Tuesday, February 16, 2010

World Extreme Cagefighting proudly confirms the remaining bouts of a fully-loaded card headed to Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, March 6. On top of a world bantamweight title fight between Brian Bowles and Dominick Cruz, as well as clashes featuring Miguel Angel Torres vs. Joseph Benavidez and Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez, WEC General Manager Reed Harris announced eight explosive fights slated for Arnold Classic weekend.

Rory MacDoanld is being touted as a fighter that is "one two watch" and could possibly represent the future of UFC's welterweight division. The British Columbia native recently made his debut at "UFC Fight Night 20: Maynard vs. Diaz," on January 11, 2010. He fought veteran fighter Mike Guymon, defeating him by armbar submission near the end of the first round. MacDonald's next fight is rumored to be against former WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit at UFC 115 in Vancouver, B.C. MMA Spot's Brad LeBeau recently sat down with the undefeated prospect to discuss his rise through the sport, landing him in the UFC.

Fresh off his unanimous decision win over former WEC Champion Brian Stann at UFC 109, Phil Davis isn't taking a break; various reports indicate he will be back in action at UFC 112 on April 10. That date would put Davis in competition for the second time within a two month span, a pace rarely seen in the organization. UFC 112 will be the UFC's first trip to the Middle East as it takes place in Abu Dhabi, The United Arab Emirates.

Monday, February 15, 2010

UFC President Dana White announced today that the UFC has agreed to a licensing agreement with Fathead, the leading brand in officially licensed graphic products. Fathead currently produces life-size wall graphics for major sports organizations including the National Football League and Major League Baseball. With the announcement of this agreement, Fathead will begin producing life-size wall graphics featuring the UFC’s top stars.

UFC newcomer and undefeated fighter Daniel Roberts will be stepping in for Anthony "Rumble" Johnson against John "Doomsday" Howard at "UFC LIVE: Vera vs. Jones." While Johnson was originally scheduled to face Howard on the main card of the event, a knee injury has forced the fighter to withdraw. The event will take place on Sunday, March 21, at 9 p.m. ET from the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado and will be broadcast on the Versus network.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi, 28-2-1 (2-0 SF), has decided to part ways with the Russian based organization M-1 Global after they decided not to extend a contract offer that gave Mousasi “lifetime security.” Mousasi was requesting a deal similar to that of heavyweight superstar Fedor Emelian- enko.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Following this past weekend's UFC 109 pay-per-view event, the UFC has cut ties with several fighters, including the loser of the main event, Mark Coleman, and a featured fighter on the card, Frank Trigg. Among the less established fighters released were "Ultimate Fighter" finalist Phillipe Nover, Rolles Gracie, and Tim Hague.

Following a hard-fought three round win over Dan Miller at UFC 109 that showed him to be more than just a submission expert, Demian Maia will jump right back into training camp for the biggest fight of his career, an April 10th meeting with Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in the main event of UFC 112 at Ferrari World on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.  Maia replaces countryman Vitor Belfort, who underwent emergency surgery on his left shoulder earlier this week to fix a chronic injury that got worse in his training camp for Silva.

Memorial Day weekend’s UFC 114, rumored to be headlined by the highly anticipated "Rampage" Jackson vs. "Suga" Rashad Evans showdown, is beginning to take shape. The most recent addition to the card is a clash of welterweight prospects, pitting “The Ultimate Fighter 7” winner Amir Sadollah against the undefeated prospect "Stun Gun" Dong Hyun Kim. MMA Junkie recently broke the news that both men have verbally agreed to face one-another on May 29.

Bellator Fighting Champions will expand its reach internationally during its second and third seasons thanks to a new alliance with The Score Television Network, a preeminent source of sports programming in Canada. The announcement came on the same day that Bellator added to its growing ranks of top Canadian fighters with the signing of former Canadian National Wrestling Champion Sean Pierson.

Hawaiian fighter Falaniko "Niko" Vitale has had an illustrious MMA career spanning more than a decade, appearing in major promotions such as the UFC, Strikeforce, Icon Sport, and the International Fight League (IFL). With 26 wins to only nine losses, Vitale  has fought some of the toughest opponents in the world. In the coming months, Niko will return to fighting, after a year-long layoff, in his Shine Fights debut against Murilo "Ninja" Rua. MMA Spot recently sat down with Niko to discuss his past and his training.

Ultimate Fight Night in Charlotte, N.C. should be getting even more exciting with the signing of two additional bouts. Although not officially announced, it appears that recent UFC signee and “Knockout of the Night” bonus winner Gerald “Hurricane” Harris will be taking on undefeated prospect Mario Miranda. Also expected to be announced for the March 31 live Spike TV event at Bojangles’ Coliseum are the UFC debuts of Jason High and Charlie Brenneman.