Fresh off of her 15-second flying armbar victory over Rosary Califano in February, Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson returns to action on April 24th. Waterson will square off with Japanese veteran Masako Yoshida at “Spring Brawl” at the Urban Plains Center in Fargo, North Dakota.
Both Waterson and Yoshida suffered 2009 setbacks to undefeated Sovereign Nations MMA champ Elena “Babydoll” Reid, but Waterson’s highlight-reel armbar of Califano got her back on track. She will face a tough test against the much more experienced Yoshida, who has fought 37 times.
Mixed martial arts saw a passing of the torch in the heavyweight division at UFC 110 when undefeated powerhouse Cain Velasquez knocked out MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in less than half a round. The dominant victory vaults Velasquez into the top five in the division.
Former WIBA and IFBA Boxing Champion Elena “Babydoll” Reid will return to mixed martial arts action on April 17th. The talented striker will defend her Sovereign Nations MMA Women’s Flyweight Championship when she faces Alyx Luck at Playboy Fight Night in New Town, North Dakota.
When we think of female MMA stars in Japan, Megumi Fujii immediately comes to mind, but one name that must not be overlooked is DEEP Women’s Lightweight Champion Miku “Supernova” Matsumoto, who announced her impending retirement in late February.
One of MMA’s most coveted free agents has found a new home in Bellator Fighting Championships. Former UFC standout Roger “El Matador” Huerta has signed with the promotion and will compete in the eight-man Bellator Lightweight Tournament later this year.
Canadian standout Alexis Davis will step in to challenge Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler in the second round of the Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix. Davis replaces Jennifer “Rosebud” Tate, who withdrew from the tournament after announcing that she was pregnant with her second child.
A light heavyweight showdown between former UFC champions Rich “Ace” Franklin and Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell is reportedly in the works for UFC 115 in June. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the fight according to multiple reports from earlier today.
An exciting bantamweight matchup has been added to the upcoming Dream.13 card on March 22nd. Long-time Pancrase standout and former WEC title challenger Yoshiro Maeda will square off with current Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight Champion Cole “The Triangle” Escovedo.