Jon Jones is not your average 21-year-old.

In 2008, the former state champion and junior college national champion wrestler signed a four-fight contract with the UFC, making him the youngest UFC fighter on roster at that time. Jones had captured six professional wins against unknown competition between April and July of last year before making his UFC debut in August.

"Bones" actually planned on matriculating to a four year college after graduating with his Associate’s Degree, but his plans quickly changed when the big league came knocking on his door.

Such is the case for athletes ahead of the curve.

His UFC debut came against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87. Jones took the fight on three weeks notice as a late replacement for Tomasz Drwal. He went straight to work on the the former IFL standout, dismantling him with takedowns and unorthodox striking which showcased some flashier moves such as spinning elbows and a spinning back kick.

In his sophomore effort, Jones would go on to dominate the venerable Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94. The former Ultimate Fighter finalist was on the receiving end of a barrage of slick Greco throws, a spinning elbow that dropped him and a suplex for good measure.

Despite an empty gas tank towards the end of the fight, anyone who had dismissed Jones as a one-hit wonder was quickly reconsidering their position.

"As far as the Bonnar fight, a lot of people said I gassed out a lot," said Jones. "Only I know how I really felt. I really started to realize, especially in the third round, that I really had that fight won. Call it my lack of experience, but I was satisfied with winning the fight which caused me to back up more."

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UFC 100 is set to go down from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, July 11. The monumental fight card is poised to be perhaps the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) event in the relatively short history of the sport.

The hoopla for event reached a fevered pitch today with the second installment of the UFC 100 media call. The cast of characters got much bigger this time, however, featuring heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and interim champion Frank Mir.

The pair will collide to unify the title in just 11 days.

Today’s conference could have been titled, "The Frank Mir Show," because he dazzled with his verbal stamina. In fact, if Mir can display that sort stamina in the Octagon on fight night, he will have no problem going five rounds. Lesnar, on the other hand, was much more succinct with his comments and was surprisingly asked fewer questions.

The call kicked off with Mir being asked how he gameplans for someone like Brock Lesnar.

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Regional MMA will be on display tonight in the Panhandle of West Texas when Shark Fights presents "Frey vs. Evans," the fifth installment from the upstart organization out of Amarillo, TX. In addition to eight MMA fights, the "Outdoor Bash and Brawl" from Gamboa’s Outdoor Event Center will feature live music from three different bands.

Shark Fights took a much smaller bite for this event whereas their last card was held in Lubbock, TX at the Citibank Coliseum and featured former UFC fighters Don Frye and Jesse Taylor along with former NFL player Rex Richards.

Still, there are a couple of well known fighters on tonight's card including former Zuffa employees Nissen Osterneck, Doug Evans and Lodune Sincaid.

Nissen started out his MMA career going 5-0 but stumbled in his WEC debut getting T(KO)ed by Jake Rosholt at WEC 36. He got a chance to redeem himself at UFC Fight Night 18 when he took on UFC veteran Jorge Rivera but dropped a split decision. Osterneck will look to get his career back on track when he takes on undefeated newcomer Kyle Bracey.

The main event will crown Shark Fights first featherweight champion.

Douglas Frey will take on Doug Evans -- who despite a losing effort gave Roger Huerta all he could handle at The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale two years ago.

They will battle to determine the best 145-pound fighter currently competing in the Lone Star State. With that title to being decided tonight, Shark Fights will have champions in place for their featherweight, welterweight and heavyweight divisions.

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"I kind of figured that (Ben Henderson) is who they would put me in against. I was looking forward to maybe having a rematch with Rob McCullough. Benson is definitely a worth opponent. He is a friend of mine which is the one thing that sucks. I have grown up fighting alongside the guy. I have no problems whatsoever taking the fight; I just have to go in there with someone I like. There is nothing bad you can say about that guy, he is just a real good dude. I will be in there 100% ready to fight though. I just won’t have the hatred in my heart like I would with Jaime Varner. Benson is a solid wrestler so I see him trying to take me down right away. I don’t see him wanting to stand with me. But you never know, it would be cool if he did. My takedown defense sucks so I am going to really have to work on that. If he ends up in my guard I will be busy going for submissions at every turn. Maybe Varner will come back in 2010 to unify the belt. But they might have to break his arm off and get him a new one."

Donald Cerrone confirms the news to MMAmania.com that he is in talks to face his friend Benson "Smooth" Henderson for the WEC lightweight interim title at an upcoming event. Henderson has finished both his fights in the WEC and holds a 9-1 record overall. "Smooth" will be stepping in for an injured Jaime Varner who recently announced on Twitter that he’s still not ready to return to action because of the hand he fractured during his five-round war with "Cowboy" at WEC 38 last January. Cerrone revealed that he has re-signed with the WEC for four more fights and will look to make his UFC debut in the second half of 2010 -- with or without a Varner rematch.

