With just days to go, Shine Fights has moved their embattled Lightweight Grand Prix to the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma. However, the event will now be unsanctioned and MMARising.com has confirmed that the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission will have zero involvement.
Shine Fights representatives contacted the OSAC prior to the event’s move and were informed that the commission would not approve the tournament format that the promotion intends to use. As a result, no commission will be present at the event in Newkirk if it proceeds as planned on Friday.
Picking up her third straight win, Japanese veteran “Windy” Tomomi Sunaba outlasted boxing standout Monica Lovato in a two-round bout at Pancrase Passion Tour 8. Sunaba used effective leg kicks and knees en route to a competitive but convincing Unanimous Decision.
Three more fights have been announced for the upcoming Dream.16 event on September 25th. DREAM Lightweight Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki will face Marcus “Maximus” Aurelio, though Aoki’s title will not be on the line. Aurelio’s planned participation in the Shine Fights Lightweight Grand Prix on September 10th reportedly won’t be an issue.
A planned one-night, eight-man Shine Fights Lightweight Grand Prix has encountered major problems just six days before it was set to take place. As first reported by MMAFighting.com this morning, Shine Fights has been forced to move the tournament away from Fairfax, Virginia, where it was scheduled to be held. The event was set for this coming Friday.
Contrary to rumours circulating online today, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker tells MMARising.com that his company is not for sale. A report earlier today cited a source as having knowledge of an impending sale of Strikeforce, but Coker maintains that the rumours are completely false.
The month of August was a very busy one for the sport of mixed martial arts. Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante and Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza captured Strikeforce titles in Houston while Frankie “The Answer” Edgar defended the UFC Lightweight Championship in impressive fashion at UFC 118 in Boston.
Marloes Coenen will indeed compete at Ultimate Glory 12 on October 16th in Amsterdam, Holland, just seven days after she challenges Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight (135-Pound) Champion Sarah Kaufman. Coenen’s participation came into question earlier this month, but Golden Glory trainer Martijn de Jong insists that it was all a misunderstanding.
For the second straight year, teenage sensation RENA is the Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup Champion. She won this year’s tournament by defeating Hisae Watanabe and Kate Martinez to advance to the finals, then narrowly edged out Ai Takahashi on points in a second extra round to win the title.