ProElite returned to the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii tonight for ProElite 3: “Grove vs Minowa.” The card was headlined by middleweight action with Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove and Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa, and also featured Sara McMann taking on Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano.

The semi-finals of the ProElite Heavyweight Grand Prix also took place on tonight’s card. Jake “The Honey Bear” Heun battled Richard “The Black Eagle” Odoms in one semi-final, while Ryan Martinez faced Cody Griffin in the other. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for ProElite 3’s main card.

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The seventh edition of the successful Jackson’s MMA Series took place tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Tonight’s card was headlined by a women’s strawweight battle between Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson and Diana “Dynamite” Rael.

The co-main event saw once-beaten Jackson’s lightweight prospect Henry Martinez take on Colorado’s Ali Hanjani, and standout boxer Jodie Esquibel returned to the cage for her second pro MMA bout against Arizona’s Amy Riehle. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s fight card.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first event on the FX network tonight from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. UFC on FX 1: “Guillard vs Miller” was headlined by a lightweight bout between hard-hitting Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard and jiu-jitsu specialist Jim Miller.

Also on the card, Duane “Bang” Ludwig battled fellow veteran Josh “The Dentist” Neer in the co-main event, while Mike “The Hulk” Easton looked for his second UFC victory when he faced Jared “The Jackhammer” Papazian in bantamweight action. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

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Strikeforce tournament veteran Maiju “Mai” Kujala looks for her third straight victory when she takes on unbeaten Brazilian Juliana “Thai” Carneiro Lima at Revolution Fighting Champion 1 on March 9th. The targeted matchup, which Kujala announced earlier today, will take place in Beirut, Lebanon.

Despite a number of bout cancellations due to injuries, Kujala earned a pair of first-round stoppage wins in 2011 after fighting five times in the year prior. Carneiro Lima has fought exclusively for Brazil Fight in her home country, where she has picked up decision victories in each of her three pro bouts.

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Jewels prospect Mizuki Inoue will compete in her third shoot boxing match when she faces current Shoot Boxing Japan Women’s Flyweight Champion Ai Takahashi on February 5th in Tokyo, Japan. The bout was confirmed on Wednesday and will be part of Shoot Boxing 2012: “Road To S-Cup, Act.1.”

Inoue most recently challenged Jewels champion Ayaka Hamasaki in a non-title bout in October, but suffered her first MMA defeat in a competitive bout. She now returns to shoot boxing for the first time since May to face Takahashi, who defeated Rena Kubota for the vacant SB title in June.

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Mere hours after losing his original opponent for UFC on FOX 2, Demian Maia has received a new one. The submission specialist faces standout wrestler Chris Weidman in a featured middleweight matchup on the card, which is set to take place on January 28th in Chicago, Illinois.

UFC President Dana White announced the change earlier today. Maia had originally been scheduled to face Michael “The Count” Bisping on the card, but Bisping stepped in for an injured Mark Munoz to face Chael Sonnen. The undefeated Weidman takes a big step up in competition on short notice.

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For only the second time to date, women will headline a major Strikeforce card when Miesha “Takedown” Tate defends her bantamweight title against “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey on March 3rd in Columbus, Ohio. The pair will face off in the main event of the newly-dubbed Strikeforce: “Tate vs Rousey.”

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed the news with MMARising.com today. Tate became the third Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion by submitting Marloes “Rumina” Coenen in late July. Rousey has yet to taste defeat in seven MMA bouts, but has not yet fought at 135 pounds.

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An untimely arm injury has forced Mark Munoz out of his upcoming bout with Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 on January 28th in Chicago, Illinois. Sonnen will now face off against Michael “The Count” Bisping on the card. UFC President Dana White announced the change on Twitter today.

The revised fight between Sonnen and Bisping will serve as a number one contender’s bout, with the winner moving on to challenge Anderson “The Spider” Silva for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Bisping’s original opponent, Demian Maia, now awaits a replacement foe for the event.

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