UFC 100 is set to go down from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, July 11. The monumental fight card is poised to be perhaps the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) event in the relatively short history of the sport.

The promotion heightened the hoopla today with the first installment of its tried and true media call. The cast of characters this time around featured welterweight champion George St. Pierre and number one contender Thiago Alves -- Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir are scheduled to hit the airwaves next week.

Two words can sum up the tone of today’s UFC 100 media call: Respect and confidence.

Both St. Pierre and Alves spoke with a blend of these traits when asked about their impending fight, thoughts on each other and their individual journeys leading up to this historic moment.

St. Pierre started the call by giving respect to Alves, saying he knew Alves would be a future opponent after watching his fights against Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck. He drove his point home by bringing B.J. Penn into the equation.

"I truly believe that if you put Thiago Alves and B.J. Penn in a fight, I would bet all my money on Thiago Alves, no doubt about it. Thiago Alves is more dangerous because he is a gentleman. He is not someone that needs to trash talk to promote himself. He is a very respectful guy. Skill wise he brings more problems to the table then anyone I have fought so far. These things make him more dangerous. He is the best guy I will fight so far."

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In life, a man can wear many hats. Some are forced upon us and some we freely choose. For Tom Atencio, the latter is the case when it comes to fighting.

Atencio is well recognized for his role as both Vice President and fight promoter for Affliction. But beyond the limelight those roles derive, his favorite job may have become doing what he has come to promote.

Back in 2005, Tom Atencio made his mixed martial arts debut against David Martinez at Total Combat 7 in Tijuana, Mexico. Four and a half years later, Atencio will return to the ring, this time skirmishing stateside against the debuting Randy Hedderick on the under card of 'Ultimate Chaos' this Saturday, June 27 in Biloxi, Mississippi.

For Atencio, fighting is in his Mexican-born blood. Growing up, it’s how boys settled their disputes. Now fighting has become a way of life. Whether it’s battling with the UFC or competing inside the ring, Tom is living the motto of his apparel company: "Live Fast."

We had the chance to talk with Atencio before he started his morning at the Affliction head office and he spoke about his upcoming fight, the challenge he issued to Dana White and why he believes there is nothing more honest than mixed martial arts.

Check it out:

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"Jaime Varner is what’s next but apparently he hurt his hand again. I don’t know if he is going to be ready or if they are thinking about an interim title. Right now it is kind of up in the air. The fight was supposed to be in September; now I don’t know what’s going to happen. I know that I am fighting in September though. If it is against Varner cool. If it’s for an interim title, that’s cool too. I am not going to hold up my career just to fight Jaime Varner. I have one fight left on my WEC contract. I want to move up to the UFC at some point -- whether that’s in a year, two years or tomorrow, it doesn’t matter to me. I also don’t want to rush things. I don’t want to go right in and fight B.J. Penn. I want to fight Cole Miller. He beat my friend Leonard Garcia so I got a little bone to pick with him. That will happen some day for sure. He is a great athlete and cool dude. He just beat Leonard Garcia and I have a score to settle. It’s a teammate thing."

Donald Cerrone was a guest on last week’s MMA radio show "Knuckled Up" and sounded off about his frustration with Jaime Varner’s injuries. Whether or not the WEC will actually create an interim belt remains to be seen. 'Cowboy' went on to call out UFC lightweight Cole Miller, stating that he has a score to settle with 'Magrino.' Cerrone added that he would like to move to the UFC for that fight at some point and pointed out he only has one fight left on his WEC contract. It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for the lightweight sensation.

Forrest Griffin has made a career out of surprising people. The former Georgia cop-turned mixed martial artist has done it again -- only this time its for his accomplishments outside the Octagon.

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner from the inaugural season and previously ranked number one light heavyweight fighter in the world now finds himself ranked number eight in the top 10 of the New York Times best-seller list for hardcover advice books.

If you have had the opportunity to spend a little time with Griffin, as well as read the book, it should come as no surprise though. His blend of biting sarcasm, self deprecating humor and down-to-earth personality lends itself perfectly to any medium fans can easily access.

His book, "Got Fight?," which is subtitled "The 50 Zen Principles of Hand-to-Face Combat" brought all of that together in an engrossing read that went well beyond the ‘been there done that’ autobiographical.

When MMAmania.com had the chance to attend his book signing out in Long Island, N.Y., on June 1, 2009, it was enlightening to witness how well fans connected with Griffin and how well he connected back in response.

From opening line, the crowd applauded the former light heavyweight champion when he quipped, "Calm down, it’s not going to be that good. Take some of those claps back."

Griffin revealed to us beforehand he actually enjoyed the process of putting his thoughts down on paper and having people actually read them. "It’s flattering that people would give up 20 bucks to read what my dumb ass thinks."

He must now be flattered tenfold after hearing this latest good news.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

When DaMarques Johnson debuted on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), he never expected to be the lone surviving American contestant heading into the June 20 live finale.

But being a survivor is what helped the former soldier and competitive grappler outlast his American counterparts on a show that can be just as exhausting mentally as it is physically.

Johnson actually had to be convinced by his manager that an open tryout in Chicago for TUF 9 wasn't a complete waste of time. Already sporting a 9-6 professional record, the Jeremy Horn protege was content with his career as a fighter and jiu-jitsu instructor.

Then came the opportunity of a lifetime when TUF producers called and said he was selected to represent the United States on the "U.S. vs. UK"-themed season.

After defeating Ray Elbe by technical knockout to make the final cut for Team U.S., Johnson submitted Dean Amasinger via triangle choke to reach the semifinals. Following a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Nick Osipczak, Johnson was one fight away from UFC stardom.

We caught up with Johnson prior to his fight against Team UK's James Wilks on June 20 to discuss life as a TUF guy, whether or not he thinks he's a top 10 fighter and what his son has to say about him cursing and fighting his way to UFC fame.

Check it out:

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With just two days to go until fight night (now one), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) yesterday held its final media call to hype The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 Finale, which is scheduled for "The Pearl" at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, June 20.

The stars of the conference were supposed to be the four finalists from the show who will all compete this weekend to crown the next two TUF winners. But the final four took a back seat while the coaches from this season, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson, as well as main event participants, Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida, stole the spotlight.

Ross Pearson, Andre Winner, DaMarques Johnson and James Wilks were on the receiving end of the majority of the questions, but when the coaches were finally asked their first question we got to hear from Henderson and the reason he called Bisping a "douche bag" on the final episode of the season.

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"I don’t know. He likes to talk a lot. He is an alright guy a very good fighter and a tough person. I think it was a result of some of the things that happened on the show or just being together that long. I don’t dislike him at all. Calling him a douche bag doesn’t mean I hate him or anything approaching that."

-- The consummate professional, Dan Henderson, responds on today’s UFC media call to promote the The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 Finale, to why he called Michael Bisping a douche bag on last night’s episode of the Spike TV mixed martial arts reality series. Bisping didn't seem bothered by the remarks, saying, "I have always respected him as fighter and respected him as a person. That isn’t the first time someone has called me a douche bag and I doubt it’s going to be the last. I didn’t lose too much sleep over that." It seems as if the coaches are now playing nice with UFC 100 -- where "Hollywood" and "The Count" are booked to throwdown on July 11 -- less than four weeks away. Grudge match it isn't like seasons past. Will the pair do enough talking inside the Octagon on fight night or is this 185-pound contest destined to be a disappointment? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, Maniacs.

A nightmare is a dream that causes an unpleasant emotional response for the sleeper, typically fear or horror, as well as being in situations of extreme danger, or the sensations of pain, bad events, falling, drowning or even death.

For the UFC's lightweight fighters, that pretty much sums up the arrival of Diego Sanchez to the 155-pound division.

Sanchez, a former welterweight contender and middleweight winner on the pioneering season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), "Nightmare" made a name for himself by abusing current lightweight number one contender Kenny Florian with some vicious ground and pound in the first round of their April 2005 fight.

Diego followed that up by winning his next five fights in dominating fashion. His victory over Karo Parisyan was a tipping point in his career and considered by many to be one of the better fights in Zuffa's young history.

However, the year 2007 became a nightmare for Sanchez as he would go on to drop back-to-back decisions to former TUF rival Josh Koscheck and fellow American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) standout Jon Fitch.

While Sanchez rebounded by winning his next two fights in impressive fashion, he realized a change in his pattern was in order. That change materialized after he dropped down to lightweight to fulfilling his dream of winning a UFC title.

Sanchez went to work by taking on Joe Stevenson in the main event at UFC 95. Many expected him to end the fight early if he wanted to validate his place in the division, but the venerable Stevenson held on for a trip -- albeit a losing one -- to the judges scorecards.

"The Nightmare" now looks to build off that decision win and impress upon the division that he is a future title holder. His fight with Clay Guida this weekend at TUF 9 Finale will go a long way toward validating that notion. Guida is seen by many as the proverbial gatekeeper, but "The Carpenter" is looking to distance himself from that scarlet brand and secure a future title shot of his own with a win over Sanchez.

Sanchez took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk to us about his fight with Guida, submitting Demian Maia, his destiny to be lightweight champion and why his upcoming bout could be as good as his fight with "The Heat."

Take a look:

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"Hardy had one highlight in each round. He had the elbow in the first round. He had the big knee that dropped me in the second round. And he had the elbow in the third round that opened up the cut on me and caused me to bleed. His whole win is based off those three big strikes. My performance is based off of 12-13 minutes of controlling and beating him in every other area. I took at least 12 minutes of that fight; he can have the other three. So you’re going to give him the win off that? I just don’t get it. If you break it down as a numbers game; I win the numbers. Whether it is clean strikes, wrestling, ground work, all of it. Honestly, neither of us had our best night that night or else one of us would have ended it before it went to the judges’ scorecards. I know Hardy isn’t happy winning the fight that way and I’m not happy losing the fight that way. That is why I want to do it again. Does it need to be an automatic rematch, of course not. But I want Davis-Hardy II by the end of this year."

-- Marcus Davis -- who is perhaps UFC matchmaker Joe Silva's easiest fighter to please since he essentially books his own fights -- tells MMAmania.com that a rematch with Dan Hardy must happen before 2009 expires. "The Irish Hand Grenade" dropped a controversial split decision to "The Outlaw" at UFC 99: "The Comeback" at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, on June 12. The two welterweights went to war before even stepping inside the Octagon, trading barbs and insults to promote the match. All the pre-fight talk was supposed to be settled inside the cage; however, it appears that the result just added more fuel to the fire. This ain't over folks, not by a long shot. We'll pass along the complete post UFC 99 interview with Davis as soon as possible.

The amount of build-up bestowed upon Cain Velasquez leading up to UFC 99 bordered on "enough already." But when it was learned that Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic refused to replace Heath Herring against Velasquez, it spoke volumes about a reputation that has preceded Cain ever since he signed with the UFC.

As overhyped as some thought Velasquez was, the pounding he put on Cheick Kongo was a tipping point for him becoming a credible name among UFC fans. Credit fellow Mexican-American fighter Miguel Torres for declaring it would be Cain’s coming-out party.

Cheick Kongo is no certainly no slouch. He was considered top five in the heavyweight division. Minus a few devastating head shots dished out by Kongo, Velasquez grounded him for three full rounds.

No one will claim Cain is perfect -- including himself. In our post fight interview with the talented up-and-comer, we asked him why he was disappointed with his most recent performance.

"I was disappointed with my stand-up game. I need to improve upon that aspect. I went after Kongo, which wasn’t part of the game plan. I will go back and work on my footwork and head movement. I am still new in my career and still need to gain some experience.

Overall I am satisfied. I got the win. I just know that I am not where I need to be. I know I can get a lot better and will get a lot better. It was an average performance. I didn’t stick to my game plan so I made the fight a lot harder than it had to be."

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If you have ever doubted Joe Stevenson’s toughness then now is the perfect time to stop.

That's because his entire mixed martial arts career has revolved about that one attribute. And he's plans to take it to a whole new level thanks to fresh perspective training with Greg Jackson and his stable of elite fighters in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Stevenson began his UFC career by competing on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2, proving he was the toughest of them all by winning the welterweight final. His first fight coming off the show, however, didn’t go his way when he dropped a decision to "The Dentist" Josh Neer.

It was a much-needed wake up call for "Daddy." He responded by winning his next four fights inside the Octagon, defeating guys like Melvin Guillard and Kurt Pellegrino in the process. The string of wins put Stevenson on a collision course with B.J. Penn at UFC 80 with the vacant lightweight title up for grabs.

In one of the more memorable scenes in UFC history, Stevenson was cut bad in the first round and was soaked with his own blood. In the second round, sensing that the fight would be stopped soon, Stevenson came out guns blazing. However, he was eventually forced to submit to a rear naked choke.

Despite the loss, Stevenson remained resolute.

He rebounded with a submission win over Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Gleison Tibau at UFC 86 with his signature guillotine choke. Unfortunately for Stevenson, his trip back to the top of the division was derailed shortly thereafter with back-to-back losses to Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez.

Score two for TUF 1.

Many started labeling him as proverbial gatekeeper of the division. Stevenson was left to question his place in the division. His future in the sport. And he is still just 27-years-old. He needed a change of scenery.

And what better perspective than from MMA mastermind, Greg Jackson.

For several weeks now the recently-annointed Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has been putting his skills to the test against Jackson’s star studded roster of successful mixed martial artists, which includes some of the very best athletes in the game today, in preparation for his showdown with Nate Diaz at TUF 9 Finale this weekend.

We caught up with Stevenson after one of his intense training sessions, and it seems like toughness is all around Joe these days. And he will need every bit of it, along with an improved skill set, if he wants to get past the young and ambitious Diaz. He talked to us about his fight with Diaz, why he no longer wants a rematch with Diego Sanchez and why he does want a rematch with Kenny Florian.

