Two-time All-American wrestler and Bellator veteran Carla Esparza has stepped in to face unbeaten prospect Nina Ansaroff at Crowbar MMA: “Winter Brawl” on December 10th. Esparza replaces Patti Lee, who had previously been scheduled to square off with Ansaroff on the card.
The change, which is the latest in a series of revisions, was confirmed to MMARising.com by matchmaker Chris Nelson today. Esparza challenged pound-for-pound standout Megumi Fujii on just three days’ notice in August at 115 pounds, while Ansaroff upset Catia Vitoria in September.
UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo Jr. will have to wait a little longer to make the first defence of his new UFC title. The Brazilian phenom has been forced out of his January 1, 2011 bout with Josh “The Fluke” Grispi at UFC 125 due to what is reportedly compacted vertebrae in his spine.
On Friday night, submission ace Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler picked up her 14th career victory and second championship of 2010 when she stopped Elaina “Beef” Maxwell. The featured 140-pound title bout was part of The Cage Inc.’s “Battle At The Border 7” in North Dakota.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to the famed Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan tonight for UFC 123: “Rampage vs Machida.” The main event featured a light heavyweight bout between former champs Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.
Strikeforce made its way to the Jackson Convention Complex in Jackson, Mississippi tonight for Strikeforce Challengers 12. The card was headlined by a lightweight bout between former Shooto champ Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and American Kickboxing Academy’s Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox.
Sengoku Raiden Championship has booked the first of what could be as many as five women’s bouts for their year-end “Way of Soul” event on December 30th. Kickboxing champions Erika Kamimura and Chiharu will square off in a bout that both fighters hope will use full Muay Thai rules.
On February 11, 2010, Mei “V Hajime” Yamaguchi shocked the mixed martial arts world when she submitted Japanese legend Yuka Tsuji in just 76 seconds to become Valkyrie Featherweight Champion at 115 pounds. She will make the first defence of her title on November 28th.
As she continues to wait patiently for an opportunity in Strikeforce, unbeaten Belgian judoka Cindy “Battlecat” Dandois will stay busy with another fight in 2010. She will next face Russia’s Yana Kunitskaya at M-1 Challenge 22 on December 10th at the Druzhba Multipurpose Arena in Moscow.