Strikeforce Challengers 9 Live ResultsMMARising.com reports from the Comcast Arena in Everett, Washington tonight with live play-by-play for Strikeforce Challengers 9. The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between undefeated rising star Shane del Rosario and hard-hitting Hawaiian Lolohea Mahe.

Also on the card, the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Championship was on the line when Sarah Kaufman defended against Roxanne Modafferi in the 135-pound women’s co-main event. In a light heavyweight bout, Mike “MAK” Kyle faced former EliteXC contender Ron “Abongo” Humphrey.

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Five More Fights Targeted For UFC 121 CardFive more fights are reportedly in the works for a stacked UFC 121 card at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on October 23rd. Chief among them is a light heavyweight bout between former champ “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz and former TUF 3 student Matt “The Hammer” Hamill.

Heavyweight bouts pitting Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga against Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub and Todd Duffee against Jon Madsen are also planned. Also targeted is a bout between Patrick “The Predator” Côté and “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, while Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez faces Paulo Thiago.

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Update: Marloes Coenen To Compete At Both 135 & 145In an update to a Monday story, former Strikeforce title challenger Marloes “Rumina” Coenen will indeed be able to make 135 pounds and will compete in both the 135- and 145-pound divisions. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told MMARising.com on Monday that a cut to 135 would be too difficult for Coenen, but confirmed this morning that it is now possible.

In a press release today, Strikeforce announced Coenen as the number one contender for the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Championship at 135 pounds. She will face the winner of Sarah Kaufman vs Roxanne Modafferi.

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Erin Toughill Struggles With Weight Cut, Fight In LimboA planned August 21st bout between Erin “Steel” Toughill and Shana “Rock Solid” Olsen at Strikeforce: Houston could be postponed or possibly even cancelled as Toughill struggles to cut down to 145 pounds. Sources have confirmed with MMARising.com that a catchweight has been proposed.

Toughill has been scheduled to make her long-awaited Strikeforce debut on multiple occasions spanning nearly a year, but injuries and communication breakdowns have kept her off of cards. The outspoken former boxer also threatened to leave the promotion in March, but later reconsidered.

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Update: Strikeforce Still Planning Random DrawContrary to a report earlier this week on Sherdog.com, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has confirmed with MMARising.com that his promotion still intends to hold a random draw for their upcoming 135-pound women’s tournament. First-round matchups have not been decided.

The report claimed that the promotion had confirmed both of the first-round matchups, but Coker maintains that that is false. A random drawing, as first exclusively reported on this website, is still planned for the night of the weigh-ins to determine opening-round fights in the tournament.

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Marloes Coenen vs Cindy Dandois 2 Targeted For The FallEighteen months after their first meeting, Marloes “Rumina” Coenen and Cindy “Battlecat” Dandois may square off for a second time this Fall inside the confines of a Strikeforce cage. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed with MMARising.com that preliminary talks have begun and the 145-pound rematch may take place in September or October.

Dandois defeated Coenen by Unanimous Decision on January 24, 2009 in what was Dandois’s professional debut, but the upset win sparked a lengthy debate with some observers believing that Coenen deserved the win.

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Strikeforce Women's Tournament Matchups SetThe first-round matchups for the one-night Strikeforce 135-pound women’s tournament on August 13th are now reportedly set. Miesha “Takedown” Tate will take on former Smackgirl champ Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano, while Brazil’s Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm faces 2010 Upcoming Glory Tournament Champion Maiju Kujala.

MMARising.com first reported on the participation of all four fighters and Strikeforce reportedly confirmed the matchups this week with Sherdog.com. An untelevised tournament reserve bout will also be held in case of injury.

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Lisa Ward vs Aisling Daly Now Likely For Bellator 26A 115-pound women’s tournament bout between Lisa Ward and Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly, originally set for Bellator 25, will no longer take place on the August 19th card. Bellator officials confirmed the news with MMARising.com today and Daly posted a message on Facebook stating that the fight will now take place at Bellator 26 one week later.

The inaugural Bellator women’s tournament kicks off with two opening-round matchups at Bellator 24, with a third bout pitting Jessica Pene against Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto still scheduled for the Bellator 25 event.

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