A long-awaited showdown between former K-1 HERO’s ace Yoshihiro Akiyama and long-time PRIDE champ Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva will take place at UFC 116. The event is tentatively scheduled for July 3rd in Las Vegas. Fighters Only magazine first reported on the bout earlier today.
Akiyama and Silva were first rumoured to be facing each other in a featured bout at UFC 110 in Australia, but Akiyama was later removed from the card. Silva went on to defeat Michael “The Count” Bisping via hard-fought decision and will now set his sights back on Akiyama.
Leading Shooto promoter Sustain has confirmed a trio of title fights for its upcoming Shooto: “The Way of Shooto 3” event on May 30th. The card will be headlined by a Shooto Lightweight (143-Pound) Championship bout between “Lion” Takeshi Inoue and Sengoku standout Hatsu Hioki.
DREAM came to the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan tonight for Dream.13. The event was headlined by a DREAM Featherweight Championship bout between reigning titleholder Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes and former Lightweight champ Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen, who dropped down in weight to challenge for his second DREAM title.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship invaded the Versus television network for the first time tonight with UFC On Versus 1 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The event was headlined by a light heavyweight clash between Brandon “The Truth” Vera and Jon “Bones” Jones.
Miesha “Takedown” Tate has come a long way in her short mixed martial arts career. The standout wrestler is the current holder of the Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s Bantamweight Championship and now has her eyes set on capturing Strikeforce title gold in the future.
Jewels returned to Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan tonight for Jewels: “Seventh Ring,” which was headlined by a rematch between former Smackgirl champions Hiroko Yamanaka and Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano. Yamanaka avenged her only career loss by defeating Akano via competitive decision.
In a posting this evening on her official Facebook page, Strikeforce competitor Erin Toughill has stated her intentions to leave the promotion. While details remain limited, Toughill cited an inability to get fights as a contributing factor and hinted that retirement may be possible.
Two Strikeforce champions could become free agents after April 17th. Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields and Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi are both on the final fight in their contracts and could test free agent waters after their upcoming bouts.