After three years of waiting, submission ace Lisa Ward has finally earned her rematch with women’s pound-for-pound queen Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii. Ward defeated the previously unbeaten Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly tonight at Bellator 26 and will now face Fujii at Bellator 29 in three weeks.
Ward stifled Daly’s offence by repeatedly taking the fight to the ground with impressive judo throws. She threatened with punches and submissions on the ground, but a very game Daly survived to a decision. With the dominant victory, Ward advances on in the Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament.
2008 Olympic Bronze Medallist Randi Miller’s mixed martial arts debut will have to wait. The wrestling powerhouse reportedly suffered a hand injury last week and has withdrawn from her August 29th bout with Japanese standout Hiroko Yamanaka. Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Leslie Smith is now expected to face Yamanaka, but the fight has not yet been signed.
Just shy of three years after their first bout ended in controversy, “King” KJ Noons and Nick Diaz will once again square off for a major title on October 9th. Noons will challenge for Diaz’s Strikeforce Welterweight Championship at Strikeforce: “Diaz vs Noons 2” at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. The promotion officially confirmed the fight today.
Despite late changes, Crowbar MMA: “Fall Brawl” will still move ahead with two women’s bouts on September 11th. Wand Fight Team representative Michele “Diablita” Gutierrez will battle 12-fight veteran Tammie Schneider, while SNMMA Women’s Flyweight Champion Catia “Cat Woman” Vitoria takes on American Top Team’s Nina Ansaroff in Ansaroff’s pro debut.
July rivals Marianna “The Crushen Russian” Kheyfets and Kim “Sugar Free” Couture will compete on the same card again on October 23rd, but not against each other. Kheyfets and Couture will be part of Ring of Combat 32 and both will take on talented kickboxers from Team Tiger Schulmann.
Following a year of delays and uncertainty, the Ultimate Women Challenge reality show competition is finally set to begin filming this week. However, the show’s schedule has impacted multiple planned September fights including bouts featuring Kaitlin Young and Julie “Fireball” Kedzie.
Sengoku Raiden Championships came to the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan tonight for SRC 14, which was headlined by a Sengoku Middleweight Championship rematch between Jorge Santiago and Kazuo “The Hitman” Misaki. The event also featured the lightweight debut of “The Japanese Sensation” Akihiro Gono, who faced Jadamba Narantungalag.
Strikeforce made its first trip to Houston, Texas tonight for Strikeforce: Houston. The event was headlined by a pair of title bouts. In the night’s main event, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal put his Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship on the line against Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante.