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Celine Haga (4-11) becomes the latest female athlete to be added into the ever-expanding ROAD FC roster and according to an article by MMA-In-Asia.com, the former Jewels staple looks set to make her promotional debut in a Featherweight ‘Super-Fight’ at ROAD FC 012 that’s been slated for June 22nd in Wonju, South Korea.

An opponent, however, was not named.

Haga hails from Norway and in a professional MMA career that spans over a 4-year period, she has faced 15 opponents thus far. Although she went 1-11 in her first 12 bouts, Haga is said to have had a renewed attitude towards the sport and an improved training regimen.

Haga is now riding on a 3-fight winning streak, with her latest outing resulting in a Unanimous Decision victory over Jewels’ Featherweight champion Naho Sugiyama in a non-title tilt.

Keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more news and updates with regards to this story and ROAD FC 012.

As it stands. here’s the updated fight card for the event:

• Kil Woo Lee vs. Min Jong Song (ROAD FC Bantamweight Tournament Final)
• Myung Ho Bae vs. Andrews Nakahara
• Soo Chul Kim vs. Takafumi Otsuka
• Bae Yong Kwon vs. Michihiro Omigawa (ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament match-up)
• Masako Yoshida vs. TBA
• Ji Hoon Kim vs. Ryuta Noji
• Celine Haga vs. TBA
• Dool-hee Lee vs. Ryo Kawamura
• Chang Hyun Kim vs. Kosuke Umeda (ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament match-up)
• Young Bok Gil vs. Won Ki Kim (ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament match-up)
• Moo Gyum Choi vs. Herbert Geven (ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament match-up)
• Yoon Huh vs. Byung Ok Cho (Reserve ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament match-up)
• Yoon Jun Lee vs. Winner of INTO League Tournament

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The Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation, RUFF for short, held its 9th event this past Saturday, May 18th, at the SanYa-HaiNan MGM Grand Sanya situated at Yalong Bay in Hohhot. RUFF 9 was just one of many Asian Mixed Martial Arts events that took place on Saturday, alongside PXC 37 and many others.

In the main event, promotional staple Amu RiJiRiGaLa submitted Shang Zhifa via an Armbar in the 1st stanza. Although the latter fighter showed his durability in the opening exchanges, it was a 2nd takedown from RiJiRiGaLa that signaled good night irene for Zhifa, who now suffers from a 3-fight losing skid.

The 2nd featured bout of the evening saw Ning GuangYou locking horns with Jiang ZhouWen. After a takedown in the 2nd round, Ning forced an intervention from the referee after throwing some ground-and-pound on his opponent.

Here’re the rest of the results from the event courtesy of the folks at Sherdog.com:

• Amu RiJiRiGaLa def. Shang Zhifa via Submission (Armbar) at 4:01 of Round 1
• Ning GuangYou def. Jiang ZhouWen TKO (Punches) at 1:43 of Round 2
• Sylvain Nouwen def. RiRiGaLa via Submission (Forearm Choke) at 1:22 in Round 1
• Wang AnYing def. Huang YuRen TKO (Doctor’s Stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
• AyiDeng JuMaYi def. Li ShuaiHu via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:23 of Round 1
• Liu Ping Yuan def. Liu LianJie via KO at 0:17 of Round 1
• Zhao WuHeng vs. Song YaDong ruled a No-Contest (Accidental Kick to Groin)
• Lv ZhenHong def. Xie Jie via Submission (Traingle Choke) at 4:03 of Round 1
• Yao ZhiKui def. Wang DaoYuan via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 0:37 of Round 1
• Zou YuLei def. Dong YanJun via Unanimous Decision
• Jonathan Paulson def. Zhang Di via TKO (Punches) at 4:01 of Round 1

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The 37th installment of Pacific Xtreme Combat went down this past Saturday, May 18th, at the Ynares Sports Arena situated in Pasig City, Philippines. With a stacked fight card that featured a Bantamweight Championship title tilt in the main event, the event certainly did not disappoint.

High-flying Japanese starlet Michinori Tanaka (8-0) was determined to leave the PXC cage 10-pounds heavier, and did just so by garnering a one-sided Unanimous Decision victory over Crisanto Pitpitunge (4-2). Takedowns & heavy ground-and-pound were the story of this fight, and a very emotional Tanaka managed to leave the cage with his professional MMA record still unscathed.

Elsewhere, in the 1st semi-final bout of the promotion’s Featherweight Tournament, Korean Top Team’s Jang Yong Kim (6-5-1) earned his ticket to the finals with a quick submission victory over Nate Quiniola Thorell (4-2). Thorell was getting the better of his opponent on his feet but was submitted via an Armbar upon a takedown and a slick reversal by his South-Korean counterpart.

