King of the Cage came to the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut tonight for KOTC: “No Mercy.” The event was headlined by a KOTC Flyweight Championship bout between “The Silent Assassin” Abel Cullum and once-beaten challenger Jimmie Rivera.

Also on the card, KOTC Bantamweight Champion Donald Sanchez looked to successfully defend his title against Pat McGreal, while Myles Jury and Sam Oropeza went toe to toe in a brief battle of undefeated welterweights. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for all fights on the card.

Read More…

A new all-female mixed martial arts promotion has emerged in the United States. GirlFight Global, based in Boston, Massachusetts, has formed big plans for MMA’s women’s division and intends to hold its first event in the coming months. That event is targeted for Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The promotion is also planning to hold an eight-woman tournament at 125 pounds next year, which will feature many of the top female fighters in the division from all over the world. A fight between top star Tara LaRosa and former Smackgirl champ Takayo Hashi is already in the works.

Read More…

Michelle Waterson’s first mixed martial arts bout in Japan will have to wait. The rising star from Jackson’s MMA has announced that she is pregnant and will return to MMA in the second half of 2011. MMAWeekly.com first reported on the news on Thursday evening.

Waterson, who has gradually been cutting down to 105 pounds, had been looking into competing in Japan in October or December, but her goal will have to wait until next year. She has won six of her last seven fights and most recently scored a big victory over Masako Yoshida in April.

Read More…

While the Shine Fights Grand Prix went ahead as planned last weekend, controversy continues to surround the promotion. Contrary to claims from Shine Fights COO Jason Chambers, all fighters who competed on the card now face 60-day ineligibility distinctions in Oklahoma, Ohio and elsewhere.

OSAC Inspector Leigh Brown confirmed to MMARising.com that all Shine Fights participants are now ineligible to compete on sanctioned MMA cards for 60 days from the date of the event. The one-night, eight-man lightweight tournament was won by former UFC welterweight contender Drew Fickett.

Read More…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas tonight for UFC Fight Night 22. The event was headlined by a middleweight matchup between former title challenger Nate “The Great” Marquardt and leglock specialist Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares.

Also on the main card, TUF 8 winner Efrain “Hecho en México” Escudero faced unbeaten prospect Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira in lightweight action, while Jim Miller took on Gleison Tibau in another featured 155-pound bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

Read More…

DREAM Lightweight Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki is very likely to compete at the upcoming DEEP: “50th Impact” event on October 24th. Sources close to the promotion tell MMARising.com that Aoki will compete on the Tokyo card against a mid-level, non-contender opponent.

In other related news, DEEP officials are also in talks with Hayato “Mach” Sakurai to compete on the same card. Sakurai’s participation is by no means certain, but both sides are involved in an ongoing dialogue. Sakurai made three appearances for DEEP in 2003, going 2-1 during that time.

Read More…

Former two division King of Pancrase Kiuma Kunioku will return to action on October 9th at Fury 2 in Macau. The submission specialist will face Golden Glory representative Vincent Latoel in a featured bout on the card and will look to pick up his fourth win in his last five fights.

Also on the card, recent Strikeforce signee Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm will square off with Mongolian wrestler Esui, while Grabaka veteran Eiji Ishikawa takes on UFC veteran Jess “The Joker” Liaudin. Sources close to the event confirmed all three fights with MMARising.com.

Read More…

A trilogy bout between former UFC champions “The Prodigy” BJ Penn and Matt Hughes is planned for UFC 123 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. CagePotato first reported on the bout’s possibility and multiple sources have since confirmed plans for the fight. Penn will return to 170 for the bout.

Penn and Hughes first met at UFC 46 in early 2004 in a one-sided fight that saw Penn emerge victorious by submission late in the first round. Hughes got his revenge at UFC 63 in 2006 after rallying from two rounds down to stop Penn in the third round. Hughes has now won three straight fights.

Read More…