A lightweight bout between former EliteXC champ “King” K.J. Noons and Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal is now official for Strikeforce: “Overeem vs Werdum” on June 18th in Dallas, Texas. The fight was first reported by MMAjunkie.com earlier this month and confirmed by Strikeforce today.

Also announced for the card this week was a heavyweight bout between standout wrestler Daniel Cormier and MMA veteran Jeff “The Snowman” Monson. Cormier was originally set to face unbeaten prospect Shane del Rosario, but del Rosario withdrew due to injuries from a car accident.

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Many of MMA’s top flyweight fighters will be in action in featured bouts at Tachi Palace Fights 10 on August 5th in Lemoore, California. Reigning KOTC and former two-division Shooto champ Mamoru Yamaguchi will face the former number one flyweight in the world, Jussier “Formiga” da Silva.

The TPF Flyweight Championship will also be on the line in August when Darrell “The Mongoose” Montague defends against Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall, while former champ “Useless” Ulysses Gomez takes on Drew “Lil Bitt” Bittner. Sherdog.com first reported on the matchups today.

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One day after the bout was officially announced, former MFC Lightweight Champion Antonio “Mandingo” McKee has reportedly withdrawn from his fight against Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki at DREAM: “Fight For Japan” on May 29th. The change was first noted by HDNet executives today.

McKee cited visa problems as the reason for his withdrawal from the card when speaking with MMAjunkie.com, but this claim was refuted by DREAM representative Mike Kogan. It is currently unknown whether Aoki will remain on the card, but McKee no longer appears to be in line to compete.

Former UFC Interim and PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira will face once-beaten prospect Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub at UFC 134: Rio on August 27th. The bout was first reported by Sportsnet.ca and officially announced by the promotion today.

Nogueira has dropped two of his last three bouts, both by stoppage, and his once infallible chin has begun to wear down after 12 years of competing in the sport. Schaub, meanwhile, has won four straight fights and is coming off of a knockout win over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović in March.

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DREAM Lightweight Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki will face former MFC champ Antonio “Mandingo” McKee at DREAM: “Fight For Japan” on May 29th in Saitama, Japan. The non-title bout, which was first reported by Sherdog.com last week, was made official for the card on Sunday.

Aoki has not fought in Japan since New Year’s Eve, when he was knocked out in embarrassing fashion by Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima in a mixed rules kickboxing and MMA bout. McKee, like other recent MFC champions, vacated his title last month and will compete for DREAM for the first time.

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Rising star Cat “Alpha” Zingano kept her unbeaten record intact tonight with a third-round knockout victory over Japanese veteran Takayo Hashi at Fight To Win: “Outlaws” in Denver, Colorado. Zingano finished the title fight with a highlight-reel powerbomb slam with just 18 seconds remaining.

Much of the three-round affair was contested in the clinch against the cage, where Zingano was able to use her strength advantage to keep Hashi on the defensive. Hashi was aggressive early on, but Zingano controlled most of the striking exchanges throughout until just before the end of the fight.

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The all-female doubleheader of Jewels events concluded tonight at Jewels: “14th Ring” in Tokyo, Japan. The evening event was headlined by a Jewels vs Valkyrie Special Rules bout between Misaki Takimoto and Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama, which determined the top female strawweight in MMA.

In other action, Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki took on promotional postergirl Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka in a grappling match, while Mika “Future Princess” Nagano faced Emi Murata in a bout rebooked from March. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for Jewels: “14th Ring.”

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Noted striker Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig picked up one of the biggest wins of her mixed martial arts career tonight at Xtreme Fighting Organization 39 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The popular Illinois native earned a Unanimous Decision victory over Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc.

In a second women’s bout on the card, Amanda “Red Fox” LaVoy shocked Michele “Diablita” Gutierrez with a second-round doctor stoppage victory after opening a deep gash above Gutierrez’s left eye. LaVoy, a significant underdog coming into the fight, was overjoyed with the victory.

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