Singapore’s Syafiq ‘The Slasher’ (2-0) also made history in the PXC cage by becoming the 1st fighter out of the Lion city to have earned a victory under the promotion’s banner. A striker by trait, ‘The Slasher’ proved he was no slouch on the ground by submitting his opponent, Wesley Machado (3-1), on the canvas.

It was, however, a night to forget for Team Lakay as they went 0-3.

Here’re the rest of the results courtesy of MMA-In-Asia.com:

• Michinori Tanaka def. Crisanto Pitpitunge via Unanimous Decision (For PXC Bantamweight strap)
• Ernesto Montilla Jr def. Jerome Wanawan via TKO (Punches) at 3:25 in Round 2
• Trevin Jones def. Troy Bantiag via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Jang Yong Kim def. Nate Thorell via Submission (Kimura) in Round 1 (PXC Featherweight Tournament Semi-Final bout)
• Takumi Nakayama def. Johnny Pecyna via Submission (Kimura) in Round 1
• Syafiq “The Slasher” def. Wesley Machado via Submission (Armbar) in Round 2
• Reno Remigio def. Hong Seung Chan via TKO (Punches) at 2:09 in Round 3
• Rolando Gabriel Dy def. Arex Montalban via Submission (Armbar) at 4:50 of Round 1

*Photo Courtesy of Ritrato Zilvidu

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Staredown between Wesley Machado (left) and Syafiq ‘The Slasher’

PXC 37 is set to go down this weekend, May 17th, at the Ynares Sports Arena situated in Pasig City, Philippines. The Weigh-Ins for the event took place at the Bar 360 in Resorts World Manila this morning (local time), with all 16 fighters on the stacked fight card making weight.

The promotion’s 135-lbs title will be up for grabs in the main event as Team Lakay’s Crisanto Pitpitunge (4-1) defends his strap against unbeaten Japanese starlet, Michinori Tanaka (7-0). The 1st bout of PXC’s Featherweight Tournament is also set to take place on May 18th with  Jang Yong Kim (5-5-1) locking horns with Nate Thorell (4-1).

Check out the weigh-in results below courtesy of the folks at MMAOrient.net:

• Crisanto Pitpitunge (135-lbs) vs. Michinori Tanaka (136-lbs) - For PXC Bantamweight strap
• Jerome Wanawan (125-lbs) vs. Ernesto Montilla Jr (126-lbs)
• Troy Bantiag (136-lbs) vs. Trevin Jones (136-lbs)
• Nate Thorell (146-lbs) vs. Jang Yong Kim (146-lbs) - PXC Featherweight Tournament Semi-Final bout
• Johnny Pecyna (145-lbs) vs. Takumi Nakayama (145-lbs)
• Wesley Machado (154-lbs) vs. Syafiq “The Slasher”(155-lbs)
• Reno Remigio (155-lbs) vs. Hong Seung Chan (155-lbs)
• Rolando Gabriel Dy (145-lbs) vs. Arex Montalban (145-lbs)

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The stage is set for ROAD Fighting Championship’s trip to Wonju, South Korea on June 22nd with a 12-bout fight card that’s slated to take place at the Chiak Stadium.

ROAD FC 012 will be headlined by the promotion’s inaugural Bantamweight Tournament final pitting Kil Woo Lee (3-4) up against ‘The Running Man’, Min Jong Song (5-5). The co-main event will see former Legend FC 170-lbs title-holder Bae Myung Ho (13-5) contesting a Vitor Belfort protege in Andrews Nakahara (4-2).

Elsewhere on the fight card, South Korean fans will be treated to the promotional debut of one, former UFCC veteran, Michihiro Omigawa (13-13-1).  The Japanese fighter is set to compete in the opening stage of ROAD FC’s Featherweight Tournament against Bae Yong Kwon (7-3), one of the best MMA prospects that South Korea has managed to produce thus far.

ONE Fighting Championship’s Bantamweight champion, Soo Chul Kim (7-4), is set to compete for the first time since garnering the 135-lbs strap at ONE FC 6: Rise of Kings. His opponent on June 22nd will be Takafumi Otsuka (15-11-1), a 26-year-old MMA veteran who has been a staple of DEEP for over 5 years.

Keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more news and updates with regards to ROAD FC 012.

