Sara McMann and Alexis Davis officially join UFC, matchup possible
Two new additions to the UFC women's bantamweight division were made official today.
Sara McMann (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Alexis Davis (13-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) signed contracts that will see them complete in the octagon, which brings the total number of fighters in the upstart 135-pound women's division to six.
The acquisitions were announced today during a conference call in support of UFC 157, which features the first-ever women's bout in the UFC. Inaugural bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey attempts the first title defense of her title when she meets Liz Carmouche next week on pay-per-view.
A source close to Davis believed she would be paired with McMann, but said nothing had been made official, the source told MMAjunkie.
McMann was heavily rumored to be in the running for a UFC contract at the end of this past year, but her rep recently denied a claim from UFC President Dana White that she was offered Carmouche's spot at UFC 157.
An Olympic silver medalist in wrestling, McMann transitioned into MMA two years ago and has built a 6-0 record. Most recently, she defeated Shayna Baszler for the all-female MMA promotion Invicta FC. A knee injury forced her to withdraw from a proposed bout with Carmouche at an ill-fated Strikeforce event this past November.
Davis went 2-1 under the Strikeforce banner and ended a trio of fights with a decision loss to former champ Sarah Kaufman. She rebounded under the Invicta FC banner, where she won two straight fights, including a "Fight of the Night" submission of Baszler.
Two previous additions to the women's bantamweight class include ex-Strikeforce champ Miesha Tate, who will square off with Cat Zingano at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, which takes place April 13 in Las Vegas.
