After a series of postponements, undefeated Canadian standout Sarah Kaufman has confirmed that she will face Japanese contender Takayo Hashi to determine the first Strikeforce 135-Pound Women’s Champion. The fight will take place at Strikeforce Challengers 6 on February 26th.
Kaufman was first set to face Hashi in the co-main event of Strikeforce Challengers 5 in November, but the fight was later removed from the card. Three months later, Strikeforce will finally crown a 135-pound champion. Showtime Sports has now listed the fight card on its website.
In the wake of the upcoming Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s Grand Prix on January 30th, Strikeforce has opted to revisit the idea of holding their own women’s tournaments in 2010. The promotion is targeting an April start for eight-woman 135- and 145-pound tournaments to determine new contenders and title challengers.
Freestyle Cage Fighting will showcase eight of the top bantamweights in the world in the opening round of the FCF Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix on January 30th. The promotion has confirmed with MMARising.com that the event will stream live on FreestyleCageFighting.com in high-definition.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to add to its debut card on the Versus network. The promotion confirmed today that a heavyweight bout between former contender Cheick Kongo and one-time title challenger Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello will be part of the March 21st event.
Rising bantamweight star Miesha “Takedown” Tate returned to Freestyle Cage Fighting at FCF 38 last night and successfully defended her FCF Women’s Bantamweight Championship with a first-round armbar submission of tough challenger “Vicious” Valerie Coolbaugh. The two had previously met once before in an amateur bout.
While Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos and Marloes Coenen square off for the Strikeforce Women’s Lightweight (145-Pound) Championship on January 30th, recent Strikeforce signee and top title contender Erin Toughill will also be in action on the same night.
After another dominant stoppage victory at UFC 108, British knockout king Paul “Semtex” Daley takes a big step towards the top of the welterweight ladder in the latest edition of the MMARising.com Top 10 Fighter Rankings, but the division remains as one of the most competitive in the sport.
After original opponent Yohan Banks was denied approval by the Florida State Boxing Commission, professional wrestling superstar Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley is now expected to face journeyman veteran Jimmy “The Titan” Ambriz at Strikeforce: Miami on January 30th. Ambriz steps into the fight on just two weeks’ notice.