One of MMA’s top female prospects, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, needed just 25 seconds to win her pro debut Sunday night at King of the Cage: “Turning Point” in Tarzana, California. The Olympic judo bronze medallist submitted highly-touted Brazilian Ediane “India” Gomes with a first-round armbar.
Rousey’s victory, her first as a pro and fourth overall, marked the third time that she has submitted an opponent in less than 30 seconds. Her longest bout to date, a 57-second matchup with Autumn Richardson in November, also ended with an armbar. Rousey’s combined fight time is just 2:09.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington tonight for UFC Fight Night 24. The card was headlined by a light heavyweight matchup between former PRIDE star Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira and unbeaten prospect Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis.
Titan Fighting Championship made its return to HDNet tonight with TFC 17 from the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between Strikeforce veteran and one-time pro wrestler Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley and late replacement opponent John Ott.
An upcoming eight-man bantamweight tournament, dubbed the Japan Cup, has been delayed by eight days and will now begin on April 26th. A source close to the new promotion confirmed to MMARising.com on Tuesday that fighters competing on the card have been notified of the change in date.
Unbeaten prospect Jessica “Evil” Eye will return to the North American Allied Fight Series on June 4th. The Ohio native will face Irish standout Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly in a featured 125-pound bout as part of NAAFS: “Fight Night In The Flats 7.” The fighters jointly confirmed the planned bout earlier today.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz will return to action at UFC 132 on July 2nd. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will face a tough test in top contender Ryan “Darth” Bader. MMAWeekly.com first reported the bout today, which was later confirmed by UFC President Dana White.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey tonight for UFC 128: “Shogun vs Jones.” The card was headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship matchup between champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and fast-rising star Jon “Bones” Jones.
One year ago, Megumi Fujii was battling injuries and on the verge of retiring as the greatest female fighter that mixed martial arts fans had ever seen. A call from Bellator Fighting Championships changed everything, however, and Fujii went on to gain more fans while competing in the United States.