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• Brian Stann vs Phil Davis announced for UFC 109 on Feb. 6
• UFC 109: Mike Swick vs Paulo Thiago booked with Josh Koscheck hurt
• Gegard Mousasi vs. Gary Goodridge announced for Dynamite!! 2009
• WEC 45 drug test results come back clean for 'Cerrone vs. Ratcliff'
• Sam Stout prepared for his 'dangerous' fight against the 'unorthodox' Joe Lauzon at UFC 108
• Iraq War veteran and welterweight standout Steve Carl signs with Bellator Fighting Championships
• Dan Hardy: Georges St. Pierre should expect to get hit in the face over and over again at UFC 111
• UFC cuts Kevin Burns, Edgar Garcia, Shane Nelson and Darrill Schoonover
• Quinton Jackson is 'Rampage' Unchained, Uncut & Uncensored (Video)
• UFC Quick Quote: Paul Daley training in secret for Dustin Hazelett
• Countdown to Dynamite!! 2009: News and notes for Dec. 31 event

Brian Stann vs Phil Davis announced for UFC 109 on Feb. 6 Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:50 PM PST Brian Stann will welcome blue chip prospect Phil Davis to the big leagues when the pair collide in a 205-pound match up at UFC 109: "Relentless" from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 6, 2010. The promotion made the announcement earlier today, indicating that it does not intend to handle the 25-year-old four-time All-American wrestler from Penn State with kid gloves by matching him up against a former WEC light heavyweight champion in his Octagon debut. Indeed, Stann is on a two-fight win streak, outpointing Rodney Wallace and Steve Cantwell with unanimous decisions in his two most recent appearances. In fact, he handed "Sho Nuff the Master" his first-ever career loss at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale earlier this month. And "All American" will look to do the same against "Mr. Wonderful" on SuperBowl weekend. Davis is an absolute beast on the mat, winning the NCAA Division I at 197 pounds in 2008. He made the transition to mixed martial arts shortly after graduation, winning his first four bouts in impressive fashion before getting the invitation to join the deep UFC 205-pound roster. He most recently stopped David Baggett via first round submission (rear naked choke) at Ultimate Cage Fighting Challenge (UCFC) earlier this year. Will he be ready to handle the competition level in the UFC or will he suffer the same fate as another decorated collegiate wrestling champion -- and MMA hopeful -- Jake Rosholt, who was cut by the promotion after a handful of losses? We'll find out soon enough. UFC 109 will feature a light heavyweight battle between elder statesmen Randy "The Natural" Couture and Mark "The Hammer" Coleman. Middleweights Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen will battle in the co-featured fight of the night for perhaps an opportunity to challenge 185-pound deity, Anderson Silva, in early 2010 when he recovers from an elbow injury. To check out the latest UFC 109: "Relentless" fight card and rumors click here.

