For the first time, heavyweight bouts will comprise an entire UFC main card at UFC 146: “Dos Santos vs Overeem” on May 26th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The latest addition to the main card pits former K-1 Grand Prix Champion Mark Hunt against 6’11” Dutch prospect Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve.
UFC officials confirmed the matchup today following an initial report from Yahoo! Sports. Hunt is in the midst of an improbable career resurgence that has seen him win three straight fights inside the Octagon. Struve has won four of his past five, with all four victories coming inside the distance.
A second women’s matchup has been added to the April 1st Pancrase Progress Tour 4 card in Tokyo, Japan. Pro wrestler Kyoko Kimura returns to the promotion for her third mixed martial arts bout and faces South Korean kickboxer Sung Eun Kim. The fight was officially announced on Monday.
Competing on less than two weeks’ notice, Serbia’s Sanja Sučević made the most of a big opportunity tonight at Super Fight League 1 in Mumbai, India. Sučević submitted previously unbeaten Ukrainian prospect Lena “Hunter” Ovchynnikova in the second round of the night’s co-main event.
Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka was victorious in her Pancrase debut tonight at Pancrase Progress Tour 3 in Tokyo, Japan. The Jewels star submitted long-time veteran striker “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba early in the second round of Sunaba’s retirement bout following a 13-year combat sports career.
Brazilian star Vanessa Porto needed a mere 41 seconds to knock out late replacement opponent Luana Teixeira in the main event of the all-female Pink Fight MMA 2 card on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The quick victory earned Porto the vacant Pink Fight 132-pound women’s title.
A near-riot and a number of late changes marred an otherwise entertaining set of fights at Revolution Fighting Champion 1 on Friday night in Beirut, Lebanon. Among the bouts scrapped from the card was a planned women’s matchup between Maiju “Mai” Kujala and Juliana “Thai” Carneiro Lima.
Long-time pound-for-pound standout Tara LaRosa at last has an opponent for Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2: “Yvel vs Alexander” on March 30th in Kearney, Nebraska. LaRosa is set to square off against former NAAFS title challenger Kelly Warren in a featured 125-pound bout on the card.
Two more heavyweight bouts have been added to the upcoming UFC 146: “Dos Santos vs Overeem” card on May 26th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Former UFC Heavyweight Champions are set to collide as Cain Velasquez looks to rebound from his first professional setback when he battles Frank Mir.