Check it out:

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The debut of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 is not for another three months — September 16, 2009 to be exact — but the roster of fighters is starting to fill out. The list includes a former IFL champion, several NFL players, a few UFC veterans and one YouTube phenomenon for good measure.

The Sun passed along the news, suggesting the cast will comprise just 16 heavyweights, all of whom will get a spot of the show. This is down from 32 fighters who have had to fight their way into the house in an opening elimination round, as seen in recent seasons.

Check out the full TUF 10 cast after the jump:

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Props: Facebook.com

Quoteworthy:

"I tried very hard to being back but I can't, its official I wouldn't be a part of the historical moment, I wouldn't be a part of the UFC 100. I dislocated my shoulder. I’m very angry and sad."

Coming off a 33-second technical knockout loss to Mike "Quick" Swick, a win for Jonathan Goulet over Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 100, July 11, would have been the perfect chance to get his career back on track. That's now on hold after the "Road Warrior" hurt himself while training for the 170-pound bout. No replacement for Goulet has been announced at this time. Kim is coming off a razor-thin split decision loss to Karo Parisyan at UFC 94 earlier this year. With just four weeks until fight night it could be hard for the promotion to secure a worthy welterweight opponent for "Stun Gun." We'll keep you posted.

The June 12 weigh-in event for Adrenaline III ‘Bragging Rights,’ featuring Tim Sylvia versus Ray Mercer, is officially in the books. The troubled MMA card is set to take place tonight (June 13) at the BJCC Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

All 28 fighters who tipped the scales yesterday made weight without incident — though former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia stunned the crowd with a scale-busting weight of 310 pounds for his MMA-turned-boxing-turned-MMA fight against former pugilist powerhouse Ray Mercer.

The "The Maine-iac" typically fights in the heavyweight division, capping off at 265 pounds. In his fight with Fedor Emelianenko for example, Sylvia weighed in at 263 pounds, a staggering 47 pounds less than he is for this bout.

This new development has prompted Adrenaline officials to considered changing the name of the Adrenaline III card to "Sagging Rights."

It's unclear if this is part of a strategy that Sylvia had originally intended for his boxing match or just pure laziness on his part. For what it's worth, his cagey opponent "Merciless" weighed in at a svelte 256.6 pounds.

Not that I needed to remind anyone but this "attraction" has f'ugly written all over it.

Here are the complete weigh-in results for Adrenaline III ‘Bragging Rights:'

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***UPDATE: The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) has intervened and prohibited the Sylvia vs. Mercer main event to continue under boxing rules. As such, promoter and manager Monte Cox has agreed to switch the bout back to MMA rules in order for the event to continue.

If at first you don’t succeed…move to a state that has no regulatory body.

That’s what Manager and Adrenaline MMA promoter Monte Cox did when the New Jersey State Athletic commission refused to sanction a boxing match between former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (0-0 Boxing) and Olympic Gold Medal winner and former WBO Heavyweight champion Ray Mercer (36-7-1).

Now the greenhorn and old hand will lace up their 12-ounce gloves for the main event of Adrenaline III: "Bragging Rights." The event takes place this Saturday, June 13 in the state of Alabama. The hybrid boxing-mixed martial arts event will be held inside the confines of the 17,000-seat BJCC arena in Birmingham.

Originally the bout was to be an all-MMA event but Monte Cox had a change of heart.

Mercer was made famous by his brutal knockout win over Tommy Morrison and is also known for his unorthodox style. As far as Sylvia, one can only imagine what kind of boxing style he will unveil for the fine folks of the Yellowhammer State.

Mercer added to his lore when he jump started Kimbo Slice’s MMA career, which ironically, was sanctioned as exhibition under the New Jersey Unified MMA rules. Kimbo went on to ground-and-pound "Merciless" out of commission in the first round.

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"After my fight (with James Krause) I wanted to remind people about (Jamie) Varner always getting out of the ICU. He just keeps drawing out our next fight. He needs to agree on a date so we can get it going. As a person, I can’t respect Varner anymore. For him to pull all the shit he does -- he takes the easy way out, hiding behind things and milking it as long as he can. He called timeouts in his fights against both McCullough and Franca. He pulled his shit with me. He’s always looking for a way out. Well see how he finds a way out in our next fight. I am not sure what his problem is but he thinks too highly of himself. When the shit hits the fan, Varner’s the kind of guy that would rather flight then fight. I would like to knock that fucker’s head off. Hopefully he will stand with me, but he’ll likely shoot on me, try to take me down, and lay and pray. I’ve been working on my wrestling with Rashad Evans, all the guys at Greg Jackson’s; they are forcing me to get better. Jaime ran that whole fight last time. A champion isn’t supposed to do that. Maybe it was because his hand was broken. Whatever, you just don’t run. I will be coming at him the whole time. I'm a Cowboy, it’s a way of life, it's a no quit attitude for me."

