Fresh off of her successful pro MMA debut in March, Olympic Judo Bronze Medallist “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey will return to action on June 17th. The judoka will face standout kickboxer Charmaine “Not So Sweet” Tweet for Hard Knocks Fighting Championship in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
MMARising.com confirmed plans for the fight with the promotion today. The matchup will be contested at 150 pounds, slightly above Rousey’s previous fighting weight of 145, and will be part of “School of Hard Knocks 12” at the Century Casino in Calgary. Tweet will be making her professional debut.
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Valkyrie Featherweight Champion “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi earned her second victory in Pancrase on Tuesday night in Tokyo, as she submitted veteran Akiko “Betiko” Naito with a first-round armbar at Pancrase Impressive Tour 4. Yamaguchi is unbeaten in her last six fights, dating back to 2008.
Both Yamaguchi and Naito entered the matchup on Tuesday after battling kickboxing and MMA veteran “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba to close Majority Decisions. Yamaguchi edged Sunaba in their fight, while Naito came up just short and has now dropped back-to-back fights inside the promotion.
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Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm and husband Luis “Sapo” Santos will both compete at Amazon Fight 8 on May 27th in Belém, Brazil. Damm will face newcomer Deize “Gorilla” in one bout, while Santos battles rival Carlos Alexandre “Índio” Pereira in a rematch from their December 2007 fight.
Damm is currently in the midst of a three-fight losing streak where she has been stopped by divisional standouts Hitomi Akano, Cat Zingano and Tara LaRosa. Prior to the losing skid, she had won ten straight fights. Santos has won 11 of his last 12 fights, with the lone defeat coming via Split Decision.
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Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz successfully defended his title in a thrilling bout with British striker Paul “Semtex” Daley on April 9th. With his tenth straight win, Diaz moves up the welterweight rankings and eyes a showdown with UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre.
In April women’s action, Sheila “The German Tank” Gaff upset Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly at Cage Warriors 41 and debuts in the 125-pound rankings, while San Jose’s Elaina “Beef” Maxwell returns to the top ten at 145 pounds after defeating fellow Strikeforce veteran Shana “Rock Solid” Olsen.
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Leading all-female promotion Jewels has announced four additional fights for its May 14th doubleheader of events. In MMA bouts at “13th Ring” in the afternoon, Yukiko Seki will take on Yuka Okumura in a 48kg matchup, while Sadae “Manhoef” Suzumura squares off with Anna Saito at 53kg.
The promotion also revealed two grappling matches for the evening portion of the all-day fundraising festival at “14th Ring.” Jewels Lightweight Queen Champion Ayaka Hamasaki will face Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka in one grappling match, while Ricaco Yuasa faces Kazue Matake in the other.
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its long-awaited debut at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada tonight for UFC 129: “St. Pierre vs Shields.” The card was headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship bout between Georges “Rush” St. Pierre and jiu-jitsu expert Jake Shields.
Newly-crowned UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo made the first defence of his title in the co-main event against Ontario’s own Mark “The Machine” Hominick, while Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida faced Randy “The Natural” Couture. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
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Chris Tuchscherer’s Crowbar MMA promotion came to Scheels Arena in Fargo, North Dakota tonight with a ten-fight card at “Spring Brawl 2.” The main event featured a light heavyweight matchup between UFC veteran James “The Hammer” McSweeney and Francisco “Kiko” France.
Tonight’s card also included a pair of women’s bouts. Rising prospect Barb “Little Warrior” Honchak battled Nina “The Macedonian Mauler” Ansaroff at 125 pounds, while Shana “Rock Solid” Olsen faced Elaina “Beef” Maxwell in 145-pound action. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the event.
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A welterweight bout between Diego “The Dream” Sanchez and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes is targeted for an upcoming UFC event this Fall. While a date and venue have not yet been announced, the promotion revealed today that verbal agreements are already in place for the matchup.
Sanchez returned to 170 pounds last year after challenging unsuccessfully for the UFC Lightweight Championship, and has won two of his three fights since. Former long-time UFC Welterweight Champion Hughes will look to rebound from his 21-second knockout loss to B.J. Penn in November.
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