Former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver will return to 145-pound action against Leonard Garcia at WEC 36 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on September 10, according to an announcement today.

In fact, the showdown was among several bouts confirmed for the first-ever show for the promotion in the "Sunshine State." To check them all out click here.

Pulver recently lost a five-round fight to current featherweight champion Urijah Faber. It was the first loss for him at his natural weight. "Lil Evil" won his WEC debut, submitting Cub Swanson with a nifty choke just seconds into round one.

He was rumored to face Alexandre Noguiera until he was suspended for a failed drug test.

With "Pequeno" out of the picture, insert Leonard Garcia who also has a lot to prove. Garcia debuted with WEC in Febuary with a first round technical knockout over Hiroyuki Takaya. The celebration was short lived, however, when Garcia was arrested for alleged participation in a drug-ring in Texas.

Since then, Garcia has been cleared of most if not all of the charges and has the green light to resume life as he knows it as a fighter.

WEC 36 is headlined with a championship doubleheader -- Mike Brown will challenge featherweight king Urijah Faber and 185-pound champ Paulo Filho will rematch Chael Sonnen for the WEC middleweight title.

The main card will air live on the Versus network at 9 p.m. ET on fight night.

Three title fights will punctuate yet another solid WEC card at "The Joint" at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 3.

Indeed, WEC 35 is a title tripleheader that will feature light heavyweight champion Brian Stann, welterweight champion Carlos Condit and lightweight champion Jamie Varner all putting their respective titles on the line in one action-packed evening that will air for free on the Versus network at 9 p.m. ET.

Two more solid match ups -- Damacio Page vs. Brian Bowles and Josh Grispi vs. Micah Miller -- will round out a fantastic televised main card.

Here's the complete WEC 35 line up:

Main card (televised):

170 lbs.: WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura
205 lbs.: WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann vs. Steve Cantwell
155 lbs.: WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner vs. Marcus Hicks
135 lbs.: Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page
145 lbs.: Josh Grispi vs. Micah Miller

Under card (may not be broadcast):

170 lbs.: Brock Larson vs. Carlo Prater
170 lbs.: Blas Avena vs. Dave Terrel
145 lbs.: Cub Swanson vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
155 lbs.: Alex Karalexis vs. Todd Moore
155 lbs.: Mike Budnik vs. Greg McIntyre
135 lbs.: Scott Jorgensen vs. Kenji Osawa

Mark your calendars on August 3 as the WEC will treat you to another night of exciting fights with three title fights in one night. Be sure to tune in to MMAmania.com for more details regarding this stacked card.

"I know me an Faber are going to fight in the future, it’s going to have to happen. The people would love to see it. I would love to do it. I know that he would too. It’s just a matter of the motivation of the paycheck. The WEC has the two best fighters at 135 and 145. They’re not going to want to put a superfight together for a while. They’re going to let me dominate my weight class and let (Faber) do his thing."

-- WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Angel Torres speaks with FiveOuncesOfPain.com on the possibility of a blockbuster showdown with WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber sometime in the near future. Both men are arguably the best two fighters in their respective weight classes and a fight between the two is inevitable if the pair continue to clear out their respective divisions. Sooner rather than later, please.

To check out more pics from Tracy Lee and post UFC 86 action head over to CombatLifestyle.com

Props: MySpace.com

"I just wanted to post this to let everyone know that I had the federal charges dropped. I am still dealing with the state but the charges aren't as serious as they seemed. So I hope to be back in the cage soon ... real soon. I'm just waiting on my excellent manager Steven (boogie) Bean to get that straightened out for me. I am gonna be the WEC lightweight champ soon, this is something I feel strongly about. So I'm telling everyone that is my goal and my dream and that is what I'm going to do so I will give it my all to do what I say I'm gonna do."

WEC featherweight contender Leonard Garcia gives fans an update on his current status since his recent arrest. Garcia was arrested on March 28, 2008, for the participation and distribution of cocaine in a drug trafficking crime ring in Texas. Fortunately for him, the federal charges levied against him were dropped so Garcia could avoid serious jail time. No word yet on a court date for his possible state charges. Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details.

After his career-defining win over Jens Pulver, Urijah Faber (21-1) will likely return to the cage to defend his WEC featherweight title against Mike Brown at WEC 36 on September 10, according to MMAWeekly.com.