UFC 109: Mike Swick vs Paulo Thiago booked with Josh Koscheck hurt Posted: 28 Dec 2009 06:06 PM PST Top welterweight contender Josh Koscheck will be unable to exact revenge on the man who temporarily derailed his title aspirations, Paulo Thiago, at UFC 109: "Relentless" on Feb. 6, 2010, because he suffered an undisclosed injury in training. He broke the bad news today via Twitter.com, saying "I will be good to go back to training in a couple of weeks I hope!... It's all good and I'll get my body rested and back to the top real soon." "Kos" was stunned by the Brazilian in their first encounter at UFC 95: "Sanchez vs. Stevenson" at The O2 Arena in London, England, back on Feb. 21. The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product walked into an uppercut and appeared to be out before he hit the canvas; however, he was jolted back to reality as soon as his head hit the floor. He was not totally out and the referee jumped in thinking he was unable to intelligently defend himself. We may never know if he would have been able to recover and now we may never know if it was simply a "fluke" win. The good news is that his good friend and training partner, Mike Swick, may fill-in to try and do his dirty work, according to Sherdog.com. Swick is coming off a disappointing unanimous decision loss to Dan Hardy at UFC 105 back in November. It perhaps stung more than any other loss because it had championship implications on the line -- "The Outlaw" is now set to challenge for the 170-pound belt in March 2010. "Quick" will now look to make another run to the top, starting with the Brazilian elite special police force member. Thiago actually had a chance to make it two straight against AKA; however, Jobn Fitch outworked him en route to a unanimous decision win at UFC 100 back on July 11. Thiago went on to ruin "Christmas" by roughing up Jacob Volkmann at UFC 106: "Ortiz vs. Griffin 2" late last month. UFC 109 will feature a light heavyweight battle between elder statesmen Randy "The Natural" Couture and Mark "The Hammer" Coleman. Middleweights Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen will battle in the co-featured fight of the night for perhaps an opportunity to challenge 185-pound deity, Anderson Silva, in early 2010 when he recovers from an elbow injury. For more on UFC 109 click here.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Gary Goodridge announced for Dynamite!! 2009 Posted: 28 Dec 2009 05:01 PM PST Only a few days remain until the Dynamite!! 2009 on New Year`s Eve and one last bout to round out the MMA/K-1 hybrid fight card was made official today: Up-and-comer Gegard Mousasi (27-2-1) will indeed battle veteran Gary Goodridge (23-19-1) as previously rumored. While Mousasi was initially scheduled to fight in a K-1 contest, he will now face Goodridge under full MMA rules. Currently on a 14-fight win streak, the 24 year-old Armenian-Dutch fighter has emerged as one of the most enthralling young fighters during the last two years. After defeating Denis Kang, Dong Sik Yoon, Melvin Manhoef, and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza en route to capturing the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix gold, he made his American debut this past August to demolish Renato "Babalu" Sobral in 60 seconds and added the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title to his resume. In his last fight in November at "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" event, he defeated Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a non-title affair. In his appearance in Dynamite!! 2008, Mousasi was among the MMA trio comprising him, Alistair Overeem, and Tatsuya Kawajiri who accomplished a clean sweep of K-1 squad in a MMA vs. K-1 bout series under the K-1 rule: He defeated the Japanese K-1 legend, Musashi via second round TKO. UFC and PRIDE veteran, Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge, on the other hand, has lost his last four bouts. A runner-up in UFC`s heavyweight tournament at UFC 8, "Big Daddy" has fought the Who`s Who among the heavyweights -- including Fedor Emelianenko, Marco Ruas, Ricco Rodriguez, Igor Vovchanchyn, Gilbert Yvel, Oleg Taktarov, Bob Schrijber, and Heath Herring -- in his 14-year career. Stay tuned to MMAmania for coverage of a pre-fight press conference with all Dynamite!! 2009 participants in attendance on Wednesday, January 30.

WEC 45 drug test results come back clean for 'Cerrone vs. Ratcliff' Posted: 28 Dec 2009 03:08 PM PST Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) today confirmed today that nine out of 20 competitors who were tested for illegal/banned substances after competing at WEC 45: "Cerrone vs. Ratcliff" on Dec. 19 passed without any problems. Four of the five winners off of the evening's preliminary card, including Brad Pickett, Erik Koch, Chad George and Zach Micklewright, all tested negative following the event from "The Pearl" in Las Vegas. In addition, main card participants Scott Jorgensen, Joseph Benavidez, Anthony Njokuani, Donald Cerrone and Ed Ratcliff all returned negative tests. NSAC usually tests fighters who managed to secure victory or participated in the main event, and such was the case for this card. Main event participant Ed Ratcliff, who lost to Donald Cerrone via rear naked choke in the third round, was the lone fighter to lose and still be tested. For complete results and coverage of "Cerrone vs Ratcliff" click here and here.

