A featured flyweight bout between one of the division’s fastest rising stars, Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak, and unbeaten prospect Bethany Marshall is the latest addition to Invicta Fighting Championships 2 on July 28th in Kansas City, Kansas. The bout was officially announced today.

In other action on the main card, Strikeforce veteran Julia “The Jewel” Budd competes for the first time since a November bout with current Strikeforce champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. Budd faces off against Sweden’s Elina Nilsson in the lone featherweight matchup on the Invicta FC 2 card.

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An atomweight matchup between Jewels Rough Stone Grand Prix winner Kikuyo Ishikawa and “South Valley’s Own” Angelica Chavez headlines the preliminary portion of Invicta Fighting Championships 2 on July 28th in Kansas City, Kansas. The bout was one of many announced today.

Also confirmed for the event is a bantamweight bout between B.C. native Sarah “Cheesecake” Moras and Colorado’s Raquel “Rocky” Pennington. Rounding out the preliminary card, two-time amateur champ Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke makes her pro debut against Suzie Montero at 135 pounds.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC 146: “Dos Santos vs Mir.” The all-heavyweight main card featured UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior “Cigano” dos Santos defending his title against former champ Frank Mir.

Also on tonight’s card, Cain Velasquez returned to action for the first time since November when he faced Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Roy “Big Country” Nelson looked to rebound from a loss in February when he battled Dave Herman. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC 146 card.

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In just 64 seconds, Kaiyana Rain spoiled opponent Jordan Nicole Gaza’s final amateur bout tonight at Tuff-N-Uff: “Festibrawl” in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rain submitted her 19-year-old adversary with a first-round guillotine choke to claim the newly vacated Tuff-N-Uff 115-pound women’s championship.

The 115-pound title was initially slated to be up for grabs in a different fight on the card, but a planned championship bout between titleholder Jillian “Justice” Lybarger and Stephanie “The Shark” Gonzalez was cancelled for the second consecutive time after Lybarger was unable to make weight.

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Weigh-ins for tomorrow’s Jewels: “19th Ring” event were held at P’s LAB in Osaka, Japan on Friday. Headliners Ayaka Hamasaki and Yuka “Vale Tudo Queen” Tsuji successfully hit the marks for their Jewels Lightweight Queen Championship bout, which will be contested over three rounds.

Jewels Featherweight Queen Champion Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama came in overweight for her non-title rematch with final Valkyrie titleholder Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada. Sugiyama will begin tomorrow’s co-main event bout with a yellow card. All other main card participants made weight without issue.

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Two of MMA’s top amateur prospects, Jessica Philippus and “Lightning” Liz McCarthy, will turn pro and face off in a 105-pound bout at Invicta Fighting Championships 2 on July 28th in Kansas City, Kansas. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the matchup with multiple sources this week.

Philippus brings a seven-fight winning streak into her pro debut and most recently captured her third amateur title with a first-round submission victory earlier this month. McCarthy has yet to taste defeat in her MMA career and holds three amateur championships in three different weight classes.

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A one-night kickboxing tournament and four additional bouts have been announced for Saturday’s Jewels: “19th Ring” event at Azalea Taisho Hall in Osaka, Japan. Tournament participants are Kaoru Chatani, Akari Nakamura, Megumi and Momoka. Semi-final matchups will be determined this week.

Also confirmed for the card was a mixed martial arts bout between veteran Mayumi “Super Benkei” Aoki and newcomer Keiko Tomita. Aoki returns to MMA competition for the first time since 2010. Rounding out the action on the night’s undercard will be a trio of amateur kickboxing matches.

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Standout wrestler Carla Esparza and jiu-jitsu specialist Sarah “White Tiger” Schneider will meet in a strawweight bout at Invicta Fighting Championships 2 on July 28th in Kansas City, Kansas. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the fight this week. Both fighters are coming off of impressive victories.

Also added to the card today was a flyweight battle between Jocelyn “Lights Out” Lybarger and Canadian Cheryl Chan. The amateur titleholders join the pro ranks on the card. Lybarger captured the Tuff-N-Uff 125-pound title this past month. Chan holds three championships and has won four straight.

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