Valkyrie Featherweight Champion Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi earned a close and very competitive Majority Decision victory over promotional veteran “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba tonight at Pancrase Impressive Tour 3 in Tokyo, Japan. Scores were 20-20, 20-19 and 20-18 in the Fight of the Night bout.
Competing in Pancrase for the first time, and in the promotion’s first female main event, Yamaguchi controlled much of the opening round with punches and a takedown that led to strikes and submission attempts on the ground. Sunaba rallied in round two, but it was not quite enough to steal the win.
Former Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion Sarah Kaufman got back on the winning track with her tenth stoppage victory on Saturday night. Competing in front of her hometown fans, Kaufman stopped Japanese MMA legend Megumi Yabushita in the main event of AFC 5: “Judgment Day.”
Armageddon Fighting Championship returned to the Bear Mountain Arena in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada tonight for AFC 5: “Judgment Day.” The main event featured a 135-pound women’s bout between former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman and Japanese MMA pioneer Megumi Yabushita.
Strikeforce came to the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California tonight for Strikeforce Challengers 15. The event was headlined by a lightweight bout between promotional prospect Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox and veteran Rodrigo Damm, as both fighters looked to step closer to title contention.
At UFC 128 on March 19th, 23-year-old Jon “Bones” Jones became the youngest undisputed champion in Ultimate Fighting Championship history when he defeated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Jones takes over the top spot in the 205-pound division.
An undisclosed injury suffered in training has forced welterweight contender Jon Fitch out of his upcoming rematch with “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn at UFC 132. MMAWeekly.com was first to report on Fitch’s injury, though the nature and severity remain unknown. Penn is expected to remain on the card.
A bout between rising female stars Jessica “Jag” Aguilar and Carla Esparza is currently targeted for a Bellator event this summer. The matchup will most likely take place at the tentatively-titled Bellator 46 on June 25th, which will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Multi-time boxing champion Holly “Hottie” Holm is expected to return to the cage for her second mixed martial arts bout on September 2nd for Fresquez Productions in Albuquerque, New Mexico. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the September fight with promoter Lenny Fresquez earlier today.