Pallas Athena Women’s Fighting Championship – Canada’s first all-women MMA league – made its bow this month with the aim of elevating female fighters to the highest level.
In a world dominated by male competitors – aside from a couple of names like Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey – the new venture presents a big opportunity to showcase the best pro MMA fighters from Canada and even further afield.
The PAWFC hierarchy, fronted by General Manager Jennica Wheeler, wants to provide a stage where women can thrive and earn the big money that they can often miss out on when it comes to other organisations.
They hope to raise the standard of competition by attracting the top talent from around the world to battle and their first event, held at the Grey Eagle Centre in Calgary last week, has started that process.
Opening night action
There proved to be six bouts on Saturday Jan. 15th in what is dubbed the PAWFC Strawweight Championship, and here are the outcomes:
Laura Fontoura def Andy Nguyen Sub, 2:44 R4
Dakota Ditcheva def Simone Da Silva KO/TKO, 3:43 R2
Melissa Croden def Jackie MacLean Sub, 3:59 R1
Alana Cook def M. Turcotte-Novosedlik Sub, 4:23 R1
Maria Djukic def Clara Ricignuolo Split Dec
M. Marconetto def Stephanie Essensa Unanimous Dec
UFC veteran, former Invictas FC champion, Sarah Kaufman looked set to headline the card but her opponent Claudia Leire had to withdraw, with the PAWFC issuing a statement ahead of the evening’s action:
“PAWFC’s management team deeply regrets to inform our audience that our headlining act, between Sarah Kaufman and Claudia Leire, has been withdrawn. We know that this information comes as a disappointment but we are truly looking forward to all of the other incredible fights we have lined up for the afternoon and evening.
Sarah gains the Bantamweight World Champion Title and she is now eagerly looking forward to the next event and the challengers who will come forward to compete against her for the title.”
In the end the opening night’s explosive female MMA action was entertaining thanks to a mix of results to whet the appetite for more – much to the delight of event and fight manager, Charmaine Tweet.
The evening’s action was also streamed online and covered by guest announcer Felicia Spencer.
Bringing women to the fore
Tweet and Wheeler are hoping their new line-up can be added to and strengthened by the pull of Pallas Athena – and the official website goes into further detail as to what exactly this entails.
It says: “Pallas Athena Women’s Fighting Championship (PAWFC) is the first of its kind created for women, showcasing the best professional Mixed Martial Arts from Western Canada and the world! The goal of PAWFC is to promote women in the sport and build a better industry for future athletes.
“Pallas Athena is the goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and warfare, which is the embodiment and spirit of a women MMA fighter. If you have the fighter’s spirit, we invite you to step forward as a warrior into the palladium (AKA the cage) to do battle.
“Among soldiers and the wise, she was relentless. No endeavour could halt this girl woven with bronze and ink. They called her Athena.”
A pretty impressive hook for any budding female MMA star, then.
The organisation promises to offer a competitive event and showcase the best professional MMA fighters from all across the world and looks set to become the No. 1 ranked all-women MMA league in North America.
Well-deserved compensation
PAWFC have also expressed their stance that fighter compensation, especially for female fighters, must be improved across the MMA board and they aim to do so.
They report that they are currently working on arranging big-money sponsorship deals to assist fledgling fighters just starting out in the industry when it comes to the cost of training and travelling.
They added: “We want the athletes to be fairly compensated inside and outside of the ring. This means above-average pay, attendance bonuses, and ownership of content. Along with compensation is the freedom from sponsors and branding. We believe that this produces a better and healthier fighter.”
Who else is behind the PAWFC?
As well as General Manager Jennica Wheeler and Event/Fight Manager Charmaine Tweet, the two main guys behind the organisation include a former cage fighter-turned-industry lead and a businessman with a background in Armed Forces
PRESIDENT: Clayton Belitski
- Started cage fighting in mid-20’s
- Fought for free because it was his passion
- Had to provide for his family while training
- Set up a mission to have fighters sponsored to concentrate on their game without external worries
VP & GENERAL MANAGER: Allan White
- Martial arts student from a young age
- Former member of the Canadian Armed Forces
- Successful oil/gas businessman
- Turning his business acumen to the PAWFC to make it the No. 1 ranked all-women’s league
MMA in Canada
MMA was considered illegal in Canada unti 2010/2011 when the Ontario government announced that they would allow professional mixed martial arts in the province.
Suddenly this announcement paved the way for UFC 129 to stage its event in Toronto and spawn the development of Canadian fighting which has grown bigger ever since. Now the PAWFC hopes to become the biggest for the womens’ arm.
MMA is now massively popular in Canada for not only competing but also watching and gambling – and some MMA recommended sites for betting are Fansbet, 888Sport, William Hill, among others.
Betting on MMA is commonplace. Usually, a punter would place bets on how many rounds the fight will continue before the winner is determined. For example, for a three-round fight, over/under 1.5 and 2.5 are usually set.
The unpredictable nature of MMA, though, means it can be hard to bet on outcomes but with more and more upsets occurring the sport is great for those who are willing to take the risk.
And now the PAWFC can provide another great spectacle to enjoy.
by Nathan Auty
