The Ultimate Fighting Championship®(UFC®) announced today that the bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and Brazilian knockout artist Thiago Silva will headline UFC 108 as Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira today was forced to pull out of his fight with Cain Velasquez due to a severe injury to his left elbow. UFC 108, which is presented by “Bayonetta” and live on pay-per-view from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will take place on Saturday, January 2, 2010.

“The bout between Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva is a fight we always talked about as a main event, and now these guys have the chance to headline UFC 108 and kick off the new year in impressive fashion,” said UFC President Dana White. “At the same time, we wish Antonio Nogueira a speedy recovery and can’t wait for his return.” Read more

“UFC Fight Night” on Spike TV heads to the suburbs of Washington D.C. on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 9:00pm ET/PT for the first ever UFC fight in Virginia with a card featuring some of the best up-and-coming lightweight fighters. Emanating from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA on the campus of George Mason University, undefeated UFC lightweight Gray Maynard (9-0, 1 NC) takes on hard-hitting Nate Diaz (11-4) in the main event with Efrain Escudero and Evan Dunham in a duel of undefeated fighters in the co-feature. Read more

Tuff-N-Uff presents “The Future Stars of MMA!” on Friday, November 27th at 7:00 pm in the Mardi Gras Ballroom of the Orleans Hotel and Casino. The Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego top MMA gyms will be represented by their best amateur fighters, including Latasha Marzolla, Josh Peasley, John Gettle and Gor Mmatsakanyan.

Playboy’s 2004 special edition playmate of the year Latasha Marzolla will headline the Tuff-N-Uff’s fight card. The former playmate is ready to dazzle again, seven months after her triumphant Tuff-N-Uff debut on May 30th, 2009 against Christy Tada. Read more

The first ever UFC card on Spike TV featuring Randy “The Natural” Couture drew an average audience of 2.9 million viewers on Saturday, November 14 (8:00 – 11:00 PM). Emanating from a European UFC attendance record setting MEN Arena in Manchester, England, the tape delayed presentation of “UFC 105” outrated the LIVE broadcast “CBS Saturday Night Fights” and the Strikeforce debut of Fedor Emelianenko on Saturday, November 7 (9:00 – 11:24 PM, ET/PT) in every key male demographic: Read more

Texas based mixed martial arts fight promotion company, Shark Fight Promotions, has announced that weigh in’s for the organizations upcoming MMA event, Shark Fight 7, will take place on November 27th (Black Friday), at Westgate Mall in Amarillo. The weigh-in event will officially begin at 5:00 pm in Westgate’s indoor atrium area. Read more

“I actually hated coaching. The job f**king sucked. And they better not ask me to do it again. It’s just f**king too much,” says Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in Playboy’s December 20Q when asked about his role on the reality series The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights (issue on newsstands and online at www.playboydigital.com Friday, November 13). “I’ve got kids I didn’t see, and I’d bust out crying whenever I looked at their picture. And I ain’t gonna lie – the pay f**king sucked for how much work I did.”

While the former wrestler and UFC champion recently announced his retirement from the octagon, Jackson’s candid conversation with Playboy contributor Jason Buhrmester proves he’s still got plenty of fight in him. Following are selected quotes from the interview:

On motivating his fighters: “Some guys you slap and they get motivated. Some guys you’ve got to tell them, ‘Do you want me to change your tampon?’ You’ve got all different types of personalities.” Read more

Reno, Nev. – Grand Sierra Resort and “Let’s Get It On” Promotions welcome Rick Reeves and Kito Andrews who will go head-to-head in the main MMA event 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 in the Grand Theatre.