"The California Kid" outstruck and outwrestled "Lil Evil" for five rounds at WEC 34 last month en route to a unanimous decision victory over the former UFC champion. He was clearly the faster fighter and had Pulver hurt in the second round, demonstrating that his striking prowess has caught up with his superb wrestling pedigree.

He will look to extend his 13 fight win streak against American Top Team fighter, Mike Brown.

Brown may be an unknown to many but is clearly a credible opponent to Faber's 145-pound crown. He holds notable victories over Yves Edwards and Mark Hominick. Brown also fought at WEC 34, defeating Jeff Curran via unaminous decision.

Brown is a well-versed submission fighter, winning nine of his 17 fights by submission. He will soon look to add Faber to the list ... but it will not be easy.

WEC 36 is shaping up to be another top notch fight card.

WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho will defend his title again against Chael Sonnen in the main event of the evening and "Razor" Rob McCullough takes on Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in a lightweight tilt. There is also a possibilty that Pulver could be added to card as well with speculation swirling that his opponent could be Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira.

Tune in to MMAmania.com for more details.

MMAmania.com has confirmed that Brock Larson and Carlo Prater have signed on to do battle in a welterweight tilt at WEC 35 on August 3, ensuring that the winner gets one step closer to a rematch with reigning 170-pound champion, Carlos Condit.

Prater -- who is one of the few who has actually defeated Condit albeit in an ancient encounter back in 2004 -- made his debut for the Zuffa-owned promotion against the "The Natural Born Killer" at WEC 32 this past February. Condit, however, would avenge his loss in short order, submitting Prater in the first round via guillotine choke.

Since that time, Prater has fought twice outside of the organization, picking up wins over Marcelo Brito and Garett Davis in the UWC and Raw Combat organizations, respectively. He certainly has his sights set on a rubbermatch with Condit, but Larson stands in his way for now.

Larson is coming off a high charged disqualification victory over John Alessio at WEC 33. The fight was stopped after Alessio landed a knee as Larson attempted a takedown. Larson, however, had one knee down as he took the shot, meaning that the blow was illegal.

He suffered a broken jaw as a result of the errant blow. And it added more fuel to the fire between the two rivals. In fact, after the official announcement was made with the result of the bout a melee between the two fighters and their camps broke out.

Larson and Alessio ceratinly have unfinished business. But with the "Natural" now out with a broken arm -- and no longer fighting for the WEC -- Larson has to focus on Prater and then Condit. Somewhere along the way perhaps he will get to settle the score with Alessio.

Again, the winner of this fight could still be next in line to fight Condit possibly later in the year.

Condit will actually be one of three champions also booked to fight at WEC 35, taking on former middleweight Hiromitsu Miura in a co feature fight of the evening. WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann and WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner will also compete, as well as several talented up-and-coming fighters such as Micah Miller, Cub Swanson, Damacio page and more.

This is a stacked line up of fights, which is set to go off from "The Joint" at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and air on the Versus network at 9 p.m. ET.

The UFC will pull the trigger next Saturday on its most anticipated fight of the summer when Quinton "Rampage" Jackson puts his 205-pound belt on the line against Forrest Griffin.In this week's edition of the Friday Night Throwdown, we're going to take a look at the UFC 86 main card, which has some "Fight of the Night" nominees written all over it.

In fact, there are two 155-pound fights that are literally lightweight title eliminators, as well as a classic "striker vs. grappler" match up in the welterweight division. Then, in the co feature of the night, we have a middleweight showdown with title shot implications rounding out the televised card.

It's perhaps one of the most explosive, evenly matched and underrated main cards in sometime.

Let's take a closer look at these intriguing match ups to see who could have the edge heading into next Saturday night.

Continue reading this post »

The WEC recently made two more bouts official for its loaded WEC 35 card on August 3.

Micah Miller (9-1) will battle up-and-comer Josh Grispi (8-1) in a featherweight showdown and undefeated bantamweight Brian Bowles (5-0) will tangle with Tapout reality show fan favorite Damacio Page (10-3).

The announcement is expected to complete the entire televised card for WEC 35, which is headlined by three world title fights.

Miller will look to put together back-to-back wins since suffering his first professional defeat against Cub Swanson at WEC 32. Miller rebounded from that defeat with a bang, knocking out Chance Farrar in the first round at WEC 33 in February.

