Top Japanese prospect Mizuki Inoue returns to Shoot Boxing in search of another big win on April 13th. The 17-year-old karateka faces 2011 Girls S-Cup semi-finalist Mina at Shoot Boxing 2012: “Road To S-Cup, Act.2” in Tokyo, Japan. Promotional officials announced the bout earlier today.

Two-time Girls S-Cup champion Rena Kubota was also set to compete on the April 13th card, but she has been forced out due to a fractured foot that will require surgery. An opponent had not yet been announced for Kubota and a timetable for the promotional poster girl’s return is currently unknown.

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Female fighters took centre stage during the month of March and the latest rankings update includes a number of significant changes. New Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey takes over the top spot at 135 pounds after her impressive main event win on March 3rd.

On the same Strikeforce card, former champion Sarah Kaufman won for the third straight time to set up a future title fight. In other action, Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff and Katja Kankaanpää earned key victories that have vaulted both women up the ranks at 125 and 115 pounds, respectively.

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Russian standout Milana Dudieva posted her eighth straight victory tonight at ProFC 40 in Volgograd, Russia. Dudieva stopped England’s Danielle “The Curse” West with punches in just 24 seconds, though the stoppage may have been premature and there was confusion following the bout.

West was aggressive right from the outset of the fight, but Dudieva kept her distance and landed a pair of counter rights that stunned her opponent on the way in. A right hook sent West to the mat and Dudieva continued to throw punches until the fight was waved off as a dejected West looked on.

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Ten-year veteran Naoko Omuro defeated rival “Happy” Fukuko Hamada for a second time tonight in one of two women’s bouts at Pancrase Progress Tour 4 in Tokyo, Japan. Omuro defeated Hamada by second-round TKO, finishing her one second faster than in the pair’s first meeting back in 2007.

Also on the card, professional wrestler turned mixed martial artist Kyoko Kimura earned her second Pancrase victory with a quick stoppage of South Korean kickboxer Sung Eun Kim. Kimura, who made her MMA debut in November, needed just 61 seconds to dispatch of Kim in a one-sided bout.

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Evolve MMA’s Nicole Chua picked up her first professional mixed martial arts victory tonight at ONE Fighting Championship 3: “War of the Lions” in Kallang, Singapore. Chua used her superior ground skills to force Indian national kickboxing champion Jeet Toshi to submit to a rear-naked choke.

Chua, who is Singapore’s first female mixed martial artist, engaged Toshi on the feet early on, but she soon took the fight to the mat. Chua then used short elbows to set up a transition to back control and quickly secured the choke for the victory in front of a partisan ONE FC crowd in Singapore.

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Legend Fighting Championship returned to the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, China on Friday night for Legend FC 8. The event featured two title fights and was headlined by Jadamba Narantungalag defending his Legend Lightweight Championship against “The Korean Bulldozer” Yui Chul Nam.

Also on the card, Yusuke “Bancho” Kawanago and Xian “The Executioner” Ji faced off to determine the first Legend Featherweight Champion. Japanese veteran Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura battled Hoon Kim in his Legend debut. MMARising.com has play-by-play for the entire Legend FC 8 card.

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It did not come as easily as many had anticipated, but Tara LaRosa picked up her 21st professional victory tonight at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2 in Kearney, Nebraska. LaRosa submitted late-replacement opponent Kelly Warren with one second left in what was supposed to be a flyweight bout.

Both LaRosa and Warren came in overweight for their fight, just as Elaina “Beef” Maxwell and Ashley “Loca” Sanchez did for a planned featherweight matchup. Sanchez was much quicker than Maxwell throughout the bout, but Maxwell’s takedowns and ground control earned her two of three rounds.

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Team Tiger Schulmann prospect Munah Holland put her boxing skills to good use tonight at Bellator Fighting Championships 63 in Uncasville, Connecticut. Holland knocked out the previously unbeaten Marianna “The Crushen Russian” Kheyfets with a right hook near the end of round two.

The fighters engaged in a back-and-forth first round that saw both women land some decent strikes on the feet. Kheyfets looked to steal the round with a late takedown, but the second stanza was all Holland, who dropped Kheyfets three times and finished her off with 15 seconds remaining.

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