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• Gegard Mousasi, Renato 'Babalu' Sobral, Sokoudjou confirmed for DREAM light heavyweight Grand Prix
• UFC Quick Quote: Jon Jones has a bad poker face
• The April / May 2010 issue of UFC Magazine is now on newsstands, featuring former light heavyweight...
• UFC Fight Night 21: Kenny Florian talks Takanori Gomi fight and more (Video)
• 'Rampage' Jackson vs Rashad Evans grudge match official for UFC 114 on May 29
• UFC won't hold live 'Nashville' event, but televised counter-programming still likely for April 17
• Bellator Fighting Championships adds Ryan McGivern to middleweight tournament
• Alessio Sakara vs James Irvin UFC on Versus video fight talk
• Daniel Roberts: 'If I was going to pick anybody to fight in the UFC, it would be John Howard'
• Scott Jorgensen vs Antonio Banuelos inked for WEC 48 with Damacio Page hurt
• UFC Quick Quote: With Couture on the horizon, Rich Franklin looking for one last title run
• UFC Primetime video for 'St. Pierre vs Hardy' (Episode 2)
• Marius Zaromskis eyes DREAM return in May
• UFC on Versus: 'The Janitor' hoping to put out 'The Fire' on March 21
• King Mo mouthing off to Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce: 'Nashville' open workout (Video)
• Strikeforce open media workout photos gallery for 'Nashville'
• Dan Hardy: Matt Serra looks at me and sees the same situation he was in

Gegard Mousasi, Renato 'Babalu' Sobral, Sokoudjou confirmed for DREAM light heavyweight Grand Prix Posted: 18 Mar 2010 06:15 PM PDT   DREAM previously announced that it will crown champions in every division from featherweight to heavyweight in 2010. A light heavyweight Grand Prix consisting of eight participants is expected to kick off at DREAM 15 in May. Several sources, including MMA Fighting and Bloody Elbow, indicate that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Renato "Babalu" Sobral has officially signed on to compete in the tournament. Also, the current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and DREAM middleweight Grand Prix winner, Gegard Mousasi will indeed throw his hat in the ring, as he has previously hinted. Furthermore, DREAM officials have confirmed that Sokoudjou is the third confirmed participant in the tournament: Already, the entire tournament is shaped around Mousasi, as he has defeated Babalu and Sokoudjou before and is the lone non-UFC light heavyweight to crack the top ten ranking. Given the dearth of top-caliber light heavyweights outside UFC, Mousasi will very likely be the prohibitive favorite. Nevertheless, DREAM has a track record of recruiting undiscovered gems (i.e. Joe Warren, Marius Zaromskis) that have had surprisingly strong runs in its GPs. Thus, it will be interesting to see which prospects the promotion can excavate this time around.

UFC Quick Quote: Jon Jones has a bad poker face Posted: 18 Mar 2010 05:52 PM PDT "He is super unorthodox, but his unorthodox style leaves him open for a lot of different things. It's more timing than anything. It's not trying to chase him and it's not trying to follow his unorthodox style. It's timing. Watching him and watching for his mistakes.  He has tell tales. If it was poker, it'd be real easy to figure him out. There are certain things that he likes to do, and that he'll do before he does something else. You've got to watch him. You've got to watch him and catch him when he's slipping.... The way I'm going to catch his timing is to force him off of his game plan. Be in his face. Be in his mouth. To go at him." -- Brandon Vera tells the USA Today that he has picked up on a few "tells" of his upcoming opponent, Jon Jones, at UFC on Versus 1, which is scheduled to take place at The Odeum Colorado in Broomfield, Colo., on March 21. Jones is indeed among the most unpredictable and unorthodox fighters in mixed martial arts today, whipping out moves, strikes and throws that aren't seen too often ... if at all. However, Vera feels that "Bones" may telegraph certain things inside the Octagon, making it possible to respond with effective force. Perhaps the only problem is that Jones does something new just about every time he competes. Will Vera be able to pick up on any ticks on fight night that will carry him to victory or will "The Truth" elude him for the third time in his last five fights?

The April / May 2010 issue of UFC Magazine is now on newsstands, featuring former light heavyweight... Posted: 18 Mar 2010 05:52 PM PDT The April / May 2010 issue of UFC Magazine is now on newsstands, featuring former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. "The Iceman" lets his T-shirt voice his thoughts on his next opponent in the Octagon and longtime nemesis Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz.

