One of the UFC’s fastest rising female stars, “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant, makes her return to the Octagon on September 5th at UFC 191 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The popular 21-year-old is expected to face off against Australia’s Alex Chambers in a featured strawweight bout on the card.

Fox Sports first confirmed the targeted date for the fight following a report from MMASucka.com. VanZant is coming off of a one-sided domination of Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig at UFC on FOX 15 in April. Chambers rallied back from the brink of defeat and submitted Kailin Curran at UFC Fight Night 65.

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Former Shoot Boxing Japan Women’s Flyweight Champion Ai Takahashi overcame a shaky second round and picked up her sixth straight victory on Sunday night at Shoot Boxing 2015: Act.3 in Tokyo, Japan. Takahashi edged out 16-year-old prospect Nori Date in a closely-contested bout.

Takahashi fared well in the striking exchanges throughout the fight, but Date earned a critical Shoot Point in round two after throwing Takahashi to the mat. Undeterred, the veteran Takahashi bounced back with a strong final round that propelled her to a Majority Decision win on the scorecards.

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Throughout her career, mixed martial arts legend Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii paved the way for other female fighters in Japan. Now retired from active competition, Fujii has assumed a new role as a matchmaking assistant for Vale Tudo Japan, but her goal of aiding female fighters remains the same.

Tonight’s “VTJ In Osaka” card featured a pair of female fights that Fujii was instrumental in putting together. 17-year-old rising stars Yukari Yamaguchi and Kanna Asakura earned quick wins. Fujii spoke with MMARising.com tonight about the event and about the future of VTJ’s women’s divisions.

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Top Japanese prospect Yukari Yamaguchi scored a quick and impressive submission victory in her long-awaited pro MMA debut tonight at Vale Tudo Japan: “VTJ In Osaka” in Osaka, Japan. Yamaguchi, who turned 17 on Friday, finished Mikiko Hiyama with a first-round rear-naked choke.

Yamaguchi wasn’t the only teen prospect to earn a submission victory on tonight’s preliminary card. 17-year-old atomweight Kanna Asakura, who won her pro MMA debut at VTJ 6th in October, kept her perfect record intact by submitting Miyuki Furusawa with a rear-naked choke in the first round.

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UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk successfully retained her title with a brutal third-round stoppage victory tonight at UFC Fight Night 69: “Jędrzejczyk vs Penne” in Berlin, Germany. Jędrzejczyk battered and bloodied Jessica Penne en route to a dominant TKO triumph.

Once again showcasing her much-improved takedown defence, Jędrzejczyk repeatedly thwarted Penne’s efforts to take the fight to the mat. On the feet, she picked the former Invicta FC champion apart with vicious elbows, head kicks and punching flurries until the one-sided fight was finally waved off.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to O₂ World in Berlin, Germany tonight for UFC Fight Night 69: “Jędrzejczyk vs Penne.” The fight card was headlined by a UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship bout between champ Joanna Jędrzejczyk and former Invicta FC titleholder Jessica Penne.

In the featherweight co-feature, Dennis Siver took on Japanese standout Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri. Peter Sobotta battled Steven “The Steamrolla” Kennedy at 170 pounds, and “Sergeant” Nick Hein met Łukasz “Wookiee” Sajewski at 155. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the main card.

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Deep Jewels Strawweight Champion Mizuki Inoue looks to rebound from a pair of close defeats inside the Invicta FC cage when she defends her title on August 29th at Deep Jewels 9 in Tokyo, Japan. Inoue faces off against familiar foe Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino for a third time on the card.

Deep Jewels officials announced the title bout this week. The fighters first clashed in July 2010 when a 15-year-old Inoue made a successful pro kickboxing debut by upsetting Fujino. She earned her second win over the veteran standout in November 2013 under MMA rules at Deep Jewels 2.

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It was not the exciting performance that many had hoped for, but Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres kept her perfect pro record intact with a Unanimous Decision victory tonight at UFC 188: “Velasquez vs Werdum” in Mexico City, Mexico. Torres outpointed Angela “Overkill” Hill in a main card matchup.

Though best known for her formidable striking skills, Torres opted to take the fight with Hill to the ground on multiple occasions, but Hill defended well in each round. Torres was never able to mount any sustained offence, but her takedowns and clinch control were enough to secure the decision victory.

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