MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Fabricio "Morango" Camoes, Guarantees a Win Over Caol Uno:

"UFC is the show where everybody wants to be… It’s my time and I’ll be there fighting with my heart to the fans… It’s a dream coming true, you can’t describe the feeling to know that you are in the UFC"

"It’s gonna be a good opportunity for me, because he’s an excellent athlete and already has a history inside the UFC. It’s gonna be great to debut against Caol Uno, and I’m training hard over his strong spots"

"He has excellent grappling and wrestling, but I’m a black belt from Royler Gracie and I’m very comfortable with that. I think it’s hard for someone to surprise me on the ground. I saw a lot of his fights, Royler knows him, gave me some tips and we’re working because we don’t want to take risks with the bad luck. Fans can be sure that I’ll do my best and I’m sure that I’ll win. I’m not underestimating my opponent, but by the work that I’m doing and my coaches know him, he’ll be a good fight for my debut"

 

[Shogun Locc]

Talent Packed Card Announced for Strikeforce Challengers in Kansas City on November 20

A welterweight battle between highly touted rising prospects Tyron Woodley and Rudy Bears has been set as the main event of an upcoming Strikeforce Challengers card set for November 20.

The event will be taking place on a Friday from the Historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City, airing live on Showtime.

Other bouts recently announced for the televised portion of the card include Bobby Voelker vs. Erik Apple (welterweight); Aaron Rosa vs. Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (light heavyweight); and in 135-pound women’s fights, Kerry Vera vs. Kim “Sugar Free” Couture and Sarah Kaufman vs. Takayo Hashi.

With a record of 4-0, Woodley is widely regarded as one of the fastest rising welterweights in the business. The two-time All-American wrestler is set to duke it out with Kansas City native Rudy Bears, who himself is currently riding a six fight win streak, winning eight of his last nine.

Training alongside fighters such as Anderson Silva and the Nogueira Brothers, Feijao was widely viewed as one of the brightest prospects at 205 pounds before a recent TKO defeat at the hands of Mike Kyle knocked the aggressive Brazilian off course. Cavalcante will be looking to right the ship when he faces off with Rosa, who sports a career record of 12-2, putting together wins in his last two outings. The bout between the two is being billed as one with potential title consequences at light heavyweight for the winner.

Apple, who has only tasted defeat once in his eleven professional bouts at the hands of Brock Larson, will be testing himself against the always game Bobby Voelker, who has amassed an impressive career record of 20-7, winning three of his last four.

In one of two female bouts, Kim Couture, former wife of UFC veteran Randy, will be facing off with Kerry Vera, wife to UFC light heavyweight Brandon. The irony of the match-up is the fact that Randy Couture and Brandon Vera are set to square off during the main event of UFC 105, scheduled just one week prior.

Also in action on November 20 will be undefeated wrecking machine Sarah Kaufman, who is fresh off of her Strikeforce victories over Miesha Tate and Shayna Baszler, putting her 10-0 record on the line when she meets up with the widely respected Takayo Hashi from Japan, who has won her last eight in a row.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ROGER HUERTA'S NEW TRAINER... MICKEY ROURKE

Roger Huerta is getting some choice instruction in his new life as a fighter/actor.

Almost a month after losing a hard-fought battle with Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 19, Huerta is studying acting with movie star Mickey Rourke and Rourke’s personal acting coach.

Huerta’s manager, Jeff Clark, said his fighter recently flew to New York at Rourke’s request.

“Mickey took him under his wing,” said Clark.

When MMAWeekly.com spoke with Huerta in September, he was in Austin, Texas, with family and taking acting lessons via videoconference with Los Angeles manager Greg Edwards.

“I’ve just got to balance it out with my life, my social life,” said Huerta. “Balance it where I’m not fully just focused on one thing – I’m focused on fighting, and fighting is everything I do. I have to balance it out where fighting is my job, and outside of training, I get to hang out with my family and my loved ones, then the acting thing. Acting, that it’s just my job, and not making it where it’s all that I’m about.”