UFC Fight Night 21: Kenny Florian talks Takanori Gomi fight and more (Video) Posted: 18 Mar 2010 03:30 PM PDT

'Rampage' Jackson vs Rashad Evans grudge match official for UFC 114 on May 29 Posted: 18 Mar 2010 01:06 PM PDT It's been talked about, hyped, analyzed, and scrutinized. Now it's official. The long anticipated bout between The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 coaches Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and "Suga" Rashad Evans was formally announced by the UFC today as the headlining contest for UFC 114, which is set to go down on May 29 from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Of course, "Suga" Rashad was originally booked to settle his differences with the Tennessee native in the main event of UFC 107 on Dec. 12 following his return to the reality show franchise as a coach at war with Jackson in the heavyweight season populated with big bellies and behemothic beards. Unfortunately "Rampage" didn't stick to the script. That's because Jackson was cast as "B.A. Baracus" in the upcoming theatrical remake of "The A-Team," which filmed in Vancouver on a two-month commitment, effectively preventing him from being fully prepared to compete in front of his hometown crowd of Memphis for the first time ever inside the Octagon.       White blasted the former light heavyweight champion for bailing on the bout, which was understandable considering the entire season of TUF 10 was built around his Dec. 12 showdown with Evans.         Fortunately for fight fans, D.W. was willing to overlook his past difficulties with Jackson to cash in on a grudge match with Evans while there is still some relevancy to their feud.     The UFC initially targeted a tentative May 1 date for their clash at UFC 113 in Montreal. But because the UFC 113 fight card is stacked to the gills with a bevy of great match-ups, the Rashad Evans (14-1-1) vs. Quinton Jackson (30-7) contest was moved to UFC 114 on May 29 in Las Vegas. UFC 114 is also expected to feature a co-main event between fan favorite Forrest Griffin and former Pride FC star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Keep it locked to MMAmania.com for more news on UFC 114 as it breaks.

UFC won't hold live 'Nashville' event, but televised counter-programming still likely for April 17 Posted: 18 Mar 2010 01:01 PM PDT The Strikeforce: "Nashville" CBS fight card will apparently be let off the hook for its debut in "Music City" next month. Well, sort of. MMA Fighting is reporting that Zuffa has bailed on a proposed April 17 event, also in Nashville, that would have aired on its cable television partner Spike TV in an effort to impact its rival's ticket sales and television ratings. No more. And one has to imagine that even the world's largest fight promotion had a hard time booking an event on six weeks notice -- considering they already have five events under the Zuffa umbrella planned through April 24. Simply put, there may not have been enough talent to fill a card worth watching. Instead, the UFC will likely air a recent pay-per-view offering for free on Spike, or a possible compilation of high-profile fights like it did with "Main Events" that ran opposite Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Rogers" last November. And it wouldn't be the first time. Spike TV debuted UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs. Penn 2" to run head-to-head against "Shamrock vs. Diaz" back on April 11, 2009, and then put UFC 100 up against "Carano vs. Cyborg" later that summer. Strikeforce can be now be considered a major player in mixed martial arts with its signing of free agents, Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson, as well as its recent cable and network television deals. While UFC President Dana White has long supported the efforts of Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, he is now at war with "Strikefarce" since they entered the proverbial big stage. With that in mind, stay tuned for future updates to the UFC's plans for April 17 television programming in the coming weeks.

Bellator Fighting Championships adds Ryan McGivern to middleweight tournament Posted: 18 Mar 2010 01:01 PM PDT CHICAGO, Ill. (March 18, 2010) - Ryan McGivern, the former IFL champion and longtime pupil of former UFC Champion Pat Miletich, is the latest addition to Bellator Fighting Championships' upcoming Season 2 middleweight tournament roster. The 30-year-old McGivern boasts an overall professional record of 13-6 including wins over UFC veteran Matt Horwich and WEC veteran Dan Molina. A native of Bettendorf, Iowa, he was a four-time letter-winner in wrestling at the University of Iowa. "With his experience in a top NCAA wrestling program and in the IFL, Ryan McGivern brings some great credentials to our 185 tournament," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "With him and the rest of the middleweights that we've signed, I can tell you that there are going to be some very exciting fights beginning next month." McGivern is the sixth confirmed participant in Bellator's eight-man middleweight tournament, joining Bryan "The Beast" Baker, Jared Hess, Sean Loeffler, Matt Major and Eric Schambari. The group boasts a combined overall winning percentage of .829 (68-14). Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 155 and 170 lbs. during its second season, with the winners in each division being declared No. 1 contenders to Bellator's current champions. Each of Bellator's 24 Season 2 and 3 events will be broadcast on FOX Sports Net, NBC, Telemundo and on The Score sports network in Canada. Though McGivern has not taken a professional fight in more than a year, he has maintained a full-time training regimen at the Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Iowa, while also working full-time as a procurement specialist for the U.S. Department of Defense. He calls Bellator "the next major step in my career." "I had the chance to watch a lot of the Bellator fights last year, and it's just an awesome promotion," he said. "Getting in the tournament is just an incredible opportunity for me. Being on TV and being matched up against some really great fighters is extra motivation to be at the top of my game. I just can't wait to get into the cage." For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. For tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.

