Former top Jewels star Mika “Future Princess” Nagano is no longer set to compete in an exhibition retirement match at Deep Jewels 3 on February 16th in Tokyo, Japan. Deep Jewels officials announced on Sunday night that Nagano is pregnant and her exhibition has been removed from the card.
Nagano had been scheduled to face one-time Jewels foe Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka in what was to be Nagano’s final appearance in MMA. In place of the Nagano-Ishioka exhibition, Deep Jewels has added a grappling match between Brittany Ann Decker and Haruka Kojima to the preliminary card.
Read More…
Former boxing champ Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm will compete for her first MMA title on April 4th at Legacy Fighting Championship 30 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The hometown star faces Juliana “Julie” Werner for the inaugural Legacy FC Women’s Bantamweight Championship.
Holm made a successful Legacy FC debut in July when she knocked out Allanna “Hands of Stone” Jones with a devastating head kick, and she kept her perfect record intact by picking up two more wins before the end of the year. Werner has won five straight fights and she has not lost since 2006.
Read More…
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey tonight for UFC 169: “Barao vs Faber 2.” The event was headlined by a UFC Bantamweight Championship rematch between Renan “Barao” Pegado and challenger “The California Kid” Urijah Faber.
In tonight’s co-main event, UFC Featherweight Champion José “Scarface” Aldo defended his title against Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir took on Alistair Overeem in a pivotal heavyweight clash. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Read More…
Jessica “Jag” Aguilar remained on top of the 115-pound women’s rankings with a quick and impressive submission victory at World Series of Fighting 8 on January 18th. Aguilar defeated the previously unbeaten Alida Gray to become the inaugural WSOF Women’s Strawweight Champion.
At UFC on FOX 10, former UFC Lightweight Champion “Smooth” Benson Henderson picked up yet another controversial decision victory when he narrowly edged out one-time Strikeforce champ Josh “The Punk” Thomson. Heavyweight prospect Stipe Miocic defeated Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga.
Read More…
Unbeaten prospect Bethe “Pitbull” Correia and popular rising star Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke have agreed to face off in a featured bantamweight bout at UFC 172: “Jones vs Teixeira,” which takes place on April 26th in Baltimore, Maryland. Globo.com first reported on the planned fight earlier today.
Correia made a successful Octagon debut this past month when she edged out veteran contender Julie “Fireball” Kedzie at UFC Fight Night 33. TUF 18 quarterfinalist Duke kicked off her official UFC career with a Unanimous Decision victory over Peggy “The Daywalker” Morgan in November.
Read More…
With Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña injured, TUF 18 semi-finalist Raquel “Rocky” Pennington has stepped in to face Brazilian rising star Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade at UFC 171: “Hendricks vs Lawler” on March 15th in Dallas, Texas. UFC officials announced the change this evening.
Pennington rebounded from a loss to Jessica “The Ragin'” Rakoczy in the TUF 18 semi-finals by winning her official UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale on November 30th. Andrade picked up her first Octagon win when she defeated veteran Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton at UFC Fight Night 30.
Read More…
TUF 18 winner Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña has suffered a serious knee injury and has been forced to withdraw from her bout against Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade at UFC 171: “Hendricks vs Lawler” on March 15th in Dallas, Texas. MMAjunkie.com first reported on Peña’s injury today.
Peña has already sustained two torn ACLs that kept her out of action for more than two full years. She returned to MMA in late 2011 and has since gone 2-2 including a brief stint in the flyweight division. Peña became the first female winner of The Ultimate Fighter competition this past November.
Read More…
The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to United Center in Chicago, Illinois tonight for UFC on FOX 10: “Henderson vs Thomson.” The event was headlined by a lightweight bout between former UFC champion “Smooth” Benson Henderson and ex-Strikeforce champ Josh “The Punk” Thomson.
Also on the card, heavyweight rising star Stipe Miocic took on Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga in the co-main event. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone faced Adriano Martins and Darren “The Damage” Elkins battled Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Read More…