Sam Stout prepared for his 'dangerous' fight against the 'unorthodox' Joe Lauzon at UFC 108 Posted: 28 Dec 2009 12:18 PM PST Props: Winnipeg Free Press Quoteworthy: "I think he's going to be my toughest fight so far, to be honest with you. He's got an interesting style, a little bit unorthodox and difficult to train for because he's not a typical guy. He goes for a lot of interesting submissions that most guys don't go for, and from strange positions. And his striking is kind of wild but those guys can be dangerous." Sam Stout prepares for his upcoming lightweight scrap against the "dangerous" Joe Lauzon at UFC 108: "Evans vs. Silva" on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas. "Hands of Stone" was supposed to take on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 lightweight finalist, Phillipe Nover, at UFC Fight Night 19: "Diaz vs. Guillard" on Sept. 16, 2009; however, "The Filipino Assassin" passed out in the locker room literally hours before showtime, which forced the promotion to scrap the bout on super short notice. Stout not only got paid for the cancellation, but he also got a boost in competition in "J-Lau." Will he be able to capitalize on it?

Iraq War veteran and welterweight standout Steve Carl signs with Bellator Fighting Championships Posted: 28 Dec 2009 11:07 AM PST CHICAGO, Ill. (Dec. 28, 2009) – In the latest addition to its much-heralded Season 2 roster, Bellator Fighting Championships announced Monday the acquisition of emerging MMA star Steve Carl, who will compete in the promotion’s upcoming eight-man welterweight tournament beginning in April. Carl, 25, a U.S. Army sergeant who served in the Iraq War, took up MMA about five years ago while stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and has since compiled a professional record of 10-1. His rear naked choke submission of the previously undefeated Ivan Ivanoff at the M-1 Challenge in Bulgaria earlier this year won him international acclaim and drew the attention of matchmakers from all of the top MMA promotions. "I was getting offers from the UFC and others, but Bellator was just a better opportunity for me," Carl said. "I’m really excited about the exposure that Bellator’s TV deal will bring me and the chance to fight against some awesome competition." Carl, an Iowa native and recent college graduate, joins fellow top MMA talents Dan Hornbuckle, Jacob McClintock, "Judo" Jim Wallhead and former NCAA wrestling champion and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren in what was recently described by Yahoo! Sports as "a kick-butt welterweight tournament" that offers "good balance of experienced fighters … and up-and-comers with unlimited potential." "Steve Carl is yet another tremendous addition to our welterweight tournament," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "In addition to being a talented fighter, he also has an inspirational life story that will make it tough not to root for him once our second season begins April 8th. I’m proud to welcome him to our organization." Carl’s signing with Bellator marks the culmination of a harrowing three-year journey that, at one time, put his promising MMA career in jeopardy. In December 2006, he was involved in a horrific car crash on an icy eastern Iowa road that shattered his right leg and left doctors questioning whether he would ever walk again without the use of a cane. His career in fighting, they said, was almost certainly over. Carl, though, was undeterred, and began a rigorous conditioning and physical therapy regimen that put him back in the cage in roughly 18 months. During his first few bouts after his return, he fought with a titanium rod implanted in his leg. "After the accident, everyone wanted me to move on from MMA," Carl said. "But I knew it in my heart beforehand that I had a chance to make it to the top and I didn’t want to give that up. Now I’ve got the chance to show what I can do in front of the whole country on national TV." Each of Bellator’s 24 fights during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m. For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bellator and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/BellatorMMA.

