Three bouts are now official for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut on the FX network next year. UFC on FX 1 will be headlined by a lightweight battle between contenders Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard and Jim Miller. The event is rumoured for January 20, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Also confirmed for the card is a lightweight matchup between heavy hitters Duane “Bang” Ludwig and Josh “The Dentist” Neer and a heavyweight clash pitting Pat “HD” Barry against Christian Morecraft. Guillard and Miller are scheduled for only three rounds in the night’s main event, rather than five.

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Two featherweight bouts have been announced for the year-end DREAM: “Genki Desu Ka” event on December 31st in Saitama, Japan. Former top lightweight contender Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri competes at featherweight for the second time when he faces Kazuyuki “Little Hercules” Miyata.

The DREAM Featherweight Championship will also be up for grabs on the card. Reigning champion Hiroyuki “Streetfight Bancho” Takaya defends his belt against former Shooto ace “Lion” Takeshi Inoue, who has won three straight fights and most recently knocked out Caol Uno in September.

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Unbeaten prospect Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña will step back into the cage for the first time in two years when she faces Rachael Swatez at Conquest of the Cage on December 15th. The fight will take place at the Northern Quest Casino near Peña’s hometown of Spokane, Washington.

Peña, who has been on the sidelines due to a serious knee injury, spoke with MMARising.com on Monday about her road to recovery and the return bout with British Columbia’s Swatez, who picked up a win in March. Peña and Swatez are set to square off in a featured matchup at 125 pounds.

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Lightweight contenders Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon will square off in the latest addition to the UFC 144 event on February 26, 2012 in Saitama, Japan. UFC officials confirmed plans for the bout earlier this evening following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

Pettis, the final holder of the WEC Lightweight Championship, suffered a decision loss in his Octagon debut in June but rebounded with a victory over Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens last month. Lauzon has won twice this year and quickly stopped Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard at UFC 136.

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Middleweight standout Yushin “Thunder” Okami will look to get back on the winning track when he faces Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch at UFC 144 on February 26, 2012. Verbal agreements are in place for the matchup, which will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Okami challenged unsuccessfully for the UFC Middleweight Championship in an August rematch with Anderson “The Spider” Silva. He had won six of seven fights prior to the setback and remains among the top contenders at 185. Boetsch has won both of his fights since dropping to middleweight.

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Former EliteXC and Strikeforce champ Jake Shields will welcome Japanese star Yoshihiro Akiyama to the welterweight division when the two face off at UFC 144 on February 26, 2012 in Saitama, Japan. UFC officials announced the bout today. Akiyama makes the drop down after three defeats at 185.

The card is also expected to feature a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and Ben “Smooth” Henderson, who picked up a big win this past weekend. Edgar avenged the lone defeat of his career by stopping Gray “The Bully” Maynard at UFC 136 last month.

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A lightweight bout between former EliteXC champion “King” K.J. Noons and once-beaten prospect Billy Evangelista is now official for the upcoming Strikeforce: “Melendez vs Masvidal” card on December 17th in San Diego, California. Strikeforce officials confirmed the matchup earlier today.

Both fighters are coming off of setbacks against main event participant Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal in their most recent Strikeforce appearances. Noons challenged unsuccessfully for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship in October 2010. Evangelista will look to rebound from his first pro loss.

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Knockout artist Junior “Cigano” dos Santos needed just 64 seconds to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship tonight at UFC On FOX 1 in Anaheim, California. Dos Santos dropped former champion Cain Velasquez with a looping right hook and finished the fight with punches on the ground.

The brief bout aired alone on the promotion’s historic first broadcast on the FOX network, which served as a prequel for a seven-year deal between the UFC and FOX that kicks off in 2012. Dos Santos will make the first defence of his new title against the winner of Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar.

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