After close to two and a half years away from combat sports, former DEEP Women’s Lightweight (106-Pound) Champion Hisae Watanabe made a successful return in a shootboxing match today. She stopped karate champ Megumi Igawa midway through the third round of an action-filled fight.
Watanabe was originally scheduled to face 2009 Girls S-Cup Champion Rena at the event, but the high school sensation was forced to withdraw earlier this week after suffering a broken finger. Following her victory, Watanabe stated that she still intends to face Rena and will knock her out.
Greatest Common Multiple showcased another solid night of fights this evening at “Valkyrie 5.” The event was headlined by a back-and-forth battle between promotional standouts Kyoko Takabayashi and Emi Fujino that saw Takabayashi narrowly escape with a win.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates today with UFC 112: “Invincible.” The card was headlined by a dreadful UFC Middleweight Championship bout between champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva and challenger Demian Maia.
In less than 12 hours, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold its first card in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates at UFC 112: “Invincible.” UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva will defend against Demian Maia in the main event, while UFC Lightweight Champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn clashes with Frankie “The Answer” Edgar.
In addition to a major Showtime event on June 26th, Strikeforce is reportedly planning a second card for Wednesday, June 16th at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. MMAjunkie.com first reported on the second planned event, which is also expected to air on the Showtime network.
Strikeforce has confirmed a pair of fights for the eighth instalment of its Challengers Series, which takes place on May 21st at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. Undefeated prospect Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley will face SportFight Welterweight Champion Nathan Coy in the night’s main event. ULTMMA.com first reported on the planned bout.
Three weeks after stating intentions to leave Strikeforce and possibly retire, Erin Toughill has reconsidered and now plans to stay with the promotion. Citing “basic miscommunications” which have since been resolved, Toughill plans to remain on the Strikeforce roster and aims to return soon.
Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight (145-Pound) Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will likely return to Strikeforce action in June against an opponent to be determined. The promotion’s CEO, Scott Coker, made the announcement this evening during an interview with MMAWeekly Radio.