The inaugural Deep Jewels featherweight grand prix tournament begins on February 21st at Deep Jewels 7 in Tokyo, Japan. This past weekend, a random drawing was held to determine each of the quarterfinal matchups, which feature some of the top 48kg talent on the Deep Jewels roster.

In addition to the featherweight quarterfinals, Deep Jewels 7 also features a unique tag-team grappling match. Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino teams up with Sachiko Fujimori to face off against former Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki and her AACC teammate Yuko “Amiba” Oya.

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Two-time Shoot Boxing JKS48 tournament winner Mio Tsumura looks for her second straight victory when she steps back into action on February 21st at Shoot Boxing 2015: Act.1 in Tokyo, Japan. Tsumura is set to battle J-Girls mini flyweight contender Miho Matsuda in a featured 48kg matchup.

Officials announced plans for the fight this past weekend. Tsumura recently got back on the winning track in September following a disappointing defeat in the finals of the 2014 Shoot Boxing Japan 48kg Girls S-Cup. Matsuda dropped a decision to J-Girls rival Anna Shiratsuki in a July rematch.

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Japanese shoot boxing star Rena Kubota makes her return to kickboxing competition on Wednesday night at “No Kick, No Life 2015” in Tokyo. The four-time Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup winner is set to face off against Swedish Muay Thai champion Elli Maria Ekström in featured action on the card.

Event officials announced the three-round fight this past weekend. Kubota has spent the majority of her career competing under shoot boxing rules and is Asia’s top female shoot boxer. She faces a tough test against Ekström, who brings a significant edge in kickboxing experience into the fight.

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With unbeaten Brazilian featherweight Talita “Treta” Nogueira sidelined due to a knee injury, Julia “The Jewel” Budd has received a new opponent for her upcoming Bellator 133 debut in ten days. The Canadian star is set to face Gabrielle “Gabanator” Holloway on February 13th in Fresno, California.

Bellator officials announced the change today following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Budd has not fought since defeating upcoming Invicta FC title challenger Charmaine “Not So Sweet” Tweet in late 2013. Holloway most recently picked up a third-round TKO victory this past month.

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KSW Women’s Strawweight Champion Karolina Kowalkiewicz makes the next defence of her title on February 21st at KSW 30 in Poznań, Poland. The undefeated Polish standout is set to face off against veteran Brazilian contender Kalindra Faria in a 115-pound championship bout on the card.

KSW officials announced the title tilt on Monday. Kowalkiewicz made her North American debut in November and picked up her biggest career win by outpointing Mizuki Inoue at Invicta FC 9. Faria’s 11-fight winning streak was snapped when she was defeated by WSOF champ Jessica “Jag” Aguilar.

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Reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones successfully defended his title with another five-round Unanimous Decision victory on January 3rd at UFC 182 in Las Vegas. Jones outpointed rival Daniel “D.C.” Cormier in the main event and remains on top of the 205-pound rankings.

In other featured light heavyweight action this past month, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson made a strong case for a UFC title shot by blitzing Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson at UFC on FOX 14. Elsewhere, Miesha “Cupcake” Tate earned a big comeback victory over Olympian Sara McMann at UFC 183.

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After a shaky start, former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha “Cupcake” Tate put forth another impressive comeback performance en route to a hard-fought victory tonight at UFC 183: “Silva vs Diaz” in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tate edged out Olympic silver medallist Sara McMann.

The opening round of tonight’s featured matchup did not go as planned for Tate, who was dropped early on and dominated on the ground. She came on strong in the late stages of round two and controlled the final five minutes on the mat to earn a competitive and entertaining Majority Decision victory.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC 183: “Silva vs Diaz.” The card was headlined by a middleweight bout between former long-time UFC champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva and one-time Strikeforce titleholder Nick Diaz.

Also on the card tonight, Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley battled Kelvin Gastelum in the catchweight co-feature that was initially scheduled to be contested at 170 pounds. Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon took on “Raging” Al Iaquinta in a lightweight fight. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

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