Evansville, Indiana quietly has become an epicenter of women’s MMA for several years, and this tradition looks to continue in 2010 with the second annual GFight Summit, scheduled for March 20 through March 27.  Originally the brainchild of Jeff Osborne, the founder of long-running MMA promotion HooknShoot and a prominent early supporter of women’s MMA, GFight enters its second year with Osborne gaining the capable assistance of Patricia VanderMeer and Tammy Piper in organizing this year’s event.

Tammy Piper

HooknShoot’s all-female MMA cards have attracted some of the biggest names in the sport in the past, and many of the sport’s biggest current names will be on hand for the week-long event this year to host seminars and lend their expertise to several up-and-coming grapplers and fighters.  The event kicks off at the Evansville Coliseum on March 20 with a loaded MMA card featuring, among many others, VanderMeer, Ashley Cummins, “The Main Event” Heather Martin, and Laura Edler-Hill.

In the week that follows, there will be at least two seminars or training each day, including MMA seminars led by Sarah Kaufman, Greg Jackson, Julie Kedzie, Merritt Warren, “Lethal” Lana Stefanac, Shayna Baszler, and VanderMeer, and other seminars focusing on BJJ (gi and no-gi), judo, pankration, nutrition and mental training.  The week-long event will conclude on March 27 with a grappling tournament at Big Bully Martial Arts.

Patricia VanderMeer

In a male-dominated sport, it often proves exceptionally difficult for women to find good fights that can advance their career, and events such as the GFight Summit provide an invaluable networking opportunity above and beyond a spot on a fight card.  Event organizer VanderMeer, who made her MMA debut at last year’s inaugural GFight Summit and participated in the grappling event, cites the rare opportunity to learn from some of the best names in the sport.  “Starting off my career” on the MMA card, then “watching the 115 pound 8-women tournament the next day, was inspiring,” says VanderMeer.  “Meeting so many other female fighters and fans was eye-opening.”

Two amateur fighters who will be squaring off against one another on March 20, Emily Peters-Kagan and Jessica Martinez, could not agree more.  Peters-Kagan  is excited to make her MMA debut in a setting that provides the “opportunity to network with other female MMA fighters and join forces to promote women in the world of MMA.”   Her opponent Martinez, with two fights already under her belt, indicated that despite work commitments for the rest of the week, she is not about to miss the opportunity to participate in an all-female MMA event.

Heather Martin

Another woman on the card, Heather Martin, is both an experienced fighter and an accomplished MMA writer.  With a Golden Gloves boxing background, and training in BJJ, wrestling, Muay Thai and Jeet Kune Do, “The Main Event” can administer a beatdown – and then describe it – in any number of ways.  “I competed in the Big Bully grappling tourney last year, and I loved how the entire week was dedicated to women’s MMA,” Martin says.  “I have a few of the HooknShoot DVDs, and I was really impressed with  the way GFight TV and HooknShoot promoted the female fighters.”

Special thanks also to fighters Petra Cavanaugh (fighting in this year’s 135 pound tournament), Barb Honchak (veteran of last year’s MMA and grappling events), Lacey Schuckman (GFight, HooknShoot and Strikeforce veteran), Valerie Coolbaugh (GFight veteran), and Jessica Eve Richer (veteran grappler in this year’s tournament), who took the time to respond to CageCraze about their past and upcoming experiences with GFight.

For more information about the 2010 GFight Summit, check out the Facebook group, or contact Patricia VanderMeer on CageCraze or Facebook.