Xtreme Fighting Championships came to the Knoxville Civic Auditorium-Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee tonight for XFC 16: “High Stakes.” The HDNet-televised event was headlined by a lightweight battle between UFC veterans Jamie “C-4” Varner and Drew “Night Rider” Fickett.

Also on the card, XFC mainstay Carlos Mikey Gomez faced Josh Samman in the middleweight co-feature. Rising female stars Marianna “The Crushen Russian” Kheyfets and Heather “Hurricane” Clark faced off in a 125-pound women’s bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s card.

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A featherweight bout between top contenders “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier will headline UFC on Fuel TV 3 on May 15th in Fairfax, Virginia. UFC officials announced the fight today after both fighters campaigned for the matchup earlier this week.

Jung has posted back-to-back wins inside the Octagon via the rarely-seen Twister submission and a seven-second knockout, respectively, since he made the jump to the UFC in March. Poirier has won five straight fights and finished Max Holloway in impressive fashion at UFC 143 this past weekend.

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Three new fights have been confirmed for Jewels: “18th Ring” on March 3rd in Tokyo, Japan. Former Strikeforce title challengers Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi and Takayo Hashi will face off in a featured matchup on the all-female card. Both fighters look to rebound from recent setbacks.

Also announced for the card today was a bout between grappling specialists Yuko “Amiba” Oya and Emi Tomimatsu. Unbeaten Valkyrie veteran Ayame “Iris” Miura will make her Jewels debut against Norway’s Celine Haga. Miura earned four wins for Valkyrie before the promotion’s collapse in 2010.

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Brazilian standouts Vanessa Porto and Jennifer Maia will face off for a second time in the main event of Pink Fight MMA 2 on February 25th in Rio de Janeiro. The rematch will be contested for the first Pink Fight women’s title at 132 pounds. Tatame reported details of the event on Wednesday.

Porto defeated Maia in the pair’s first meeting in October, though the result was not without some controversy. Referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the fight due to a Porto armbar in the second round, but Maia did not tap out and she now looks to avenge her lone career defeat later this month.

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A long-awaited grudge match between UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones and former training partner “Suga” Rashad Evans is now official for UFC 145 on April 21st in Atlanta, Georgia. UFC officials confirmed the fight on Monday evening. Eleven bouts are now in place for the card.

Jones and Evans have been on a collision course since early last year, but injuries to both fighters postponed plans for the pair to face off inside the cage. Currently riding a four-fight winning streak, Evans will finally receive his shot at former stablemate Jones and the young phenom’s title in April.

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A second women’s bout has been announced for the March 11th Pancrase Progress Tour 3 card in Tokyo. 16-year-old grappler Shino VanHoose looks for her third mixed martial arts victory when she faces off against former Valkyrie competitor Kimie “Sakura” Okada in a strawweight matchup.

Pancrase officials confirmed the addition to the card earlier today. The event also features the retirement bout of kickboxing and MMA veteran “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba, who faces Jewels star Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka. Sunaba, a mixed martial artist since 2002, has won five of her past six.

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Teen prodigy Mizuki Inoue scored the biggest victory of her combat sports career tonight at Shoot Boxing 2012: “Road To S-Cup, Act.1” in Tokyo, Japan. The 17-year-old striker upset current Shoot Boxing Japan Women’s Flyweight Champion Ai Takahashi in a non-title bout on the card.

Inoue has maintained a very active schedule competing in shoot boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts over the past 18 months. She used her superior boxing skills to wear Takahashi down through three close rounds and won the fight on all three judges’ scorecards after an extension round.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC 143: “Diaz vs Condit.” The event was headlined by a UFC Interim Welterweight Championship bout between Nick Diaz and “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit.

Also on the card, Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum returned to the Octagon to face fellow heavyweight contender Roy “Big Country” Nelson. Elsewhere, former welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck squared off with Mike Pierce. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s card.

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