The inaugural Bantamweight Queen of Pancrase title will be up for grabs on December 1st when unbeaten Japanese standout Rin Nakai faces Danielle “The Honey Badger” West at Pancrase Progress Tour 14 in Tokyo, Japan. Pancrase officials announced plans for the title rematch earlier today.

Nakai and West first battled to a contentious Split Draw in a back-and-forth bout under the Pancrase banner in September 2011. Some observers felt that West had done enough to win the fight and she now looks to settle the score with Nakai by taking the Pancrase title back home to the U.K.

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Australian prospects Alexandra Chambers and Claire Fryer made short work of their Japanese opponents tonight at Brace For War 17: “Brace Girls” in Southport, Queensland, Australia. Chambers needed just 42 seconds to stop Mika “Future Princess” Nagano, while Fryer defeated Rina Tomita.

The two Australia versus Japan bouts headlined tonight’s all-female Brace For War card, which included a total of 11 women’s matchups in multiple weight classes. In addition to the impressive performances from Chambers and Fryer, “Ferocious” Fiona Muxlow picked up her sixth career victory.

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After spending nearly 18 months on the sidelines with a torn ACL, Bellator women’s champion Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel made a successful return to action tonight at Bellator Fighting Championships 78 in Dayton, Ohio. Gurgel earned a Unanimous Decision win over Casey “KO” Noland.

Gurgel got off to a slower start than she had hoped in round one, but began to take control of the fight on the feet and on the ground in the later rounds. She bloodied Noland with a nasty elbow strike from the top in round three that sealed the well-earned decision victory on all three judges’ scorecards.

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Veteran Brazilian contender Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm and rising star Kalindra Carvalho Faria are expected to compete in a rematch at Warriors Fighting Championship 1 on November 14th in São Paulo, Brazil. The promotion officially revealed plans for the matchup this past week.

Damm and Faria first faced off in September 2009. Damm prevailed via second-round corner stoppage and later moved on to a high-profile bouts in the United States. Faria is currently riding a four-fight winning streak and most recently captured the inaugural Pink Fight 121-pound title in March.

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Texas-based amateur prospects Paulina “Firefox” Granados and Stephanie “The Cyclone” Alba will face off for a second time in a 110-pound title fight at Garcia Promotions: “Cage Combat 12” on December 21st in Humble, Texas. The rematch was officially announced for the card earlier this week.

Both fighters have won back-to-back fights since their first bout in January 2011, which resulted in a Unanimous Decision victory for Granados. She remains unbeaten in her MMA career and hopes to make her pro debut next year if she is able to first capture the Cage Combat title in December.

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In just 13 months, Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres has won eight fights and captured three championship titles. The 23-year-old American Top Team fighter made a successful pro debut for Invicta Fighting Championships earlier this month and is currently one of MMA’s fastest rising prospects.

Though still young in her MMA career, Torres is a lifelong martial artist who strives to become a wiser and more complete fighter with each passing day. She is eager to continue her journey up the 115-pound ranks and hopes to return to the Invicta FC cage at the promotion’s next event in January.

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Life as a mixed martial arts fighter is rarely easy. As a new parent, pursuing a career in MMA is even more of a challenge and it is one that atomweight star Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson deals with on a daily basis as she fights to become the top 105-pound female fighter in the sport.

With daughter Araya watching, Waterson has posted back-to-back victories since returning to the cage in January. She has set her sights on capturing the Invicta FC Atomweight Championship and hopes to maintain an active fighting schedule in 2013 as she works to build a bright future for her family.

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Carla Esparza is already one of MMA’s top female fighters. In January, the standout wrestler could become the first Invicta FC champion at 115 pounds in what will be her biggest and most important fight. Esparza is expected to face unbeaten Jewels titleholder Ayaka Hamasaki at Invicta FC 4.

For Esparza, the opportunity to compete for the title is both an honour and the culmination of many years of hard work. The two-time All-American has won three straight fights and hopes that a title victory in January could lead to a rematch with former Bellator rival Jessica Aguilar sometime in 2013.

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