Unbeaten Ukrainian Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova has signed on as the first contracted female fighter to the upstart Super Fight League promotion. Ovchynnikova is set to face off against Serbia’s Sanja Sučević, a fellow kickboxer, at Super Fight League 1 on March 11th in Mumbai, India.

Ovchynnikova returns to mixed martial arts action for the first time since suffering a hand injury in a kickboxing match this past year. She is also booked to face Strikeforce veteran Maiju “Mai” Kujala on April 14th. Sučević has won two of her three MMA bouts and was victorious in December.

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After a ten-month break from MMA competition, amateur prospect Sarah “Piranha” Goodlaxson steps back into the cage at United Fight League’s “March Madness” event on March 31st in Davison, Michigan. Goodlaxson is set to face Myndi “Moose” Collins, who has won back-to-back fights.

Goodlaxson earned a second-round submission victory in her most recent bout in May. She credits a move to Michigan and a change in teams as instrumental in getting her career on track after a setback in 2010. Collins has fought four times since October and was victorious this past weekend.

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Top Japanese prospect Mizuki Inoue returns to mixed martial arts action for the first time in six months at Jewels: “18th Ring” this Saturday evening in Tokyo. The 17-year-old karateka faces off against unbeaten Australian jiu-jitsu practitioner Alexandra Chambers in a featured bout on the card.

Inoue upset Shoot Boxing champion Ai Takahashi in a non-title bout under shoot boxing rules earlier this month and now looks to rebound from her first pro MMA setback. Also announced for “18th Ring” today was a kickboxing match between two-division champion Yui Takada and Satoko Ozawa.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the Land of the Rising Sun after 11 years away for UFC 144: “Edgar vs Henderson” at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar battled Ben “Smooth” Henderson in the main event.

Also on the card, former PRIDE star and one-time UFC titleholder Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced Ryan “Darth” Bader in featured light heavyweight action, while Jake Shields squared off against Yoshihiro Akiyama in a welterweight matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

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Five new fights have been added to the UFC 146: “Dos Santos vs Overeem” card on May 26th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy takes on striker Duane “Bang” Ludwig in a pivotal welterweight clash. Both fighters look to rebound from losses.

Also announced for the card on Wednesday night was a heavyweight bout between unbeaten Strikeforce import Shane del Rosario and one-time UFC title contender Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga. Light heavyweight Glover Teixeira makes his long-awaited Octagon debut against Kyle “Kingsbu” Kingsbury.

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The six-fight main card for Invicta Fighting Championships 1 is complete. The all-female event, which takes place on April 28th at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, is headlined by a previously announced 145-pound rematch between Marloes “Rumina” Coenen and Romy Ruyssen.

In the co-feature, Bellator veterans Jessica Penne and Lisa Ellis-Ward face off at 105 pounds. The card also features a pair of bantamweight bouts, as former Strikeforce title challenger Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche faces Ashleigh Curry, while one-time EliteXC star Kaitlin Young takes on Leslie Smith.

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Invicta Fighting Championships will stage its inaugural all-female event on April 28th at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The night’s five-fight preliminary card is expected to be headlined by a 105-pound bout between Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc and Amy “Lil’ Dynamite” Davis.

Also announced for the card today was the long-awaited MMA debut of 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Randi Miller, who faces Mollie Ahlers-Estes. Top prospect Ashley “Smashley” Cummins battles the returning Sofia Bagherdai and Jessica Philippus makes her pro debut against Meghan Wright.

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A lightweight bout between contenders Evan Dunham and Edson Barboza has been added to UFC 146: “Dos Santos vs Overeem” on May 26th in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC President Dana White announced the matchup earlier today. Both fighters are coming off of stoppage victories in January.

Dunham had a rough start to his 2011 campaign and suffered a quick TKO loss to Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard, but he has now battled back with two wins to begin his climb back up the lightweight ranks. Barboza remains unbeaten and scored a highlight-reel knockout win at UFC 142.

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