Bellator’s women’s world championship tournament will kick off on Thursday, Aug. 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., with two open- ing-round fights featuring four of the planet’s top-ranked female fighters. World number one pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, Megumi Fujii, will look to improve upon her flawless 20-0 pro MMA record against fast-rising submission grappler Angela Magana. Number six- ranked Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez, will square off against the world’s number seven-ranked 115-pounder Jessica Aguilar.

The middleweight title fight at UFC 117 between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will be accentuated by one of the most stacked cards in UFC history. The main card features the long-awaited rematch between welterweight contenders Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves, as well as such notable fighters such as recent UFC Hall of Fame inductee Matt Hughes, the electrifying Clay Guida, and a heavyweight matchup between two fast rising stars in the division Roy Nelson and Junior Dos Santos.

The Sochi Open European Championships took place in Sochi, Russia July 14, 2010. Organized by Sambo-70 and M-1 Global, the event showcased some of the best fighters from Russia and Europe in head to head match ups. The highly anticipated, televised event was attended by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Governor of Krasnodar Alexander Tkachev, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, and Fedor Emelianenko.

With an official payroll under a million dollars, and the pay-per-view numbers not officially reported, UFC 116 has already proven profitable for the Zuffa owned organization: 9,218 tickets were paid for while another 3,522 were given away for a title live gate of $4,053,990; 2,194 tickets went unsold.

The students of two icons will collide when submission specialist and Matt Hume protégé Caros "The Future" Fodor takes on Cung Le student Thomas Diagne in a lightweight contest on the "Strikeforce: Challengers" MMA fight card at Comcast Arena at Everett, on Showtime, on Friday, July 23.

The welterweight division may be dominated by UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, but talented young fighters like Tyron Woodley, John Hathway, Dong Hyun Kim, and Anthony Johnson plan to make sure that the pound-for-pound great has tough competition for years to come. Outside of the major promotions, there is an influx of young talent—many with international credentials in MMA and other sports—looking to break onto the big stage. Welterweight has always been one of the deepest divisions, and the following ten fighters are here to prove that.

Reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard will look to continue his domination of the middleweight division in a special non-title fight with former NFL standout Herbert "Whisper" Goodman as part of Bellator 24 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Aug. 12. Lombard puts his 14-fight winning streak on the line against Goodman, who was a standout running back and kick returner for the Green Bay Packers in 2000 and 2001 before transitioning to MMA in late 2006.

Proving that it is alive and kicking and still one of the biggest and most respected martial arts schools in the world, Chute-Boxe gathered more than 1,000 people last Saturday morning in a public square of its hometown, Curitiba, Brazil. Chute-Boxe masters, professional fighters, instructors and a countless number of students, had the opportunity to exchange techniques, work out together and even spar with some of the top names from Chute-Boxe. Chute-Boxe heavyweight, Vinicius "The Spartan" Queiroz, was presented to the crowd as the new UFC acquisition, with a debut fight scheduled to happen at UFC 120.

Keith Jardine has reportedly agreed to face Shark Fights Champion Trevor Prangley in a non-title bout on Sept. 11 at Shark Fights 13 from Lubbock, Tex. The match will be a chance for Jardine to kick start his career after suffering four straight losses enroute to his exit from the UFC. Meanwhile, Prangley also looks for a chance at a comeback with a win over the battle tested Jardine.

Strikeforce formally announced Tuesday a world championship doubleheader for Toyota Center here on Saturday, Aug. 21, live on Showtine (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). Strikeforce World Light Heavyweight Champion "King Mo" Lawal will make the first defense of his belt against devastating striker Rafael "Feijao'' Cavalcante in the main event. The semi-main will match Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Tim Kennedy in a clash for the vacant Strikeforce mid- dleweight crown.