While the event was completely overshadowed by UFC 104 and Dream.12, Greatest Common Multiple’s all-female Valkyrie division showcased another solid night of fights at “Valkyrie 3,” which saw veteran gatekeeper Misaki Takimoto stop Yasuko Mogi in the main event.
Elsewhere on the card, Naoko Omuro remained undefeated in the promotion with a Unanimous Decision over Yukiko Seki, while Sachiko Yamamoto rebounded from her loss to Omuro at Valkyrie 2 with a second-round submission of Maho Muranami.
After the extremely controversial conclusion to their five-round title bout at UFC 104 last night, top light heavyweight stars Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida have already verbally agreed to a rematch according to UFC President Dana White, who made the announcement in the hours after the event.
Machida escaped with a close but Unanimous Decision in a judges’ verdict that was soundly booed by the audience and harshly criticised by fans online, as Rua appeared to have won a minimum of three rounds.
For the first time ever at Olympia Dream.12: “The Cage of the Rising Sun,” the DREAM promotion showcased an event contested entirely inside the confines of a white cage. All fights were scheduled for three five-minute rounds for this event only.
Headlining the card was a brief heavyweight bout between reigning Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem and former PRIDE mainstay James “The Colossus” Thompson. MMARising.com has live play-by-play from the event as the action happened.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to California for the first time in over two years tonight at UFC 104: “Machida vs Shogun,” which is headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between seemingly unbeatable champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and former PRIDE ace Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
The card also features an important heavyweight clash between rising star Cain Velasquez and veteran “Big” Ben Rothwell. MMARising.com has live results from the event as the action takes place.
With less than 24 hours to go until UFC 104: “Machida vs Shogun,” MMARising.com’s Robert Sargent and Mike Miller preview the solid card, which is headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
In other main card action, undefeated rising star Cain Velasquez battles former IFL standout “Big” Ben Rothwell in a heavyweight tilt and Spencer “The King” Fisher takes on Joe “Daddy” Stevenson in a lightweight fight that has quickly turned into a grudge match.
As the latest addition to the rapidly-expanding Maximum Fighting Championships roster, highly-decorated submission expert Dean “The Boogeyman” Lister will battle fellow ex-UFC contender Thales Leites in the main event at MFC 23: “Unstoppable” on December 4th.
Both fighters are already entertaining thoughts of holding title gold in the MFC and they will look to position themselves in line for a title fight with an impressive win. Each possesses outstanding submission skills and the fight has the potential to be a great ground war.
With both sides unable to come to terms on a contract, Joe Warren will no longer compete at Vale Tudo Japan 2009 against Japanese legend Rumina Sato. In Warren’s place, his Team Quest teammate Cory “The Savage” Grant will battle Sato at the event.
Lead Shooto promoter Sustain announced that Warren had been removed from the card due to injury, but Warren’s management have since clarified that Warren is not injured and the reason for his withdrawal from the event was due to contractual terms.
With less than 48 hours to go before the event, former WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo “Ely” Filho has been removed from the upcoming Olympia Dream.12 card for reasons unknown. Filho’s scheduled opponent, Dong Sik Yoon, will still compete on the card.
Filho has lost just once in his career, but entered a tumultuous time during his WEC tenure. He battled depression and an addiction to painkillers and later checked himself into a rehabilitation facility after losing to Chael Sonnen in a non-title bout.