Marina Shafir returns to cage Feb. 9

Having resided in Southern California for roughly a year now, budding mixed martial arts star Marina Shafir will fight for the first time in the Golden State.

“The Supernova from Moldova,” boasting an unblemished 4-0 amateur MMA record, will take on Nicole “Fidget” Upshaw in a featherweight (145 pounds) bout Feb. 9 at The University of MMA’s Fight Night 5 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.

The 20-year-old Upshaw sports a 1-1 record and, fighting out of Arizona, boasts a karate background and is a former college softball player.

Shafir, 25, trains at the Glendale Fighting Club under the tutelage of Edmond Tarverdyan and alongside friends and Ultimate Fighting Championship combatants “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey (the UFC women’s bantamweight champion), Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke and “The Queen of Spades” Shayna Baszler.

Shafir, a native of Moldova before moving to New York and now a Venice resident, has previously fought in New York, Massachusetts and Nevada, with her last bout coming last Nov. 29 when she defeated Tabitha Patterson via head-and-arm choke submission in the first round to claim the Tuff-N-Uff featherweight championship. All four of her fights have ended inside the first round with the previous three coming via armbar.

For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit uofmma.com.