Brazilian standout Vanessa Porto will compete on U.S. soil for the first time since 2008 when she battles Kelly “Blood Red” Kobold at Invicta Fighting Championships 2 on July 28th in Kansas City, Kansas. The bantamweight matchup was officially announced for the event’s main card today.

Porto has won seven of her past eight fights, with the lone blemish coming against Strikeforce veteran Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes. All but one of her career wins have come inside the distance. Kobold returned from a three-year hiatus and scored a quick submission victory in April 2011.

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Competing for the first time since September, Rin Nakai kept her unbeaten record intact with a quick victory tonight at Pancrase Progress Tour 6 in Koza, Okinawa, Japan. Nakai submitted pro wrestling veteran Kyoko Kimura with a first-round armbar in the night’s bantamweight co-main event.

Okinawa’s first female mixed martial artist, Kikuyo Ishikawa, bounced back from a decision loss in December by defeating a game but overmatched Shino VanHoose. Ishikawa overwhelmed her 16-year-old opponent with kicks and strong ground and pound en route to a Unanimous Decision win.

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The Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix reached its conclusion tonight at Strikeforce: “Barnett vs Cormier” from HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. In the tournament final, former UFC titleholder Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett battled Daniel Cormier to determine the grand prix champion.

Also tonight, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez put his title on the line against rival Josh Thomson in a trilogy bout, while light heavyweights Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante and Mike “MAK” Kyle faced off for a second time. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the event.

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Jessica “Jag” Aguilar scored the biggest victory of her MMA career tonight in a featured 115-pound bout at Bellator Fighting Championships 69 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Aguilar took a close but Unanimous Decision victory over long-time pound-for-pound standout Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii.

It was Fujii who held an edge early on in the fight with a takedown near the cage, but Aguilar battled back to her feet and stole back the round on the judges’ scorecards with late strikes. Aguilar kept the fight standing in round two and survived a strong final round from Fujii to take the decision win.

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Shoot Boxing Japan Women’s Flyweight Champion Ai Takahashi looks to rebound from a non-title defeat in February when she returns to action at Shoot Boxing 2012: “Road To S-Cup, Act.3” on June 3rd in Tokyo, Japan. Takahashi faces off against Rio Kamikaze in a matchup announced today.

The bout between Takahashi and Kamikaze is the second of two semi-final fights in the “2012 Girls S-Cup 53.5” tournament. The winner advances on to face teen prospect Mizuki Inoue in the S-Cup finals in August. Inoue upset Takahashi on February 5th and defeated Mina in her semi-final matchup.

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Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres ran her amateur MMA record to 5-0 with an impressive Unanimous Decision victory tonight at MMA Solutions Global: “Bone Island Fights” in Key West, Florida. Torres defeated the previously unbeaten Jamie Moyle to capture the promotion’s 115-pound women’s title.

Despite giving up a size advantage to her opponent, Torres held an edge in the striking exchanges and she was particularly effective with kicks in the opening round. Moyle was able to score a pair of takedowns, but it was not enough and Torres walked away with a well-earned victory and the title belt.

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Tomorrow night in Lake Charles, Louisiana, rising star Jessica “Jag” Aguilar will have her wish granted. After years of waiting, Aguilar is set to challenge pound-for-pound standout Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii in a featured bout at 115 pounds on the Bellator Fighting Championships 69 main card.

Aguilar and Fujii had been on a collision course in 2010 before both suffered contentious losses to Bellator champ Zoila Gurgel. Aguilar has the utmost respect for Fujii, a woman whom she refers to as a legend, but knows that the Japanese dynamo stands between her and the top spot at 115 pounds.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia tonight for UFC on Fuel TV 3: “Korean Zombie vs Poirier.” The event was headlined by a featherweight bout between “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and fellow contender Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier.

Also on the card, TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah faced Jorge “Lil’ Monster” Lopez in a welterweight matchup, while former WEC title contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone battled Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens in lightweight action. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s UFC event.

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