Amanda “Powerhouse” Lucas captured her first mixed martial arts title belt tonight at DEEP: “57 Impact” in Tokyo, Japan. Lucas survived a late rally from veteran opponent Yumiko Hotta en route to claiming the vacant DEEP Women’s Open-Weight Championship with a third-round keylock.
Despite making her first appearance in an MMA ring since November 2000, Hotta put up a much tougher fight in defeat than many had expected. She was nearly able to finish Lucas with a guillotine choke in the early stages of round three, but Lucas escaped and secured the fight-ending submission.
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Bellator star Jessica “Jag” Aguilar posted her fourth straight victory tonight with a convincing Unanimous Decision win over Oregon-based prospect “Little” Patricia Vidonic. The 115-pound women’s bout headlined Fight Time Promotions 8 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Aguilar employed an effective game plan that consisted of takedowns and ground and pound throughout the fight. She prevented Vidonic from getting back to her feet by kicking at her legs. Vidonic worked for submissions, but was unable to get anything going and Aguilar took the clear-cut decision.
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Invicta Fighting Championships, an all-female mixed martial arts promotion led by former Strikeforce executive Shannon Knapp, will hold its first event on April 28th at the famed Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. The debut card is headlined by a bout between Marloes Coenen and Romy Ruyssen.
Knapp, who serves as co-owner and vice president of the new company, spoke exclusively with MMARising.com on Thursday and outlined her plans and goals for Invicta’s immediate future. The promotion is expected to stage at least three events in 2012, with fights contested in five weight classes.
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship staged its first full event on the Fuel television network tonight from the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska. UFC on Fuel TV 1: “Sanchez vs Ellenberger” was headlined by Diego “The Dream” Sanchez taking on Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger.
In tonight’s heavyweight co-feature, Dave Herman returned to the Octagon for the first time since June to face Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve, while Aaron “A-Train” Simpson battled Brazil’s Ronny Markes in middleweight action. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s UFC on Fuel TV card.
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Elaina “Beef” Maxwell now has a confirmed opponent for March 30th. The Strikeforce veteran is set to face off against Ashley “Loca” Sanchez at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2: “Yvel vs Alexander” in Kearney, Nebraska. RFA matchmaker Scott Cutbirth announced the fight late Monday night.
Both Maxwell and Sanchez have won back-to-back fights leading into their 145-pound matchup on the RFA card, which is headlined by a bout between UFC veterans Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel and Houston “The Assassin” Alexander. Tara LaRosa competes against an opponent to be determined.
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A women’s bout between prospects Marianna “The Crushen Russian” Kheyfets and Munah Holland is currently in the works for Bellator Fighting Championships 63 on March 30th in Uncasville, Connecticut. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed plans for the fight with MMARising.com today.
Both fighters earned victories in their respective bouts this past weekend. Kheyfets kept her unbeaten record intact with a first-round doctor stoppage victory over Heather “Hurricane” Clark at XFC 16, while Holland earned a Majority Decision win against Pearl Gonzalez at Ring of Combat 39.
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Yana “Foxy” Kunitskaya earned her fourth straight knockout win Saturday night at Verdict Fighting Championship 1 in Moscow, Russia. Kunitskaya made short work of the debuting Ekaterina Saraykina in a featured women’s matchup that ended just past the one-minute mark of the opening round.
Kunitskaya will make a quick return to action following her victory over Saraykina. She is set to face the much larger Anna Melikhova, a Muay Thai practitioner, in an open-weight bout at Lion’s Fights 1: “The Beginning” on March 3rd. Kunitskaya could give up as much as 50 pounds at fight time.
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Legend Fighting Championship 7 took place tonight at the City of Dreams Grand Hyatt Ballroom in Cotai, Macau. The card was headlined by a Legend Welterweight Championship bout between reigning champion Myung Ho “Wolverine” Bae of South Korea and China’s Jingliang “The Leech” Li.
In the co-feature, Legend Bantamweight Champion Honggang “The Master” Yao put his title on the line against unbeaten Chinese compatriot Tuerxun Jumabieke, while Wenbo Liu battled Matt “Rolling Bear” Cain in a featured middleweight matchup. MMARising.com has play-by-play for the card.
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