The semi-final matchups in the inaugural Jewels Featherweight Queen tournament are now set. A drawing held following tonight’s Jewels: “16th Ring” event in Tokyo, Japan determined the second-round pairings for the tournament, which concludes at Jewels: “17th Ring” on December 17th.
In semi-final one, unbeaten rising star Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama faces 2010 Jewels 48kg Rough Stone Grand Prix Champion Kikuyo Ishikawa. Veterans Misaki Takimoto and Yukiko Seki square off in semi-final two. The tournament will determine the first Jewels Featherweight Queen Champion.
Leading all-female promotion Jewels began its inaugural Featherweight Queen tournament at Jewels: “16th Ring” from Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Tokyo, Japan. Tonight’s card featured a non-title bout between Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki and teen prodigy Mizuki Inoue.
Strikeforce came to the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio tonight for the second round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. The stacked card was headlined by a grand prix semi-final bout between former UFC champ Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett and one-time PRIDE star Sergei Kharitonov.
Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira will join his twin brother, Rodrigo, on the upcoming UFC 140 card. Nogueira will battle “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz on December 10th at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. UFC officials confirmed the bout on Friday night.
Bellator veteran Jessica Penne scored a significant upset this evening in her shoot boxing debut in Tokyo, Japan. Penne earned a Majority Decision win over promotional postergirl Rena Kubota after a pair of extension rounds in a razor-thin bout at Shoot Boxing: “Act.4” at the famed Korakuen Hall.
Standout boxer Holly “Hottie” Holm picked up her second mixed martial arts win tonight at Fresquez Productions: “Clash In The Cage” in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Holm stopped former Strikeforce title challenger Jan “Cuddles” Finney with a kick to the body in the later stages of the third and final round.
Three amateur bouts have been added to the undercard of this Saturday’s Jewels: “16th Ring” event in Tokyo, Japan. The all-female card now includes an MMA rematch between Tamaki Usui and Nana “Chanchin” Ichikawa, who first faced off in July. Usui won the pair’s first bout in just 14 seconds.
As quickly as he was removed from the UFC 137 card, Nick Diaz is back on. The outspoken former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion will now battle “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn at the October 29th event in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC President Dana White confirmed the news earlier this evening.