Huerta is scheduled to film a new movie, “Circle of Pain,” on Oct. 24 with Ling Bai, best known for her work in “Crank: High Voltage” and HBO’s “Entourage.”

Following the movie, Huerta will evaluate options for his fighting future. His exclusive negotiation period with the UFC comes to an end Nov. 14, followed by a one-year period where the UFC can match offers from other promotions. His six-fight deal ended with the Maynard loss.

Clark said Huerta was still intent on fighting.

“After the Maynard fight, he realized how much he loves fighting, and he definitely wants to fight again.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

NSAC Suspends, Fines WEC’s Province

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Friday suspended World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight Cole Province for nine months following a positive test for the anabolic steroid Methasterone at WEC 42 “Torres vs. Bowles” in August.

The 28-year-old Province was flagged in wake of his unanimous decision victory against former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Fredson Paixao. The result of that bout was changed to a no contest by the NSAC, which also fined Province $4,000.

Province will be required to provide a clean test to the commission before being licensed again. He claimed the positive test was the result of a tainted supplement, which he used “on a whim” to help him rehydrate.

“I had no idea it was illegal,” Province said. “I’m by no means claiming I’m innocent and didn’t have it in my system. It’s my fault. I knew it helped build muscle.”

A four-time national champion wrestler at the University of Central Oklahoma, Province made his WEC debut in December, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Diego Nunes. The Oklahoma native had never gone the distance before entering the WEC and won the Masters of the Cage featherweight championship in his second professional bout in 2007.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Paul Daley vs. Carlos Condit targeted for UFC 108 in January

A bout between welterweight title hopefuls Paul Paley (22-8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Carlos Condit (24-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is in the works for January's UFC 108 event.

Fighters Only first reported that verbal agreements are in place from both fighters, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) confirmed at least one fighter expects the bout to be finalized shortly.

Although not officially announced by the organization, UFC 108 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view.

Daley, a veteran of organizations such as Cage Rage, Strikeforce and EliteXC, made his UFC debut earlier this year following the demise of Affliction Entertainment. Subbing for injured Mike Swick, Daley immediately played the spoiler role and potentially cost Martin Kampmann a shot at the title with a first-round TKO at UFC 103.

Daley has now won four of his past five fights and 10 of his past 12; remarkably, all of the victories have ended via strikes.

Condit, the former welterweight champion of World Extreme Cagefighting, was moved to the UFC in April and suffered a close, split-decision loss to Kampmann in his octagon debut. The defeat snapped Condit's eight-fight win streak, but he rebounded for a split-decision win over Jake Ellenberger in September.

As MMAjunkie.com reported earlier this month, Condit recently decided to return to New Mexico and joined Greg Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts. Condit, who began his fighting career in Albuquerque, moved to Arizona in 2008 to join forces with Arizona Combat Sports. However, he said he needed to make the move for family reasons.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DOES RASHAD EVANS HAVE REVENGE ON HIS MIND?

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans is of two minds when it comes to his upcoming fight with Thiago Silva at UFC 108 in January.

Minutes removed from his first crack at runway modeling at a fashion show Monday for sponsor Silver Star, Evans re-affirmed his desire to get back to the wrestling roots that brought him his first successes in the UFC, aided no doubt by his knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98.

“I definitely want to get back to what I used to do, because one thing about myself is that I fell in love with the power,” said Evans. “I fell in love with the fact that I could take somebody and just completely lay ’em out still... but I’m not a stand-up fighter. My thing is, I’m a wrestler. That’s what I do. I wrestle.”

On the other hand, he’s dismissive of Silva’s stand-up abilities and says he has no problem with a stand-up war.

That’s the part of him seeking revenge for Silva’s knockout victory over teammate Keith Jardine at UFC 102.

“Honestly, I think I can stand up and bang with him too,” said Evans. “I’m positive I can stand up and bang with him. There’s nothing that he does that bothers me or scares me, not in the least. We can bang.”

Which will he choose on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas? We’ll just have to wait and see.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Nov. 20 "STRIKEFORCE Challengers: Woodley vs. Bears" tickets on sale today

Tickets for the fifth installment of STRIKEFORCE Challengers, which is headlined by fast-rising welterweight prospect Tyron Woodley, are on sale today.