-- Donald Cerrone talks to MMAmania.com about his pending rematch with WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner following his first round submission win over James Krause at WEC 41: "Brown vs. Faber 2" on June 7. "Cowboy" and "C-4" fought a highly competitive and controversial fight back in January with Varner winning via technical split decision. The fight was stopped prematurely in the fifth round when Cerrone grazed Varner's temple with an illegal knee while Varner was still on the ground. Varner was given time to recover, but said he was unable to continue because of vision problems. The two have been jawing back and forth ever since and WEC General Manager Reed Harris has recently confirmed that Varner vs. Cerrone II is planned for sometime this fall. Who takes it?

Mirko Filipovic (24-6-2) is back for a second run inside the Octagon with Mustapha Al-Turk preparing to welcome him at UFC 99 on June 13. Aptly titled "The Comeback," the Cologne, Germany event will begin Filipovic's quest to erase the memory of a limp 1-2 run with Zuffa that started and ended with three fights in 2007.

"Cro Cop" was successful in his UFC debut, beating an unheralded Eddie Sanchez via technical knockout in the first round at UFC 67. But unfortunately for the former PRIDE Grand Prix Champion, his next two UFC outings, both in England, were not so savory.

At UFC 70, in the most ironic kick in MMA history, Filipovic nearly had his head taken off by Brazilian Yeti Gabriel Gonzaga. In Mirko’s third and final UFC fight, French Kickboxer Cheick Kongo handed the Croatian sensation a lopsided unanimous decision loss at UFC 75.

Now we can officially "Call it a Comeback." The former Croatian cop made his presence felt earlier this afternoon during a conference call with UFC President Dana White to talk about his aforementioned return.

Right out the gate, Cro Cop was questioned about his previous struggles inside the Octagon and what preparations he was making to ensure his second go-round would yield different results.

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Following a gritty performance against WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown at WEC 41 this past weekend, Urijah Faber is still hungry to get back inside the cage.

In a fight that saw "The California Kid" lose weapon after weapon — first he broke his right hand, followed by what appeared to be an injury to his left — Faber refused to throw in the towel, opting to throw elbows and kicks instead.

We had the chance to catch up with the former champion the day after the fight. While a loss never feels good — nor does a broken hand — Faber’s positive spirit remained intact.

"First, I appreciate all the support from fans. I tried to do my thing out there. I burst out of the gates, and after my hand broke, I just tried to gut it out. I knew my hand was broken right away. I put it down by my hip, said fuck it, and started throwing kicks."

One of those kicks led to a Faber slip, resulting in the fighter taking himself down. Brown quickly capitalized.

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Don’t call it a comeback.

Former IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy "Big Country" Nelson -- who once chose his protruberant belly over a UFC contract -- and former UFC fighter Wes Sims will join Kimbo Slice on the cast of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10, according to an MMAMadness.com report.

Nelson (13-4) is a heavy handed hitter is known for both his knockout power and submission game. He will join the reality show coming off back-to-back losses against heavyweight contenders Jeff Monson and Andrei Arlovski.

"Big Country" should hold the advantage in the experience department over fellow cast members and will likely be viewed as the early favorite to win.

Sims (22-12) is an MMA veteran who stands 6'10" -- he is among the tallest fighters in all of MMA who is known for his unorthodox fighting style. Sims trains out of Team Hammer House with the likes of Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman and Phil Baroni.

"The Project" last competed inside the Octagon against Mike Kyle at UFC 47, losing via first round knockout. He also picked up losses at UFC 43 and 46, both to Frank Mir. Sims also has a technical knockout loss courtesy of Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia under the SuperBrawl banner for what its worth.

In addition to Slice, Sims and Nelson will join ex-NFL players Marcus Jones and Rex Richards, among others. It's certainly shaping up to be one big season.

TUF 10 will feature a cast of all heavyweight fighters and will be coached by former light heavyweight champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad "Sugar" Evans. The show is set to premiere on Spike TV on September 16.

Strikeforce Executive Mike Afromowitz confirmed to MMAmania.com yesterday that surging heavyweight sensation Brett Rogers will likely meet current Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in a title fight on the upcoming August 15 event in San Jose, California.

"It's definitely a possibility," Afromowitz said after Saturday's press conference. "I know Brett said he is ready. We will see how he is feeling next week and go from there. Overeem is locked in for the August 15 fight card."

"The Grimm" is coming off a devastating knockout win over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski at the June 6 'Lawler vs. Shields' event from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Rogers was a +300 underdog heading into the fight but needed just 0:22 seconds to put "The Pitbull" to sleep -- the second time for Arlovski in as many fights.

