Former Smackgirl and Valkyrie champion Yuka “Vale Tudo Queen” Tsuji made short work of South Korean challenger Hyo Kyung Song on Saturday night at DEEP: “Osaka Impact 2012” in Osaka, Japan. Tsuji needed just 87 seconds to dispatch of Song with an impressive armbar from back control.
Tsuji may be nearing the end of her storied career, but the Osaka native has posted wins in 16 of her past 18 fights and remains one of the most talented female grapplers in Japan. Saturday’s bout was Tsuji’s first fight under the DEEP banner since she suffered her first professional loss in July 2003.
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England tonight for UFC on Fuel TV 5: “Struve vs Miocic.” The event was headlined by a heavyweight matchup between submission specialist Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve and unbeaten prospect Stipe Miocic.
Also on the card, Nottingham’s own Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy battled Amir Sadollah in one featured welterweight bout. In other 170-pound action, John “The Hitman” Hathaway squared off against John “The One” Maguire. MMARising.com has play-by-play for tonight’s UFC on Fuel TV 5 event.
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Standout wrestler Michelle “T-Cat” Ould put on what was arguably the best performance of her career tonight at Bellator Fighting Championships 74 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Ould took a clear-cut Unanimous Decision victory over Munah “The Perfect Storm” Holland in a featured flyweight bout.
In other action tonight, Sofia Bagherdai showed why she is still one of the top prospects at 125 pounds with a dominant win at XFC 20: “High Octane” in Knoxville, Tennessee. Bagherdai overwhelmed Sarah “KO Kid” Maloy with some vicious ground and pound en route to a first-round TKO stoppage.
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A concussion sustained in training has forced Elaina “Beef” Maxwell out of her bout with Julia “The Jewel” Budd at Invicta Fighting Championships 3 on October 6th in Kansas City, Kansas. U.K.-based veteran Danielle “The Honey Badger” West has stepped in to face Budd on the main card.
MMARising.com confirmed the change with sources close to the promotion today. West, who is originally from Boston, Massachusetts, will compete in her home country for the first time in her nine-year MMA career. Budd looks for her second straight victory after scoring a big win at Invicta FC 2 in July.
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Stephanie “The Shark” Gonzalez and Jillian “Justice” Lybarger will settle unfinished business from earlier this year when they face off at Tuff-N-Uff: “Feastibrawl” on November 21st in Las Vegas, Nevada. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the 125-pound bout with the promotion on Wednesday.
Gonzalez was twice set to challenge for Lybarger’s 115-pound title this year, but both bouts were scrapped when Lybarger was unable to make weight. Also targeted for the November card is a rematch between new 125-pound champ Cortney “Cast Iron” Casey and Rachael “The Panther” Cummins.
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After a planned Strikeforce bout was scrapped earlier this week, Cat “Alpha” Zingano has stepped in on short notice to face Raquel “Rocky” Pennington at Invicta Fighting Championships 3 on October 6th in Kansas City, Kansas. Zingano replaces an injured “Killer” Kim Connor-Hamby on the card.
Zingano was first set to face Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith at Invicta FC 3, but withdrew from the fight in order to compete for Strikeforce this Saturday. The Strikeforce event was subsequently cancelled and Zingano will now face Pennington, who is one of the sport’s top bantamweight prospects.
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Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez has suffered a shoulder injury and has withdrawn from his bout with Pat “Bam Bam” Healy this Saturday in Sacramento, California. Strikeforce officials announced late Sunday night that the entire event has been cancelled as a result.
Melendez was set to defend his title against Healy in the Strikeforce main event, but the promotion’s television partner, Showtime, was unwilling to air the event once Melendez was removed from the card. Strikeforce has not yet announced whether the remaining nine bouts will be rescheduled.
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Competing on short notice, “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant posted her second professional victory of the year tonight at Premier Fight Series 2 in Fort Worth, Texas. VanZant defeated local favourite Amber “The Apex Predator” Stautzenberger by Unanimous Decision in an action-packed bout.
VanZant was forced to play defence in the first round after Stautzenberger started strong with takedowns and ground and pound, but rounds two and three belonged to VanZant. The 18-year-old employed effective strikes in the clinch and on the ground to seal the close but well-earned decision win.
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