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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Mark “The Machine” Hominick looks to put an end to a three-fight losing streak when he faces submission specialist Pablo “The Scarecrow” Garza at UFC 154 on November 17th in Montréal, Québec, Canada. UFC officials announced the featured featherweight matchup earlier today.

UFC 154 is expected to be headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship unification bout between Georges “Rush” St. Pierre and “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit, pending St. Pierre’s recovery from knee surgery. Also on the card, Francis “Limitless” Carmont battles “Filthy” Tom Lawlor.

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UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva retained the top spot at 185 pounds with a second-round stoppage victory over rival Chael Sonnen in the pair’s July 7th rematch. “All-American” Chris Weidman and Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch could be next in line for the champion.

July was a busy month for women’s bouts with all-female cards from Jewels and Invicta Fighting Championships. Bantamweights Sara McMann, Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis, Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche and Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio all earned key wins at Invicta FC 2 in Kansas City, Kansas.

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Main event participants Sara McMann and Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler each received an additional $1500 for Fight of the Night on Saturday at Invicta Fighting Championships 2 in Kansas City, Kansas. Both fighters spoke with MMARising.com following their three-round bantamweight bout.

McMann narrowly edged out Baszler on the judges’ scorecards in a close and action-packed fight. She remains unbeaten in her MMA career. Some observers felt that Baszler had done enough to win, but both fighters will surely factor heavily in Invicta FC’s future plans for the 135-pound division.

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Jiu-jitsu practitioners Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis and Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio each pocketed an extra $1000 for Submission of the Night winning performances at Invicta Fighting Championships 2 on Saturday in Kansas City, Kansas. Both fighters spoke with MMARising.com after the event.

Davis became the first woman to ever submit Japanese veteran Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano in MMA competition. A rear-naked choke finished Akano in round two. D’Alelio needed just over three minutes to earn a tapout victory over Vanessa Porto via an impressive reverse triangle armbar.

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Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki emerged victorious in her North American debut on Saturday at Invicta Fighting Championships 2 in Kansas City, Kansas. Hamasaki submitted late replacement opponent Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman in the final seconds of the third round.

The win kept Hamasaki’s unblemished record intact and placed her among the top contenders for an Invicta FC title at 115 pounds, but she is focused on facing high-level opponents rather than capturing championships. She spoke with MMARising.com after her fight through translator Shu Hirata.

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