At the post fight press conference, Rogers spoke out about his future within the promotion. "I was kind of aiming for (Overeem)…I was expecting the title today so he is still in my sights."

Rogers, now 10-0, looks poised to capitalize on his new found stature. "This sport is all about timing," he said. "This fight took me to the next level and now is definitely my time. Everyone saw tonight that I am not one to play with."

A potential title fight against "Demolition Man" could end up playing second fiddle to the long-anticipated "Carano vs. Cyborg" superfight. Also on the August 15 fight card, Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson and interim champion Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez will finally rematch to unify the 155-pound strap.

Keep it dialed in to MMAmania.com for more information on the August 15 event as it unfolds.

"I want the big fights from here on out. I think I showed I can fight at both 170 and 185 pounds. Guys are a little bigger then me at middleweight but I’m faster. My jiu-jitsu style is super aggressive...I bring the wrestling mentality of forcing things and making things happen. As far as a fight at 170, I think my fight there would be for a title fight and Joe Riggs is of no concern for me. He's not even worth my time … I’m really not even giving him the time of day."

-- Jake Shields expressed complete disinterest toward a possible match up against Joe Riggs when speaking at the Strikeforce post-fight press conference. Apparently Shields was not impressed with the "Diesel’s" dominating win over "The New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni. Shields and Riggs were originally scheduled to fight on the "Lawler vs. Shields" card last night; however, that fight was scrapped in favor of the more marquee fight against Robbie Lawler. Riggs expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision, and after his win over Baroni, Riggs told the crowd he still wants a fight with Shields. If Riggs in not a worthy foe for Shields at 170, it will be interesting to see who Strikeforce pits Shields against, assuming the promotion wants to crown a welterweight champion by the end of the year. As for Riggs, his future options also appear scant ... unless, of course, a rematch with Nick Diaz interests both parties. Hmmm ....

"The fight unfolded like I wanted it to. It went to a third round, which is exactly what I saw in my head. I knew it would go at least halfway past the second round. I figured he was going to stand there and try not to use a lot of energy. I figured he was going to try and catch me with something good. He tried to be slow so I put my hands down, to give him opportunities, so he would come at me. I baited him and forced him to put forth some effort. I needed him to tire out, he is tough. I kept punching him and pushing him. Once he burnt out, the fight was mine."

Top Strikeforce draw Nick Diaz discusses his three round war with Scott Smith at Strikeforce: 'Lawler vs. Shields' on June 6. The wily Diaz obliterated Smith in the stand up and submitted him via Brabo choke in the third round. One has to wonder if a rematch with Robbie Lawler is in the near future considering the history between these two scrappers. Diaz won their first contest by KO and despite a loss to Jake Shields last night, Lawler would be the perfect opponent for the California bad-boy. The question here is whether or not a potential win over Lawler will put him at the top of the food chain.? He will never fight teammate Jaske Shields, so who else is there? Sound off, Maniacs.

It's time for some Brazilian-on-Brazilian crime.

MMAmania.com has learned that bout agreements have been signed for the light heavyweight title fight between newly-minted champion Lyoto Machida (15-0) and 2005 Pride FC Middleweight Grand Prix winner Mauricio Rua (18-3) for UFC 104 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on October 24.

"Shogun" is coming off a first round technical knockout of former 205-pound champion, Chuck Liddell, at UFC 97: "Redemption" last month. He defeated Mark Coleman via third round technical knockout in a lackluster performance earlier this year at UFC 93: "Franklin vs. Henderson" to earn a crack at the "Iceman."

It’s perhaps not the match up that most fans expected, especially when UFC President Dana White was quick to announce that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson would be the first to challenge Machida for his newly-won world title. But that all went out the window a few days later when Jackson apparently pressed UFC officials to settle a score with Rashad Evans via The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 first rather than compete to get his belt back.

That left "The Dragon" — who flattened Evans at UFC 98 to win the belt — all of a sudden without a number one contender … until now.

Despite his recent success, some UFC fans still aren't sold on the abilities of Rua, who must now muster up some of the mojo he had during his blistering run in PRIDE to try and overcome an opponent who went from tentative to homicidal in the span of three figthts.

Machida will also try to stop the revolving door that has continued to spin atop the division afterChuckLiddell coughed up the 205-pound belt just over two years ago. In fact since May of 2007, the light heavyweight title has changed hands a total of four times.

No question Rua will be looking to make it five.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on UFC 104 as they develop.

At yesterday’s Affliction press conference, M-1 CEO Joost Raimond, in an effort to stir the MMA pot, reminded fans — as well as the UFC — that M-1 is willing to work with any organization to determine who the real champions are in each division.

He called out the UFC for choosing to keep its fighters amongst themselves, saying "We would like our best fighters from Affliction, from M-1 and from our partner organizations (Strikeforce) to come out against the best in the world, and if the UFC thinks they have them, bring them on."

