated on February 14, 2012.
A women’s bout between prospects Marianna “The Crushen Russian” Kheyfets and Munah Holland is currently in the works for Bellator Fighting Championships 63 on March 30th in Uncasville, Connecticut. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed plans for the fight with MMARising.com today.
Both fighters earned victories in their respective bouts this past weekend. Kheyfets kept her unbeaten record intact with a first-round doctor stoppage victory over Heather “Hurricane” Clark at XFC 16, while Holland earned a Majority Decision win against Pearl Gonzalez at Ring of Combat 39.
Kheyfets (5-0-0) has quickly developed into one of the top stars in the Florida-based Xtreme Fighting Championships promotion where four of her pro bouts have taken place. Facing progressively tougher opposition, Kheyfets has thus far passed each test with flying colours. On Friday night, the Danbury, Connecticut native engaged Clark in a back-and-forth battle through one round that was contested predominantly on the feet. While Clark was effective with counter right hands, Kheyfets remained aggressive throughout and she landed an elbow strike to Clark’s right eye late in the first round that forced the cageside physician to stop the fight. She now takes on another striker, Holland, in a bout that will serve as both fighters’ Bellator debuts.
Holland (3-1-0) brings a strong background in boxing into her first foray into the Bellator cage. The 2007 Golden Gloves amateur boxing champion has competed exclusively in the Ring of Combat promotion since making the transition to mixed martial arts in a bout with Kim Couture in October 2010. After a submission setback less than two months later, Holland has since rebounded with two victories in the ROC cage. She has demonstrated a competent ground game to complement her formidable striking skills and was also victorious this past Friday night. By putting together a solid final round, Holland earned the nod from two cageside judges in her competitive bout with Gonzalez and she now looks to hand Kheyfets her first professional defeat.
Bellator Fighting Championships 63 takes place on March 30th at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event features the quarterfinal matchups in the Bellator Season Six Welterweight Tournament. The bout between Kheyfets and Holland is expected to be a part of the night’s preliminary card.