Presented by “Let’s Get It On” Promotions in association with Grand Sierra Resort and Casino and Xtreme Sports Bar + Lounge, the event will feature four boxing and three mixed martial arts bouts, rounding out a combination of talents and styles. Read more

Los Angeles, CA (November 12, 2009) Thunder Promotions is proud to announce that they added hip hop great rapper and entertainer “Coolio” to its highly anticipated Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion, “Alabama Pride” Saturday, December 12th fight card featuring heavyweight contenders and UFC Veterans, Jeff ‘Snowman’ Monson (30-9) against Travis ‘Ironman’ Fulton (190-45) in a 3-5 minute round heavyweight fight at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC). Read more

Let’s Get It On Promotion’s and the Grand Sierra Resort are proud to announce “Reno Xtreme Fights” December 11th, 2009. RXF will feature both professional boxing and mixed martial arts.

Tickets for Reno Xtreme Fights Saturday are on sale now and can be purchased at the Grand Sierra Resort box office, by calling (800) 648-3568, or by visiting www.grandsierraresort.com. Prices start at $25. Read more

FightZone TV enters their fourth year of broadcasting the best of MMA events from around the country and UK with the premier of AFL1: “Unconquered Begins, Rumble At The Rock” which was held recently at the Seminole Hard Rock in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and features some of the top Florida MMA teams’ champions such as Ariel Gandulla of Bradenton, Fl. who took on Danny Babcock from Palm Bay, Fl. Bounmy Somchay of West Palm Beach as he squared off against Miami Street fighting and Youtube sensation Rene “Level” Martinez in his first professional MMA fight. Read more

Former Royal Marine Commando Alex Clarke has developed an all new extreme fitness and core conditioning system, MilXtreme, which incorporates methods scientifically proven to improve the strength, power, speed and stamina of the athletes, especially pugilistic arts exponents, when in competition.

Alex Clarke joined forces with Rooney’s Boxing Gym to not only develop the MilXtreme system, which is based on techniques and circuits employed by Alex Clarke during his military service and combat sport based core conditioning, but to also create a facility for the programme in London. Read more

Donofrio Entertainment has become known as an organization that brings the people what they want. And what do they want? They want more MMA championship fights….and Righteous Rick!

Promoter Joseph Donofrio is eternally grateful for all the support the fans of Detroit and the state of Michigan have shown for his mixed martial arts extravaganzas, and on November 14, right before Thanksgiving, he shows his thanks once again. Read more

Mixed Martial Arts Expo – the original MMA Expo since 2005 – announced today the addition of a 2.5 day seminar for MMA Referees and Judges at the upcoming MMA Expo Philadelphia on January 9-10. The program will be delivered by international MMA official, Marc Fennell, president of Mixed Martial Arts Referee Consultation Services (MMARCS). Read more

Saturday night marked MMA’s return to primetime on CBS featuring the No. 1 MMA fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko, against Brett Rogers, in the main event. The event aired live on the CBS Television Network at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Attendance at the Sears Centre Arena was 11,512 (sellout).

Below are the results for the four broadcast fights:

- Fedor Emelianenko, Stary Oskol, Belgorod, Russia, TKO 2 (1:48, strikes) over Brett Rogers, Minneapolis …

- Jake Shields (24-4-1), San Francisco, Calif., won a five-round decision (49-46 twice and 48-47) over Jason “Mayhem” Miller (22-7), of Orange County, Calif.; Shields captures vacant STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight Championship

- Gegard Mousasi (30-2-1), Leiden, Netherlands, TKO 2 (3:43, strikes) over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-5), Murrieta, Calif. …

- Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1), Marina Del Rey, Calif., won a three-round decision (29-28 three times) over Antonio Silva (13-2), Coconut Creek, Fla. …

The stakes will be high when STRIKEFORCE closes out a spectacular 2009 with the return of one of the most prolific and exciting fighters in Mixed Martial Arts – unbeaten former STRIKEFORCE world middleweight champion Cung Le, who will headline a star-studded lineup at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 19, on SHOWTIME®.

