A rematch between veteran female fighters “Happy” Fukuko Hamada and Kayo Nagayasu has been announced for Pancrase Impressive Tour 12 on November 27th in Osaka, Japan. The promotion officially confirmed the bout today and it will take place during part one of the all-day Osaka event.

Hamada and Nagayasu first faced off in the now-defunct Valkyrie promotion in April 2010. Nagayasu emerged victorious via a close Majority Decision and most recently battled Naoko Omuro to a Majority Draw in Pancrase last month. Hamada has earned wins in both of her Pancrase fights this year.

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A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Jon “Bones” Jones and rival “Suga” Rashad Evans has once again been delayed due to injury. UFC President Dana White announced today that Jones will now defend his title against Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida at UFC 140 on December 10th.

Evans is currently sidelined with a hand injury and would not be ready to compete on the Toronto, Ontario, Canada card. Machida now steps into the title fight after knocking out Randy “The Natural” Couture at UFC 129. The win got Machida back on track after back-to-back defeats in 2010.

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Just days after picking up an impressive victory at Freestyle Cage Fighting 49, Kaitlin Young has agreed to face one of Russia’s top female prospects on November 9th. The Minnesota native battles Milana Dudieva at ProFC 37 in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia. The promotion announced the bout today.

Young returned after a six-month absence on October 1st and stopped late replacement opponent Liz Carreiro in the main event of the FCF card. All five of her credited wins have come by knockout. Dudieva has finished all but one opponent and has not lost since her February 2009 pro debut.

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A Bellator Fighting Championships 125-pound women’s tournament is in the works for 2012. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney discussed the tournament with MMARising.com today, but reaffirmed that planning remains in early stages and the tournament may not take place until Bellator’s seventh season.

Rebney is currently focused on bringing attention back to Bellator’s female fighters by showcasing women’s fights on television or on preliminary cards streaming online. Bellator season six could still feature the 4- or 8-woman tournament, but may now be used to build towards it later in the year.

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Amanda “Powerhouse” Lucas will make her return to mixed martial arts competition on October 29th at DEEP: “Cage Impact” in Tokyo, Japan. The adopted daughter of Star Wars creator George Lucas will face Japanese veteran Mika “Hari” Harigai in a bout announced by the promotion today.

Lucas made a successful debut for DEEP in late August with a first-round destruction of Hikaru Shinohara. Taking MMA training very seriously, she became a star in Japan leading up to her bout with Shinohara. Harigai holds an edge in experience, but Lucas will enjoy a significant strength advantage.

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Hard-hitting Minnesotan Kaitlin Young earned her fifth knockout victory and first of 2011 on Saturday night in the main event of Freestyle Cage Fighting 49 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Young stopped late replacement opponent Liz Carreiro with strikes at the 4:47 mark of the opening round.

The co-main event of the FCF card did not go as planned, as both Sarah Ward-Maloy and Amanda “Red Fox” LaVoy backed out of their fight and have been indefinitely suspended. Other weekend winners included Darla Harris in Pueblo, Colorado and Shino VanHoose in Tokyo, Japan.

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BlackEye Promotions brought female fighters to the forefront at BlackEye Promotions 5: “Breast Cancer Beatdown” tonight in Fletcher, North Carolina. The charity fight card was headlined by a 125-pound women’s bout between Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi and Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak.

Also on the card, Canadian residents Charmaine “Not So Sweet” Tweet and Anna Barone squared off in a 155-pound matchup, while prospects Chelsea “The Italian Princess” Colarelli and “Little” Patricia Vidonic did battle at 115 pounds. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the BEP 5 main card.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. tonight for UFC Live On Versus 6: “Cruz vs Johnson.” The event was headlined by a UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz and Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.

Also on the card, rising welterweight star Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman tried for his third victory of 2011 when he faced Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, while Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve took on Pat “HD” Barry in heavyweight action. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s UFC card.

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