Finnish strawweight prospect Katja Kankaanpää narrowly kept her unbeaten record intact tonight in the main event of Botnia Punishment 12 in Seinäjoki, Finland. The hometown favourite battled England’s Simona Soukupova to a hotly-contested Split Draw after 15 minutes of back-and-forth action.

The fighters traded takedowns in the opening rounds and both threatened with submissions. Kankaanpää worked for a kneebar late in round one and Soukupova nearly finished the fight with an armbar in the dying seconds of round two. The close fight ultimately ended with both fighters’ hands raised.

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“Hurricane” Heather Clark and Stephanie “Snowflake” Eggink will face off in a featured strawweight bout at Xtreme Fighting Championships 21: “Night of Champions 2” on December 7th in Nashville, Tennessee. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the fight with a source close to the negotiations today.

Both fighters will be making their 115-pound debuts after campaigns in the flyweight division. Clark is coming off of a quick submission victory at XFC 18 in June and has won five of her past six fights. Eggink looks to get back on the winning track after suffering her first professional loss in March.

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UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva will return to the light heavyweight division to face TUF 1 runner-up “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153 on October 13th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. USA Today and MMAjunkie.com first reported on the new main event tonight.

The Silva-Bonnar bout replaces the original UFC 153 main event between José “Scarface” Aldo and Frankie “The Answer” Edgar. Also targeted for the card is a heavyweight bout between Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and Dave Herman. Glover Teixeira faces Fabio Maldonado at 205 pounds.

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Untimely injuries have once again created havoc for an upcoming UFC card, as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and UFC Featherweight Champion José “Scarface” Aldo have been forced to withdraw from their respective bouts at UFC 153. The event takes place on October 13th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Jackson had been scheduled to face Glover Teixeira in the co-main event, but an elbow injury will keep the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion on the sidelines. Aldo was booked to face Frankie “The Answer” Edgar, but suffered a foot injury in a motorcycle accident earlier this month.

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Decorated BJJ black belt Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha looks for her second mixed martial arts victory of 2012 when she faces off against Raquel “Pitbull” at Shooto Brazil 34 on September 21st in Brasilia, Brazil. The featured flyweight matchup was officially announced by the promotion today.

Gadelha was initially in talks to face long-time rival Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm on the card, but the planned bout was once again scrapped. Gadelha remains unbeaten in her MMA career and most recently earned a Split Decision victory in April. Pitbull won her MMA debut in late May.

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Olympic silver medallist Sara McMann will make her Strikeforce debut against former bantamweight title challenger Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche at Strikeforce: “Cormier vs Mir” on November 3rd in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. MMAFighting.com was first to report on the targeted matchup today.

McMann remains unbeaten in her pro career and she most recently earned a close decision win over veteran submission specialist Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler at Invicta FC 2. On the same card, Carmouche posted her second straight victory by defeating noted striker Kaitlin Young.

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Unbeaten teen prospect “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant has stepped in on short notice to face Amber “The Apex Predator” Stautzenberger at Premier Fight Series 2 on September 22nd in Fort Worth, Texas. VanZant replaces Ivana Coleman, who withdrew from the bout with Stautzenberger this week.

VanZant made a successful pro debut in June by edging out Jordan Nicole Gaza after three competitive rounds. She now returns to Texas to face off against another local favourite in Stautzenberger, who turns pro after putting together a solid amateur career that included three stoppage victories.

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Leading U.K. promotion Cage Warriors Fighting Championship will crown its first 125-pound female champion when Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton battles Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff on October 27th in Cardiff, Wales. The title tilt was made official today and will determine MMA’s top female flyweight.

Sexton and Gaff earned their spots in the title fight with impressive victories in the semi-final round of the inaugural Cage Warriors women’s tournament earlier this year. In a historic move, both fighters have enrolled in Voluntary Anti-Doping Association drug testing leading up to the October showdown.

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