Page 1002 - Top MMA News and Mixed Martial Arts Headlines

Almost three years have passed since Vitor Belfort last battled in the Octagon. After apparently resurrecting a career that was supposed to have been nothing but great when it began over 11 years ago, Belfort is ready to return to the promotional company that as he puts it, made his legacy. Belfort will meet UFC matchmaker Joe Silva on Wednesday, the Brazilian told Sherdog.com, and is specifically looking to avenge his last bout in the UFC, a split decision loss to Tito Ortiz.

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Bob Sapp will headline Strikeforce's Feb. 23 show at the Tacoma Dome in Washington state, the promotion announced Monday. The 6-foot-4, 375-pound Sapp last fought in mixed martial arts in November 2005, when he knocked out Kim Jong Wang. In less than four years of competition, "The Beast" has gained international notoriety. He has been particularly popular in Japan, where he compiled most of his 8-2-1 record in MMA.

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After Robbie Lawler's ICON Sport Middleweight Title defense set for this Saturday was postponed, the promotion has announced that the entire card is now off. The only suggested reason was that no suitable replacement for Lawler could be found. Ouch.

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After the California State Athletic Commission decision on Dec. 4 to reduce, but uphold, Sean Sherk’s suspension for a positive banned substance test, the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization withdrew recognition from Sherk as UFC Lightweight Champion.

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Terry Martin on Myspace;"Just found out that I am suppose to fight Marvin Eastman Feb. 2, 2008 at the Mandalay Bay. The fight is to be aired on CBS. So it will be free for everyone. Time to get back on track with the Super Bowl of all knock outs."

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Monte Cox and the M-1 crew are in Dallas today in a closed-door meeting with Art of War to finalize a Fedor Emelianenko vs. Pedro Rizzo fight that would tentatively take place in Las Vegas in April. Money terms have been agreed and the meeting is to fnialize a deal and sign the contracts. you have to scroll down about 3/4 of the page to find the blurb.

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There is nobody in MMA today who has as impressive a spotless record as World Extreme Cagefighting 185-pound champion Paulo Filho, a man many feel is the best middleweight in the world. Yet, even with a 15-0 record, Filho’s last year has been frustrating. A knee injury kept him one match short of winning the 2006 Pride Grand Prix tournament. After recovering, he made his U.S. debut in winning the vacant World Extreme Cagefighting middleweight championship on Aug. 5 in Las Vegas, beating Joe Doerksen in a match where he was nowhere near his best. On that day, he was fighting two bouts in one. First, he was facing a tough Canadian, and second, an even tougher opponent, food poisoning. Still, a bad night for Filho would be a good night for most fighters. He struggled early for the takedown, but then got it and quickly pounded Doerksen into defeat in 4:09.

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Ahead of his 145-pound debut on thie week's WEC TV event, former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver looked back on his time in UFC, training at the Miletich camp, and other MMA-related topics.

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It appears that the “Big Plans” UFC President Dana White had in store for Quinton “Rampage” Jackson do indeed include a stint as coach on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). White made the “major announcement” during tonight’s VGA broadcast on SpikeTV. Source Full link :

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Fox Sports today rolled out a fantastic article about Randy Couture coming into the Packers locker room at the behest of one of his biggest fans….Brett Favre. That’s right folks, one of the best QB’s in the NFL today looks to the darling of mixed martial arts and current UFC heavyweight champion, Randy Couture for inspiration. Despite what has happened between the UFC and Couture in recent weeks, no one can deny the storied career of Randy, and how, at his age, he is still making strides for his career. ...

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Lawler tore a tendon in his right arm during training, forcing him to sit on the sidelines without activity for at least six weeks. The EliteXC and ICON Sport middleweight champion was supposed to defend his ICON belt against Hawaiian slugger Kala Kolohe Hose.

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The promised big announcement during the live finale of season six of The Ultimate Fighter reality show on Spike TV was revealed. What was it? Dana White came on and spoke with Joe Rogan to announce that Forrest Griffin will be one of the coaches of season seven of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. Dana also called Griffin the new number one contender and said that he will be fighting the other coach at the end of the season.

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The showdown had been billed and labeled as a potential fight of the year candidate. Most mixed martial arts insiders figured the stylistic matchup between lightweights Roger Huerta and Clay Guida was a recipe for fireworks, a guarantee that fans would receive an early Christmas gift. Both Huerta and Guida made the pundits look like experts. In a fight that was as exhilarating as it was dramatic, once-beaten contender Huerta was forced to muster the strength of 10 tigers to score an unbelievable come-from-behind victory early in the third round.

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UFC has now confirmed that UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk has been stripped of the title.

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Despite a reduction in UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk’s UFC 73 drug suspension and his ability to return to the octagon in January, a UFC 80 main event between B.J. Penn and Joe Stevenson will still be a five-round fight for the title of interim lightweight champion.

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The UFC will make a special announcement at tonight’s “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra” live finale, and the news will likely be that current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “The Ultimate Fighter 1” winner Forrest Griffin will be rival coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter 7.“

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Are Nogueira and Sylvia the best choices for the UFC Heavyweight Title fight? Will the UFC be on network TV in the spring of 2008? Will John McCarthy one day be in the UFC Hall of Fame? Can Roger Huerta take the next step against Clay Guida? All of this and more in the latest edition of 411 MMA Fact or Fiction.

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Matt Hughes is set to publish his biography this January. The book will be titled, "Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History," and will be published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment in the USA and by Pocket Books in the UK. Check out the publishers description of the book below: “If you know anything at all about mixed martial arts and the UFC, then you know the name Matt Hughes. With devastating slams and ground and pound - and nine championship belts to his credit - Matt is the most dominant fighter in UFC history.

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Sean Sherk will keep his title after all. According to Steve Sievert of Brawl Sports, the UFC has confirmed that Sherk will remain their lightweight champion. UFC president Dana White has gone back and forth on whether he would strip Sherk of his title were he to lose his appeal to the NSAC. First, White told Yahoo!Sports' Kevin Iole that Sherk would keep the title regardless of the outcome of his appeal, then a few days later, White backpedelled on those comments stating during a conference call that Sherk would probably be stripped of his title if he were to lose his appeal.

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Legendary MMA referee "Big" John McCarthy retired as an official today, ending a 13-year career that began at UFC 2. He will now work as a commentator/broadcaster for The Fight Network, but will continue lending his officiating expertise to the sport. All the best to Big John, he's going to do an excellent job broadcasting but it won't be the same in UFC without "Let's Get It On!" before a couple fights every event.

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