Former WEC Featherweight Champion “The California Kid” Urijah Faber has suffered a knee injury in training and has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming WEC 50 card on August 18th. Faber had been scheduled to make his bantamweight debut against Takeya Mizugaki.
Faber announced the news earlier today on his Twitter account and stated the injury occurred during training on Monday. MMAjunkie.com has since reported that Mizugaki will most likely be removed from the card and that a replacement opponent for the Japanese contender will not be sought.
For the first time in their UFC careers, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and twin brother Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will compete on the same card at UFC 119. Rodrigo will face Frank Mir for the second time, while Rogerio takes on the unbeaten Ryan “Darth” Bader. MMAFighting.com and MMAWeekly.com were first to report on the fights, respectively.
The two remaining opening-round bouts for Bellator’s 115-pound women’s tournament have been confirmed for Bellator Fighting Championships 25. Jessica Pene will take on Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto, while Lisa Ward faces Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly. MMAjunkie.com was first to report on both fights, which will take place on August 19th.
A lightweight bout between undefeated rising star Evan Dunham and former champ Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk is reportedly in the works for UFC 119 on September 25th. MMAjunkie.com was first to report on the planned fight, which is expected to be signed and made official shortly.
After sitting out for the promotion’s most recent event in May, Jewels star Shizuka Sugiyama will return to action at Jewels: “Ninth Ring” on July 31st in a shootboxing match. She will face Jewels newcomer Esui, a native of Mongolia who previously worked as a professional wrestler.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight with UFC 116: “Lesnar vs Carwin.” The event was headlined by a blockbuster UFC Heavyweight Championship unification bout between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.
Widely regarded as the top female fighter in mixed martial arts, Japanese star Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii (20-0-0) now has her sights set on capturing the first major title of her storied career. She will look to do so in the Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament, which begins in August.
After a year of injury setbacks and waiting on the sidelines, top 145-pound contender Erin “Steel” Toughill is likely to make her long-awaited Strikeforce debut on August 21st in Houston, Texas. The fight would be Toughill’s first in well over a year, dating back to a May 2009 decision victory.