Raimond went on to point out how heavyweight deity, Fedor Emelianenko, has beaten every former UFC champion he has faced. "We would like to invite the UFC, Dana White, Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir to our event to come watch a real champion fight," he said.

Later in the press conference, Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio added that, while not a priority now, it is certainly a goal to have the best fighters fight each other. "If the UFC is willing to let their top fighters in Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir fight Fedor, as a fan, I want to see it. And I am certainly not going to get in the way of that."

But Atencio admitted the likelihood of a cross-promotional event was not promising.

"It is not something I see the UFC being willing to do though," he said. "M-1 has sat down with them, we’ve sat down with them, and I just don’t think they are willing. Whether that is out of fear, I don’t know. Bottom line is I am open to it because I am a fan of MMA, first and foremost."

Josh Barnett added to the conversation when he said that he would be willing to face Mir, and Fedor could have Lesnar, or vice versa, it doesn’t matter. "When it comes down to it, only we can do what we do," he said.

While fans can salivate over the possibilities of a heavenly mini-tournament between the best fighters in the world -- regardless of affiliation -- it is unlikely the UFC would agree to put on a cross-promotional event.

As White said as recently as last week, "I would never cross-promote." But we can still dream, can't we?

"I just had a baby two weeks ago so I was unable to fight on the Strikeforce show. My family is very important to me and Strikeforce was great with that. I’d like to apologize to Rafael 'Feijao' for not being able to fight him. I would love to fight him in the future and I will be back to defend my light heavyweight title … Now all my focus is on Gegard Mousasi. I have seen his last few fights; he is a huge challenge for me. I look forward to stepping in there against a former Dream Middleweight Champion. This fight will be champion vs. champion...Mousasi is coming up from 185 but size will not offer any advantages to me. Mousasi just beat a huge man in Mark Hunt. We both have great styles so this fight will come down to youth vs. experience. Mousasi is a young hungry fighter. He wants it. We will see which mindset wins out."

-- Renato "Babalu" Sobral

"Sobral is so tough. When he comes he comes to fight. He has a good wrestling and jiu-jitsu background. He is near the top 10 of fighters in the division so it will be a good test for me. I don’t pick my opponents and I was very happy with this choice. With Sobral, I will try to fight stand up game. If it goes to the ground I will take top position and work him over with my ground and pound. Sobral will have to watch out for my elbows; I want to use them in this fight. If I end up on my back, I can defend myself and eventually we will stand back up again. This fight will be and all out war; and exciting fight…If it were for the WAMMA light heavyweight title that would be great … After Sobral, I will fight Sokoudjou in the Dream open weight tournament. I am young and have not had injuries. So I enjoy this schedule. If I feel good I want to fight a lot. It is my profession."

-- Gegard Mousasi

-- Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Gegard Mousasi talk up their looming 205-pound showdown in the co main event at Affliction: "Trilogy" on Aug. 1 during a recent press conference. It could be a show stealer -- Sobral certainly has the experience and complete mixed martial arts arsenal to fend off the young phenom in Mousasi, but will he be able to put it all together on fight night? Sobral is currently riding a five-fight win streak, submitting Rameau Sokoudjou midway through the second round in his last appearance for the promotion at "Day of Reckoning." As for Mousasi, the 24-year-old phenom is enjoying a 12-fight win streak. His most recent win came against the "Hulkish" Mark Hunt in the DREAM 9 open weight tournament. Will he be able to defy the odds against a cagey veteran like his Brazilian counterpart or will his blistering pace finally be stopped? You tell us.

Earlier this afternoon, the t-shirt company turned MMA promoter, Affliction, kicked off its whirlwind media tour for Affliction: "Trilogy" from the Trump Towers in New York, New York.

It’s an appropriate name for the promotion’s third, and according to Vice President Tom Atencio, not final show. All the suits and t-shirts were in attendance for the formal announcement, from Atencio to Donald Trump to HDNet President Mark Cuban.

Naturally, several of the fighters slated to compete on the card, which is booked for the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 1, were also in the building. Main event participants Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko and Josh "The Babyfaced Assassin" Barnett, were situated near the podium. And Gegard Mousasi and Renato "Babalu" Sobral -- the two men who will compete in the co-main event -- were located nearby.

Overall, the event was standard fare with the photo-op providing one of the lighter moments of the afternoon. As Emelianenko and Barnett worked their poses for the camera crew, Barnett, in response to someone in the crowd, yelled, "No I am not going to kiss him (Fedor)." The Russian smiled in response as the two friends continued their less than menacing-looking stare down.

While both fighters hammed it up a little for the camera, they both spoke of the seriousness of the match. Barnett was the first to add this commentary to the historic fight:

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