The long-awaited Strikeforce 135-pound women’s tournament is currently targeted for Strikeforce Challengers 10 on August 13th in Phoenix, Arizona. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed the date with MMARising.com today, as well as the names of four of the tournament participants.
The tournament format, still in development, hinges on approval from the Arizona State Boxing Commission. Strikeforce is seeking permission to hold all three rounds of the women’s tournament in one night. The format and the number of tournament participants are both subject to change.
Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum shocked the MMA world on June 26th when he submitted “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko in just 69 seconds. The upset victory sees Werdum temporarily take over the top spot in the heavyweight rankings, pending the July 3rd UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Championship bout between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.
Two of the four opening round bouts for the Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament are official. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed with MMARising.com today that Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii will take on Angela Magana, while Jessica “Jag” Aguilar faces Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez.
Following her devastating knockout victory over Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton at Bellator 23, Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto has been officially announced as Sexton’s replacement in the Bellator women’s 115-pound tournament in August. The promotion confirmed the news this evening.
A welterweight contender’s bout between former UFC title challenger Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy and final WEC champ “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit is in the works for UFC 120. MMAWeekly.com was first to report on the planned bout, which would take place on October 16th at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Strikeforce returned to the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California tonight with one of their biggest events to date at Strikeforce/M-1 Global: “Fedor vs Werdum.” The card was headlined by a heavyweight bout between “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum.
In a considerable upset, former Strikeforce 135-pound competitor Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto dropped down to 120 pounds tonight and knocked out Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton at Bellator Fighting Championships 23. The end came exactly two minutes into the first round.
The lineup for the Bellator Fighting Championships women’s 115-pound tournament is now complete. The promotion announced earlier today that American Top Team standout Jessica “Jag” Aguilar has officially signed on to be part of the impressive eight-woman tournament in August.