Top Jewels contenders Mika “Future Princess” Nagano and Emi Tomimatsu are set to face off at Jewels: “23rd Ring” on March 30th in Tokyo, Japan. The 52-kilogram matchup was announced today and the winner may move on to challenge Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki.
Both women have won three of their past four fights. Nagano bounced back from a loss to Alex Chambers in Australia when she submitted Rina Tomita in a December trilogy bout. Tomimatsu’s three-fight winning streak came to an end at the hands of “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi at Jewels: “20th Ring” in July.
Bellator 115-pound women’s champion Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel has signed a multi-fight deal with Invicta Fighting Championships and will face Brazilian prospect Jennifer Maia at Invicta FC 5. The all-female fight card is now targeted for Friday, April 5th, in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its return to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC 156: “Aldo vs Edgar.” The event featured a UFC Featherweight Championship bout between José “Scarface” Aldo and former lightweight champ Frankie “The Answer” Edgar.
Popular prospect Jordan Nicole “Ninja Princess” Gaza earned the first win of her professional MMA career on Friday night at XFL’s Xtreme Fight Night 11: “Road To Glory” in Catoosa, Oklahoma. Gaza submitted the previously unbeaten Kathina “Kill Switch” Catron with a rear-naked choke in round two.
Championship Fighting Alliance begins its inaugural women’s featherweight tournament on March 2nd at BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida. The eight-woman tournament features many of the top female prospects at 145 pounds and each of the quarterfinal matchups has now been set.
UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson successfully retained his 125-pound championship on January 26th in the main event of UFC on FOX 6: “Johnson vs Dodson.” Johnson defeated top title contender John “The Magician” Dodson and remains atop the flyweight rankings.
Four additional matchups have been announced for the upcoming UFC 159: “Jones vs Sonnen” event on April 27th in Newark, New Jersey. Among them is a lightweight bout between veteran contenders Jim Miller and Pat “Bam Bam” Healy, which is expected to be a part of the night’s main card.
Flyweight star Jessica “Evil” Eye returns to action on April 4th at Bellator 95 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Eye is expected to face standout boxer Munah “The Perfect Storm” Holland in a featured bout on the card. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the fight with a source close to the promotion today.