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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
An injury has forced former top contender Josh “The Fluke” Grispi out of his upcoming featherweight bout with Matt “The Real One” Grice at UFC 136 in Houston, Texas. Popular TUF 12 competitor Nam Phan has now stepped in to replace Grispi and will square off with Grice on the October 8th card.
A total of six pro women’s bouts are now set for BlackEye Promotions 5 on October 1st in Fletcher, North Carolina. Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak will face Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi in the night’s main event at 125 pounds. Honchak has replaced Aisling Daly in the headlining fight.