One of jiu-jitsu's top black belts will face off with an MMA standout at the next Submission Underground event on October 1. 

Chael Sonnen's submission-only grappling event returns to Portland, Oregon, and will feature a headlining bout between former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman and world jiu-jitsu champion Amanda Diggins (aka Amanda Loewen). 

Kaufman, 31, hails from Victoria, BC, in Canada. A veteran of 23 MMA fights with a record of 18 wins, four losses, and one no contest, she is a brown belt in jiu-jitsu representing Pacific Top Team. 

She most recently competed in pure grappling in November 2016, winning the brown belt master 1 (over 30 years of age) division at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championships. She also placed third in the absolute (openweight division). 

Diggins (pictured on bottom, at right), also known by her maiden name of Loewen, trains out of Straight Blast Gym HQ in Portland and earned her black belt after only five years of training. A former barista, she began training jiu-jitsu as she worked at a tropical fish store just around the corner of the gym.

A silver medalist at the 2015 No-Gi World Championships, Diggins recently won the IBJJF World Master Jiu-Jitsu Championships black belt middleweight division, a tournament for grapplers over the age of 30. She is a veteran of two MMA fights, having won both. 

This match marks the first time Submission Underground is featuring a main event with female grapplers. Previous main card matches have included female MMA fighters such as Miesha Tate vs. Jessica Eye and Kyra Batara vs. Rita Lynne Gribben.

​​Watch Submission Underground 5 LIVE or On Demand ONLY on FloGrappling!

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