Oliveira’s debut date and first opponent have not been announced as of yet, but the fighter has reportedly signed a multi-fight deal and based upon past performance is expected to become a familiar face amongst the UFC lightweight division. At only 20 years of age, Oliveira has a very bright future ahead of him in the UFC though the competition is going to be significantly stiffer than the caliber of fighters he has faced to date. To prepare for the challenges that lay ahead, Oliveira is expected to train under the tutelage of Jorge ‘Macacao’ Patino, a long-time MMA veteran boasting an international career that stretches over fifteen years.

Though it has been difficult to dig up media on Oliveira as he has spent much of his career to date outside of the limelight, we did come across this excellent highlight reel put together by Marcel Rodrigues which you can check out below to get a peek at some of Oliveria’s skills:

Ortiz is out of the fight but not because of injury; he is healthy and is not suffering back problems as some rumours claim. The reason for his withdrawal is known to Fighters Only is something that may significantly impact his future as a fighter, but we cannot report the details at this point.

Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin (26-5-0) is expected to step in against Liddell in place of Ortiz to though there are conflicting reports as to where and when the bout will go down. Fighter’s Only is reporting that Franklin vs Liddell is set for April 17, 2010 at a UFC Fight Night event which the promotion is planning to directly compete with a rival Strikeforce: Nashville event taking place that same night. However MMAJunkie.com offers a conflicting report citing an industry source who claims the bout will headline UFC 115 which is expected to take play sometime in May as UFC heads to Vancouver, Canada for the first time it its history.

Franklin was last seen in action against Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort (19-8-0) at UFC 103 where the top Brazilian striker leveled Franklin in just over three minutes, knocking Franklin out for the night as well as out of the top ten ranked light heavyweights. The former UFC middleweight champion has been on quite a roller-coaster over the past few years of his career, and at age 35 it remains to be seen as to whether or not Franklin has the drive, determination, and skill to take one last shot at the title.

As fans have already seen Liddell destroy Ortiz inside the octagon twice in the past five years a Franklin/Liddell headliner offers much more appeal as both combatants are at a similar crossroads in their respective careers being former champions unwilling to walk away from the game while there is still gas left in the tank. On April 17 we’ll find out which fighter is still motoring along, and also which one is running on empty.

The latest trailer features BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn (15-5-1)towing the classic company like ‘So you want to be a fighter?’ mixing shots of actual fight footage featuring the UFC lightweight champion along with a digitized version of Penn’s moves intended to allow the viewer to ‘Experience the Octagon’.

Check out the newest :30 spot for ‘UFC Undisputed 2010′ below:

It was announced on tonight’s episode of Inside MMA that she would debut at this month’s event in Reno, Nevada on the 26th, airing live on HDNet.

A press release regarding Kanellis joining HDNet is set to be issued Monday.

Kanellis was released from WWE on Feb. 26. She will be one of the featured stars on Celebrity Apprentice premiering this Sunday night on NBC.

On Fedor Emelianenko: “Same thing as fighting Brock Lesnar. They are both very limited in what they can do. They are both very one-dimensional.”

On Anderson Silva: “Leave me alone or else you gone get hurt. I hit hard Anderson Silva. I’m not Roy Jones, I’m a whole other species…”

These comments came both before and after Bas Rutten, Ray Mercer, and hall of fame boxing coach Freddie Roach all offered countless warnings and words of wisdom about how dangerous the take down can be for a boxer, but the advice seemed to fall on deaf ears as Toney insisted that he brings ‘the whole package’, ‘respects the game of MMA’, and is ready to take on ‘anybody you got’.

Toney’s remarks are so removed from logic that it begs the question as to whether or not this is all simply an act intended to to hype up boxing fans and generate the kind of mainstream media attention that Herschel Walker garnered for Strikeforce earlier in the year. Toney has already made multiple headlines without even having a named opponent, and if the strategy were to create a buzz then Dana White has seemingly struck media gold in signing ‘Lights Out’, win or lose inside the octagon.

Mercer arguably has the most success of any recent boxer turned mixed-martial-artist having knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Tim ‘The Maine-iac’ Sylvia (25-6-0) last summer in Birmingham, Alabama. Though Sylvia is far from the peak of his career, he is still a a noteworthy notch on Mercer’s belt that should earn the former heavyweight champion a bit more cage credibility.