Alessio Sakara vs James Irvin UFC on Versus video fight talk Posted: 18 Mar 2010 11:44 AM PDT

Daniel Roberts: 'If I was going to pick anybody to fight in the UFC, it would be John Howard' Posted: 18 Mar 2010 11:29 AM PDT Props: Sportsnet.ca Quoteworthy: "Not to take anything away from Howard, but if I was going to pick anybody to fight in the UFC, it would be him. I know my ground game is a little more advanced than his. His striking is OK, I'm definitely not afraid to stand with him ... I mean I'm definitely excited but I'm not too surprised because I think I deserve to be here. I saw a lot of fighters in the UFC I knew I was a lot better than. So now I'm here. I've put my life into this. I'm extremely confident and I can't wait to fight. There's a lot of people who don't know who I am, but I fell after the fight they will know who I am." UFC newcomer Daniel Roberts (9-0) will get his big break at the upcoming UFC on Versus event as he fills in for an injured Anthony Johnson against John Howard (13-4) on March 21 in Broomfield. Can the "Ninja" make an immediate impact in the welterweight division at the expense of Howard? Or will it be "Doomsday" for the 29-year-old grappler from Tulsa?

Scott Jorgensen vs Antonio Banuelos inked for WEC 48 with Damacio Page hurt Posted: 18 Mar 2010 10:32 AM PDT Fresh off his 31-second submission win over Chad George at WEC 47 earlier this month, Scott Jorgensen (9-3) will head back to the gym to prepare for a short notice rematch against Antonio Banuelos (17-5) at the WEC 48 pay-per-view event scheduled for the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif., on April 24. Jorgensen replaces Damacio Page in the bantamweight bout after "The Angel of Death" was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury. Back at WEC 41: "Brown vs. Faber 2" in July 2009, Banuelos was able to squeak past Jorgensen via close split decision. He followed that up later in the year with a unanimous decision win over Kenji Osawa at WEC 44: "Brown vs. Aldo" to extend his winning streak to three straight fights. Like Banuelos, Jorgensen has also taken three in a row after their initial encounter last year. Aside from his disposal of George, the Boise brawler clowned Noah Thomas in October before outpointing the venerable Takeya Mizugaki just a few months later. And revenge for the WEC 41 loss will certainly be a motivating factor heading into this rematch. WEC 48: "Aldo vs. Faber" features a featherweight championship bout between the local fan favorite "The California Kid" Urijah Faber and unstoppable 145-pound champion Jose Aldo. Also announced for the main card is a lightweight championship brouhaha between champion Ben "Smooth" Henderson and challenger Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone. Former featherweight champion Mike Brown will also take part in the event when he enters the cage opposite Manny Gamburyan. For more on the upcoming WEC 48 pay-per-view event click here.

UFC Quick Quote: With Couture on the horizon, Rich Franklin looking for one last title run Posted: 18 Mar 2010 09:16 AM PDT "It’s not signed yet, but we’ve been working Randy now for a while. We’ve talked June, then we talked August and now we’re talking June again. I think we’re having problems with Randy’s scheduling. So I really don’t know what the plan is at this point. I’m at a point now where I’ve fought enough fights and it’s time for me to make a title run again and see where that takes me. That’s where my focus is now. The last show I went to was New Year’s Eve and I happened to be sitting next to Randy that night. We’re sitting there joking around. He and I went to the Middle East together. It’s not somebody that you necessarily look to for fighting. My standard answer when they say, `Hey we want you to fight so and so?’ is I say `How does Randy feel about that?’ If he’s cool with it professionally, great. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to be friends when it’s all said and done." Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin (25-5) talks with the Boston Herald about making another run at division gold while negotiating a possible June 12 fight against living legend Randy Couture at UFC 115 in Vancouver. "Ace" was stopped in the first round of his main event fight against Vitor Belfort at UFC 103 and has remained on the sidelines ever since. A bout with "The Natural" could be entertaining -- but do any fantasy matchmakers out there have a better opponent in mind?