The Nov. 20 event, which features a rather deep fight card in addition to Woodley's fight with fellow up-and-coming Rudy Bears, takes place at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, K.C.

The night's main card airs on Showtime and features notables such as Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, Sarah Kaufman and Kim Couture.

Tickets go on sale today beginning at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) at Ticketmaster.com.

STRIKEFORCE announced the event's five-fight main card on Thursday. Additionally, according to the announcement, Shamrock Productions, a St. Louis-based promotional company, will work with local gyms to fill out the night's un-aired preliminary card. None of those fight have been announced as of Friday.

The Challengers series is designed to spotlight up-and-coming fighters in the STRIKEFORCE promotion. However, the organization usually spotlights at least a veteran or two who factors into their respective title pictures.

The current STRIKEFORCE Challengers lineup now includes:

* Tyron Woodley vs. Rudy Bears
* Erik Apple vs. Bobby Voelker
* Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante vs. Aaron Rosa
* Kim Couture vs. Kerry Vera
* Sarah Kaufman vs. Takayo Hashi

 

[Shogun Locc]

WANDERLEI CONFIRMS AKIYAMA BOUT IN AUSTRALIA

Wanderlei Silva, in a video posted to his official YouTube channel on Thursday night, confirmed his next fight would be at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut in Australia.

He will face Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 111 when the promotion lands at the Acer Arena in Sydney. Akiyama first mentioned the bout at a recent press conference in Japan touting the UFC’s new “Undisputed” video game.

“I am so happy because it is the first event there,” said Silva with a huge smile across his face. “This is a great honor for me because I fight in the main event in Cologne, Germany, in the first event there, and I’m gonna fight in the first event in Australia.”

Silva (32-10-1) hasn’t fought since Germany in June, where he lost a unanimous decision in a 195-pound catchweight to Rich Franklin. Accruing a 1-3 record since joining the ranks of the UFC, the bout with Akiyama will be Silva’s first at 185 pounds, a move that will put him on a more level playing field with his opposition.

Considered one of the Top 10 fighters in the middleweight division, Akiyama (13-1; 2 no contests) will be making his second appearance for the UFC. He debuted in the Octagon at UFC 100 with a split decision win over Alan Belcher.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller in the works for UFC 108 lightweight contest in Las Vegas

A lightweight contest between Tyson Griffin (14-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Jim Miller is (15-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is currently in the works for UFC 108 in Las Vegas.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the event that both fighters have been approached about the contest, and at least one has verbally agreed to the bout.

Although not yet officially announced, UFC 108 is expected to take place Jan. 2 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Griffin looks to build on his two-fight win streak. After dropping a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk at UFC 90 in October 2008, Griffin has since bounced back with consecutive victories over Hermes Franca and Rafael dos Anjos.

Griffin, who has earned five UFC "Fight of the Night" awards in his time with the promotion, earned his first stoppage win in the September bout with Franca.

Miller also looks to build on a two-fight win streak. After dropping a unanimous decision to fellow contender Gray Maynard at UFC 96 in March 2009, Miller has bounced back with victories over Steve Lopez and "The Ultimate Fighter 6" winner Mac Danzig.

Miller has also earned both a "Fight of the Night" and "Submission of the Night" award during his five-fight UFC run.

Should the potential matchup hold, UFC 108 would include:

* Champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (for middleweight title)*
* Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva*
* Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga*
* Carlos Condit vs. Paul Daley*
* Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller*
* Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout*
* Dan Lauzon vs. Cole Miller*

* - Not officially announced

 

[Shogun Locc]

YVEL GRANTED LICENSE IN NEVADA; UFC NEXT STOP?

LAS VEGAS – Dutch heavyweight Gilbert Yvel has been given another chance to fight in Nevada. After a face-to-face meeting Friday with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, he was given a one-fight license to compete in the Silver State.

During the meeting, he addressed concerns about his controversial past and made assurances he would behave honorably in competition.

