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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Top Jewels star Mika “Future Princess” Nagano is set to return to action on September 22nd at Jewels: “21st Ring” in Tokyo, Japan. Nagano will face off against BJJ purple belt Tomo Maesawa, who makes her professional MMA debut on the card. The bout was officially announced earlier today.

Also confirmed for the event was a matchup between Valkyrie and Pancrase veteran “Happy” Fukuko Hamada and undefeated Club Barbarian prospect Satomi Takano. Hamada’s three-fight unbeaten streak came to an end in April. Takano earned a dominant decision victory in her July pro debut.

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Leading amateur promotion Tuff-N-Uff crowned two new female champions tonight at “Festibrawl 3” in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the night’s co-main event, Jordan McDonald took a clear-cut Unanimous Decision victory over Texas native Jinh Yu to become Tuff-N-Uff 110-pound women’s champion.

Competing for the second time in two weeks, Cortney “Cast Iron” Casey earned another impressive win under the Tuff-N-Uff banner tonight. Casey submitted Rachael “The Panther” Cummins with a second-round armbar to capture the 125-pound women’s title. She has now won four straight fights.

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Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey needed just 54 seconds to retain her title against Sarah Kaufman on August 18th. Rousey now becomes the first woman to simultaneously hold the top spot in the featherweight, bantamweight and pound-for-pound rankings.

On the same Strikeforce card, former champion Miesha “Cupcake” Tate proved that she is still a top contender at 135 pounds. Tate rallied back from early danger to submit veteran Julie “Fireball” Kedzie and now takes a big step back towards the top of the ultra-competitive bantamweight division.

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Rin Nakai earned her second stoppage victory over Mayumi “Super Benkei” Aoki tonight at Pancrase Progress Tour 10 in Tokyo, Japan. The popular Nakai overwhelmed Aoki with punches in the second round to advance to the final of the inaugural Bantamweight Queen of Pancrase tournament.

Nakai and Aoki first faced off two years ago under the Valkyrie banner, with Nakai prevailing via first-round submission. The rematch began slowly and both fighters were tentative early on, but Nakai took control of the fight on the ground in round two and now moves on to the bantamweight final.

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Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith and Katalina Malungahu have received new opponents for their upcoming bouts at Invicta Fighting Championships 3 on October 6th in Kansas City, Kansas. Smith faces off against “Killer” Kim Connor-Hamby, while Malungahu now battles Ediane “India” Gomes.

MMARising.com confirmed both changes with the promotion today. Smith is coming off of a spirited Split Draw with Kaitlin Young at Invicta FC 1 and now looks to hand Connor-Hamby her first loss. Gomes has won three of her past four fights. Malungahu remains unbeaten in her young MMA career.

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A knee injury has forced Erik “New Breed” Koch out of his upcoming UFC Featherweight Championship bout with José “Scarface” Aldo at UFC 153 on October 13th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar will now challenge Aldo on the card.

News of the change was first reported by USA Today and MMAjunkie.com late Thursday night. Edgar is coming off of a contentious Split Decision loss to “Smooth” Benson Henderson earlier this month. Aldo has won 14 straight fights and most recently knocked out Chad “Money” Mendes in January.

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