In the wake of current DEEP Women’s Lightweight (106-Pound) Champion Miku Matsumoto’s abrupt retirement, former champion Hisae Watanabe has officially confirmed plans to return in April. She will face 2009 Girls S-Cup Champion Rena in a shootboxing match on April 11th.
Watanabe had been rumoured to be returning to mixed martial arts in December at Jewels: “Sixth Ring,” but a broken foot suffered during training prevented her from appearing on the card. She engaged in an exhibition kickboxing and MMA match with Megumi Fujii last August.
At just 28 years of age, Hawaiian native Adrienna “AJ” Jenkins already sports one of the more impressive records in MMA’s women’s division. Now making her home in Iowa, she has battled her way through the local scene in hopes of getting a chance to showcase her skills in Strikeforce.
After being forced to withdraw from a planned UFC 111 bout due to injury, welterweight contender Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann has agreed to face Brazilian standout Paulo Thiago at UFC 115 in June. The Las Vegas Sun was first to report on the proposed fight.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has secured a long-term broadcast deal with the Hong Kong-based All Sports Network (ASN). The 24-hour sports channel provides high-definition services to nearly a dozen countries in Asia, which expands the UFC’s total coverage to over 100 countries.
Number one-ranked heavyweight “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko will likely return to Strikeforce action in June. The stoic Russian’s M-1 Global management group is currently involved in contract renegotiations with the California-based MMA promotion. Both parties confirmed to Sherdog.com last night that a reworked deal is nearly in place.
Contrary to rumours suggesting that the fight may have changed, the Ultimate Fighting Championship confirmed today that a planned heavyweight bout between Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and Matt Mitrione will, in fact, take place at UFC 113 in Montreal, Québec, Canada in May.
Sengoku Raiden Championships held its first event of 2010 tonight at SRC 12, which was headlined by a rematch for the SRC Middleweight Championship. Jorge Santiago successfully defended his title against Mamed “The Cannibal” Khalidov and avenged a loss from last November.
World Extreme Cagefighting came to the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio tonight for WEC 47: “Bowles vs Cruz.” The event was headlined by an exciting WEC Bantamweight Championship bout between Brian Bowles and new champion Dominick Cruz.