His opponent, Grispi, will also look to tack on two straight in the WEC. He is fresh off his first round submission victory over rugged WEC vet Mark Hominick.

Bowles will attempt to ride his momentum since a unanimous decision victory over Charlie Valencia at WEC 34. Bowles, 28, has only been in the sport for little more than two years; however, he is on quite a roll in his young career, going 5-0 and 2-0 in the WEC.

Page -- also known as the "Angel of Death" -- shined in his WEC debut wheb he stepped in for an injured Jesse Moreng to defeat Scott Jorgensen at WEC 33 in exciting fashion.

Both fights have the potential to be show stoppers, which will be hard to do in such amazing company. WEC is truly a night of champions -- Brian Stann, Jamie Varner and Carlos Condit will all defend their straps and be in action at "The Joint" in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

And you can take it all in for FREE on Versus at 9 p.m. ET on August 3.

After several delays, UFC President Dana White this week finally revealed his "major" announcement that Lorenzo Fertitta was shifting his focus as casino mogul to a full-time hands-on position as UFC owner.

If that wasn’t big enough, the promotion drops another bomb that had the entire mixed marital arts world buzzing: Anderson "Spider" Silva will take on James Irvin in a light heavyweight showdown during the main event at UFC Fight Night 14 on July 19.

We can view this move in two ways:

1. White and Co. get to stick it to Affliction MMA by running a FREE show the same night as the promotion's much-ballhooed pay-per-view (PPV) debut.
2. It gives casual fans -- perhaps those who don't order PPVs -- a rare opportunity to see arguably the most dominant fighter in the world today strut his stuff before a massive nationwide audience.

Regardless of how you feel, it is possibly the beginning of Silva putting another stamp on what is likely a legendary career. If he can do what Dan Henderson did overseas in Pride FC, for example, holding two belts in two separate divisions simultaneously, well, he will indeed be the man.

It’s going to be interesting to see if he will be as quick at light heavyweight as he was at middleweight. Silva has stated that he walks around at about 215 pounds when he’s not training. Therefore, weight should not be much of an issue.

And if it makes him even more powerful and dangerous ... watch out.

Continue reading this post »

Former WEC lightweight champion "Razor" Rob McCullough will likely take on the undefeated Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (8-0) in a bout that will possibly determine the next 155-pound number one contender.

News of the match up surfaced at a recent Ring of Fire event in Denver, Colo.

MMAmania.com was unable to confirm the actual date and location of the showdown at this time; however, with three title fights slated for WEC 35 on August 3 it's possible that this bout will be tacked on to the WEC 36 card that features the middleweight rematch between 185-pound champion Paulo Filho and Chael Sonnen.

McCullough most recently won a lackluster split-decision victory over Kenneth Alexander at WEC 34: "Faber vs. Pulver" earlier this month. It was his first fight since losing his title to Jamie Varner via technical knockout at WEC 32 back in February.

Cerrone returned from an eight-month suspension (diuretic) to submit Danny Castillo with a fancy first round armbar at WEC 34. The Ring of Fire veteran defeated Kenneth Alexander via submission (triangle choke) in his WEC debut back in November 2007.

However, it was later ruled a "no contest" because of the positive test for the banned substance.

The fight between "Razor" and Cerrone has all the makings to be a barnburner -- both fighters are accustomed to finishing fights ... albeit in much different fashions recent;y. McCullough is a Muay Thai specialist and Cerrone is a submission machine who also happens to know a thing or two about striking (he's a S-1 Muay Thai United States Champion).

Regardless, whoever comes out on top will likely punch his ticket to challenge the winner of the championship bout between reigning division boss Varner and Marcus Hicks next month at WEC 35.

Stay dialed in to MMAmania.com for more details.

(Thanks to MMAmania.com reader "DH" for the assist.)

With Quinton "Rampage" Jackson set to defend his UFC 205-pound title against Forrest Griffin in a few weeks at UFC 86: "Jackson vs. Griffin," it's a good time to discuss some other potential fights in the stacked division.

It’s obvious that the UFCs light heavyweight class is the deepest division in mixed martial arts today. With guys like Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, Wanderlei Silva, Thiago Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, among others, there are plenty of contenders who consider themselves the next man in line for a shot at the strap.

