Former Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion Sarah Kaufman may have finally found her next opponent. The Victoria, British Columbia native is currently in talks to face Japanese veteran Megumi Yabushita in a featured bout at Armageddon Fighting Championship 5: “Judgment Day” on April 2.

While bout agreements are expected to be distributed for the fight later this week, Kaufman confirmed to MMARising.com that she has not yet officially agreed to the matchup but was aware of its possibility. The talented striker has not competed since suffering her first defeat in Strikeforce in October.

Kaufman (12-1-0) first made a name for herself competing in her native Canada for close to two years, where she scored notable victories over Alexis Davis, Valérie Létourneau, Ginele Marquez and Molly Helsel. The win over Marquez earned Kaufman her first major title, but she soon found herself without a promotion to compete for following the collapse of Hardcore Championship Fighting in 2008. After 13 months away, she returned to action and defeated Sarah Schneider, Miesha Tate and Shayna Baszler in a span of just two months.

The impressive string of wins resulted in a title fight between Kaufman and Takayo Hashi to determine the first Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion at 135 pounds. Following five one-sided rounds, Kaufman captured the title but encountered criticism for fighting to a decision for the third straight time after beginning her career with nine consecutive knockouts. Criticism dissipated after Kaufman’s first title defence – a third-round powerbomb knockout of Roxanne Modafferi last July – but an October bout with Golden Glory standout Marloes Coenen ended in Kaufman’s first defeat.

After targeted bouts in Canada failed to materialise for Kaufman in late 2010 and early 2011, she signed with Armageddon Fighting Championship to debut on their April 2nd card.

Yabushita (19-17-0) is a pioneer of mixed martial arts and a legend in Japan both for her competition in MMA and also in professional wrestling. With a strong judo background, Yabushita made her pro MMA debut in 1997 and has since battled many of the sport’s biggest names. Among her most notable wins are victories over Hitomi Akano, Roxanne Modafferi, Erin Toughill and Emi Fujino. Injuries have begun to take their toll on the veteran, but she has won three of her last five fights and remains a threat to any opponent due to her crafty submission game.

Should the bout with Kaufman come to fruition, Yabushita’s AFC debut will be her second fight in North America in just over one year. She faced Shayna Baszler in the opening round of last year’s Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s Grand Prix, but was defeated by way of Twister submission in round one of the quarterfinal matchup. While Yabushita’s striking is adequate, she will give up a significant edge in the standup department to Kaufman, who is one of the premier female strikers at 135 pounds.

Armageddon Fighting Championship 5: “Judgment Day” takes place on April 2nd at the Bear Mountain Arena in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The bout between Kaufman and Yabushita, if signed, is expected to serve as the night’s main or co-main event.

(Photo Credit: Esther Lin, Strikeforce)