Former Valkyrie champion Rin Nakai and Mayumi “Super Benkei” Aoki are set to face off again in the opening round of the Bantamweight Queen of Pancrase tournament at Pancrase Progress Tour 10 on September 1st in Tokyo, Japan. The rematch was officially announced on Thursday.

Nakai picked up a first-round submission victory over Aoki at Valkyrie 7 in September 2010 and went on to win the promotion’s open-weight title two months later. She remains unbeaten in her mixed martial arts career. Aoki returned to MMA action with a quick win at Jewels: “19th Ring” in May.

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Two of MMA’s premier lightweights will face off for a second time tomorrow night at UFC 150: “Henderson vs Edgar 2” at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. UFC Lightweight Champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson makes the first defence of his title against ex-champ Frankie “The Answer” Edgar.

Also on the card, former teammates Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard square off in a lightweight contender’s bout. Jake Shields battles Ed “Short Fuse” Herman in a featured middleweight matchup. MMAGirls’ Joanne Spracklen previews the UFC 150 main card.

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Having recovered from a training injury in June, Sofia Bagherdai competes under the Xtreme Fighting Championships banner for the first time when she faces Sarah “KO Kid” Maloy at XFC 20: “High Octane” on September 28th in Knoxville, Tennessee. The flyweight matchup was announced today.

Bagherdai had been scheduled to make her XFC debut against “Hurricane” Heather Clark on June 22nd, but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury. She now returns to her former home at 125 pounds to face Maloy, who is coming off of a Unanimous Decision win at Invicta FC 1 in April.

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Russian featherweight prospect Yana “Foxy” Kunitskaya will be watching from the sidelines until the summer of 2013. The 22-year-old striker, who has won six straight fights, announced today that she is one month pregnant with her first child and will be taking a year off from MMA competition.

Kunitskaya has dominated all recent challengers in Europe, but visa issues have prevented her from travelling abroad to face some of the division’s top talent. With the featherweight ranks dwindling as fighters drop down to 135, Kunitskaya’s absence in the division will be noticeable for the next year.

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With Josh Koscheck sidelined due to a back injury, Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron returns to the Octagon to face Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger for a second time at UFC 151 on September 1st in Las Vegas, Nevada. The welterweight matchup was first reported by MMAjunkie.com today.

Hieron handed Ellenberger the first defeat of his pro career at an IFL event in June 2006. He went on to become IFL Welterweight Champion and nearly defeated Bellator champ “Funky” Ben Askren this past year. Ellenberger sports a 6-2 UFC record and has finished 22 of his career opponents.

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Ukrainian kickboxer Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova and Dutch Muay Thai champ Lorena “Lady Pitbull” Klijn are the latest additions to the 2012 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup tournament roster. The one-night eight-woman grand prix is set to take place on August 25th at Yamano Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Ovchynnikova and Klijn join two-time Girls S-Cup champion Rena Kubota, 2011 winner Erika Kamimura and South Korean standout Seo Hee Ham in the tournament. The event also features the finals of the inaugural 53.5 Girls S-Cup and the final two rounds of the JKS48 high school girls’ tournament.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to Staples Center in Los Angeles, California tonight for UFC on FOX 4: “Shogun vs Vera.” The card was headlined by a potential title contender’s bout between 205-pound strikers Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon “The Truth” Vera.

Tonight’s light heavyweight co-main event may also produce a future title challenger, as former champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida took on Ryan “Darth” Bader. Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon faced Jamie “C-4” Varner at 155 pounds. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s UFC on FOX 4 card.

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Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig picked up her second straight win inside the XFC cage today at Xtreme Fighting Championships 19: “Charlotte Showdown” in Charlotte, North Carolina. Herrig defeated fellow striker Simona Soukupova by Unanimous Decision after three rounds in the XFC 19 co-feature.

Herrig employed an effective strategy consisting of short strikes in the clinch and crisp jabs and leg kicks in the many exchanges throughout the fight. Soukupova rallied with a series of knees late in the final round, but it was not enough to steal the fight on the scorecards and Herrig emerged with the win.

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