Accordingly, there are three fights that needs to take place to give the UFC a much more clear picture of who will face the winner of the Jackson-Griffin showdown later this year.

At UFC 84: "Ill Will" last month, Wanderlei Silva and Machida helped eliminate the pretenders who many thought would be contenders in Tito Ortiz and Keith Jardine. Even with the impressive wins, however, Silva and Machida still have some work to do to be next in line.

Silva returned to the "Axe Murderer" of old in smashing fashion against Jardine, but he still needs one more big win. As for Machida, his style still fustrates both fighters and fans alike.

On the other hand, inactivity has hurt the title prospects of top guys such as Rashad Evans, Rua and Liddell. It's hard to penalize a fighter or fault him for getting hurt, especially when all three of these fighters were scheduled to headline this past weekend’s UFC 85: "Bedlam" at one time or another.

Because of the lack of fights one can argue that it's the reason there is no clear cut number one contender. Do you give Machida a shot before Liddell because he’s won five fights in the UFC and his biggest win is against an over the hill Tito Ortiz? Or do you give Liddell the next shot in line because he won one of the biggest grudge matches of all time against Silva and a possible Liddell-Rampage III could mean big bucks for the UFC?

On top of all that, let’s not forget one guy who can also shake things up in this division in Thiago Silva!

And with that let’s look at three fights that have to take place before the 2008 fight campaign comes to a close. Now there are some no brainers for you MMAMania readers have discussed for some time but mine are a little bit different.

Continue reading this post »

Two fighters looking to get back in the win column after devastating defeats -- Cub Swanson (12-2) and Hiroyuki Takaya (9-5-1) -- will battle it out in a 145-pound clash at WEC 35 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 3, according to Sherdog.com.

Swanson was on the rise until he suffered a setback against Jens Pulver in his return to the featherweight division at WEC 31. "Lil Evil" submitted Swanson just 35 seconds into the first round -- only the second loss of Swanson's pro career.

He actually took a low profile tune-up fight outside the promotion after the defeat, submitting Donnie Walker with a rear naked at an International Fighting & Boxing League (IFBL) bout back in February.

The up-and-comer will look to climb the ladder to a future rematch with Pulver and quite possibly a title shot against Urijah Faber. It will not come easy, however, because Takaya is a tough fighter with impressive punching power.

The "Streetfight Bancho" will look to rebound after suffering a 91-second knockout at the hands of UFC veteran Leonard Garcia at WEC 32 in February. Takaya -- a K-1 and Shooto veteran -- was considered to be a great pick-up for the promotion and was expected to become a future title contender until he was derailed by "Bad Boy."

This fight is expected to be on the televised portion of the WEC 35 card, which is headlined by a ridiculous amount of title fights that include champions Brian Stann, Carlos Condit and Jamie Varner. It will air LIVE on the Versus network at 9 p.m.ET.

Perhaps the most anticipated rematch in WEC history will finally take place on September 10 when Paulo Filho (16-0) puts his 185-pound title on the line against Chael Sonnen (20-9) at WEC 36, according to Tatame.com.

No exact location or venue is known at this time.

The two met last December in a fight that Sonnen clearly dominating through the first round. He set a torrid pace and seemed to be well on his way to winning the fight. However, in the second Filho sunk in a tight a tight armbar that forced Sonnen to verbally tap with just five seconds remaining on the clock.

Sonnen was visibly upset when the referee called a halt to the action, claiming that he never verbally tapped -- it was just a scream.

Controversy ensued and the promotion responded with scheduling an immediate rematch in March 2008. However, Filho had to withdraw from the bout because of a substance abuse problem (Rupinal) that stemmed from depression.

He has since received treatment for the chemical dependency; however, he has not competed since the fight with Sonnen in late 2007.

Sonnen -- rather than sit idle and wait -- took a dangerous fight with Brian Baker at WEC 33, defeating the game competitor via unanimous decision to secure a second meeting with Filho.

This is going to truly test the undefeated Brazilian, coming into this fight off a long layoff against a guy who gave him everything he could handle the first time around. Sonnen will be out to prove that the initial encounter wasn't a fluke and Filho will look to do the complete opposite.

(Thanks to MMAmania.com reader "Rex" for the assist.)

