In an announcement this morning at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Ultimate Fighting Championship stated plans to open a Canadian office in the city that will be led by former CFL Commissioner Tom Wright. The official opening of the Toronto office will be announced soon.
The promotion has travelled north of the border for three events to date, all in the city of Montréal, Québec, and will return on June 12th for UFC 115 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Wright previously served as President of Salomon, Adidas Canada and Spalding Canada.
One of the world’s premier female fighters will return to action in June after a one-year layoff. Washington native Lisa Ward has signed with Bellator Fighting Championships and may compete at Bellator 23 on June 17th. Ward announced the news today, but no opponent has been named.
Jewels showcased many of its top talents today in five MMA bouts at “Eighth Ring” in Tokyo, Japan. The event was headlined by a victory for Jewels postergirl Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka, who dispatched of Mai Ichii with a second-round armbar. In the co-main event, rising featherweight star Hiroko Yamanaka decisioned Atsuko “Bullfight Sora” Emoto.
Strikeforce came to the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon tonight with an entertaining night of fights at Strikeforce Challengers 8. The event was headlined by a middleweight matchup between hometown star Matt “The Law” Lindland and the brash and controversial “King” Kevin Casey.
In a highly-anticipated rematch over four years in the making, Roxanne Modafferi avenged a 2006 loss in a big way when she upset female pound-for-pound standout Tara LaRosa at Moosin: “Sylvia vs Pudzianowski” tonight. The fight was a candidate for Women’s MMA Fight of the Year.
Moosin USA invaded the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts tonight with an interesting card at Moosin MMA: “Sylvia vs Pudzianowski.” The event was headlined by a super heavyweight bout between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia and five-time World’s Strongest Man Mariusz “Dominator” Pudzianowski.
The world’s top-ranked 125-pound female fighter has returned to Bellator Fighting Championships. Company officials confirmed last night that Rosi Sexton has re-signed with the promotion and MMAjunkie.com has since reported that Sexton will be part of the 115-pound Bellator women’s tournament later this year.
In a rematch three years in the making, final EliteXC Lightweight Champion “King” KJ Noons will look to avenge one of his two career losses when he battles Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett on June 26th. The second meeting between the hard-hitting strikers will be part of the main card of Strikeforce: “Fedor vs Werdum” at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.