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Fabricio Werdum out of UFC Posted: 10 Nov 2008 08:51 AM CST Content with its current stable of heavyweight fighters, which includes a mix of veterans and up-and-comers, the UFC apparently no longer required the services of a widely regarded top 10 competitor. Fabricio Werdum was unable to come to terms with UFC officials on a new contract after his surprising 81-second knockout loss to Octagon newcomer Junior "Cigano" Dos Santos at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" on October 15, forcing the Brazilian and the promotion to go their separate ways, according to MMAWeekly.com. "Vai Cavalo" perhaps spoke prematurely (or something was lost in translation) when he declared that he had inked a five-fight contract extension back in July that included a guaranteed title shot with a win over "Cigano." It appears that the offer may have been merely discussed and/or was contingent on a win in the "Windy City." He also could have ruffled some feathers when he voiced his displeasure about being excluded from the mini heavyweight tournament put together to declare an undisputed division champion. Regardless, Werdum leaves the promotion with an even record (2-2), scoring big wins over Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga and perhaps bigger losses to Andrei Arlovski and Dos Santos. He remains a very capable and dangerous fighter who, according to the report, is already courting offers to compete in "The Land of the Rising Sun." That’s because prior to his UFC run, the Brazilian was a very popular and successful fighter in Pride FC. In fact, Werdum battled current UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera at Critical Countdown Absolute back in July of 2006 for the chance to advance to the semifinals of the PRIDE 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix. "Minotauro" bested Werdum by unanimous decision in what was one of many outstanding fights that night. While his chances for a rematch anytime soon are now more than likely dashed, rest assured that we will see the Chute Boxe-trained fighter back in action sooner rather than later.

Denis Kang vs Alan Belcher UFC 93 fight possible for Jan. 17 Posted: 10 Nov 2008 08:17 AM CST High-profile 185-pound standout Denis Kang (31-10-1) — who just signed a new four-fight contract — could make his Octagon debut against Alan Belcher (13-5) at UFC 93 at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland, on January 17, according to MMAOnTap.com. Bout agreements have reportedly been distributed to both fighters but are not signed at this time. Kang — who has enjoyed success primarily in Japan and Korea fighting in the Pride FC and Spirit MC organizations — is on a two-fight win streak after losing back-to-back matches. He most recently defeated Marvin Eastman via first round technical knockout at Raw Combat: "Redemption" last month. The Canadian with South Korean roots was a participant in the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix 2008, losing to eventual tournament winner Gegard Mousasi via submission (triangle choke). He was an early favorite to win it all before getting upset by the slick Armenian. Kang was also the runner-up at the PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix 2006, losing to Kazuo Misaki via split decision. He is a great addition to the middleweight class on paper, but will need to prove his worth within the eight-sided cage — an unforgiving place where many high profile free agent acquisitions have struggled early … especially against UFC veterans like Belcher. "The Talent" is fresh off a tough split decision win over Ed Herman at UFC Fight Night 15 back in September. It was his third win in his last four attempts — a surprising technical knockout loss to newcomer Jason Day at UFC 83: "Serra vs. St. Pierre 2" earlier this year is the only blip during that span. If this bout does go down he'll want to be sure that it doesn't happen again. And to do that he'll more than likely keep things upright with Kang – he has solid submissions. Then again, Kang is pretty good standing, too. Rich "Ace" Franklin (24-3) and Dan "Hollywood" Henderson (23-7) — two of the world's most elite 205-pound fighters — will duke it out in the main event. And Brazilian powerhouse Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will return and look to get back in the win column as he takes on UFC pioneer Mark "The Hammer" Coleman. For more on UFC 93 stay dialed in to MMAmania.com and remember to check out our event archive right here. Be sure to also check out the latest UFC 93 fight card and rumors right here.