If you happened to miss the incredible KO, check out Mercer chopping down Sylvia in less than ten seconds below:

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, 50-3-2, 38 KO’s, headlines this weekend’s boxing as he defends his WBO Welterweight title against the very capable and dangerous Joshua Clottey, 35-3, 20 KO’s.

Pacquiao is at an all time high in his career and has quite the following. He is a national hero in the Philippines and has a large fan base just about everywhere else. His continued improvement and likable nature have made him a pay per view smash. He is willing to take on just about anyone and has destroyed most of his opposition, including Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, and David Diaz. He has struggled with Juan Manuel Marquez in recent years, a fighter with good defense and the ability to control the ring, which is something that Clottey is able to do. The difference is: Clottey is a natural welterweight.

Pacquiao has to use his speed and movement in order to beat Clottey. Clottey has a history of beating up smaller guys. He battered and destroyed Diego Corrales, pounded Zab Judah into submission, and chased Miguel Cotto around the ring, before losing a controversial decision. He has a great chin, packs a decent punch, and keeps a tight defense. Clottey is a very dangerous opponent for Pacquiao and one that he may not be able to get beyond.

A win is a win and you can’t take anything away from the recent victories of Pacquiao, but when you look at the big names that were destroyed, you have to analyze it realistically. Oscar De La Hoya was spent, Ricky Hatton wasn’t an elite fighter, and Miguel Cotto’s psyche was broken. Clottey is a much bigger test for Pacquiao the welterweight, despite the fact that he isn’t as well known as the fighters mentioned above. He will try to walk down and pound Pacquiao to the floor in the later rounds. It should be a fun show.

Read the entire article @ http://www.ringsidereport.com/a>

The former UFC light heavyweight champion appears to be in great shape, without question appearing much closer to fighting shape than the doughy looking Liddell who appeared in a candid photo taken on the set of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ that was released a few weeks ago.

Liddell appears alongside Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco and actor/comedian Dax Shephard of ‘Punk’D’ fame, all three of whom appear to be working in tandem to promote Zigtech for Reebok as seen by their attire in the interview below:

Hess and Loeffler are the fourth and fifth confirmed participants in the eight-man middleweight tournament, joining Bryan “The Beast” Baker, Matt Major and Eric Schambari. Overall, the group boasts a combined winning percentage of .859 (55 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw).

“Jared’s potential is unlimited,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “When his striking catches up to his strength on the ground, he could be one of the most dangerous 185 pounders in the business. On the other hand, Sean has established a great record, has earned this opportunity to fight his way to a title shot and doesn’t have a reverse gear. Perhaps more importantly, both Jared and Sean come to fight every time they step into the cage.”

Hess, 26, a former NCAA All-American wrestler at the University of Central Oklahoma, took a 6-0-1 record into Bellator Season 1 where he notched two quick victories over Daniel Tabera (rear naked choke submission) and Yosmany Cabezas (TKO) before meeting Hector Lombard in Bellator’s first-ever Middleweight Championship bout this past June. Hess took the heavily favored Lombard into the fourth round in a brutal fight that ended by doctor’s stoppage when Lombard opened a cut above Hess’ right eye.

In the 9 months since, Hess scored a first round submission win over Keith Johnson at a local show in Oklahoma City and has continued to hone his stand-up game in preparation for Bellator Season 2.

“I’m looking forward to winning the tournament and getting a chance to face Hector again,” Hess said. “I think it would be a much different outcome this time. My standup has improved by leaps and bounds since then. Add that to my wrestling and I think I’d have a distinct edge this time.”

Loeffler, 27, began training in traditional martial arts at the age of five and made his pro debut 10 years ago at the age of 17. Since then, in 22 career fights, he has gone to the second round only three times and has seen the third only once. He enters Bellator riding a five-fight win streak that includes a first-round armbar submission of former TUF participant Christian Fulgium and a 30-second TKO of local fighter Sam Salas in San Jacinto, Calif., late last month.

“I watch fights on TV and the guys are dancing around and throwing jabs. That’s not for me … that’s not MMA,” Loeffler said. “This is not ballet. It’s combat sports, so you won’t see me stalling and circling. If there’s one word to describe my fighting style, it’s violent. Win or lose, if you fight me, you’re not gonna leave looking pretty.”

Both fighters said they are also looking forward to fighting in front of a national TV audience thanks to Bellator’s historic TV distribution alliance with FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo.

