Brazilian standout Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes makes her return to the Strikeforce cage on September 29th at Strikeforce: “Melendez vs Healy” in Sacramento, California. Nunes faces off against unbeaten promotional newcomer Cat “Alpha” Zingano in a featured bantamweight matchup.

Nunes most recently choked out Raquel “Rocky” Pa’aluhi at Invicta FC 2 this past month and now looks for her second win under the Strikeforce banner. Zingano was scheduled to face Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith at Invicta FC 3 in October, but instead moves to Strikeforce to battle Nunes.

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Undefeated Muay Thai champion Miriam Nakamoto will make her pro MMA debut against SikJitsu’s Elizabeth Phillips at Red Canvas: “Submission 2” on September 15th in San Jose, California. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the matchup with a source close to the promotion on Tuesday.

Nakamoto overcame a bad cut to defeat 53-fight veteran and 14-time champ Julie Kitchen in a WCK Champion of Champions Muay Thai title bout 11 days ago and some now feel that Nakamoto is the best female striker in the world. She looks for continued success in her MMA debut next month.

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Former Smackgirl and Valkyrie champion Yuka “Vale Tudo Queen” Tsuji will compete under the DEEP banner for the first time in more than nine years at DEEP: “Osaka Impact 2012” on September 29th in Osaka, Japan. The veteran star faces South Korean taekwondo champion Hyo Kyung Song.

Tsuji has fought sparingly in recent years due to injuries and a relative lack of available opponents. Her 14-fight winning streak came to an end in early 2010 and she is currently looking to rebound from a submission setback in May. Song recently debuted for Jewels in a July shoot boxing match.

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Four years after it was first booked by the now-defunct EliteXC promotion, a bout between bantamweight strikers Sarah Kaufman and Kaitlin Young will take place at Invicta Fighting Championships 3 on October 6th in Kansas City, Kansas. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the fight on Sunday.

Kaufman and Young were set to face off at EliteXC: “A Night of Champions” in November 2008, but the event was scrapped when the promotion folded one month earlier. Both fighters will be looking to get back on the winning track after suffering submission setbacks in their most recent fights.

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Japanese superstar Rena Kubota captured her third Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup title tonight at Yamano Hall in Tokyo. The 21-year-old outlasted three opponents to become the first three-time S-Cup winner. Kubota will undergo surgery for a nagging injury and hopes to return in the coming months.

Kubota’s protégé, Mio Tsumura, also claimed a tournament title tonight. Mio defeated two opponents en route to becoming the first JKS48 high school girls’ tournament champion. Elsewhere, teen prodigy Mizuki Inoue defeated Ai Takahashi for a second time in the Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup 53.5 final.

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Shoot Boxing showcased its annual Girls S-Cup tournament tonight from Yamano Hall in the Yoyogi district of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. This year’s edition included past winners Rena Kubota and Erika Kamimura, as well as MMA veterans Seo Hee Ham, “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi and Lisa Ellis.

Tonight’s card featured two additional tournaments. In the final of the Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup 53.5, teen prodigy Mizuki Inoue battled Ai Takahashi. Mio Tsumura aimed to win the inaugural Shoot Boxing JKS48 high school girls’ tournament. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

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Top flyweight prospect Munah Holland will make her return to the Bellator cage on September 28th at Bellator Fighting Championships 74 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The hard-hitting boxer is expected to face off against grappling specialist Michelle Ould on the event’s preliminary card.

MMARising.com confirmed plans for the matchup with a source close to the promotion today following an announcement from Ould this week. Holland and Ould were first set to face off at Ring of Combat 37 one year ago, but the bout was scrapped when Ould suffered a last-minute injury backstage.

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Mixed martial arts veteran Lisa Ellis has stepped in on just two days’ notice to compete in tomorrow’s Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup tournament in Tokyo, Japan. Ellis replaces Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova, who was removed from the card this week due to problems between SB and Ovchynnikova’s team.

Ellis will weigh in for her quarterfinal bout with South Korean standout Seo Hee Ham in the hours prior to the event. The remaining seven competitors weighed in today, with only Ham and Dutch Muay Thai champ Lorena “Lady Pitbull” Klijn coming in heavy on their first attempts to make the 50kg limit.

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