An injury suffered in training has forced submission specialist Lisa Ward out of her main event bout against Ayaka Hamasaki at Jewels: “Twelfth Ring” on March 11th in Tokyo, Japan. Fellow 2010 Bellator tournament semi-finalist Jessica “Jag” Aguilar will now replace the injured Ward on the card.
Aguilar had been scheduled to compete on February 26th for G-Force Fights in Michigan, but that fight was scrapped after opponent Simona Soukupova also fell victim to injury. Aguilar will step in to face Hamasaki on just one week’s notice. Hamasaki’s Jewels title will not be on the line in the fight.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky this evening for UFC Live On Versus 3: “Sanchez vs Kampmann.” The event was headlined by a welterweight matchup between Diego “The Dream” Sanchez and Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann.
Two additional matchups have been announced for the upcoming Jewels: “Twelfth Ring” card on March 11th in Tokyo, Japan. Club Barbarian prospect Sakura Nomura will look to rebound from the first defeat of her career when she welcomes Korean boxer Ji Yun Kim to Jewels in Kim’s MMA debut.
A 125-pound women’s bout between divisional standouts Tara LaRosa and Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm is in the works for Shark Fights 14 in just nine days. The matchup, which has been in the making for three years, is expected to serve as the co-main event on the HDNet-televised card.
After weeks of speculation, Strikeforce has confirmed the postponement of the remainder of the opening round of its inaugural Heavyweight Grand Prix. The final two quarterfinal bouts, first set for April 9th, will now take place on June 18th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
February was another solid month for mixed martial arts, and will likely best be remembered for Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva’s impressive victory over “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce. Emelianenko drops from the top five in the heavyweight division as a result, while Silva climbs up the ranks.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to the Acer Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia tonight for UFC 127: “Penn vs Fitch.” The card was headlined by a welterweight contender’s bout between former two-time champion “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn and tough challenger Jon Fitch.
A highly competitive women’s bout between 125-pound British standout Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton and former Strikeforce title challenger Roxanne “The Happy Warrior” Modafferi capped off a stellar night of fights this evening at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 40 in North London, England.