The Ultimate Fighter 23: “Team Joanna vs Team Claudia” premiered tonight on FOX Sports 1 and TSN. This season’s debut episode included all 16 elimination-round bouts as male light heavyweights and female strawweights began their quests to become TUF 23 champion and earn a UFC contract.
Led by UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk and rival Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha, two opposing teams – each composed of four male light heavyweights and four female strawweights – compete against each other this season. Tonight, 16 fighters made it into the “TUF House.”
Top-ranked contenders Emi Tomimatsu and Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama will face off for the newly-vacant Deep Jewels Atomweight Championship on June 5th at Deep Jewels 12 in Tokyo, Japan. The 105-pound championship fight was one of seven bouts officially announced for the card earlier today.
Shoot Boxing Women’s Flyweight Champion Rena Kubota extended her winning streak to 16 with a Unanimous Decision victory tonight at Rizin Fighting Federation 1 in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. The popular Kubota defeated Chute Boxe representative Cyndi Alves in a 51kg shoot boxing matchup.
TUF 20 finalist “Thug” Rose Namajunas made a strong case for a second shot at UFC gold with her biggest victory to date tonight at UFC on FOX 19: “Teixeira vs Evans” in Tampa, Florida. Namajunas avenged a past loss by edging out Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres in strawweight action.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida tonight for UFC on FOX 19: “Teixeira vs Evans.” Following a number of late changes, the event was headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Glover Teixeira and former UFC champion “Suga” Rashad Evans.
Rizin Fighting Federation 1 takes place tomorrow at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. The event features three female fights including a shoot boxing match between four-time Girls S-Cup tournament winner Rena Kubota and Chute Boxe fighter Cyndi Alves, who makes her Rizin FF debut.
Former Invicta FC champion Jessica Penne makes her long-awaited return to action on June 4th at UFC 199: “Rockhold vs Weidman 2” in Inglewood, California. Penne is set to face off against Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade, who will make her strawweight debut in the featured matchup.
Ukrainian prospect Maryna “The Iron Woman” Moroz rebounded from the first loss of her pro career with a hard-fought victory tonight at UFC Fight Night 86: “Rothwell vs dos Santos” in Zagreb, Croatia. Moroz outpointed Cristina “Barbie” Stanciu in a back-and-forth strawweight bout on the card.