As it stands, here’s the full fight card:

• Kil Woo Lee vs. Min Jong Song (ROAD FC Bantamweight Tournament Final)
• Myung Ho Bae vs. Andrews Nakahara
• Soo Chul Kim vs. Takafumi Otsuka
• Bae Yong Kwon vs. Michihiro Omigawa (ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament match-up)
• Masako Yoshida vs. TBA
• Ji Hoon Kim vs. Ryuta Noji
• Dool-hee Lee vs. TBA
• Chang Hyun Kim vs. Kosuke Umeda (ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament match-up)
• Young Bok Gil vs. Won Ki Kim (ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament match-up)
• Moo Gyum Choi vs. Herbert Geven (ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament match-up)
• Yoon Huh vs. Byung Ok Cho (Reserve ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament match-up)
• Yoon Jun Lee vs. Winner of INTO League Tournament

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A welterweight Super-fight pitting former Legend FC 170-lbs champion Bae Myung Ho (13-5) and Andrews Nakahara (4-2) has been slated for ROAD Fighting Championship’s latest event. ROAD FC 012 is set to go down on June 22nd at the Chiak Stadium situated in Wonju, South Korea.

With compulsory national service looming around the corner, 26-year-old Bae Myung Ho was forced to vacant his Legend FC Welterweight strap. However, Ho will get his last professional fight with ROAD FC before embarking on his military service, and will be hoping to keep his impressive winning streak alive should he decide to continue fighting once his tenure with the military comes to an end. The Team Busan M.A.D. native’s previous 5 appearances have all come under the Legend FC banner, gaining victories over the likes of Adam Kayoom & Jingliang Li.

Andrews Nakahara, in the meantime, is a protege of former UFC champion Vitor Belfort, and has faced the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba & Ryo Chonan in his professional MMA career thus far. A Brazilian Karate fighter by trait, Nakahara is also a Kyokushin champion who has competed under the DREAM and K-1 banners respectively. He is currently riding on a 2-fight win streak.

To add more fuel to the fire, the conclusion of ROAD FC’s inaugural Bantamweight tournament also looks set to take place on June 22nd, featuring finalists Min Song Jong and Lee Gil Woo.

Keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more news and updates regarding ROAD FC 012.

As it stands, here’s the current fight card:

• Bae Myung Ho vs. Andrews Nakahara
  
• Min Song Jong vs. Lee Gil Woo (ROAD FC Bantamweight Tournament Final)

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Due to contractual obligations with the URCC, Ricardo Sapno’s , the URCC, Ricardo Sapno’s promotional debut has to be put on hold until further notice.

PXC CEO & Promoter, Edward J. Calvo, stated, “It is unfortunate, but we hope to see Sapno in PXC competition in the near future once he has worked out his issues with his former promotion.”

Sapno (6-1) was scheduled to face Takumi Nakayama (17-13-6 [1]) at this weekend’s PXC 37 fight card, but it looks like the former URCC veteran has to wait a little longer to join the PXC rankings.

Sapno signed with PXC recently after relinquishing his URCC title and completing his 3-fight agreement with the URCC organization. However, URCC subsequently protested the move and has publicly claimed that Sapno has further obligations to their organization.

According to Sapno, “I had a 3 fight contract with URCC which I completed last year. I have fulfilled all the contractual obligations required of me. In fact, I was slated to compete in Baguio this past February, but Bubbles Aguilar of URCC scrapped all negotiations completely and I was removed from the card and a new contract or extension was not issued. We understand the fight game here and I am excited about moving on to greener pastures and stiffer competition in PXC, who has grown quickly as the top MMA league in the Philippines.”

So in steps Johnny Pecyna (5-3), who looks set to make his PXC debut in short notice. Pecyna is 3-2 in his last 5 bouts, with his most recent outing ending in a unanimous decision victory over Adam Que.

While Sapno’s future remains relatively unclear, PXC CEO Edward J. Calvo remained confident that the Filipino will indeed compete in PXC:

“We are happy to welcome Ricardo to our PXC roster of rising stars from the Philippines, ” Calvo added. “Although it is quite clear that his previous contract is expired, we prefer that he settle his contract matters professionally with URCC before making his PXC debut, which will hopefully take place soon.”

PXC 37 goes down on May 18th at the Ynares Sports Arena situated in Pasig City, Philippines. The event will be headlined by a Bantamweight Championship bout between Crisanto Pitpitunge and Michinori Tanaka.

Keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more news and updates with regards to PXC 37.

