Hatsu Hioki Set To Face George Roop At UFC 137Former Shooto and Sengoku champion Hatsu Hioki will make his Octagon debut against George Roop at UFC 137 on October 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The promotion officially announced the bout today. Hioki vacated his Shooto title and began negotiations with the UFC at the end of May.

The Japanese star has lost just once in his last 14 bouts, in a controversial Split Decision against Michihiro Omigawa in late 2009, and holds recent victories over former Sengoku titleholders Masanori Kanehara and Marlon Sandro. Roop has earned knockout wins in two of his last three fights.

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Jewels Books Featherweight Tournament For September 11An eight-woman featherweight tournament will begin on September 11th in Tokyo, Japan to determine the first Jewels Featherweight Queen Champion at 48 kilograms. The tournament, which will conclude on December 17th, was officially announced during Jewels: “15th Ring” in Tokyo tonight.

Among those participating will be final Valkyrie Flyweight Champion Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada and Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama, as well as other veteran fighters such as Misaki Takimoto and Sachiko “Sachi” Yamamoto. Jewels crowned its first champion with a similar tournament late last year.

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Jewels: "15th Ring" Live Play-By-Play & ResultsLeading all-female promotion Jewels showcased its biggest event tonight with Jewels: “15th Ring” at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan. The card was headlined by a Jewels vs Valkyrie Special Rules bout between Jewels rep Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka and veteran Yuka “Vale Tudo Queen” Tsuji.

The co-feature also matched Jewels against Valkyrie, as South Korea’s Seo Hee Ham faced Valkyrie champ “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi, while Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii rematched Mika “Future Princess” Nagano in another featured matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s card.

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Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante vs Lyle Beerbohm Set For July 30th StrikeforceA lightweight bout between former two-time HERO’s champion Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante and Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm has now been added to the upcoming Strikeforce: “Fedor vs Henderson” card on July 30th in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The promotion officially announced the fight today.

Cavalcante most recently fought to a No Decision with powerhouse wrestler Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox in June after Wilcox was accidentally poked in the eye early in the second round. Beerbohm, meanwhile, will be looking to rebound after suffering back-to-back losses; the first of his career.

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Chael Sonnen vs Brian Stann Targeted For UFC 136 CardA middleweight matchup between former title challenger Chael Sonnen and military veteran “All American” Brian Stann is in the works for UFC 136. The planned event is targeted for October 8th at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Heavy.com was first to report on the bout earlier this afternoon.

Sonnen returns to UFC action after a suspension imposed by the California State Athletic Commission. The embattled wrestler was suspended after providing contradictory statements regarding his testosterone replacement therapy, and was also convicted of money laundering earlier this year.

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Dan Miller Now To Face Rousimar Palhares At UFC 134: RioAfter an undisclosed injury forced Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira out of the upcoming UFC 134 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares has received a new opponent. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Dan Miller has stepped in to face the leglock master on the August 27th card.

The UFC officially announced the change today, though details of Ferreira’s ailment were not disclosed. Palhares has won four of his last five fights, with the defeat coming against Nate “The Great” Marquardt. Miller’s two-fight winning streak ended when he was decisioned by Marquardt in March.

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Two Kickboxing Bouts Round Out Jewels: "15th Ring" CardA pair of amateur women’s kickboxing bouts have been added to Saturday’s Jewels: “15th Ring” event in Tokyo, Japan. Among those participating on the card is 12-year-old “Muay Thai Genius” Saya Ito, who has already amassed an incredible 66 fights to date against mostly older male opposition.

Ito will face Chihiro Kira in one of the two kickboxing matches added to the event’s undercard. The second matchup pits J-Girls veteran and kickboxing champion Seira Aragaki against Wano Sato. Both bouts will be contested under amateur rules over two, two-minute rounds to open the Jewels card.

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Zoila Gurgel: Evolution Of A Mixed Martial Arts ChampionTwo years ago, Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel was a self-described flashy kickboxer who shunned the ground game. In 2010, she became the first Bellator women’s champion at 115 pounds and now she is focused on transforming herself into a well-rounded, elite mixed martial artist.

The newly-married Gurgel has faced more than her fair share of criticism and negativity during her short career, but she plans to showcase her new skills and silence critics when she returns this Fall, and hopes that sponsors will take a greater interest in supporting talented female fighters in MMA.

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