Dan Hardy: Georges St. Pierre should expect to get hit in the face over and over again at UFC 111 Posted: 28 Dec 2009 09:28 AM PST Props: MMA Fighting Quoteworthy: "He knows what's coming. He knows there's a left hook with his name on it and at some point in the 25 minutes I'll land it. I'm expecting him to take me down. At some point in the fight I'll end up on my back and I'll fight from it. When you're fighting GSP you accept at some point you're going to get taken down, but now GSP has to expect that when he fights me he's going to get hit in the face over and over again. I'm always the underdog. Every fight I go into nobody thinks I'm going to win. Even after I beat GSP and take the belt, it's going to take four or five fights to prove I'm the champion. I'm going to go in there and do everything I can to take the belt off him and whatever happens, so be it, but I'm confident I can win." Number one welterweight contender Dan Hardy is both cocky and confident heading into his main event fight against UFC 170-pound champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 on March 27 in Newark, NJ. "The Outlaw" is fresh of a unanimous decision victory over fellow surging welterweight Mike Swick at last month's UFC 105: "Couture vs. Vera" event in Manchester. Does Hardy, who only has one finish in four Octagon appearances, have the skill set to beat "Rush?" Or does he simply need a full gas tank and a "left hook with GSP's name on it?" Opinions please.

UFC cuts Kevin Burns, Edgar Garcia, Shane Nelson and Darrill Schoonover Posted: 28 Dec 2009 09:28 AM PST The UFC spread some holiday cheer last week by cutting four of its under-performing fighters following their losses at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale on Dec. 5 and UFC 107: "Penn vs. Sanchez" on Dec. 12 as reported by Watch Kalib Run. Welterweights Kevin Burns and Edgar Garcia along with lightweight Shane Nelson and heavyweight Darrill Schoonover have all joined the recently-booted light heavyweight Houston Alexander on the MMA unemployment line. Burns was probably the least surprising of the bunch, having dropped three straight inside the Octagon. After getting put to sleep by Anthony Johnson at the TUF 8 Finale back in Dec. 2008, "The Fire(d)" came up short against Chris Lytle at the June 20 TUF 9 Finale and TJ Grant at UFC 107 earlier this month. Schoonover was obliterated by Marcus Jones during the tenth season of TUF but was afforded a second chance at UFC fame during the Dec. 5 Finale. After he was stopped by James McSweeney, the UFC probably decided they had seen enough. "The Boss" has been recalled for active duty in the military and will likely be the least affected by his release. Garcia was called up to the bigs after knocking out Hiromitsu Miura at WEC 38 but was unable to keep that momentum going, coming up short against Brad Blackburn at the TUF 9 Finale and then DeMarques Johnson at UFC 107. Finally, Shane Nelson, a graduate of the TUF 8 program, gets his pink slip after back-to-back unanimous decision losses to Aaron Riley at UFC 101and Matt Wiman at UFC 107. The lesson here (as it has always been) is that unless you're Clay Guida or Wanderlei Silva, dropping two straight under the Zuffa banner is usually a fast track to finding work elsewhere.

Quinton Jackson is 'Rampage' Unchained, Uncut & Uncensored (Video) Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:02 AM PST Checkout Parts 2-6 after the jump.

UFC Quick Quote: Paul Daley training in secret for Dustin Hazelett Posted: 28 Dec 2009 06:25 AM PST "I've had to sacrifice my entire Christmas to get ready for this fight and have been in lockdown for about six weeks now. I've done the bulk of my training at a secret location in Holland. I know Hazelett will be a test for me. Just because he has come in as a replacement doesn't mean he's any less of an opponent. If anything, a late replacement often offers even more of a threat. Everybody knows I finish fights with my hands and feet. I've got that one-punch knockout power. I want Hazelett to realize why I have a reputation in this weight division. A win over Hazelett will set up a massive 2010 for me. I've always had ambitions to fight for the UFC title and that is definitely something I want to achieve in 2010. I don't just want to compete for it; I want to win it. I don't care who holds the title at the time – I want to take that belt and put it around my waist." Fast-rising welterweight striker Paul Daley updates fans on his official blog about whisking himself away for his upcoming fight against submission specialist Dustin Hazelett on the main card of UFC 108. The heavy-handed "Semtex" vaulted himself to the upper echelon of welterweights after knocking out Martin Kampmann at UFC 103 on Sept. 19 and could make himself a serious threat at 170-pounds with a win over "McLovin'." Will the crafty Hazelett get steamrolled in Las Vegas? Or is Daley getting a little too big for his britches after his win over "The Hitman?"

