Rebounding after a tough loss in May, Tonya Evinger dominated Adrienna “AJ” Jenkins en route to a second-round TKO stoppage victory at Raging Wolf 8: “Cage Supremacy” last night. The win earned Evinger another shot at Raging Wolf Women’s Flyweight (135-Pound) Champion Alexis Davis.

Evinger battled ring rust in her first bout with Davis at Raging Wolf 7, but that did not appear to play a factor last night as she controlled the fight with Jenkins from start to finish. Following a series of punches from mount in round two, the fight was stopped, giving Evinger the well-deserved victory.

Read More…

Former EliteXC and Strikeforce champion Jake Shields is set to officially sign with the UFC and will return to the welterweight division for his UFC debut. GracieFighter.com was first to report on the news and Shields could make his first appearance inside the Octagon as early as UFC 121.

Shields was released from his Strikeforce contract at the end of June and was subsequently stripped of the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. A bout with welterweight contender Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann is planned for Shields’s UFC debut, but has not yet been signed.

Read More…

Two of the top female bantamweights in the sport will collide this Saturday when Adrienna “AJ” Jenkins takes on Tonya Evinger in the co-main event at Raging Wolf 8: “Cage Supremacy.” The fight will serve as a number one contender’s bout, with the winner moving on to challenge Raging Wolf champ Alexis Davis at an upcoming event.

Jenkins was most recently defeated by Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler in the finals of the FCF Women’s Grand Prix, while Evinger faced Davis in May, but fell victim to a third-round submission.

Read More…

Knockout artist Kaitlin Young is set to return to mixed martial arts action on September 11th in Fargo, North Dakota. The Circle Pines, Minnesota native will square off with San Francisco’s Jamie Seaton in a 135-pound matchup in the co-main event of Crowbar MMA: “Fall Brawl.”

Young most recently competed in the Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix in January, but was defeated in the first round by rising star Jennifer “Rosebud” Tate. Seaton, who has split time between 135 and 145 pounds, has won two straight fights.

Read More…

Following changes made late this week, MMARising.com can exclusively report that the one-night Strikeforce 135-pound women’s tournament will proceed on August 13th and all four participants are confirmed. A plan is in place to use a random draw format to determine first-round matchups.

As first reported here last month, Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm, Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano and Maiju Kujala will all compete in the tournament. Miesha “Takedown” Tate has now stepped in to replace original participant Marloes “Rumina” Coenen, who will no longer take part.

Read More…

The DREAM Lightweight Championship was up for grabs tonight when champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki finally squared off with top contender Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri. The long-awaited matchup headlined Dream.15 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Also on the card, the DREAM Light Heavyweight Grand Prix kicked off when Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi faced “Irish” Jake O’Brien and Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef took on Tatsuya Mizuno. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the abbreviated seven-fight event.

Read More…

After successfully retaining the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 116, Brock Lesnar may make his next title defence as early as October. MMAFighting.com reports that a bout between Lesnar and unbeaten rising star Cain Velasquez is planned for UFC 121 on October 23rd.

MMAjunkie.com first reported on the planned date for the event, which is expected to take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. UFC President Dana White stated that both fighters have agreed to face each other. Velasquez was previously announced as the next title challenger.

Read More…

In her professional mixed martial arts debut, Danbury, Connecticut native Marianna “The Crushen Russian” Kheyfets dominated Kim “Sugar Free” Couture tonight at XFC 11: “The Next Generation.” Kheyfets dropped Couture and finished the fight with a triangle choke.

A winner of XFC’s open tryouts, Kheyfets received a big opportunity in the televised co-main event bout with Couture and did not disappoint. The victory immediately puts Kheyfets on the map, while Couture now drops to 2-3 and struggled to keep up with her opponent’s striking abilities.

Read More…