Yvel was denied a license to fight Sergei Kharitonov for Pride 33 in February 2007 due to several well-publicized incidents involving disqualification and misconduct towards a referee.

Speaking exclusively to MMAWeekly.com afterwards, Yvel said today’s decision was the beginning of a new career.

“It’s a relief,” he said. “I’m happy that they gave me a chance and I got treated like all the fighters.”

Yvel’s manager/trainer, John Lewis, said the news could open the door for a fight in the UFC, though he offered no timetable for an appearance.

 

[Shogun Locc]

DEMIAN MAIA VS DAN MILLER ON TAP FOR UFC 110

A fight between UFC middleweight standouts Demian Maia and Dan Miller is in the works for UFC 110 on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas. Sources close to the bout told MMAWeekly.com on Friday that the fight has been verbally agreed to.

Maia (11-1) was on the fast track to a title shot against fellow Brazilian Anderson Silva, racking up 11 straight victories to start his professional career. That was before he ran smack into the fist of Nate Marquardt at UFC 102 in August, suffering his first defeat. With a record of 5-1 in the Octagon, it won’t take long for Maia to get back on track if he can string some more wins together.

Miller maintains a similar resume of 11-2 overall with a 3-1 record in the Octagon. He is coming off of a loss to former WEC title contender Chael Sonnen at UFC 98, his first defeat under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner. Miller is a former International Fight League (IFL) middleweight champion.

Few details have emerged for UFC 110 other than the previously mentioned date and location. Other participants rumored for the card are Matt Serra and Matt Hughes, albeit in separate bouts.

 

[MOREBASS]

Holy fuck 108 is looking like a monstrous event.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Anthony Johnson: ‘I truly believe I’m nowhere near my potential’

“The only pressure I feel, honestly, is the pressure to make the weight. Once I’m on weight, I know everything else will take care of itself. I’m hard on myself and I get upset when I make a mistake, but the good thing is that I can see the progress I’ve made and I truly believe I’m nowhere near my potential. My granddad used to tell me never to settle for second best and never stop pushing to get better. Every day in the gym, I think of what he used to say and I’m determined to make myself better. It’s a way to honor him, to take what he taught me and put it into practice. And that’s what I try to do. It’s why I work so hard. It’s my way of thanking him for all he did for me.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Network TV Important, Not “Be All, End All”

Bill King of The Sports Business Journal talks about the importance of network television in creating boxing stars with Bob Arum in his latest article in the jounral.

Arum runs through the names, gushes with stories of their stature in foreign lands, and then ties them together.



“The common thread is exposure,” said Arum, who was around to promote Ali and Leonard and remains at the top of his profession today, in a vastly different environment. “All of them have had the benefit of free, network, terrestrial television. All of them. The problem for American fighters is that they don’t have that. And it makes things very, very difficult.”



You cannot talk to an American boxing promoter about the sport’s past, present and future in this country and not hear a similar assessment. Boxing has been off what the sport’s elders refer to as “network television” long enough that none of the current U.S. fighters were exposed there.



The traditional pipeline of American stars started with broad exposure during the Olympics, but that has broken down as amateur boxing in the U.S. has faltered in the last decade. U.S. fighters have won three medals, total, in the last two Olympics. An American boxer hasn’t won gold since Andre Ward did it in 2004.



ESPN has mass distribution for its campfire-like “Friday Night Fights” series, which is a gathering place for about a half-million hard-core fans on most weeks, but it doesn’t spend enough money to get star fighters. Showtime has more money to spend — up to about $2 million for its bigger fights, according to insiders — but it rarely has enough to land the biggest American guns, and instead focuses on making exciting matches at the next tier.



HBO is the only U.S. outlet that has dedicated a fat enough bankroll to air the stars, typically paying $500,000 to $3 million for a big bout, then sweetening the deal by promising fighters multiple appearances and, eventually, pay-per-view slots. It is, in essence, the sport’s de facto banker, even though it has seen its own budgets slashed of late.

Payout Perspective:

No matter what you think of Arum, he makes a good point: widespread terrestrial viewership was the key component to building the fighter popularity which managed to anchor the sport of boxing for so many years.

