Former long-time PRIDE Heavyweight Champion “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko will return to Japan for his next fight. The Russian sambo specialist is set to battle 2008 Olympic gold medallist in judo Satoshi Ishii at DREAM: “Genki Desu Ka” on December 31st in Saitama, Japan.

Emelianenko recently rebounded from a three-fight losing skid by defeating Jeff “The Snowman” Monson this past month. Prior to the setbacks, he was unbeaten in 28 fights. Ishii won four straight fights after dropping his pro debut and most recently fought to a contentious Draw with Paulo Filho.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship will crown its first flyweight champion next year. UFC President Dana White announced tonight that a four-man 125-pound tournament will begin on March 3, 2012 as part of the UFC on FX 2 card. The semi-final winners will face off for the title at a later date.

In one semi-final bout, Tachi Palace Fights Flyweight Champion Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall faces recent UFC bantamweight title challenger Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Former WEC title challenger Joseph Benavidez battles Shooto Bantamweight Champion Yasuhiro Urushitani in the other.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada tonight for UFC 140: “Jones vs Machida.” The event was headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship showdown between champion Jon “Bones” Jones and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.

In the co-feature, former PRIDE and UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira clashed with fellow ex-champ Frank Mir for the second time. Rodrigo’s twin brother Rogerio faced Tito Ortiz at light heavyweight. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s card.

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Welterweight prospects Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley and Jordan “Young Gun” Mein will face off in a featured matchup at Strikeforce: “Rockhold vs Jardine” on January 7, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker officially announced plans for the 170-pound showdown earlier today.

Woodley remains unbeaten in his pro career and has posted seven victories inside the Strikeforce cage. His most recent win came against former title challenger Paul “Semtex” Daley in July. Mein had won nine of his past ten fights leading into his successful Strikeforce debut on September 10th.

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A total of 14 bouts are now set for Jewels: “17th Ring” on December 17th in Tokyo, Japan. Four additional matchups were announced today, including pro mixed martial arts bouts pitting 16-year-old grappler Shino VanHoose against Asami Higa and a rematch between Yuka Okumura and Anna Saito.

Also on the card, Miyako “Smile” Mitsuhori faces Mai in a kickboxing bout, while newcomer Yukari Yamaguchi takes on Nana “Chanchin” Ichikawa in a one-round amateur MMA match. Yamaguchi trains alongside 2010 Rough Stone Grand Prix winner Mizuki Inoue and makes her MMA debut.

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Former UFC welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck has been given a new opponent for UFC 143 on February 4, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Koscheck, who was scheduled to face Carlos Condit, now battles fellow wrestler Mike Pierce on the card. The bout was officially announced today.

Also targeted for UFC 143 is a bantamweight bout between rising star Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen and Brazilian standout Renan “Barao” Pegado. Jorgensen has won seven of his past eight, with the lone defeat coming in a WEC title fight. Barao is unbeaten since his losing April 2005 pro debut.

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Three additional fights have been announced for the upcoming Strikeforce: “Rockhold vs Jardine” event on January 7, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Former EliteXC Middleweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler faces rising star Adlan Amagov in a featured 185-pound matchup on the card.

One-time Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal looks for his second straight win when he faces unbeaten prospect Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin. Tarec “Sponge” Saffiedine clashes with Tyler “The Evolution” Stinson in a battle of potential contenders at 170 pounds.

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On December 17th, Japanese star Hiroko “Cat’s Eye” Yamanaka takes on the toughest test of her MMA career. The 5’11” Yamanaka faces champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos for the Strikeforce Women’s Featherweight Championship at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California.

Yamanaka has tasted defeat only once; a loss that she avenged last year. Training with UFC veteran Kuniyoshi Hironaka at Master Japan has led to improvements in Yamanaka’s striking and ground game. She speaks with MMARising.com about her Strikeforce debut and representing Japan.

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