Wealth of female talent added to Lion Fight roster for 2021

Lion Fight has long been known as an organization with a wealth of talent in the women’s division, and now that pool gets even deeper.

The worldwide leader in Muay Thai has added several skilled fighters to its roster, highlighted by the signing of Russian twin sisters Ekaterina and Svetlana Vinnikova. The pair had stellar amateur careers and will be dynamic new forces in the super featherweight and super lightweight divisions.

Ekaterina earned 80 wins in the amateur ranks, most recently winning the silver medals at the 2019 IFMA World Championship in Bangkok and at the IFMA European Championship in Minsk. The 28-year-old from Moscow is a four-time Russian amateur champion. She opened her pro career with a first-round knockout victory.

Svetlana sports a 3-1 pro record and also had a sensational run in the amateur ranks. Also 28 years old, Svetlana is a five-time Russian champion, a four-time European IFMA champion, and gold medalist at the 2016 IFMA World Cup, 2017 and 2018 IFMA World Championship and 2017 IFMA World Games Championship.

Another newcomer to Lion Fight is Mariya Valent (6-2), who hails from Minsk, Belarus, and will compete in the super featherweight division. The 32-year-old has won four of her last five bouts, including a decision verdict over Ekaterina Vinnakova. Valent captured twice captured the IFMA European titles and also earned silver medals twice at the IFMA World Championship where she lost a pair of split-decisions to current UFC world champion Valentina Shevchenko.

Adding her name to the list of future contenders in the super flyweight division is Tove Brodin, who has already found success inside the Lion Fight ring. The Gothenburg, Sweden, product made her pro debut at Lion Fight 59 – the organization’s debut event in Sweden – and Brodin took a decision victory against Lisa Matsson.

Johanna Persson is the newest member of the Lion Fight bantamweight division. This year’s Swedish national champion went undefeated in the amateur ranks and won 50% of her bouts by knockout. Persson won her pro debut, earning a decision over Lauren Kertesz in Tullinge, Sweden.

Erica Bjornestrand might be considered a late bloomer having only started fighting in her mid-20s, but the Malmo, Sweden, native is making up for lost time. She won 31 of 40 amateur matchups, capturing two silvers and a bronze at the IFMA World Championships and silvers at two IFMA European Championships. Bjornestrand won the Swedish national pro title in her last out with a fourth-round TKO via elbow strike against Emma Ohlund.

All six fighters agreed to multi-fight exclusive contracts beginning in 2021.