Strikeforce veteran Shana “Rock Solid” Nelson will make her bantamweight debut against one-time Bellator competitor Leslie Smith at Cage Fighting Xtreme: “Winter Brawl” on February 18th in Fargo, North Dakota. Event matchmaker Chris Nelson confirmed the bout with MMARising.com.

Nelson won each of her first four fights leading into her Strikeforce debut in October 2010, but suffered her first loss against Julia “The Jewel” Budd. She will look to get back on the winning track at 135 pounds against Smith, who has won two of her past three and also looks to rebound from a loss.

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Former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman will have to wait at least a little longer for a shot at regaining her title. Kaufman will next face fellow Canadian Alexis Davis in a rematch on March 3rd in Columbus, Ohio. The contender’s bout was officially announced tonight.

Also confirmed for the March 3rd card tonight were a pair of intriguing men’s bouts. “King” K.J. Noons faces Josh Thomson in a matchup first reported by MMAjunkie.com yesterday. British knockout artist Paul “Semtex” Daley battles Japanese veteran Kazuo Misaki in a featured welterweight clash.

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Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha “Takedown” Tate will defend her title against Olympic bronze medallist “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey on March 3rd in Columbus, Ohio. The bout, first reported by MMAWeekly.com this week, was officially confirmed during tonight’s Strikeforce telecast.

Tate has won six straight fights since dropping a decision to Sarah Kaufman at the inaugural Strikeforce Challengers event in May 2009 and captured the belt from Marloes “Rumina” Coenen this past July. Rousey has won each of her seven pro and amateur bouts by armbar in less than one minute apiece.

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Strikeforce came to The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for Strikeforce: “Rockhold vs Jardine.” The card was headlined by a Strikeforce Middleweight Championship bout between champion Luke Rockhold and “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine.

Also on the card, former EliteXC champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler faced rising star Adlan Amagov in a middleweight bout, while former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal battled Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the event.

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Minnesota’s Kaitlin Young made a successful return to her home state with a victory tonight at Sterling Entertainment Group and Driller Promotions’ co-promoted “Downtown Showdown 2” event in Minneapolis. Young stopped Canadian Anna “Smiles” Barone via doctor stoppage after the second round.

Young, who had a number of planned bouts fall apart in 2011, chose not to withdraw from the fight with Barone despite Barone’s failure to make weight. She used a series of kicks to the lead leg and body to wear down Barone and bloodied her with jabs that led the cageside doctor to stop the bout.

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Strikeforce Women’s Featherweight Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos has been fined $2500 USD and suspended for one year after testing positive for a stanozolol metabolite prior to her December 17th victory over Hiroko Yamanaka. Santos’s win has now been overturned to a No Decision.

The California State Athletic Commission revealed the news in a release today. Santos was tested shortly before she dispatched of Yamanaka in 16 seconds and a urine sample was then sent to a World Anti-Doping Agency facility for testing. She has the right to appeal her one-year suspension.

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Amanda “Powerhouse” Lucas returns to Japan for her third bout under the DEEP banner when she faces Japanese female MMA pioneer Yumiko Hotta at DEEP: “57 Impact” on February 18th in Tokyo. The matchup, which was officially announced today, will be contested for a new DEEP women’s title.

Lucas posted back-to-back first-round submission wins in her first two bouts for DEEP in late 2011 and she has won three straight since dropping her pro MMA debut. Hotta remains heavily involved in pro wrestling, but she has not competed in mixed martial arts since all the way back in November 2000.

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One of MMA’s top female prospects, Ashley “Smashley” Cummins, is set to compete for the second time as a professional on January 28th at NAAFS: “Caged Fury 16” in Morgantown, West Virginia. Cummins faces talented striker Stephanie “Macaquinha” Frausto in a featured bout on the card.

MMARising.com confirmed the fight with NAAFS officials today. Cummins amassed a stellar 8-0 amateur record before capturing the XFL 115-pound women’s title in her November pro debut. Frausto recently relocated to Ohio and has remained active in grappling since her last MMA bout in 2010.

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