Unbeaten Ukrainian prospect Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova will face the toughest test of her career when she meets Strikeforce veteran Maiju “Mai” Kujala at Lappeenranta Fight Night 7 on April 14th. The 115-pound matchup, officially announced today, takes place in Kujala’s home country of Finland.
Ovchynnikova and Kujala had originally agreed to face off in late 2011, but a fractured hand forced Ovchynnikova out of the planned bout. The multi-time kickboxing and MMA champion has resumed her training to face Kujala, who will first compete against Juliana “Thai” Carneiro Lima on March 9th.
Led by promoter and former fighter Wallid Ismail, Brazil’s first all-female promotion, Pink Fight MMA, held its first event on Sunday night in Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil. The eight-fight bill included a pair of late additions to the card and featured some of the country’s top female prospects.
Unbeaten prospect Ashley “Smashley” Cummins continued her rise up the ranks with another victory tonight, but the win did not come easily. Cummins took a close but Unanimous Decision victory over Stephanie “Macaquinha” Frausto at NAAFS: “Caged Fury 16” in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The North American Allied Fight Series came to the state of West Virginia for the first time this evening. NAAFS: “Caged Fury 16” took place at the Morgantown Events Center and was headlined by a super heavyweight bout between UFC veteran Sean “Big Sexy” McCorkle and Mike Gordon.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the United Center in Chicago, Illinois tonight for UFC on FOX 2: “Evans vs Davis.” The promotion’s second appearance on the FOX network was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between ex-champ “Suga” Rashad Evans and Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis.
Final Valkyrie Flyweight Champion “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi competes outside of Japan for the first time in her MMA career when she battles unbeaten Finnish prospect Katja Kankaanpää on March 23rd. The bout takes place at Botnia Punishment 11 in Kankaanpää’s hometown of Seinäjoki, Finland.
Veteran striker “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba competes one final time when she faces Jewels mainstay Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka at Pancrase Progress Tour 3 on March 11th in Tokyo, Japan. The fight will be Sunaba’s retirement bout after a 13-year career in both kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
A lightweight contender’s bout between jiu-jitsu specialists Jim Miller and Nate Diaz has been added to UFC on FOX 3, which will take place on May 5th in East Rutherford, New Jersey. UFC President Dana White officially announced the fight this evening. The bout could co-headline the card.