Unbeaten prospect Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña will step back into the cage for the first time in two years when she faces Rachael Swatez at Conquest of the Cage on December 15th. The fight will take place at the Northern Quest Casino near Peña’s hometown of Spokane, Washington.
Peña, who has been on the sidelines due to a serious knee injury, spoke with MMARising.com on Monday about her road to recovery and the return bout with British Columbia’s Swatez, who picked up a win in March. Peña and Swatez are set to square off in a featured matchup at 125 pounds.
Lightweight contenders Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon will square off in the latest addition to the UFC 144 event on February 26, 2012 in Saitama, Japan. UFC officials confirmed plans for the bout earlier this evening following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.
Middleweight standout Yushin “Thunder” Okami will look to get back on the winning track when he faces Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch at UFC 144 on February 26, 2012. Verbal agreements are in place for the matchup, which will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Former EliteXC and Strikeforce champ Jake Shields will welcome Japanese star Yoshihiro Akiyama to the welterweight division when the two face off at UFC 144 on February 26, 2012 in Saitama, Japan. UFC officials announced the bout today. Akiyama makes the drop down after three defeats at 185.
A lightweight bout between former EliteXC champion “King” K.J. Noons and once-beaten prospect Billy Evangelista is now official for the upcoming Strikeforce: “Melendez vs Masvidal” card on December 17th in San Diego, California. Strikeforce officials confirmed the matchup earlier today.
Knockout artist Junior “Cigano” dos Santos needed just 64 seconds to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship tonight at UFC On FOX 1 in Anaheim, California. Dos Santos dropped former champion Cain Velasquez with a looping right hook and finished the fight with punches on the ground.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship debuted on the FOX television network tonight with UFC On FOX 1 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The historic event was headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior “Cigano” dos Santos.
Pro wrestling veteran Kyoko Kimura scored a significant upset in her mixed martial arts debut tonight at Pancrase Impressive Tour 11 in Tokyo, Japan. Kimura defeated judoka and MMA pioneer Megumi Yabushita by TKO after the ringside doctor intervened and stopped the bout following round one.