“Bellator’s TV deal is really second to none and something that every fighter dreams of,” Loeffler said. “I’m proud to be a part of it and excited to put on a good show for all the fans.”

Rampage takes a walk down memory lane on camera by telling a number of old stories, both positive and negative, from his glory days in the now defunct Japanese fighting promotion. For gaming fans, the fighter also reluctantly reveals his online gamer tag, but you’ll have to watch the entire interview with ‘Fighters Only Magazine’ to find out what it is:

Be better than you think you can be. Don’t quit two minutes before the miracle. Believe.

Charles “Mask” Lewis, the co-founder of TapouT, passed away a year ago today in a car accident and continues to motivate friends and loved ones with the messages that were central to his life.

Those who knew him remember his buoyant spirit, drive for excellence, and generosity. More than that, they feel the imprint his positive energy has left in a fast-moving and ever-changing world.

Lewis made every person he met feel special.

Dan “Punkass” Caldwell, who co-founded the clothing company with Lewis in 1997, wears a small urn bearing Lewis’ ashes every day and soldiers on with those messages.

“I knew him for 20 years,” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “He was my best friend in the world. I feel like I learned so much in that period of time with him. I just want to use that experience and use that knowledge to go out there and affect people like he would have wanted.

“That’s what his intentions were when he dealt with people. It was always about affecting that person and leaving them with a positive feeling. Even you only met someone for a minute.”

Read the entire article @ MMAJunkie.com

UFC president Dana White will be personally overseeing the tryouts along with Craig Piligian who is an executive producer from the SPIKE network. Interested fighters can download a copy of the tryout application here.

The April Fool’s Day trial takes place almost immediately after TUF 11 airs its season premiere March 31, 2010 at 10:00PM EST on the SPIKE network. Long-time rivals Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell (21-7-0) and Tito ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ Ortiz (15-7-1) will coach the opposing fighter camps, culminating with a headline bout between these two West Coast warriors that offers Ortiz the chance to redeem himself having fallen victim to the vicious hands of ‘The Iceman’ in their previous two contests.

“The Massachusetts ‘double weigh-in’ provision calls for a fighter to be weighed in no more than 36 hours before his fight and again on the night of the fight. The fighter cannot weigh more than 1.0625 times his initial weight on the second weigh-in. ”

The goal of the legislation is to limit the maximum size of each combatant on fight night as it is widely known (and accepted) that most fighters tend to bulk up immediately following a weigh-in to gain as much of a power advantage as possible prior to the contest. Such a provision would be especially beneficial in the heavyweight division where the likes of Brock Lesnar could easily step inside the octagon tipping 290lbs. despite competing in a division that technically has a competition cap at 265lbs, and would also help even the playing field for shorter fighters who lack the genetic framework to pack on as many post weigh-in pounds as taller opponents.

Despite the fact that this new provision would seemingly close the current loop hole, it appears that the commission does not expect the rule will remain on the books for very long as the report from Sherdog emphasizes that:

“Officials stressed the provision, taken from the state’s boxing regulations, could easily change after a forthcoming public hearing and input from medical specialists.”

UFC is currently negotiating with state officials to host their Bay State debut at the TD Garden on August 28, 2010, and though the promotion claims that the double weigh-in provision will not play a major role in the event planning a representative from the company did state their preference for a single weigh-in which is standard across most of the country. However, the ‘double weigh-in’ is not totally unfamiliar to UFC which held its 2008 ‘Fight for the Troops’ in North Carolina, a state that has a similar requirement in that fighters cannot gain more than 13 pounds following their initial weigh-in. All combatants were able to make weight for that event.

My response would be with another question -- why on earth would we as fans want ESPN or any other media conglomerate to cover the sport in the first place? So the likes of Chris Berman and Stuart Scott can pretend to know something about MMA by reading nonsense off a teleprompter that was scripted by a team representing the various interests of ESPN’s corporate partners in Disney and ABC (among others) to ensure that all the broadcast content is up to their politically correct standards? No, thanks.

MMA would be better served if networks such as HDNet, SPIKE, and VS. -- those that have been covering combat sport since its modern inception -- took up the reigns and led the charge in providing news and analysis around the mixed martial arts world. Though these are younger, smaller venues, their viewership is continuing grow while that of traditional media outlets such as CBS, NBC, and FOX has been on a steady decline since the turn of the century. Combine those ratings with the fact that online video stream viewership continues to surge, there is a real likelihood that the fight promotions themselves will begin to deliver direct feeds of their own UFC and Strikeforce events, bypassing the networks altogether. With television, computers, and wireless technology becoming more integrated, the days of media being wholly delivered via the internet are really not that far off.