Former WEC light heavyweight champion Doug Marshall (7-3) -- who just lost his 205-pound belt to Brian Stann at WEC 33 via technical knockout in March -- will return to action since on July 19.

The only difference is that he will now compete under the Palace Fighting Championship (PFC) banner, taking on Phil Collins. No, not the musician, but a worthy fighter who sports a 6-3 record. In fact, he relinquished his opportunity for the organization's middleweight title to take on the "Rhino."

Collins on taking the fight against Marshall:

"No disrespect to Nate, as he’s a great fighter. Nate’s already beat me, but if he’s walking around the Palace nobody knows who he is. If you see the ‘Rhino’, you know it’s the ‘Rhino’. Doug has been at the higher level and that’s what I want to get to. If I can beat him, then I think I can get there, too."

Marshall, on the other hand, signed a one-fight deal with the orgainization to get back on track since losing to Stann last March. It's more than likely after this fight that Marshall will return to the WEC and look to avenge his loss to "The All American."

Marshall on fighting for PFC:

"I wanted to fight back at the Palace because of the Central Valley fans. I love watching the PFC. There’s a lot of young hungry fighters and I love the blackjack table. The fans can expect the same thing they can always expect from me and that’s to serve up a Central Valley ass whopping."

Marshall will look to get back on the winning track at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif., on July Friday, 18. A win here and it will be the first step toward getting back in the WEC light heavyweight title picture.

There's an intriguing main event on tap this weekend between former welterweight champion Matt Hughes and up-and-comer Thiago Alves at the O2 Arena in London, England.

The 170-pound pits two men who are going in two different directions in their careers -- one is relatively close to calling it an amazing career and the other is hoping to follow in his footsteps. It will also determine who is heading toward a title shot in the near future.

For Alves, a win over Hughes could be the fight that solidifies him as a legitimate contender in the stacked welterweight division. As for Hughes, a win here could lead him to at least two more fights, another shot at championship glory, and another accolade to tack onto his Hall of Fame career.

It’s no secret by now that tomorrow night is do or die for Matt Hughes.

He only -- by his own admission -- a handful of fights left in him. He has no intentions of fighting into his early 40s like Randy Couture ... for now. Heading into this fight, Hughes has promised that he will return to the Matt Hughes of old who dominated the welterweight division for years.

For him to win this fight, he’s going to have to take Alves to the mat and keep him down. There is no way that Hughes can win this fight trying to trade shots with Alves -- a very skilled striker.

The problem with Hughes’ game, however, is the fact that his striking is essentially ineffective. He uses it to set up his aggressive takedowns and monster slams. Hughes is not going to knockout anyone standing and probably never will.

He has to force Alves to respect his striking to the point where he can secure takedown after takedown. If Hughes can’t take Alves down, it could be spell trouble.

Look no further than his last fight with Georges St. Pierre. "Rush" knew that Hughes could not hurt him when the two were trading shots, so he decided to takedown Hughes and punish him from there. In a sense, he beat Hughes at his own game.

Hughes didn’t look comfortable on his back and really never has. His first fight with BJ Penn and third fight with St. Pierre also shows that Hughes isn’t as effective if he’s on his back.

Put simply, Hughes' bread and butter -- the skills that propelled him to the highest level of the sport -- are when he uses his strength and wrestling to overwhelm opponents.

And when he can't get those going it translates into another "L" in the loss column.

Continue reading this post »

In a fight that no one thought would go five rounds, Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver waged a war that lived up to the hype last night at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif.

The first round saw Faber surprise Pulver with his power as "The California Kid" connected with clean overhand rights to start the championship bout. Pulver tried to find his range with dirty boxing, but Faber would have none of it as he was changing levels and landing with that right hand. Faber's speed clearly frustrated Pulver the entire first round as Faber bobbed and weaved away from Pulver while landing the more effective strikes.

In the second frame, Faber caught Pulver with a huge overhand right that led to a flurry that rocked Pulver. Showing the heart of a true warrior, Pulver rebounded later in the round and tagged Faber with crisp clean counter strikes. A back-and-forth round ensued with Faber taking Pulver down, but both men continued to get right back up.

The third and fourth rounds saw Faber pushing the pace of the fight and Pulver fading away. The key in the fight for Faber was beating Pulver to the punch with crisp striking and mixing it up with kicks as well. With the right hands landing, Pulver was beginning to show a huge mouse over the right eye. The swelling would continue as Faber was pulling away.

