Invicta FC atomweight “Fancy” Laura Sanko is pregnant with her first child and has withdrawn from her planned fight at Invicta Fighting Championships 6 on July 13th in Kansas City, Missouri. In Sanko’s place, Cassie “The Hulk” Robb now faces Livia “T-Rex” von Plettenberg on the preliminary card.

Robb returns to the Invicta FC cage after engaging in an action-packed bout with Sanko on the promotion’s fourth card in January. Von Plettenberg drops down to the atomweight division and looks to rebound from a short-notice decision loss to Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood on the same Invicta FC 4 card.

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Former Tuff-N-Uff champion Ashlee Evans-Smith is back in the inaugural CFA women’s featherweight tournament. The talented wrestler is now set to face Anna “Smiles” Barone in a semi-final bout at Championship Fighting Alliance 11, which takes place on May 24th in Coral Gables, Florida.

MMARising.com confirmed the new booking with sources close to the fight today. Evans-Smith advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Tori Adams at CFA 10 and later tried out for The Ultimate Fighter 18. Barone enters the tournament in place of TUF 18 hopeful Peggy “The Daywalker” Morgan.

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Flyweight star Jessica “Evil” Eye is set to make her return to action on June 1st at NAAFS: “Fight Night In The Flats 9” in Cleveland, Ohio. Eye, who has been recovering from a serious back injury that she sustained in March, will take on Brazilian veteran Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm.

Eye announced plans for the matchup earlier today. The popular Ohio native has won six straight fights and most recently choked out Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto Gurgel in 58 seconds at Bellator 83. Damm is coming off of a close Split Decision loss to Tonya “Triple Threat” Evinger in December.

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15-year-old kickboxing sensation Chihiro Imoto successfully defended her ACCEL Vassilis 48kg women’s title on Monday night at ACCEL vol.23 in Osaka, Japan. Imoto earned a one-sided Unanimous Decision victory over challenger Yumi in a professional bout on the featured main card.

Imoto, who captured the ACCEL title in her December 24th pro debut, was in complete control of Monday’s fight and she outstruck Yumi throughout the three-round bout. All three judges scored the fight for Imoto, and the teen standout has now won a remarkable 136 fights during her eight-year career.

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Invicta Fighting Championships crowned two new champions on April 5th at Invicta 5 in Kansas City, Missouri. Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson and Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak take over the top spots at 105 and 125 pounds, respectively, following their impressive Invicta FC title victories.

In April UFC bouts, bantamweights “Alpha” Cat Zingano and Sara McMann earned stoppage wins inside the Octagon and now move up the 135-pound ranks. UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones remains atop the men’s 205-pound listings thanks to his first-round win at UFC 159.

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Bantamweight standout Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith drops down to the flyweight division for her next fight at Invicta Fighting Championships 6 on July 13th in Kansas City, Missouri. Smith faces Brazilian rising star Jennifer Maia in what will most likely serve as a number one contender’s matchup.

MMAFighting.com first reported on the bout today. Smith has impressed in each of her four appearances for the promotion and recently battled Sarah Kaufman to a hotly-contested decision at Invicta FC 5. On the same card, Maia scored a big win over Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto Gurgel.

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2004 Olympic silver medallist Sara McMann kicked off her UFC career with an impressive first-round stoppage victory tonight at UFC 159: “Jones vs Sonnen” in Newark, New Jersey. McMann finished hard-hitting opponent Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff with punches from a top-side crucifix.

McMann wasted no time in taking the fight to the ground and she kept Gaff pinned against the cage. Gaff held on for a standup and landed some nice knees on the feet, but she could not stay up for long. McMann took her back down and landed unanswered punches until the bout was stopped.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey tonight for UFC 159: “Jones vs Sonnen.” The event featured a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between reigning 205-pound champion Jon “Bones” Jones and veteran challenger Chael Sonnen.

Also on the card, Michael “The Count” Bisping took on fellow middleweight contender Alan “The Talent” Belcher, and Roy “Big Country” Nelson battled Cheick Kongo. Sara McMann faced Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff on the preliminary card. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for UFC 159.

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