Package deal: Gina Carano vs Cris Cyborg fight still possible Posted: 09 Nov 2008 09:54 PM CST Former Elite XC female superstar Gina “Conviction” Carano (7-0) still has plans to face off against Brazilian rival Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (6-1) even with the collapse of Elite XC, according to a recent interview with Fighters Only magazine. Here’s a snip: “I want to make (a fight against Cyborg) happen. My people are in touch with her, so we’re going to make sure we sign together for the same promotion.” That sounds like a great idea, considering it was a match up that most fans were looking forward to seeing sometime in early 2009. The question now is, which promotion is going to sign these two world class strikers to go toe-to-toe once and for all? Here’s a look at the possibilities: UFC — The promotion has never expressed much interest in putting on female fights. President Dana White has said in the past that there just aren’t enough good female fighters to put together a competitive division. There’s still a slight chance he would sign these two because their fight would be so easy to sell, but it’s a long shot. WEC — See above. Affliction — By looking at the numbers this company produced with its inaugural event in July, a match like this could certainly help them improve on those for the second event scheduled in January. It would seem like perfect timing, too, since that’s when Elite XC had planned for the fight to go down anyway. The only thing that could prevent Affliction from signing this fight is the broken relationship the company now has with Randy Couture, who happens to be Carano’s head trainer and mentor. She could have some mixed feelings about dealing with the t-shirt company turned mixed martial arts promotion because of the falling out. “There’s a bit of a barrier between me and Affliction,” she recently said. “You know, with Randy and that whole thing. But if they approach me with an offer, who knows?” Strikeforce — Perhaps the best fit. The San Jose-based organization has always been willing to include female fights on its cards. Not only that, but Strikeforce is also still trying to build its fan base and grow as an organization. A Gina Carano vs. Cyborg Santos fight would be a great draw for them on a possible future live NBC televised event. Not to mention that NBC seems like a logical landing spot for Gina anyway, given the role she already plays as “Gladiator Crush” on the network’s popular remake of “American Gladiators.” Therefore, Strikeforce seems like the most likely of scenarios. Japan (DREAM or WVR) — Probably won’t be as marketable of a fight in Japan as it’s sure to be in the states. It’s not totally impossible, but probably even less likely than the UFC. Other smaller promotion — This fight needs to happen on a big stage. Anything else would be a travesty. Of course, this is all conjecture. The only thing we know for sure is that these two chicks want to fight each other and pretty much the entire MMA community wants to see it. Let’s hope one of these organizations steps up and delivers.

Jeff Monson vs Ricco Rodriguez fight to headline MFA show Dec. 13 Posted: 09 Nov 2008 06:20 PM CST A heavyweight battle between Jeff “The Snowman” Monson (26-8) and former UFC champion Ricco “Suave” Rodriguez (33-9) is in the works for the Mixed Fight Alliance: “There Will Be Blood” debut event, which is set to take place at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla., on December 13. We first mentioned news of this event last month when we announced former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley would make his highly anticipated mixed martial arts debut on the card. This will be a rematch from a fight that happened almost seven years ago at UFC 35, during which Rodriguez was victorious with a third round technical knockout. Ricco has battled drug, alcohol and weight issues throughout his career, but he’s been very active in the professional fight game over the past year and a half or so. Since last July he’s competed in 10 different matches, producing a record of (7-3) during that time, including a current five-fight win streak. His last high profile fight was a split decision loss to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at Elite XC: “Street Certified” back in February. Most of his other fights since then have been for smaller promotions. Monson also has put together a few wins recently on the smaller circuit. He competed in a “Beatdown” event last month in North Dakota, recording his second victory of 2008 with a first round submission over Jimmy Ambriz. His only loss of the calender year came at a Sengoku event in May where he was beaten on the scorecards by world ranked Josh Barnett. At one point in his career “The Snowman” had recorded 16 straight wins, including three inside the UFC’s Octagon. His only losses since the turn of the century have come to Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Pedro Rizzo, Tim Sylvia, Ricco and Barnett. This fight, along with the debut of Lashley, should make for a solid event for the first show in Mixed Fight Alliance’s young history.

Jon Fitch ‘Mythbusters’ video Posted: 09 Nov 2008 10:28 AM CST Check out the full episode after the jump. From what we can gather this was significantly edited — Fitch doesn’t say a word in the hour-long special, which debuted on November 5.

Arianny Celeste, Dana White, Randy Couture and more UFC behind the scenes for ESPN photo shoot Posted: 09 Nov 2008 10:10 AM CST Props: MissAriannyCeleste.com More pics after the jump.

Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua to ’set the story straight’ against Mark Coleman at UFC 93 Posted: 09 Nov 2008 09:52 AM CST Props: GracieMag.com Quoteworthy: “Well, I personally would never want to beat someone that way. I wouldn't celebrate the win and wouldn't go bragging about it, and that's what Coleman did the whole time. I was really bothered by him celebrating the win in that way, and afterwards talking a lot of crap about me in interviews. I always respected all the fighters I've fought, since I know how hard it is to make it to the top of the list and just getting into the ring means you're a winner, so they deserve respect. I respect Coleman as an athlete, the guy's an MMA legend. I hope to have a good fight with him, I'm confident. God willing I'll win…. In the category in which I fight there are only top guys, so I see about 10 guys I could fight. Coleman really is a guy I want to face, because of our last fight, but I wasn't sure it would be him. This was good for both of us, we'll be able to set the story straight.” Consensus top 10 light heavyweight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua talks about his upcoming rematch against Mark Coleman at UFC 93 at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland, on January 17. "The Hammer" defeated Rua in controversial fashion at PRIDE 31 back in 2006 when an awkward landing broke the Brazilian's arm less than a minute into the fight. It was a bitter "fluke" loss for the 2005 Pride FC Grand Prix Champion and one that he has been out to avenge ever since it happened.

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