The fifth and final round both men showed respect to one another as they hugged before the final five minutes. It was more of the same for Faber as he continued to push the pace and throw the right hand to frustrate Pulver. The question of Faber’s chin was answered as he continued to take some big shots from Pulver but it didn’t seem to phase the hometown favorite.

In the end, Faber’s standup proved to be the difference in the fight. Many thought Faber would immediately take the fight to the ground but that wasn’t the case. If anything Faber proved that he does have some power in his hands and that his striking has come leaps and bounds. Another big question answered was Faber’s chin. Pulver threw some big shots and connected but Faber was still there waiting to punch back.

As for Pulver, this could be the beginning of the end or just another bump in the road for the former UFC lightweight champion. Faber moves to 21-1 and the distinction as the best featherweight in the world while Pulver moves to 22-9 and must climb the ladder back to a rematch.

Definitely a great fight ... one that would be a treat to see again.

The fight of the night, however, could have easily been the bantamweight title fight between 135-pound champion Miguel Torres and challenger Yoshiro Maeda.

Continue reading this post »

WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit -- who is in Sacramento, Calif., this weekend to sign autographs for the "Faber vs. Pulver" event -- is expected to put his 170-pound title on the line against Hiromitsu Miura (9-4) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 3.

It will be the third title fight of the evening, joining the lightweight showdown between 155-pound champion Jamie Varner against Marcus Hicks, as well as the 205-pound tile between WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann and challenger Steve Cantwell.

Condit is clearly among the best welterweight fighters in the world. "The Natural Born Killer" has won his last four WEC contests -- all via submission -- and only one of them made it past the first round. Condit most recently avenged a loss to Carlos Prater at WEC 32 in his hometown of Albuquerque, N.M., and will look to add Miura to his hitlist in August.

Miura, on the other hand, is on a two-fight win streak in the WEC, defeating Blas Avena (knockout) and Fernando Gonzalez via submission (strikes) in back-to-back fights. He has just one loss since 2006 (Jason "Mayhem" Miller).

Miura is very well rounded and is a stiff test for the champion.

WEC 35 is shaping up to be a "Night of Champions" event with three WEC titles expected to be up for grabs on August 3. These fights -- and more -- should all be made official later on this evening during the WEC 34: "Faber vs Pulver" on Versus at 9 p.m. ET.

Stay tuned for more details and fight card updates.

Chris Cosme here and we're hot on the heels of an exciting UFC 84: "Ill Will" card last Saturday, but it's time to get ready for a stacked weekend of even more mixed martial arts action on national television!

Promotions looking to put their respective stamps on the sport -- WEC and EliteXC -– will bring us two exciting cards that should give us plenty to talk about at the water cooler on Monday morning. And we're going to give you five things to watch for heading into this historic weekend for both promotions in this edition of Friday Night Throwdown.

Can Kimbo Slice live up to the hype

The controversial Kimbo Slice headlines the first-ever MMA network television broadcast this Saturday night on CBS. Critics say Kimbo doesn't deserve that spot, while others argue he can be a top draw in the sport if he's victorious. This all hinges on how he does inside the cage at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Saturday night against James Thompson. Some fans say that this fight is a shoe-in -- Thompson is known to have a glass jaw. But, let's remember that this is MMA and anything can and often does happen.

Just ask Georges St. Pierre.

I personally have no problem at all with Slice headlining the card. He takes the sport very seriously, dedicates himself to training and takes everything in stride. And with guys like Bas Rutten and Shawn Tompkins training and watching over him, there's no reason to believe that Slice can't be successful and become a huge star. With the way Kimbo has gone about business throughout the months leading up to tomorrow, I think he'll deliver and silence a few critics along the way.

Continue reading this post »

Newly crowned WEC Lightweight Champion, Jamie Varner (14-2), will return to defend his 155-pound belt for the first time ever against Marcus Hicks (8-0) on August 3, according to MMAWeekly.com.

It's the second title fight slated for the show -- WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann is also expected to defend his 205-pound title against Steve Cantwell.

"The Worm" is fresh off an impressive knockout of then-WEC champion, "Razor" Rob McCullough, at WEC 32 back February, defeating the heavy-handed champion at his own game. It was his third straight win and second consecutive victory under the WEC banner.

