Marina Shafir improves to 3-0 with another armbar

Marina Shafir walked in, walked through some punches and promptly and emphatically took care of business on Saturday night.

The up-and-coming Glendale-trained mixed martial artist easily disposed of opponent Danielle Mack with a first-round armbar, winning in just 59 seconds at Tuff-N-Uff’s Mayhem in Mesquite II card in Mesquite, Nev.

With the victory, Shafir, fighting at 150 pounds, improved to 3-0 in her amateur MMA career, as Mack (0-3) was her third opponent to be defeated via first-round armbar.

Shafir walked down Mack from the start, throwing out jabs and closing ground. Mack landed a pair of straight rights, but Shafir walked through them without hesitation and forced a clinch against the cage. There, the judo player worked a trip for a takedown. Patiently, precisely and quickly, Shafir transitioned first to side control and then moved in for the armbar, in which she got complete extension of Mack’s arm and the submission victory.

Shafir, a longtime friend, training partner and roommate of Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, began training at the Glendale Fighting Club under Edmond Tarverdyan after moving to California last year. Tarverdyan and Rousey were in Shafir’s corner on Saturday.

Shafir won her two previous bouts via the signature armbar, defeating Denise Goddard in May of last year in 44 seconds and Becky Lewis at the 2:02 mark of the first round.

Rousey, who also went 3-0 in her amateur career before embarking on her current 7-0 professional career, fought twice under the Tuff-N-Uff banner and has finished everyone of her opponents with an armbar in the first round.