Countdown to Dynamite!! 2009: News and notes for Dec. 31 event Posted: 27 Dec 2009 09:01 PM PST The countdown to the largest Japanese combat sports event of the year winds down, as we are only a week out from the event. With the fight cards and the special rules for the "DREAM vs. SRC" bouts nearly complete and awaiting last-minute fine-tuning, following is a compilation of news and notes regarding Dynamite!! 2009 that have surfaced during the last few days. Sadaharu Tanikawa, FEG president: "This year`s fight card is stacked with truly competitive bouts, rather than the spectacle-oriented matches befitting the PRIDE-like extravaganza. I would like to strive for at least 20% TV rating with the event (NOTE: The highest rating to date for Dynamite!! is 20.1%)" Kazuo Misaki, who will face Melvin Manhoef, confessed during the press conference held on Christmas Day that he had initial qualms about accepting a fight against Manhoef after the dissolution of the putative bout with Kazushi Sakuraba threw his training off course. Nevertheless, he reaffirmed his obligation as a fighter and stated that he will do his best to prepare for Manhoef as the clock ticks for the event. Since leaving his long-time home of Grabaka last month, he has been training at Power of Dream gym (Satoshi Ishii, along with Kazunori Yokota Singh Jaideep, and Tomoya Miyashita on occasion). Andy Souwer solicited permission to wear a shoot boxing long spandex, which has been banned in K-1 MAX since September, 2008, for his bout against Masato. Masato not only granted permission but also revealed that he plans on wearing the spats as well. He also explained that long spandex has been banned in K-1 MAX out of concern that the materials used in some spandex help cushion the blow and give the wearer an unfair advantage in fights. Though Souwer will wear a spandex that will be inspected by the K-1 officials beforehand, Masato says that fans need not worry about the spandex because he will defeat Souwer with a blow to the face. Yosuke Nishijima requested permission to wear shoes in his K-1 bout against Ray Sefo. Sefo has agreed and the bout will be contested under special rules under which Nishijima will not be allowed to kick. Masato is confident about avenging his losses to Andy Souwer in the main event to conclude his illustrious career. He has diligently prepared to fight five, three-minute rounds, built tolerance against low kicks, and gained considerable power to complement his top-notch conditioning. He also predicts that the fight will end via KO by left hook -- a symbolic finish, considering that he knocked out Mourad Sari with a left hook on November1, 2000 and proclaimed upon victory that "his era had begun in K-1." Hayato "Mach" Sakurai held an open workout in front of the media on Saturday, December 26. He is reportedly in good physical condition despite his recurring struggle to cut weight. Nonetheless, he reassured that he has enlisted the help of a nutritionist to monitor his diet and that the weight-cut has not been too strenuous. In response to the speculation by many that his struggle with weight-cut played a role in his defeat against Marius Zaromskis at DREAM 9 in August, he reiterated that summer has always been his nemesis: The need for constant hydration during the muggy months of summer contributes to weight gain and this past summer has been particularly brutal for him in terms of keeping up his physical condition and weight down. Kazuyuki Fujita on his fight against Alistair Overeem, upon his return from a four-week training camp with Marco Ruas in Los Angeles: "(Overeem) is really a monster with his superhuman physique. With an opponent like him, no other Japanese fighter will likely face him. Who else will, if I don`t!? Everything about this fight is outside the normal parameters, so I should not fight in a predictable manner. I am solidifying my game plan against Alistair as the training winds down." The rules and contracted weight limit for different weight classes for the "DREAM vs. SRC" fights have been nearly finalized but they will likely be announced on the day before the event. The decisions will be rendered under the "must-system" to curb draws, and given the odd number (9) of bouts, either DREAM or SRC squad will emerge as the decisive winner of the inter-promotional showdown. Stay tuned to MMAmania for further news and coverage of the Dynamite!! 2009.

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