It was recently announced that undefeated women’s MMA fighter Sara McMann (6-0) had signed with Strikeforce. Now she has her first opponent. McMann will make her promotional debut against former Marine Liz Carmouche (7-2) on Saturday, Nov. 3 at “Strikeforce: Cormier vs. Mir” at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.
The 135-pound bout will be part of the main card which will air LIVE on Showtime. Carmouche confirmed the bout via her Facebook page on Friday (and McMann on Saturday) following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.
McMann, 31, is a 2004 Olympic wrestling silver medalist and has won six straight bouts since making her pro debut in May 2011. In her most recent bout she defeated Shayna Baszler via unanimous decision in the Invicta FC 2 main event in July.
Carmouche, 28, made her Strikeforce debut in August 2010 with a unanimous decision win over Colleen Schneider. She is coming off back-to-back wins, most recently defeating Kaitlin Young via rear-naked choke submission at Invicta FC 2.
The winner of McMann vs. Carmouche could be next in line for a shot at Strikeforce bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Many pundits believe McMann, a fellow Olympian with world-class wrestling, could present a significant challenge for Rousey — or at least take her past the first round, something no other opponent has been able to accomplish.