However, it’s also important to note that with the growth of alternative distribution channels, network television may not be the “be all, end all” that it used to be. It’s probably the next step, but if the UFC or Strikeforce – or any other emerging promotion - can find a way to harness the power of digital online distribution platforms, they might not need to worry about securing a full blown network deal at all.

Really think about it: how is the the M18-34 demographic viewing the bulk of their programming these days?

I am a part of that group, and I can tell you that I don’t watch more than 1 hour of television a week (granted the MBA plays into that). But I do watch probably 10-15 hours of programming every week. It’s just that I watch it on a different medium – the internet and digital streaming.

Moreover, MMA is well-prepared from a product standpoint to adapt an online distribution model:

* MMA is not a “perishable” product like other sports where, if you know the outcome, fans are less likely to watch the game. The audience cares as much about watching the fights as they do about the outcome.

* Product placement within the sport ensures the sponsorship aspect isn’t going to suffer on a digital medium. There are even opportunities for “brought to you by” moments.

* Additionally, many of MMA’s fighters have a strong online presence which could be leveraged into an even stronger viewership for that digital medium.

The caveat here, of course, is that diversity is another key to long-term success, and you always want to build that into your business model.

The digital medium may play well to the 18-34 year old demographic, but MMA is starting to pull increasingly well from some older demographics that may prefer the traditional television distribution.

It’s a balancing act.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Strikeforce: Jacaré ready, anxious to debut

With three victories on Dream, Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza fought for the middleweight belt against Jason Miller, but an illegal kick ended the combat in no contest. Without contract with the Japanese event, the black belt signed with Strikeforce and is anxious to be back to United States, where he doesn’t fight since 2007. “I’m anxious... I don’t know when my fight’s gonna be, but I’ll probably fight this year… I want to fight”, said Jacaré, training hard waiting for a call.

“I’m well, focused, waiting for the time of the fight. I hope that they tell me the date of the fight soon. I thought it would be November 7, but they didn’t say anything yet, so I think it won’t be now. I think it’s gonna be in the other”, said Ronaldo, that recently won the super fight of Abu Dhabi Combat Club, defeating the 2007’ absolute champion, Robert Drysdale.

JACARÉ CHEERS FOR SHIELDS

While he doesn’t fight for Strikeforce, Jacaré wil watch Miller, who was defeated by him in 2008, fight for the title of the organization against Jake Shields. The fight will happen on November 7, and Jacaré knows who will he cheer for. “I’ll cheer for Shields”, revealed, analyzing the fight. “There are two good athletes, tough guys, and I think it’ll be a beautiful fight to see, movement on the ground, even with Miller being a little better in striking”.

In a recent press conference, Strikeforce’s CEO confirmed that the Brazilian will probably be the next one in line for the title, and Souza welcomes a third fight against Mayhem. “I think that a history between any fighter will never pass… If you put that clown in front of me, I won’t have problems to fight with him. A guy who I already beat and was beating in the second fight, if he didn’t do that thing there… I’m not afraid to fight with him, you just have to put him in front of me”.

 

[Shogun Locc]

SENGOKU XI! Santiago Vs. Khalidov Official

Two new fights have been made official for SENGOKU XI in November. Middleweight champion Jorge Santiago will take on Mamed Khalidov and Kevin Randleman will face undefeated Bulgarian Stanislav Nedkov.

SENGOKU XI
Date: November 7th, 2009
Place: Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan

Featherweight Fights:
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Hatsu Hioki
Marlon Sandro vs. Yuji Hoshino
Shigeki Osawa vs. Ronnie Ushiwaka

Lightweight Fights:
Kazunori Yokota vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Satoru Kitaoka vs. Jorge Masvidal

Middleweight Fight:
Jorge Santiago vs. Mamed Khalidov

Light Heavyweight Fight:
Kevin Randleman vs. Stanislav Nedkov

Heavyweight Fight:
Dave Herman vs. Big Jim York

Welterweight Fight:
Akihiro Gono vs. TBA

Opening Fights:
2 or 3 opening fights

 

[DVS ONE]

damn Sengoku 11 is the same night as Strikeforce........