Joining the legendary Le (6-0) will be five other outstanding and widely recognized 185-pound stalwarts, Scott “Hands Of Steel’’ Smith (16-6), “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-5), Matt “The Law” Lindland (21-6) and highly regarded STRIKEFORCE newcomers Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (10-2) and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (5-0), who will be making their respective highly anticipated debuts for the organization. Souza will face Lindland. Opponents for Lawler and “King Mo’’ will be announced soon. Read more

Fabricio Werdum (left) and Antonio Silva square off after Friday’s free public weigh-in at Sears Centre in Chicago. The Brazilian heavyweights will collide in one of the four Mixed Martial Arts fights tomorrow/Saturday, Nov. 7, on the CBS Television Network. The “STRIKEFORCE: Fedor vs. Rogers” broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Read more

One night before the monumental CBS/ STRIKEFORCE/M-1 GLOBAL SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS Fedor vs. Rogers event LIVE on the CBS Television Network, hometown favorite Billy Evangelista defeated Jorge Gurgel via unanimous in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers on Friday night on SHOWTIME.

The two lightweights traded punches from the opening bell until the waning seconds of the first round when Evangelista (10-0) took Gurgel to the mat. But, in the final 30 seconds of the second round, Gurgel landed a powerful left kick that sent Evangelista to the mat. Just when it looked as if Gurgel (13-6) was about to submit get Evangelista with a guillotine choke, the Fresno native was able to escape with just a few tics remaining.

The third round featured some back-and-forth action, and Evangelista won by scores of 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. Read more

As a preview to MMA’s return to broadcast television on CBS this Saturday, Nov. 7 with STRIKEFORCE/M-1 GLOBAL: FEDOR VS. ROGERS (9:00 PM, Live ET/delayed PT), CBS affiliates and owned stations will broadcast an encore presentation of the SHOWTIME series FIGHT CAMP 360°: FEDOR vs. ROGERS starting today (check local listings for times). The series offers fight fans an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the lives of the world’s Number One ranked MMA heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and his opponent, undefeated, American Brett Rogers, who will square off in Saturday night’s primetime main event.

FIGHT CAMP 360°: FEDOR VS. ROGERS originally premiered on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 9:30 PM ET/PT on SHOWTIME and is now being made available for broadcast on CBS affiliates nationwide. Read more

The Mixed Martial Arts fighters who will appear on the CBS Television Network this Saturday, Nov. 7 (9 p.m. ET/PT) and executives for Strikeforce and M-1 Global participated in a jam-packed final press conference at CBS Channel 2 WBBM Thursday for “STRIKEFORCE: Fedor vs. Rogers’’ at the Sears Centre.

In the four bouts on the CBS broadcast, the legendary Fedor “The Last Emperor’’ Emelianenko (30-1, 1 NC), of Russia, will meet unbeaten, hard-hitting Brett Rogers (10-0) of St. Paul, Minn.; streaking, world-class Jake Shields (23-4-1), of San Francisco, who has won 12 in a row, will be opposed by colorful Jason “Mayhem’’ Miller (22-6), of Orange County, Calif., for the Strikeforce world middleweight belt, Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (29-2-1), of the Netherlands, will put his 13-fight winning streak on the line against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4) of Murrieta, Calif., in a non-title scrap; and Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) of Marina Del Rey, Calif., and Antonio “Big Foot” Silva” (13-1), of Coconut Creek, Fla., will clash in a battle of top-notch Brazilian heavyweights.

Tickets, starting at $35, are on sale at the Sears Centre Arena box office (www.searscentre.com), at all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com). Doors for the live event open at 5:15 p.m. CT. The first non-televised bout begins at 6 o’clock CT. Read more

All 18 fighters who will compete in the Strikeforce Challengers mixed martial arts (MMA) event on Friday, Nov. 6 weighed in on Thursday at the World Sports Café in Fresno, Calif.

In the main event on SHOWTIME, undefeated lightweight (155-pound limit) sensation Billy Evangelista (9-0) will square off with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel (13-5) at the Save Mart Center in Fresno.

