An illness has forced flyweight Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff out of her Cage Warriors title bout with Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton. Gaff and Sexton were set to face off for the promotion’s inaugural 125-pound women’s title at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 49 on October 27th in Wales.
In an unprecedented move, both fighters enrolled in Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) drug testing leading up to the fight. As a result of costs incurred from the testing, coupled with growing frustrations about steroid use in MMA, Sexton announced that she plans to walk away from the sport.
Featherweight contender Julia “The Jewel” Budd has experienced a lot in just six fights. From her debut for Strikeforce to her current run in Invicta Fighting Championships, the Muay Thai standout’s career has played out in front of hundreds of thousands of onlookers over the past two years.
In the past 18 months, the female flyweight division has developed into one of MMA’s premier women’s weight classes. One of its fastest rising stars, Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak, is currently riding a six-fight winning streak and scored an impressive Unanimous Decision victory at Invicta FC 3.
Seventeen-year-old prospect Shino VanHoose returns to the Pancrase ring on November 10th at Pancrase Progress Tour 12 in Tokyo, Japan. The grappling specialist is set to face Sadae “Manhoef” Suzumura in a featured atomweight matchup that was officially announced this past weekend.
Diana “Dynamite” Rael snapped the first two-fight losing streak of her career with an impressive submission victory on Saturday night at Made For War 1 in Castle Rock, Colorado. Rael handed fellow atomweight prospect Darla “Train Wreck” Harris her first pro loss via second-round rear-naked choke.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil tonight for UFC 153: Silva vs Bonnar.” The card featured a non-title light heavyweight bout between UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva and “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar.
After twelve planned bouts failed to materialise, Bellator champ Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel at last has an opponent for her long-awaited return to action at Bellator Fighting Championships 78 on October 26th in Dayton, Ohio. Gurgel is expected to face Casey “KO” Noland in a flyweight matchup.
Jewels stars Mika “Future Princess” Nagano and Rina Tomita will compete in separate bouts at Brace For War 17: “Brace Girls” on October 27th in Southport, Queensland, Australia. Nagano faces Alexandra Chambers in the night’s main event, while Tomita battles Claire Fryer in the co-feature.