Former Jewels title contender Kikuyo Ishikawa has officially retired from mixed martial arts competition. The 29-year-old Okinawan announced on Monday that she is married and expecting her first child, and confirmed that she will be moving on from MMA to pursue the next chapter in her life.
Ishikawa made history in 2008 as the first professional female MMA fighter from Okinawa, Japan. She relocated to Yokohama to further her training and soon went on to become one of the top female atomweight fighters in the world. She leaves the sport having won seven of her past nine bouts.
Flyweight prospect Tyra “The Honey Badger” Parker begins her move back down towards the strawweight division when she steps back into the cage at Gladiator Challenge: “Kaboom” on January 18th in El Cajon, California. Parker takes on former Tuff-N-Uff title contender Kristi “Violencia” Lopez.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California tonight for UFC on FOX 9: “Johnson vs Benavidez 2.” The event was headlined by a UFC Flyweight Championship rematch between Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Joseph Benavidez.
Three additional fights have been announced for the upcoming Deep Jewels 3 card on February 16th in Tokyo, Japan. Former Jewels Featherweight Queen Champion Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama looks for her second straight win when she takes on Satomi “Sarami” Takano in a featured matchup.
History was made once again earlier this week with the announcement that Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show competition will feature an all-female strawweight cast in May 2014. The winner of TUF 20 will then be crowned as the first UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion at 115 pounds.
Brazil’s long-running Jungle Fight promotion will crown its first women’s bantamweight champion when highly-touted prospect Larissa Moreira Pacheco faces devastating knockout artist Irene Aldana at Jungle Fight 63. The event is set to take place on December 21st in Belém, Pará, Brazil.
She came up short on the scorecards, but Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith did not leave empty-handed tonight at Invicta Fighting Championships 7 in Kansas City, Missouri. Smith earned her fourth Fight of the Night bonus for her bout with Invicta FC Flyweight Champion Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak.
Invicta FC Flyweight Champion Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak successfully defended her title in the main event of Invicta Fighting Championships 7 tonight in Kansas City, Missouri. Honchak earned a five-round Unanimous Decision victory over challenger Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith.