A pivotal women’s bout between former Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion Sarah Kaufman and Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche is targeted for Strikeforce Challengers 17 on July 22nd in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight could serve as a number one contender’s bout for Kaufman’s former title.
MMARising.com first learned of the bout’s possibility late last month, and MMAFighting.com was first to report today that verbal agreements are now in place. Kaufman recently rebounded from her loss to current champion Marloes Coenen, while Carmouche was submitted by Coenen in March.
A Strikeforce Middleweight Championship bout between champion Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza and rising star Luke Rockhold is currently planned for an as-yet-unannounced Strikeforce event on September 10th. The fight was thought to be set for July 30th, but will no longer take place on that card.
Leading all-female promotion Jewels has announced a trio of big fights for its upcoming “15th Ring” event on July 9th in Tokyo, Japan. Final Valkyrie Featherweight Champion “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi will make her Jewels debut when she faces kickboxing standout and Jewels mainstay Seo Hee Ham.
Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion Marloes “Rumina” Coenen will defend her title against 2010 tournament winner Miesha “Takedown” Tate at Strikeforce: “Fedor vs Henderson” on July 30th in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The matchup, first planned for March 5th, was made official on Saturday.
The Ultimate Fighter 13 concluded tonight at The Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. The TUF 13 Finale was headlined by the welterweight final between Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson and Ramsey Nijem. The winner of the bout earned a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The North American Allied Fight Series showcased one of its biggest events tonight at NAAFS: “Fight Night In The Flats 7” in Cleveland, Ohio. The card was headlined by an NAAFS 125-pound women’s title bout between NAAFS star Jessica “Evil” Eye and Bellator veteran Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly.
UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre will face Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz at UFC 137. UFC President Dana White announced the matchup this afternoon, and it will reportedly take place on October 29th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Another busy month of mixed martial arts action concluded with UFC 130 on May 28th. Rising welterweight star Rick “The Horror” Story picked up his biggest victory to date when he upset former UFC title challenger Thiago “Pitbull” Alves, and Story vaults up the 170-pound ranks with the win.