Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson will return to action for the first time in close to two years when she faces Diana “Dynamite” Rael at Jackson’s MMA Series 7. The bout, which Rael initially announced on Thursday, is currently targeted for January 21, 2012 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Waterson has not competed since an April 2010 TKO victory. She gave birth to a daughter in March of this year and recently returned to regular training. Waterson’s opponent, Rael, has tasted defeat just once as a professional and picked up a big win over New Mexico’s Angelica Chavez in August.

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Fresh off of a successful debut on FOX, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to pay-per-view tomorrow night for UFC 139: “Shogun vs Hendo” at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua faces off against Dan “Hendo” Henderson in the light heavyweight main event.

Former long-time PRIDE champ Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva looks for a much-needed win when he takes on Cung Le in the co-feature, and “The California Kid” Urijah Faber faces Brian Bowles in a bantamweight contender’s bout. MMAGirls’ Joanne Spracklen previews tomorrow’s card.

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Japanese veterans Hayato “Mach” Sakurai and Ryo “The Piranha” Chonan will face off for the second time in one of four bouts announced today for DREAM: “Genki Desu Ka” on December 31st in Saitama, Japan. Chonan defeated Sakurai by doctor stoppage at a September 2003 DEEP event.

Also announced were the semi-finals and final of the DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix. Masakazu “Ashikan Judan” Imanari takes on Antonio Banuelos and Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes faces off with Rodolfo Marques Diniz. The winners will then clash in the tournament final later in the same night.

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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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