Leading all-female promotion Jewels announced a total of six fights today for its “16th Ring” card on September 11th in Tokyo, Japan. All four quarterfinal matchups in the Jewels Featherweight Queen Tournament are now set, and the winner of the grand prix will become the first Jewels champion at 48kg.
Jewels showcased its first eight-woman tournament last year and crowned Ayaka Hamasaki as the first Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion at 52kg. The winners of this year’s quarterfinal bouts will advance on to “17th Ring” on December 17th, where the champion must win twice in a single night.
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A welterweight bout between contenders Rick “The Horror” Story and Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann is in the works for UFC 139 on November 19th in San Jose, California. Both fighters will look to rebound from decision losses. Verbal agreements are in place for the bout, which was announced today.
Story stepped in on short notice to face Nate “The Great” Marquardt in June, but was upset by late replacement Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman after Marquardt was forced off of the card. Kampmann has dropped two straight decisions inside the UFC, but neither outcome was without controversy.
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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts Rafael dos Anjos and Gleison Tibau will face off in a battle of lightweight contenders at UFC 139 on November 19th in San Jose, California. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the all-Brazilian matchup, which was officially announced by the promotion earlier today.
Dos Anjos is coming off of his biggest Octagon victory to date, a 59-second knockout of former top contender George Sotiropoulos at UFC 132, and has won four of his last five fights. Tibau has also won four of five and submitted Rafaello “Tractor” Oliveira in an impressive performance at UFC 130 in May.
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin tonight for UFC Live On Versus 5: “Hardy vs Lytle.” The event was headlined by a welterweight bout between Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy and Chris “Lights Out” Lytle, who retired following the fight.
Elsewhere, lightweight contenders collided when Jim Miller took on former WEC champion Ben “Smooth” Henderson, while Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone faced Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira in another featured bout at 155 pounds. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for all fights on tonight’s UFC card.
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MMA Fight Pit showcased its debut event, “Genesis,” tonight from The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The card, which was the first mixed martial arts event to take place at the venue, was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Houston “The Assassin” Alexander and “Razor” Razak Al-Hassan.
Also on the card, former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens “Lil’ Evil” Pulver faced Coty “Ox” Wheeler in bantamweight action, and “South Valley’s Own” Angelica Chavez took on Diana “Dynamite” Rael in a women’s bout at 105 pounds. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s televised card.
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Olympic bronze medallist in judo “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey was victorious in her Strikeforce Challengers 18 debut tonight, though her win did not come without controversy. Rousey defeated Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio with an armbar in just 25 seconds, but confusion followed as D’Alelio did not tap.
After applying the armbar, Rousey indicated to referee Steve Mazzagatti that she had heard a verbal submission from D’Alelio, who denied submitting but did admit to making a pained sound. Mazzagatti did not hear the sound, but stopped the fight anyway at Rousey’s behest and drew the ire of the crowd.
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Strikeforce made its second appearance at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for Strikeforce Challengers 18. The lightweight main event featured UFC veteran Jorge “J.G.” Gurgel taking on California’s Joe Duarte in a matchup that was pivotal for both fighters’ Strikeforce careers.
Also on the card, Olympic bronze medallist in judo “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey put her unbeaten record on the line when she made her much-anticipated Strikeforce debut against jiu-jitsu specialist Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s Strikeforce main card.
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After a month of uncertainty, rising star Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff has found an opponent. The 125-pound standout has agreed to face Colorado native Angela Hayes at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship: “Fight Night 2,” which is set to take place on September 8th in Amman, Jordan.
MMARising.com confirmed plans for the matchup with a source close to the negotiations today. Bout agreements have not yet been signed. Gaff was originally set to face Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton in a women’s title fight at CWFC 43 in July, but the bout with Hayes is not expected to be for a title.
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