As a result of a hip injury, former PRIDE and UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming main event rematch with Frank Mir at UFC 119. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović is expected to take Nogueira’s place in the fight.
Fighters Only was first to report on the change in combatants, though Filipović’s participation has not been officially announced. MMAjunkie.com was first to disclose the nature of Nogueira’s injury. Filipović has won three of his last four fights inside the Octagon and sports a 4-3 UFC record.
After declining an August Strikeforce fight with Shana “Rock Solid” Olsen due to an inability to make 145 pounds, Erin “Steel” Toughill will now travel to Singapore for her next fight. She will compete for the upstart Martial Combat promotion at Martial Combat 9 on September 15th.
Fans in Ontario, Canada may finally be able to attend live mixed martial arts events in 2011 without travelling beyond the provincial borders. The Ontario government announced today that the province will regulate MMA and the sport’s top promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is eyeing a 2011 Ontario debut that could happen as early as March.
In a night marred by dreadful officiating and a round format that left a lot to be desired, Miesha “Takedown” Tate persevered to become the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Tournament Champion. Tate outlasted Maiju Kujala and Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano in a pair of highly competitive battles.
Strikeforce came to the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona tonight with Strikeforce Challengers 10. The card was headlined by a catchweight bout between UFC veteran Joe “Diesel” Riggs and Louis “Handgunz” Taylor and also featured the professional mixed martial arts debut of Ryan Couture.
At last, the first-round matchups for tomorrow night’s Strikeforce 135-pound women’s tournament are known. A random drawing at tonight’s weigh-ins determined that Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm will face Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano, while Miesha “Takedown” Tate faces Maiju Kujala.
The inaugural Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament kicked off tonight at Bellator 24 in Hollywood, Florida and the first two semi-finalists are now known. Women’s pound-for-pound queen Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii submitted late replacement Carla Esparza, while Jessica “Jag” Aguilar defeated Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez.
As a result of an injury, Bellator Season Two Lightweight tournament winner Pat Curran will no longer face Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 33. Instead, UFC veteran Roger “El Matador” Huerta will battle Alvarez in a non-title bout. MMAjunkie.com first reported on the change.