Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz will return to action at UFC 132 on July 2nd. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will face a tough test in top contender Ryan “Darth” Bader. MMAWeekly.com first reported the bout today, which was later confirmed by UFC President Dana White.
Ortiz, who finds himself in a must-win situation, has not won a fight in close to four and a half years. He had previously been scheduled to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 24 this Saturday, but was forced to withdraw after suffering a concussion and a bad laceration during training.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey tonight for UFC 128: “Shogun vs Jones.” The card was headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship matchup between champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and fast-rising star Jon “Bones” Jones.
One year ago, Megumi Fujii was battling injuries and on the verge of retiring as the greatest female fighter that mixed martial arts fans had ever seen. A call from Bellator Fighting Championships changed everything, however, and Fujii went on to gain more fans while competing in the United States.
On March 5th, Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion and Golden Glory standout Marloes Coenen rallied to submit Liz Carmouche in round four. One week later, she and trainer Martijn de Jong were shocked to learn that Strikeforce had been purchased by UFC parent company Zuffa, LLC.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced plans for a quartet of quality fights for UFC 132 on July 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada. Among them is a welterweight rematch between former two-division UFC champion “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch. The pair fought to a Draw last month.
Once-beaten Irish standout Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly will step back into the cage on April 24th. The Bellator veteran has agreed to face Germany’s Sheila “Bulldog” Gaff at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 41 in North London, England in a featured matchup to be contested at 125 pounds.
Despite the recent earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan, Pancrase pushed ahead with its “Impressive Tour 2” event on Sunday night in Osaka. Strikeforce veteran and former Smackgirl Middleweight Champion Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano submitted Chisa Yonezawa in a featured bout.
This weekend featured a pair of women’s bouts showcasing four prospects at 125 pounds in two very different areas of the world. Rising star Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak picked up her third victory as a professional and eleventh overall by defeating Amber “A.J.” McAvoy at Wright Fights 2 in Missouri.