Strikeforce 145-pound competitor Julia “The Jewel” Budd will be part of the first professional women’s mixed martial arts bout in the province of Ontario. The Muay Thai standout faces Ottawa’s Anna Barone in a featured matchup at JEG: “MMA Live 1” on May 19th in London, Ontario, Canada.

The event will be the first card promoted by the Jones Entertainment Group, which has plans to return to Ontario in July. Budd last competed on January 7th, but suffered a quick knockout loss at the hands of Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes. The B.C. native will look to rebound against Barone.

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Former pro boxer and veteran mixed martial artist Erin “Steel” Toughill made her long-awaited return to MMA on Saturday night in Oklahoma, but things did not go according to plan. Toughill was upset by one-time bantamweight Ashley “Loca” Sanchez in the main event of Freestyle Cage Fighting 46.

Competing at a catchweight of 160 pounds, Toughill required two attempts to make the contracted weight limit and was outworked by Sanchez through three rounds. Toughill, a former top contender at 145 pounds, suffered a Unanimous Decision loss to Sanchez in her first fight since May 2009.

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Ireland’s top female mixed martial artist, Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly, will ply her trade outside of Bellator Fighting Championships for the foreseeable future. Daly was notified of her release from the promotion on Thursday, but will still compete in a pair of non-Bellator bouts in the coming months.

Daly, who will face Sheila Gaff on April 24th and Jessica Eye on June 4th, speaks highly of her time with Bellator and sees the release as a positive opportunity to continue to develop her career. She may return to Bellator should the promotion proceed with a 125-pound women’s tournament.

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Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts standout Julie “Fireball” Kedzie captured her first major title in more than five years on Saturday night in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Displaying improved striking skills, Kedzie defeated knockout artist Kaitlin Young in the main event of Jackson’s MMA Series 4.

The victory earned Kedzie the inaugural Jackson’s MMA Series Women’s Bantamweight Championship, but her bout with Young was much closer than the judges’ scores would suggest. Taking over the later stages of the fight with strikes and a takedown, Kedzie earned a Unanimous Decision.

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Strikeforce came to the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California tonight for Strikeforce: “Diaz vs Daley.” The stacked card was headlined by a Strikeforce Welterweight Championship bout between reigning champion Nick Diaz and hard-hitting British challenger Paul “Semtex” Daley.

In the co-main event, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez put his title on the line in a rematch with rival Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri, while Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi faced “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

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The fourth instalment of the successful Jackson’s MMA Series took place tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the main event, Kaitlin Young faced Julie “Fireball” Kedzie in a five-round JMMAS Women’s Bantamweight Championship bout at 135 pounds.

The main card featured two additional women’s bouts, as former Tuff-N-Uff star Tsui-Jen “Soo Bee Doo” Cunanan made her pro debut against Kelley Renee, while Brittany Horton faced Jodie Esquibel. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for all fights on tonight’s Jackson’s MMA Series 4 card.

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Leading amateur promotion Tuff-N-Uff showcased 15 entertaining mixed martial arts bouts on Friday evening at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tuff-N-Uff Welterweight Champion Eddie “Ambien” Jackson successfully defended his title against Lee Henry Lilly in the main event.

The co-feature saw top-ranked prospect Ashley “Smashley” Cummins retain her Tuff-N-Uff 115-pound women’s title with a quick submission victory over Jocelyn “Lights Out” Lybarger. The impressive stoppage moved Cummins’s record to a perfect 8-0, and she remains one of the top stars in Tuff-N-Uff.

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All-female Japanese promotion Jewels has announced a significant change to its upcoming event schedule. After “12th Ring” was cancelled on March 11th following the massive earthquake near Japan, Jewels will move ahead with 13th Ring and 14th Ring on May 14th at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Tokyo.

Both events will be held on the same day and will serve as fundraisers for earthquake reconstruction and relief in the country. 13th Ring will begin at 12:30 P.M. and 14th Ring will follow in the evening at 6:00 P.M. The cards will feature MMA, shoot boxing, kickboxing and grappling matches.

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