Hopefully we are already at a point in the ‘Information Age’ where MMA can avoid being picked up by a national media outlet seeking to make a quick buck only to then be whittled down to pathetic pop pulp with nightly ‘teases’ and ‘drama’ about who-might-be-suspected-of-possibly-being-considered-something-about-some-inane-topic that real fans could care less about. Let the traditional major sports have ESPN, we’ll take Kenny & Bas any day…

Stinson was one of 72 fighters from as far away as New York, California, Texas and Arizona to travel to Lenexa, Kan., for the tryout, which was judged by Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney and a panel of other top Bellator talent executives. Participants included former veterans of the WEC, IFL and other top promotions.

“The talent level that we saw at this tryout was very solid,” Rebney said. “To have fighters come in on busses, trains and planes from around the country is very humbling. These guys just want a shot and I only wish that we could give that opportunity to every one of them. Our decision was a difficult one, but Tyler separated himself with great grappling and a well-rounded MMA arsenal. I’m looking forward to seeing him fight on April 29th.”

Stinson, though just 24, boasts a professional record of 16-5 in a wide variety of regional promotions across the Midwest and in Florida. Notably, he is one of only two fighters to notch a victory against 17-2 Eric Marriott, a competitor in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man featherweight tournament. Stinson will enter the April 29th Bellator event on a three-fight win-streak with all three wins coming via first round stoppages (armbar, triangle choke and TKO-punches).

“This whole experience was just awesome,” Stinson told reporters after the event. “To hear my name called at the end of the day was just unbelievable. I’m really almost speechless right now. Bellator is just such a great organization and I’m excited for the chance to fight in front of my family and friends in Kansas City.”

The second-place finisher at the event was 27-year-old Leonardo Pecanha, a native of Brazil now fighting out of Omaha, Neb. Pecanha, who boasts a pro record of 11-6, is now being considered by Bellator for an open slot at one of its May events.

The April 29th event is one of four that Bellator will be staging at the highly popular Kansas City Power & Light District. The Power & Light District encompasses multiple square blocks in the heart of Kansas City’s downtown area and features an exciting blend of restaurants, nightlife, and shopping, welcoming in excess of 6 million visitors annually.

Tickets are on sale now at Tickemaster.com, at the Midland Theater box office downtown, and in select Power & Light District venues. Check out www.powerandlightdistrict.com for more information on ticket availability.

Additional Bellator fights will be held at the Kansas City Power & Light District on:

- June 24, 2010 – Bellator XXIV

- August 26, 2010 – Bellator XXVII

- October 14, 2010 – Bellator XXXIV

These and all other Bellator fights during its second and third seasons will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo.

For more information, visit www.bellator.com.

The ruling was very vague as executive director of Combat Sports Authority Craig Waller offered only the following in an e-mail to MMAJunkie.com:

“A review was held and the Combat Sports Authority of NSW did not seek to interfere with the referee’s decision.”

Bonnar’s interpretation of the rules held that after the foul ocurred in the third round the contest should have been stopped with the decision then handed over to the judge’s scorecards. Their scoring revealed a spilt decision as all three judges unanimously agreed that Bonnar won the first round with Soszynski winning the second, which Bonnar claimed should have ended the contest a draw.

However it appears that the Combat Sports Authority is crediting Soszynski for delivering the damage that forced an early end to the fight, and thus they believe he was rightly crowned the victor. Despite the ruling, Bonnar was seemingly optimistic about the future saying:

“It was obviously a battle between me and [the CSA], but as far as the fight, Dana White’s a fair guy, and I’m pretty confident we’ll have that rematch soon.”

The game is expected to release sometime in the late summer though no official date has yet been announced by EA Sports.

Since the video was released by the promotion and features Le sporting a smirk on his face for the duration of the interview it seems fairly obvious that a Le/Smith rematch will soon be announced by Strikeforce, but take a look for yourself and let us know if you agree:

However, fans do not necessarily have to rush out and pre-order the game to gain access to these characters as THQ ran a similar promotion when the 2009 version of the game was released and the bonus characters became available for download 90 days after the initial release date. No official announcement has been made by THQ confirming that to be the case for the 2010 version of the game, but it seems pretty reasonable to expect a similar situation with this game.

