The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Wembley Arena in London, England tonight for UFC on Fuel TV 7: “Barao vs McDonald.” The event was headlined by a UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship bout between champ Renan “Barao” Pegado and challenger Michael “Mayday” McDonald.

Also on the card, Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier battled Cub Swanson in a featured featherweight fight. Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate took on unbeaten prospect Jimi “The Poster Boy” Manuwa in a light heavyweight showdown. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC on Fuel TV 7 card.

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Former Strikeforce champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos has signed on with Invicta Fighting Championships and will face off against Brazilian compatriot Ediane “India” Gomes at Invicta FC 5 on April 5th in Kansas City, Missouri. The matchup was officially announced by the promotion this evening.

Santos was officially released from her Zuffa contract earlier this week and will now look for a fresh start under the Invicta FC banner. Gomes’s original opponent on the Invicta FC 5 card, Julia “The Jewel” Budd, will now face off against Australian grappler Fiona Muxlow. The card features 15 fights.

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Multi-time boxing champion Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm returns to MMA on February 28th at Bellator 91 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Holm is in talks to face Massachusetts native Katie Merrill in a bantamweight bout on the event’s preliminary card. Bout agreements have not yet been signed.

MMARising.con confirmed plans for the potential fight with sources close to the negotiations following a report from 101.7 The Team on Thursday. Both fighters bring undefeated records into their respective Bellator debuts and each will be competing in mixed martial arts for the first time since 2011.

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JKS48 Women’s Minimumweight Champion Mio Tsumura puts her unbeaten shoot boxing record on the line against J-Girls Mini Flyweight Champion Momi at Shoot Boxing 2013: Act.1 on February 22nd in Tokyo, Japan. The featured 48-kilogram matchup was officially added to the card today.

Competing on the same card as mentor Rena Kubota, Tsumura captured the JKS48 high school girls’ title on August 25th. The 17-year-old prodigy has won all seven of her shoot boxing matches. Momi won the J-Girls title in November and she brings a wealth of striking experience into the fight.

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Top atomweight contenders Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc and “Sassy” Cassie Rodish will meet in a featured main card matchup at Invicta Fighting Championships 5 on April 5th in Kansas City, Missouri. Invicta FC officials announced plans for the 105-pound bout earlier today.

Rivera-Calanoc and Rodish are both coming off of impressive victories in their most recent fights. Rivera-Calanoc earned a clear-cut Unanimous Decision win over “South Valley’s Own” Angelica Chavez at Invicta FC 2 in July. Rodish stopped Stephanie “Macaquinha” Frausto at Invicta FC 4.

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Undefeated fighters are set to collide on April 5th when Finnish standout Katja “Killer Bunny” Kankaanpää battles Brazilian prospect Juliana “Ju Thai” Carneiro Lima at Invicta Fighting Championships 5 in Kansas City, Missouri. The featured 115-pound bout was announced by the promotion today.

Kankaanpää scored one of her biggest wins to date in December when she defeated NAAFS champion Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly at Cage Warriors 51. Carneiro Lima fought twice in a three-week span in September, winning both bouts to remain unbeaten. She now makes her North American debut.

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Bantamweight rising star Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke is set to take on her toughest opponent to date when she faces multi-time Muay Thai champion Miriam Nakamoto at Invicta Fighting Championships 5 on April 5th in Kansas City, Missouri. The 135-pound bout was officially announced today.

Duke has been very impressive in her two fights under the Invicta FC banner and rallied to submit Marciea “The Black Widow” Allen late in round one at Invicta FC 3. Nakamoto, who sports a stellar 15-0 Muay Thai record, made a successful MMA debut in September when she stopped Elizabeth Phillips.

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Highly-touted strawweight prospect “Thug” Rose Namajunas looks for her second win of 2013 when she faces off against Kathina “Kill Switch” Catron at Invicta Fighting Championships 5 on April 5th in Kansas City, Missouri. The 115-pound matchup was officially announced by the promotion today.

Namajunas made a successful pro debut at Invicta FC 4 when she handed Emily Kagan her first defeat and earned Submission of the Night honours. Catron, 5-0 as an amateur, began her professional career with back-to-back submission wins before tasting defeat for the first time earlier this month.

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