KANSAS CITY, Kan. (July 19, 2012) – Twenty-four year old Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman (7-4) of Lakewood, Colo. will replace Jasminka Cive in a flyweight (115 pounds) matchup with undefeated Ayaka Hamasaki (7-0) of Yamaguchi, Japan at the Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann women’s professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City on Sat., July 28. Cive was unable to secure the visa necessary for her to travel from her native Austria, in time for the event.
“I’m actually glad this opportunity came up at the last minute because I’m prepared for the fight,” said Schuckman, who is trained by her husband, Randall “The Green Machine” Schuckman, a recent winner of the Colorado State Golden Gloves Boxing tournament. “I’m always in the gym training with professional MMA fighters and professional boxers, so the timing of this fight is perfect. I also think this matchup is a big step up for me, one that I need take my career to another level.”
Schuckman has earned a name for herself as a mixed martial artist by competing in three different weight classes – atomweight (105 pounds), flyweight and super flyweight (125 pounds). She is looking to become the first female fighter to hold a top 10 ranking in three different weight classes.
Before making her professional debut in 2009, Schuckman competed as a Muay Thai fighter. She has also ventured into professional boxing, notching her first-career win by way of first round TKO over Venus Gutierrez on Nov. 11, 2011.
In her last MMA start on Dec. 17, 2011, Schuckman tapped out Michelle Blalock with a guillotine choke in the second round (1:02) of their matchup in Broomfield, Colo. The win was Schuckman’s fourth by way of submission.
The 30-year-old Hamasaki, a reigning champion in Japanese women’s MMA promotion JEWELS, holds a second-degree black belt in Judo. Since her professional debut in 2009, she has been tearing through the ranks of competitors in Japan.
“I have no problem about the opponent change,” said Hamasaki. “I am just bit concern because it’s my first fight abroad. But regardless of the opponent, I want to give everything I got in this fight and that is all I care about now.”
On Dec. 17, 2010, Hamasaki emerged the winner of a four-woman, single-elimination tournament, earning unanimous decisions over Sakura Nomura and Seo Hee Ham, respectively. Hamasaki is coming off a first-round submission (kimura) win over Yuka Tsuji at a JEWELS event.