As it stands, here’s the updated fight card:

• Crisanto Pitpitunge vs. Michinori Tanaka (For PXC Bantamweight strap)
• Jang Yong Kim vs. Nate Thorell (PXC Featherweight Tournament Semi-Final bout)
• Syafiq ‘The Slasher’ Samad vs. Wesley Machado
• Johnny Pecyna vs. Takumi Nakayama
• Jerome Wanawan vs. Ernesto Montilla Jr.
• Troy Bantiag vs. Trevin Jones
• Reno Remigio vs. Hong Seung Chan
• Arex Montalban vs. Rolando Dy

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Hot off the heels of a tremendous SFL 16 event, SFL 17 proved to be no different – showcasing some great action and entertainment to the Indian audience. Furthermore, SFL 17 had 6 finishes on its fight card; 3 of which came in the 1st stanza. The event took place in Mumbai, India as part of its fortnightly ‘Friday Fight Nights’ initiative.

The main event was a Bantamweight Championship tilt between top contender Tom McKenna (7-3) and Anup Kumar (4-2) The former remained patient in the opening exchanges, allowing Kumar to score with his striking. Eventually, a beautifully timed knee along with a slick transition to the back was all she wrote for Kumar who succumbed to a Rear-Naked Choke submission just 0:14s before the end of the 1st round. McKenna vowed to take the Bantamweight strap before the fight, and he certainly backed up what he said.

In the co-main event, Mohamed Abdel Karim (2-2) defied the odds by gaining a TKO win over the much fancied Daniel Amar Singh (1-1). But it wasn’t all Jekyll and no Hyde for Karim. He had to weather the early storm from Singh, who was relentless in pursuing the takedown. Although Karim did manage to lock in a Guillotine choke attempt, it was Singh who ended the round in top position. In the 2nd stanza, it was more of the same for Singh although this time around, Karim managed to land the takedown. After raining down continuous punches and elbows, the referee had clearly seen enough and stopped the contest. Interestingly, the stoppage of this bout was reminiscent of the Diaz vs. Thomson tilt back at UFC On FOX 7, whereby the towel thrown into the cage was concurrent with the referee’s intervention.

Other notable fights:

Charanjit Singh vs. Yash Kumar provided some heavy fireworks as well. Yash Kumar showed he was no pushover, by showcasing his heart and grappling prowess for extended periods of the fight. His opponent, Charanjit Singh, dominated the stand-up exchanges, and even had a near Triangle-Choke submission that Yash managed to get out of. Despite getting the TKO win, however, Charanjit would have undoubtedly been disappointed with his ground work and takedown defense.

Amitesh Chaubey decided to adopt the Diaz brothers’ style of fighting, by taunting his opposite end, Saeed Asghartabar, for certain periods of the fight. Coming in as late replacements, both fighters were determined to put on a show and did just that with a rousing display that would have definitely garnered praise and applause from the SFL promoters. An incredible first round saw both fighters stand and trade with each other, although Saeed had a failed North-South choke towards the end of that round. In the 2nd and 3rd stanzas, Asghartabar demonstrated the power of his chin by taking an incredible amount of punishment from Chaubey. In the end, the decision was a no-brainer, and it went in favor of the local fighter, Amitesh Chaubey.

MMASucka.com’s SFL 17 Three Stars:

1. Amitesh Chaubey

2. Tom McKenna 

3. Satender Bankura

Check out the full results of SFL 17 below:

• Tom McKenna def. Anup Kumar via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:46 of Round 1
• Mohamed Abdel Karim def. Daniel Amar Singh via TKO (Punches) at  3:40 of Round 2
• Daizy def. Ola Ahmed via Submission (Neck Crank) at 0:43 of Round 2
• Amitesh Chaubey def. Saeed Asghartabar via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Charanjit Singh def. Yash Kumar via TKO (Punches) at 4:45 of Round 2
• Satender Bankura def. Harvinder Rana via KO (Punch) at 1:18 of Round 1
• Abdul Muneer def. Pawan Goyat via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:29 of Round 1

The Super Fight League returns in two weeks as they bring you SFL 18: Friday Night Fights, so keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more information and updates.

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The Super Fight League is back for its fortnightly ‘Friday Fight Nights’ initiative with SFL 17. The event goes down tonight 9:00 PM (local time) in Mumbai, India.

Hot off the heels of a spectacular portrayal of fights at SFL 16, fans of the MMA scene can expect more of the same from SFL 17, which will be headlined by a Bantamweight Championship bout between rising stars Tom McKenna (6-3) and Anup Kumar (4-1). The latter, of course, is the promotion’s reigning 135-lbs champion, having garnered the strap against Manoj Chuhan at SFL 13 – Night of Champions.

