Long-time training partners Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki and Satoru Kitaoka will face off for Aoki’s DREAM Lightweight Championship at DREAM: “Genki Desu Ka” on December 31st in Saitama, Japan. BloodyElbow.com was first to report on the bout earlier this week and the promotion announced it today.

Aoki has posted submission wins in a pair of non-title bouts for DREAM this year and has won six in a row overall. Kitaoka formerly held the Sengoku Lightweight Championship and has won four straight fights since a pair of defeats in late 2009. The fighters have combined for 34 submission wins.

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Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been granted his wish. The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion will indeed be part of the upcoming UFC 144 card on February 26, 2012 in Saitama, Japan. Jackson will face off against former top 205-pound contender Ryan “Darth” Bader in a featured bout.

ESPN.com first confirmed the matchup with UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta today. Jackson expressed anger and frustration this week when it appeared that he would not be on the UFC card in Japan. The long-time PRIDE star will now compete in the country for the first time in exactly six years.

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Ohio star Jessica “Evil” Eye made a successful return to her roots in the North American Allied Fight Series tonight. The popular prospect earned a dominant Unanimous Decision victory over Jennifer “Superstar” Scott in a featured bout at NAAFS: “Night Of Champions 2011” in Canton, Ohio.

In the main event, NAAFS 125-pound women’s champion Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly made the first defence of her new title with a second-round submission of the previously unbeaten Kelly Warren. Daly first captured the title by defeating Eye when the pair faced off in the NAAFS cage in June.

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Two-time Girls S-Cup champion Rena Kubota earned one of the biggest victories of her career tonight at Rise 85 in Tokyo, Japan. Kubota defeated current S-Cup champ Erika Kamimura in a much-anticipated rematch from an April exhibition to become the first Rise Queen kickboxing champion.

While there was no official winner in the pair’s one-round exhibition match in April, Kamimura dropped Kubota and dominated much of the brief contest. Tonight’s bout was contested under full kickboxing rules across five rounds and Kubota was victorious via Unanimous Decision in a considerable upset.

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Two additional fights are now official for Jewels: “17th Ring” on December 17th in Tokyo, Japan. Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino will make her Jewels debut against Celine Haga, while Emi Tomimatsu faces AACC prospect Rina Tomita. Both bouts were announced by the promotion today.

Fujino has been inactive in MMA since a bout with Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii on December 30th. She has since competed in shoot boxing and will enter as a significant favourite against Haga, who is winless since May 2010. Tomimatsu and Tomita earned victories at “16th Ring” in September.

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Chelsea “The Italian Princess” Colarelli will make a quick return to the cage for her fourth bout in three months. The former XFL women’s champion is expected to face Heather “Hurricane” Clark at Evolution Combat Sports Championship: “Evolution 2” on December 10th in Clovis, New Mexico.

Clark revealed plans for the 115-pound matchup today. She has won four straight fights since dropping her pro debut. Colarelli has been extremely active in 2011 and has already fought four times this year. She lost her XFL title to Ashley “Smashley” Cummins in a thrilling bout this past weekend.

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Japanese standout Hatsu Hioki will compete on home soil for his second bout inside the Octagon. Hioki has agreed to face ten-year veteran Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski at UFC 144 on February 26, 2012 in Saitama, Japan. MMAWeekly.com first reported the planned bout on Sunday.

Hioki eked out a razor-thin Split Decision win over George Roop in his UFC debut three weeks ago. The former Shooto, TKO and Sengoku champion has tasted defeat just once in his past 15 fights. Palaszewski has won five of six and scored a first-round knockout of Tyson Griffin at UFC 137.

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Though she was unable to make the 115-pound weight limit, Jessica “Jag” Aguilar avenged the first defeat of her career tonight at Bellator Fighting Championships 58 in Hollywood, Florida. Aguilar earned a Unanimous Decision win over rival Lisa Ellis-Ward after three hard-fought rounds.

Also on tonight’s Bellator 58 card, Michael Chandler captured the Bellator Lightweight Championship from former champion Eddie Alvarez in one of the promotion’s best fights of the year. Chandler survived a rough third round and submitted the highly-touted Alvarez in round four to claim the title.

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