The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the Land of the Rising Sun after 11 years away for UFC 144: “Edgar vs Henderson” at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar battled Ben “Smooth” Henderson in the main event.

Also on the card, former PRIDE star and one-time UFC titleholder Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced Ryan “Darth” Bader in featured light heavyweight action, while Jake Shields squared off against Yoshihiro Akiyama in a welterweight matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

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Five new fights have been added to the UFC 146: “Dos Santos vs Overeem” card on May 26th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy takes on striker Duane “Bang” Ludwig in a pivotal welterweight clash. Both fighters look to rebound from losses.

Also announced for the card on Wednesday night was a heavyweight bout between unbeaten Strikeforce import Shane del Rosario and one-time UFC title contender Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga. Light heavyweight Glover Teixeira makes his long-awaited Octagon debut against Kyle “Kingsbu” Kingsbury.

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The six-fight main card for Invicta Fighting Championships 1 is complete. The all-female event, which takes place on April 28th at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas, is headlined by a previously announced 145-pound rematch between Marloes “Rumina” Coenen and Romy Ruyssen.

In the co-feature, Bellator veterans Jessica Penne and Lisa Ellis-Ward face off at 105 pounds. The card also features a pair of bantamweight bouts, as former Strikeforce title challenger Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche faces Ashleigh Curry, while one-time EliteXC star Kaitlin Young takes on Leslie Smith.

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Invicta Fighting Championships will stage its inaugural all-female event on April 28th at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The night’s five-fight preliminary card is expected to be headlined by a 105-pound bout between Nicdali “The Night Queen” Rivera-Calanoc and Amy “Lil’ Dynamite” Davis.

Also announced for the card today was the long-awaited MMA debut of 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Randi Miller, who faces Mollie Ahlers-Estes. Top prospect Ashley “Smashley” Cummins battles the returning Sofia Bagherdai and Jessica Philippus makes her pro debut against Meghan Wright.

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A lightweight bout between contenders Evan Dunham and Edson Barboza has been added to UFC 146: “Dos Santos vs Overeem” on May 26th in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC President Dana White announced the matchup earlier today. Both fighters are coming off of stoppage victories in January.

Dunham had a rough start to his 2011 campaign and suffered a quick TKO loss to Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard, but he has now battled back with two wins to begin his climb back up the lightweight ranks. Barboza remains unbeaten and scored a highlight-reel knockout win at UFC 142.

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Rising star Jessica “Evil” Eye won for the third straight time tonight in a featured 125-pound women’s bout at North American Allied Fight Series: “Caged Vengeance 10” in Cleveland, Ohio. Eye outstruck one-time NAAFS title challenger Kelly Warren en route to a Unanimous Decision victory.

Tonight’s win could set up a rematch between Eye and current NAAFS women’s champion Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly later this year, but both fighters will have other matters to attend to first. Daly has two upcoming fights booked, while Eye appears poised for a return to Bellator in April.

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Strikeforce veteran Shana “Rock Solid” Nelson’s bantamweight debut did not go as planned, but she nevertheless scored a first-round TKO win over Sweden’s Lina “Lynx” Eklund tonight in Fargo, North Dakota. The lopsided bout was part of Cage Fighting Xtreme and Crowbar MMA’s “Winter Brawl.”

Nelson, who came in five pounds over the 135-pound limit, battered her smaller opponent with punches and knees throughout the one-round fight. Eklund tried to maintain space as she circled on the outside, but she had very little success and was eventually overwhelmed by Nelson’s punches.

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The North American Allied Fight Series made its return to Gray’s Armory in Cleveland, Ohio tonight for NAAFS: “Caged Vengeance 10.” The card was headlined by a welterweight matchup between NAAFS mainstay Nick “The Savage” Duell and late replacement opponent Brandon “White Steel” Saling.

In the co-feature, Paul “Straight Outta” Compton returned to the NAAFS for the first time since 2009 to face Antonio Castillo Jr. in a featherweight bout, while Jessica “Evil” Eye battled Kelly Warren in a 125-pound women’s matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s NAAFS card.

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