Other televised fights include a showdown between promising undefeated heavyweight prospects Shane Del Rosario (8-0) and Brandon Cash “Money” (5-0). Rising middleweight (185 pounds) stars Luke Rockhold (5-1) and Jesse “J T Money” Taylor (13-4) will duke it out, lightweights Thomas Diagne (1-0) and Merritt Warren (4-2) will square off and Zoila Frausto (3-0) will face Elisha Helsper (0-1) in a matchup of female MMA fighters. Read more

The famed Fedor “The Last Emperor’’ Emelianenko, Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, colorful, flamboyant Jason “Mayhem’’ Miller and heavyweights Fabricio Werdum and Antonio “Big Foot” Silva” participated in a media workout Wednesday at POW Kickboxing. In three days, on Saturday, Nov. 7, the talented Mixed Martial Arts fighters will be featured on a fight card at the Sears Centre on the CBS Television Network (9 p.m. ET/PT). Fedor (30-1, 1 NC), of Russia, will be opposed by undefeated, hard-hitting Brett Rogers (10-0) of St. Paul, Minn., in the main event.

Mousasi (29-2-1), of the Netherlands, will put his 13-fight winning streak on the line against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4) of Murrieta, Calif., in a non-title scrap; Miller (22-6) of Orange County, Calif., will take on a winner of 12 in a row, Jake Shields (23-4-1), of San Francisco, for the Strikeforce world middleweight belt; and Werdum (12-4-1), of Marina Del Rey, Calif., and Silva (13-1), of Coconut Creek, Fla., will clash in a battle of highly regarded Brazilian heavyweights in the other CBS matchups.

Tickets, starting at $35, are on sale at the Sears Centre Arena box office (www.searscentre.com), at all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com). Doors for the live event open at 5:15 p.m. CT. The first non-televised bout begins at 6 o’clock CT. Read more

Jason “Mayhem” Miller has already shown the world that he’s no fan of bullies. Now, the host of MTV’s smash-hit reality series “Bully Beatdown” has been joined by fellow STRIKEFORCE mixed martial arts (MMA) stars Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith and Daniel Cormier in a national campaign led by apparel company and cause organization Kickin’ It, Inc. to curb a perennial problem amongst adolescents and teenagers.

Founded by Kickin’ It Apparel Co. President GinaMarie Raimondo in May 2009, the “Bullying…We’re Kickin’ It” campaign aims to stop bullying amongst youth and the resulting psychological and emotional wounds often left on victims. Raimondo’s outfit aggressively engages students, their guardians, and school faculty in useful dialogue and activities, including workshops led by the organization’s spokespeople in order to encourage positive behavior. Read more

Major League Baseball has the minor leagues; the NBA has the D-League; the NHL has the AHL; and the NFL has college football.

All the major sports leagues have “feeder systems” and now Southern California fight promoter and sports entrepreneur Roy Englebecht has decided that mixed martial arts also needs its own legitimate minor league system. Read more

PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOV. 1, 2009 – Mixed Martial Arts Expo – The Original MMA Expo since 2005 – announced today the first round of MMA celebrities confirmed for MMA Expo Philadelphia, January 9 -10, 2010 and president Gerald Chopik is pleased with the progress to date. “Ten weeks out and we are already well on our way to another stellar line-up with former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk, King of the Cage Champion 48-20-7 Shonie Carter, 9X Submission Grappling Champion Marcelo Garcia, 4X Olympian and Judo Bronze Medalist Jimmy Pedro, World Karate Champion Tokey Hill as well as two Strikeforce notables, Kim Couture and former Lightweight Champion Cung Le.” Read more

Fresh off a sparkling victory on Sept. 25, budding superstar and two-time All-American wrestler at the University of Missouri, undefeated Tyron “T-Wood’’ Woodley (4-0) of St. Louis, will come back on Friday, Nov. 20, when he faces dangerous Rudy Bears (13-5) of Kansas City in the featured bout of an outstanding Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) card at historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City.

The highly regarded Woodley will be making his main event debut in the scheduled three-round, 5-minute welterweight (170 pounds) bout that will be one of five televised on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast). Read more