Two of the top female fighters in Bellator will soon square off for a second time. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed to MMARising.com today that Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel and Jessica “Jag” Aguilar have verbally agreed to compete in a late October rematch at an event to be determined.
Gurgel and Aguilar faced off in the semi-finals of the 2010 Bellator women’s tournament at 115 pounds. Gurgel earned a razor-thin Split Decision victory and went on to win the tournament, but has campaigned for a rematch due to the close scoring of the bout. The rematch will be a non-title super fight.
Former WEC lightweight title challenger Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will step in to face Dennis Siver at UFC 137 on October 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cerrone replaces Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout, who withdrew from the fight. MMAWeekly.com first reported on the change to the matchup on Monday.
A 125-pound women’s bout between Jessica “Evil” Eye and Casey “KO” Noland has been added to the Bellator Fighting Championships 51 card on September 24th in Canton, Ohio. The fight was officially announced by the promotion earlier today and serves as both fighters’ Bellator debuts.
Keeping her unblemished record intact, 2004 Olympic silver medallist Sara McMann earned a third-round submission victory over a very game Raquel “Rocky” Pa’aluhi at ProElite 1 tonight in Honolulu, Hawaii. The pair engaged in a spirited Fight of the Night battle that drew cheers from the crowd.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Brazil for the first time in 13 years tonight at UFC 134: Rio. The event took place at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro and featured a bout between Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Yushin “Thunder” Okami for the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Leading amateur promotion Tuff-N-Uff crowned two women’s champions tonight in Las Vegas, Nevada. Teen prospect Jordan Nicole Gaza won the promotion’s 115-pound title by submitting Kathryn Davis, while unbeaten Liz “Lil’ Lightning” McCarthy upset Jordan McDonald for 110-pound gold.
Former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Marloes Coenen has officially signed a new deal with North Carolina-based BlackEye Promotions. The Dutch submission specialist was abruptly released from her Strikeforce contract earlier this month along with her Golden Glory teammates.
Amanda “Powerhouse” Lucas, the adopted daughter of Star Wars creator George Lucas, earned her second mixed martial arts victory this evening at DEEP: “55 Impact” in Tokyo, Japan. Lucas defeated pro wrestler and MMA veteran Hikaru Shinohara by technical submission due to an armbar.