 

[B-Buzz]

Ya I'm not sure on when HDNet's planning on showing them, can't wait for Cannibal-Santiago, Masdival-Kitaoka and Hioki-Omigawa.

Here's the Golden Glory: Decade of Fights stream http://nl.justin.tv/mma_stream
Halfway through the card, Bas is doing commentary.

7) SH 3x5 +100kg Valentijn Overeem (Golden Glory, NL) vs Nikolai Onikienko (WAFC, RU)
8 ) K1 3x3 +100kg Errol Zimmerman (Golden Glory, NL) vs Wendell Roche (Its Showtime, NL)
9) SH 3x5 -100kg Dion Staring (Golden Glory, NL) vs Rodney Glunder (Mikes Gym, NL)
10) K1 3x3 -100kg Ruslan Karaev (Golden Glory, RU) vs Hesdy Gerges (Chakuriki/Pancration, EG)
11) SH 3x5 -83kg Siyar Bahadurzada (Golden Glory, AF) vs Robert Jocz (Beast of the East,PL)
12) K1 3x3 -70kg Nieky Holzken (Golden Glory, NL) vs Faldir Chahbari (Beast of the East, NL)
13) SH 3x5 +100kg Alistair Overeem (Golden Glory, NL) vs Tony Sylvester (Midwest Training Center, USA)
14) K1 3x3 +100kg Sem Schilt (Golden Glory, NL) vs Alexey Ignashov (Team Scorpion, BY)

SH = Shooto/MMA
K1 = K1 rules

I'll bump again if I'm still around when Alistair's fighting.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Machida Wants 5 Fights, Then Lesnar

Lyoto Machida makes me proud to be a fan and observer of this sport. He’s respectful, appreciative, and the ignition for the most talked-about platform shift in fighting sports since Royce Gracie began choking people out with his thighs.

Speaking with Sherdog.com’s Marcelo Alonso, Machida explained that if he defends his belt five times, he wants an opportunity to face Brock Lesnar.

“My focus is on my class, but in the future I would like to do a couple of [heavyweight] fights, like Brock Lesnar,” he told Alonso. “I respect Brock Lesnar as a fighter, but I know I can fight with him. Brock Lesnar is a big challenge for me because he’s a big guy, very strong, very fast. For me, I like the challenge.”

Painfully ambitious guy. Lesnar/Machida, if it ever happens, could represent the largest-scale style vs. style match in the sport’s history. There’s probably no way Lesnar could tag Machida standing, but I would have a hard time imagining Machida could get out from underneath Lesnar. (That’s not a character flaw: he couldn’t out-grapple a Kodiak bear, either, but I don’t hold it against him.)

Said before but maybe worth repeating: Machida is a new incarnation of Rickson Gracie, a near-mythical fighter whose value comes from a seemingly flawless execution of a house style. Thank God he’s actually interested in fighting.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Tom Lawlor and Aaron Simpson agree to meet at UFC Fight Night 20 in January

UFC middleweights Tom Lawlor (6-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Aaron Simpson (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) have verbally agreed to meet at UFC Fight Night 20 in January, and bout agreements for the contest are expected to be finalized shortly.

The bout was first reported on The Underground, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed the contest with sources close to the event.

The as-yet-unannounced UFC Fight Night 20 event is expected to take place Jan. 11 in Virginia and air live on Spike TV.

Lawlor is currently riding a three-fight win streak, a run that includes a 2-0 mark in the UFC. Lawlor's most recent fight was a 55-second submission win over fellow "The Ultimate Fighter 8" cast member C.B. Dollaway at July's UFC 100. The win earned Lawlor the evening's "Submission of the Night" award and a $100,000 bonus.

Simpson is undefeated since making his professional debut in October 2007. The Arizona Combat Sports fighter fought most recently in a second-round TKO win over Ed Herman at UFC 102. After a spirited first round, Herman was forced to bow out of the contest due to a knee injury.