Thus far Marcus Jones (4-2-0) and James McSweeney (4-4-0) are the two other ‘TUF: Heavyweights’ cast members who have already been announced as being on the game roster, with one more name expected to be released soon. Screen shots of these bonus characters do not appear to have been released by either GameStop or THQ, but check out this renderings of Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, and Thiago Silva that look simply incredible.

In the following video of the bout between Bernhard and Gandulla you can see the final foul that ended the contest along with the police escort that followed as the crowd erupted by taunting Gandulla and sharing their snacks as he exited the cage. Real classy stuff…

“We were renegotiating. I think we’re pretty much at the end of that road. After the CBS show, we thought that the terms needed a little bit tweaking – nothing major, just a little bit of tweaking. So, we had a round of negotiations with Strikeforce. Everything went positively. We’re pretty much at the end.”

When pressed for more detail on Emeliankeno’s expected return, Kogan would not offer a firm date but told fans they can expect to see ‘The Last Emperor’ back in action by this summer:

“I think June, July is realistic (for Emelianenko’s return). It’s not 100 percent. Don’t take this as a fight announcement, but I think during the summer.”

This is excellent news for any American mixed martial arts fan as there was real concern that Emelinanenko would defect to the Japanese promotion DREAM which has the market and resources to pay ‘The Last Emperor’ a king’s ransom for his services. After disgraced heavyweight Josh Barnett signed with DREAM last week Fedor’s people went on the record stating they would like a Barnett/Emelianenko bout take place which fueled speculation that Fedor was heading overseas, but with today’s announcement it appears that fight will have to wait until at least 2011 as it seems clear that Emeliankeno is staying put with Strikeforce for the time being.

This announcement also puts to bed any possibility of Kimbo facing the newly signed professional boxer James ‘Lights Out’ Toney (0-0-0), which may happen sometime down the road should the fans demand it, but as it currently stands a Toney vs Slice contest is not in the works.

UFC 113 is shaping up to be a monster event with the likes of Josh Koscheck, Paul Daley, and Sam Stout featured on the card that also includes the highly anticipated return of Candian striker Patrick Cote who has been absent from the octagon due to injury for nearly two years. Did we mention that this card is also being headlined by a light heavyweight championship rematch between Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida (16-0-0) and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua (18-4-1) who have a serious score to settle after last year’s hotly debated unanimous decision win that went in Machida’s favor.

Mark your calendars as this looks to be one of the best UFC events of the year, and here is how the card is shaping up thus far:

Main Card
Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida (16-0-0) vs Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua (18-4-1)
Josh ‘Kos’ Koscheck () vs Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley (23-8-2)
Kevin ‘Kimbo Slice’ Ferguson (4-1-0) vs Matt Mitrione (1-0-0)
Jeremy Stephens (17-5-0) vs Sam ‘Hands of Stone’ Stout (16-5-1)
Alan ‘The Talent’ Belcher (14-5-0) vs Patrick ‘The Predator’ Cote (14-5-0)

Preliminary Card
Tim ‘Crazy’ Credeur (13-5-0) vs Tom ‘Filthy’ Lawlor (6-2-0)
Marcus ‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ Davis (21-7-0) vs Jonathan Goulet (22-10-1)
Mike ‘The Joker’ Guymon (12-3-1) vs Yoshiyuki ‘Zenko’ Yoshida (11-4-0)
T.J. Grant (15-3-0) vs Johny Hendricks (7-0-0)

“We are all gobsmacked because, until the weekend, everything pointed to him returning in June.”

Hatton had remained unbeaten over an astonishing stretch of 42 fights before he fell to the quick and powerful hands of Floyd Mayweather, Jr.at a highly touted WBC welterweight title match back in 2007. Since tasting the first defeat of his career, Hatton returned to championship form by defending his IBO welterweight belt twice against Juan Lazcano and Paulie Malignaggi before getting a chance to step onto the international stage once again in taking on the Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas, NV in what will go down as the final fight of Hatton’s career.

It is unfortunate that Hatton will be forced to leave the sport on a sour note after putting together an impressive body of work, but fans will best remember him for nights like June 23, 2007 where the stocky man from Manchester knocked out ‘El Terrible’ in front of a packed house in ‘Sin City’ with a rib crushing body shot -- which is presented below for your viewing pleasure: