Featherweight standout Julia “The Jewel” Budd picked up her fifth straight win in her Bellator debut on Friday night at Bellator 133 in Fresno, California. Budd earned an extremely lopsided Unanimous Decision victory over short-notice replacement Gabrielle “Gabanator” Holloway on the main card.
Just as she did in each of her four fights for Invicta FC, Budd controlled the bout with Holloway on the mat and smothered her overmatched opponent. Holloway survived Budd’s bursts of ground and pound and made it to the final bell, but Budd walked away with an easy victory on the scorecards.
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BJJ black belt Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha looks to rebound from the first defeat of her MMA career when she returns to the Octagon on April 11th at UFC Fight Night 64: “Gonzaga vs Cro Cop 2” in Kraków, Poland. Gadelha is expected to face Irish standout Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly on the card.
MMAFighting.com first reported on the targeted matchup on Wednesday night. Gadelha is coming off of a razor-thin Split Decision loss to Joanna JÄ™drzejczyk at UFC on FOX 13 on December 13th. One night earlier, Daly submitted Alex “Astro Girl” Chambers at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale.
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Four-time Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Champion Rena Kubota made a big statement in her triumphant return to kickboxing competition on Wednesday night at “No Kick, No Life 2015” in Tokyo, Japan. Kubota handily dispatched of Swedish Muay Thai champion Elli Maria Ekström in a one-sided fight.
Kubota, who was competing under kickboxing rules for the first time since 2011, dominated her experienced opponent with brutal combinations to the head and body. After two standing eight counts, the referee intervened to rescue Ekström from any further damage late in the lopsided second round.
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Former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman meets a familiar foe when she steps back into the Octagon on April 25th at UFC 186: “Dillashaw vs Barao 2” in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Kaufman is set to face long-time rival Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis for a third time.
UFC officials announced the trilogy fight late on Tuesday. Kaufman stopped Davis late in the pair’s first meeting in 2007, but a 2012 rematch under the Strikeforce banner was much more competitive and Kaufman narrowly eked out a razor-thin Majority Decision. She now seeks win number three in April.
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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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