Rising star Marianna “The Crushen Russian” Kheyfets will return to action at XFC 14: “Resurrection” on October 21st in Orlando, Florida. The unbeaten 26-year-old will face off with tough veteran Molly “The Maulinator” Helsel in a featured 125-pound bout. The promotion officially announced the fight today.

Kheyfets earned a pair of victories in the XFC last year, but the promotion has not yet held an event in 2011 and Kheyfets kept busy with a May victory on a Reality Fighting card. Helsel fought four times in 2010, but was unable to secure a win and she will now look to put an end to her losing streak.

Kheyfets (3-0-0) made her pro debut last July at XFC 11 after winning a tryout with the promotion. She submitted Kim Couture in the first round and made an instant name for herself in the process. Returning to the cage five months later, Kheyfets earned a close but Unanimous Decision victory over Marissa “Shorty” Caldwell at XFC 13. The promotion has not staged any events since then, but that did not stop Kheyfets from securing a third-round submission of Kaline Medeiros for Reality Fighting on May 21st. Both of the jiu-jitsu specialist’s submission wins have come via triangle choke.

Helsel (8-12-1) endured a tough 2010 campaign, as she went winless in four bouts, but two of those defeats came in competitive decisions. Helsel opened last year by taking on friend Roxanne Modafferi at King of the Cage: “Toryumon” in Okinawa, Japan, but fell victim to a second-round rear-naked choke. After a pair of decision setbacks in November, Helsel moved up in weight to face Jewels star Hiroko Yamanaka on short notice in December. Yamanaka’s reach proved to be a factor and the fight was eventually stopped in the latter half of round two, to Helsel’s dismay and disappointment.

The prospect versus veteran matchup will serve as a solid test for Kheyfets as she looks to continue her rise up the 125-pound ranks. Helsel brings a tremendous experience advantage into the fight and has fought many of the sport’s top female fighters during her eight-plus-year career that is highlighted by a 2005 submission of Lisa Ellis-Ward.

Xtreme Fighting Championships 14: “Resurrection” takes place on October 21st at the UCF Arena in Orlando, Florida. The event will air live on HDNet.

Source: http://www.mmarising.com/news/2011/09/0 ... at-xfc-14/