Talented striker Heather “Hurricane” Clark returns to action for one of her toughest tests to date at Xtreme Fighting Championships 18: “Music City Mayhem” on June 22nd in Nashville, Tennessee. Clark is set to face off against Sofia Bagherdai in a featured 120-pound bout announced today.

Clark debuted for XFC in February against Marianna Kheyfets and fared well until an elbow late in round one damaged Clark’s eye and forced a halt to the bout. She had won four straight prior to the setback. Bagherdai engaged in a competitive battle with Ashley Cummins at Invicta FC 1 this past month.

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UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones will put his title on the line against former PRIDE and Strikeforce champ Dan “Hendo” Henderson at UFC 151 on September 1st. The bout is set to take place at a venue to be determined in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to UFC President Dana White.

Jones is coming off of a one-sided decision victory over rival “Suga” Rashad Evans at UFC 145 this past month and has won seven straight fights since a contentious disqualification loss in late 2009. Henderson has won seven of his past eight and recently earned a big win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

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Bellator women’s champion Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom in 2010, but her newfound fame did not come without a price. Drastic weight cuts, coupled with harsh comments from critics who challenged her biggest victories, took a physical and emotional toll.

Gurgel is currently on the road to recovery after suffering a torn ACL this past year and she is eager to get back into the cage to re-establish herself as the best in the sport. Gurgel spoke at length with MMARising.com this week about overcoming challenges and life inside and outside of the cage.

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Scotland’s Joanne Calderwood kept her unbeaten MMA record intact with a dominant Unanimous Decision victory over Ukrainian striker Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova tonight at Super Fight League 3 in New Delhi, India. Scores were 30-26 thrice for Calderwood, who controlled the bout throughout.

Ovchynnikova had her greatest success of the fight early in round one when she landed a spinning hook kick to the face, but Calderwood countered with a takedown and trapped Ovchynnikova in a triangle choke. Ovchynnikova escaped, but she was forced to play defence for the remainder of the fight.

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Tonight, the Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey for UFC on FOX 3: “Diaz vs Miller.” The event was headlined by a pivotal lightweight contender’s bout between Nate Diaz and fellow submission specialist Jim Miller, scheduled for five rounds.

Also on the card, Johny Hendricks looked to take one step closer to the UFC Welterweight Championship when he faced former title challenger Josh Koscheck. Rousimar Palhares took on Alan Belcher and Pat Barry battled Lavar Johnson. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the FOX television network tomorrow night for UFC on FOX 3: “Diaz vs Miller” from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The card is headlined by a lightweight bout between Nate Diaz and fellow top contender Jim Miller.

Tomorrow’s co-main event features a welterweight matchup pitting rising star Johny Hendricks against former title challenger Josh Koscheck. Alan Belcher battles Rousimar Palhares and Pat Barry takes on Lavar Johnson. MMAGirls’ Joanne Spracklen previews the UFC on FOX 3 main card.

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Thirteen-year-old “Muay Thai Genius” Saya Ito faces one of the toughest tests of her 83-fight kickboxing career on June 17th in Tokyo, Japan. Ito is set to battle fellow eighth-grader Yukari Yamaguchi at Shobukai: “Muaylok 2012 – 2nd” in a 44kg bout officially announced on Wednesday.

Ito, who has been training in kickboxing since age four, recently earned her 70th victory. She won the Top Run under-16 girls’ kickboxing tournament in October. Yamaguchi won her brief MMA debut at Jewels: “17th Ring” in December and is coming off of a kickboxing win under the J-Girls banner.

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Top-ranked amateur prospect Jessica Philippus will compete once more as an amateur on May 12th. The Missouri-based fighter is set to challenge Amanda Hein in a Kansas Super Fights women’s title bout in McPherson, Kansas. MMARising.com confirmed plans for the fight on Tuesday.

Philippus, who gave birth to daughter Kamilla in late January, was initially set to make her pro debut at Invicta FC 1 this past weekend. She opted to withdraw from the card when it became clear that she would not be able to cut to 105 pounds in time, and instead faces Hein in a 120-pound bout.

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