UFC Primetime video for 'St. Pierre vs Hardy' (Episode 2) Posted: 18 Mar 2010 08:56 AM PDT Check out Part 2 after the jump:

Marius Zaromskis eyes DREAM return in May Posted: 18 Mar 2010 08:14 AM PDT DREAM welterweight champion, Marius Zaromskis is set to return to Japan in May at DREAM 15, according to MMA Fighting. The event, which the Japanese-based promotion has yet to announce, is scheduled for May 30 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. No opponent has surfaced for the Lithuanian-born fighter at the time of writing. Zaromskis, who fights out of London Shootfighters, captured the DREAM welterweight belt after emerging as the surprise winner of the promotion's welterweight tournament last July. He has yet to defend his title, and whether the upcoming bout at DREAM 15 will have the title on the line remains a mystery. Zaromskis made his Strikeforce and USA debut in January at "Strikeforce: Miami" against Nick Diaz. Vying for the promotion's vacant welterweight title, he succumbed to the Cesar Gracie pupil via first-round TKO. Prior to his Strikeforce debut, he was scheduled to compete at the upcoming DREAM 13 against Kiyoshi Tamura on March 22. Perhaps due to the 30-day medical suspension he received after the Strikeforce bout and the subsequent time crunch for training camp, the bout has been scratched. No other fights have been announced for DREAM 15. Nonetheless, several reports indicate that Gegard Mousasi and Renato "Babalu" Sobral may compete in the first round of the promotion's light heavyweight Grand Prix on the event. On another note, DREAM 14, which is scheduled for April 24, will likely mark the promotion's South Korean debut. Also, besides the aforementioned light heavyweight grand prix, DREAM will hold a middleweight tournament to crown the new divisional champion to succeed Gegard Mousasi, who vacated the title upon moving up to light heavyweight. According to previous announcements, the heavyweight champion will be determined in a title match for which DREAM will hand-pick the contestants. Stay tuned to MMAmania for announcements regarding upcoming DREAM events as they become available.

UFC on Versus: 'The Janitor' hoping to put out 'The Fire' on March 21 Posted: 18 Mar 2010 07:57 AM PDT Props: MMAWeekly (via Yahoo Sports) Quoteworthy: "He has enough fights to know what it’s all about. He’s a little bit younger, but he’s not too young. He’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu and I think it will be a good match. The cage is not that big, so it is hard to move around me. He has to bring the fight to me, I think. He has more to prove, so I think he’s going to come pretty hard. We’re both in the same situation. I know he trains in it all the time, but I’ve fought at altitude before a few years ago and I know what it’s all about. It doesn’t matter who I have to face. I’ll take pretty much any fights that they offer me; that’s my job." Former number one light heavyweight contender, Vladimir Matyushenko, looks to notch his second straight victory after returning to the Octagon following a six-year hiatus that ended with a decision win over Igor Pokrajac at UFC 103: "Franklin vs. Belfort" last September. "The Janitor" has won 10 of his last 11 fights but may need to prove that even at 39, he's still got what it takes to hang with the young guns like Eliot Marshall, who will try to mop up the former IFL champ at the UFC on Versus event on March 21. Who ya' got?

King Mo mouthing off to Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce: 'Nashville' open workout (Video) Posted: 18 Mar 2010 07:28 AM PDT

Strikeforce open media workout photos gallery for 'Nashville' Posted: 18 Mar 2010 07:22 AM PDT Pics courtesy of Esther Lin/Strikeforce. More after the jump. Strikeforce: "Nashville" fight card and rumors here .

Dan Hardy: Matt Serra looks at me and sees the same situation he was in Posted: 18 Mar 2010 06:25 AM PDT Props: Las Vegas Sun Quoteworthy: "I came out to New Jersey to finish camp, because I didn't want to fly out too close to the fight. I decided to put some feelers out to see if there was an opportunity to train with Matt and he was very welcoming. More than anything, Matt's been in there twice with Georges. He has a lot of experience with the guy. He made some mistakes in the second fight that he can relate to me so I don't make the mistakes myself. He looks at me and sees the same situation he was in. No one gave him a snowflake's chance in hell, but he believed in himself. He's been generous with his time, and he's helped me out. Georges is going to push me in areas I need to be pushed. I want to explore every aspect of this sport, and I'm hoping Geroges is the guy I can do that against. I have nothing to lose so I can take risks in this situation." Number one welterweight contender Dan Hardy enlists the help of Matt "The Terror" Serra, the last man to dethrone reigning UFC 170-pound champion Georges St. Pierre. "The Outlaw" is talking up a good game -- but only has one finish in four Octagon appearances. Does he have the skill set to beat "Rush" when they collide at UFC 111 in Newark later this month? Or does he simply need a full gas tank and a well-placed bomb?

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