Former Strikeforce champ and top Invicta FC contender Marloes “Rumina” Coenen is set to make her Bellator featherweight debut on October 24th at Bellator 130 in Mulvane, Kansas. Coenen will face off against Italian rising star Annalisa “No Fear” Bucci in a featured matchup on the card.

TheMMAReport.com first reported on the planned fight on Tuesday. Coenen joined the Bellator roster this summer alongside Julia “The Jewel” Budd and others when Bellator restored a women’s division. Bucci has won six of her past seven fights and she makes her North American debut for Bellator.

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Invicta FC Atomweight Champion Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson retained her title with a dominant third-round TKO victory on September 6th at Invicta Fighting Championships 8. Waterson stopped former Valkyrie champ Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada and remains atop the 105-pound rankings.

Also at Invicta FC 8, Katja “Killer Bunny” Kankaanpää submitted Stephanie “Snowflake” Eggink to become the Invicta FC Strawweight Champion. In September UFC action, Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade, Miesha “Cupcake” Tate and “Alpha” Cat Zingano all picked up key bantamweight victories.

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Former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza showed no signs of ring rust in an impressive first-round submission victory during tonight’s fourth episode of The Ultimate Fighter 20: “A Champion Will Be Crowned.” The top-ranked Esparza defeated Angela “Overkill” Hill.

Esparza’s victory extended Team Pettis’s lead to 4-0 over Team Melendez, which has thus far struggled in the elimination round. Ranked #1 and seen by many as a favourite to win the competition, Esparza overcame nerves and a lengthy layoff en route to a quick victory over the #16-ranked Hill.

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Strawweight striker Vanessa “Vanessinha” Guimarães scored the biggest win of her young MMA career on Saturday night at XFC International 6 in Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil. Guimarães outpointed Vanessa “Miss Simpatia” Melo to win the XFC women’s strawweight tournament title.

XFCi 6 also featured the quarterfinal round of the promotion’s eight-woman flyweight title tournament. Taila Santos, Poliana Botelho, Debora Ferreira and Silvaneide “Marretinha” Pereira all advanced on to the semi-finals of the 125-pound championship tournament with key victories on Saturday’s card.

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Undefeated bantamweight star “Alpha” Cat Zingano regained her former top title contender status with a hard-fought TKO victory tonight at UFC 178: “Johnson vs Cariaso” in Las Vegas, Nevada. Zingano weathered an early storm and stopped Brazil’s Amanda “Lioness” Nunes in the third round.

Zingano was in danger early and often in round one as Nunes battered her with vicious ground and pound on the mat. However, just as she has done in past bouts, Nunes slowed way down as the fight progressed and Zingano overwhelmed her with strikes on the ground en route to a thrilling TKO win.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC 178: “Johnson vs Cariaso.” The event was headlined by a UFC Flyweight Championship bout between champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso.

In tonight’s co-main event, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone battled former Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez. Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier took on “The Notorious” Conor McGregor and “Alpha” Cat Zingano faced Amanda “Lioness” Nunes. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s card.

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Bantamweight contenders Jessica “Evil” Eye and Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith are set to collide inside the world-famous Octagon on November 15th. Eye and Smith will face off in a featured bout at UFC 180: “Velasquez vs Werdum” in Mexico City, Mexico. UFC officials confirmed the fight today.

Eye transitioned to the UFC this past October following a successful stint in Bellator and initially won her UFC debut, but the result was overturned when she tested positive for marijuana metabolites. Smith most recently earned her first UFC win by quickly stopping Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke in July.

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Brazilian strawweight Juliana “Ju Thai” de Lima Carneiro looks to pick up her first Octagon victory in front of local fans and supporters on November 8th at UFC Fight Night 56: “Shogun vs Manuwa” in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Lima faces off against Nina “The Strina” Ansaroff on the card.

UFC officials announced plans for the 115-pound fight today. Lima made her Octagon debut in late July and dropped a Unanimous Decision to Polish standout Joanna Jędrzejczyk. Ansaroff has won five straight fights and most recently knocked out Munah “The Perfect Storm” Holland at Invicta FC 7.

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