The co-main event pits heavy-hitter Daniel Amar Singh (1-0) against Mohamed Abdel Karim (1-2). Both fighters have made only a single appearance, each, under the SFL banner thus far, but its Singh who may very well have the upper-hand in this bout, having scored a dominant submission victory in his promotional debut.

Tune into SFL 17 tonight (local time) streaming live on http://www.youtube.com/SFL at 9:00 PM in Mumbai, 8:30 AM in Los Angeles, 11:30 AM in New York, 11:30 PM in Hong Kong and 4:30 PM in London. MMASucka.com will also be streaming the event ‘LIVE’ so keep it locked to the site.

Alternatively, real-time results of the event will be provided for your convenience:

• Tom McKenna def. Anup Kumar via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:46 of Round 1
• Mohamed Abdel Karim def. Daniel Amar Singh via TKO (Punches) at  3:40 of Round 2
• Daizy def. Ola Ahmed via Submission (Neck Crank) at 0:43 of Round 2
• Amitesh Chaubey def. Saeed Asghartabar via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Charanjit Singh def. Yash Kumar via TKO (Punches) at 4:45 of Round 2
• Satender Bankura def. Harvinder Rana via KO (Punch) at 1:18 of Round 1
• Abdul Muneer def. Pawan Goyat via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:29 of Round 1

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The Pacific Xtreme Combat looks set to invade the Ynares Sports Arena situated in Pasig City, Philippines on May 18th, and has put on a stellar fight card for its 37th event.

PXC 37 will be headlined by a Bantamweight title tilt between defending champion Crisanto Pitpitunge (4-1) and challenger, Michinori Tanaka (7-0). The first semi-final match-up of the Guam-based promotion’s Featherweight tournament will also take place at this event, as South Korea’s Jang Yong Kim (5-5-1) contests Nate Thorell (4-1).

The 2nd Featherweight tournament tilt between the undefeated Mark Striegl (12-0) and Yusuke Yachi (9-3) was originally scheduled to take place at PXC 37 too, but MMASucka.com has confirmed with PXC CEO Edward J. Calvo that both fighters have suffered minor injuries leading up to the event, and as a result the semi-final bout has been pushed forward to an event targeted in August. Calvo, however, remained doubtful over Yachi’s recovery, and has instead tipped former Pancrase champion Takumi Nakayama (17-13-6 [1])  as a possible candidate to fight Striegl in August. Fans can catch Nakayama in action on May 18th at PXC 37 as well, as he squares-off against the Philippines’ Ricardo Sapno (6-1).

Meanwhile, Pitpitunge’s undefeated record under the PXC banner will be in jeopardy as he goes toe-to-toe with a highly touted prospect from Japan. The Filipino fighter hails from the esteemed Team Lakay camp, home to some of the region’s best fighters in the likes of Kevin Belingon and Eduard Folayang. He was last seen at PXC 31, where he recorded a KO victory over Justin Cruz in the 1st stanza.

But Michinori Tanaka may prove to be Pitpitunge’s toughest challenge to date. With an unscathed record of 7-0, Tanaka has already garnered 2 stoppages in his stint PXC thus far. At just 22-years-old, the former Shooto veteran is one of the hottest commodities in the Asian MMA scene, and he will be looking to leave the PXC cage 10-lbs heavier, on May 18th, with the Bantamweight strap around his waist.

Elsewhere on the fight card, the man simply known as ‘The Slasher’, Syafiq Samad (1-0), will be looking to be the first Singaporean to win under the PXC banner, as he takes on Muay Thai specialist, Wesley Machado (3-0). ‘The Slasher’ was originally slated to face Glen Ranillo (2-2), but the latter had to withdraw from proceedings following a broken nose suffered during his training camp.

Keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more news and updates with regards to this event.

As it stands, here’s the full fight card for PXC 37:

• Crisanto Pitpitunge vs. Michinori Tanaka (For PXC Bantamweight strap)
• Jang Yong Kim vs. Nate Thorell (PXC Featherweight Tournament Semi-Final bout)
• Syafiq ‘The Slasher’ Samad vs. Wesley Machado
• Ricardo Sapno vs. Takumi Nakayama
• Jerome Wanawan vs. Ernesto Montilla Jr.
• Troy Bantiag vs. Trevin Jones
• Reno Remigio vs. Hong Seung Chan
• Arex Montalban vs. Rolando Dy

_______________________________________________________________________________________Follow Follow Thinesh on Twitter (@ThineshJohnMMA), and keep up with the latest MMA news from MMASucka via Twitter (@MMASucka) and Facebook