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.
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 
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.