Varner will certainly have to bring his "A" game -- "The Wrecking Ball" is no slouch.

In fact, Hicks is one of the hottest (and most compact) fighters in the promotion, winning his last three fights in the WEC, and overall, is riding an eight fight win streak. He has defeated the likes of Ed Ratcliff and Sergio Gomez en route to being the number one contender in the division.

Put simply, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt -- who also has some pro boxing experience -- will be a stiff challenge for Varner

Stay tuned for more fight announcements and other news in the next few days as WEC 34: "Faber vs Pulver" is set for this weekend -- the organization will certainly look to promote upcoming events on the biggest night in its history.

Gladiator Challenge and Palace Fighting Championship veteran, Danny Castillo (5-0), will step in for an injured Rich Crunkilton to face Donald Cerrone (7-0) at WEC 34: "Faber vs Pulver" at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif., on June 1.

The Zuffa-owned promotion recently confirmed the lightweight match up on its Web site.

Castillo has only been fighting nearly a year and a half; however, his five victories have all ended in the first round -- four via submission and one technical knockout. "Last Call" -- who will make his WEC debut -- is a two-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American wrestler out of Menlo, Calif.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Cerrone, is currently riding a seven-fight winning streak of his own, defeating Kenneth Alexander via submission (triangle choke) at WEC 30 in November 2007. However, it was later ruled a "no contest" because Cerrone was found to have a banned diuretic in his system after the bout.

This will mark his first fight back after an eight month suspension and $2,400 fine.

Both of these fighters are red hot, but someone's zero has to go and it will take place LIVE on the Versus network at 9 p.m. ET this Sunday.

WEC 34: "Faber vs. Pulver" is headlined by the biggest featherweight title fight in recent memory. Urijah Faber will defend his 145-pound strap against MMA legend, Jens Pulver, in the evening's main event.

Just another reminder: It's FREE on Versus at 9 p.m. ET.

During the past three weeks here in the Throwdown, we've covered the "big three" fights that comprise UFC 84: "Ill Will," from BJ Penn-Sean Sherk to Lyoto Machida-Tito Ortiz to Keith Jardine-Wanderlei Silva.

It's obvious that this is one of the better cards in recent memory.

But of course there are things that we haven't discussed about each of the three fights heading into tomorrow night.

This edition of the Throwdown will cover four things that fans should think about or consider while watching UFC 84 tomorrow night (Saturday, May 24), as well as feature some quick predictions on the main card action of the pay-per-view (PPV) event.

Continue reading this post »

Brian Stann (6-0) will defend his WEC light heavyweight title for the first time when returns the cage against Steve Cantwell (5-1) on August 3. The "All-American" made the announcement on the Howard Stern show this past Thursday.

No location or possible venue for the showdown is known at this time.

Stann captured the 205-pound crown with a knockout win of then champion, Doug Marshall, at WEC 33: "Back to Vegas" on March 26. The heavy-handed former Marine has five straight wins for the Zuffa-owned promotion and none of them have gone beyond the first round.

Cantwell has strung two wins together, finishing Tim McKenzie via submission (rear naked choke) at WEC 33. Prior to that he pounded out Justin McElfresh at WEC 29 in August 2007. It was apparently good enough to earn him another shot at Stann.

Stann and Cantwell met at WEC 26 last March ... and it didn't last very long. In fact, Stann knocked out Cantwell only 41 into round one.

So mark your calendars for the next WEC event in August. Could we possibly get Filho-Sonnen II for the WEC middleweight title as well?

Stay tuned.

"… I know there are a lot of people out there doing steroids, cheating and every time I run into one of them, I’m going to call them on it and then I’m going to beat the shit out of them.… It’s going to be a historic night because all the kids out there will realize that you can do it with just hard work alone … he wants to say he has heart and all this different shit, but you can’t confuse steroids with heart…. It’s two different things, a guy with heart is a guy doing it with blood, sweat and tears, waking up with the sore back, the sore body..… What would happen in the old days when you get caught with a couple of aces up your sleeve, they kill the guy right there and that’s why I say Sean Sherk is dead…."

-- UFC Lightweight Champion, BJ Penn

"I think he needs to talk to a psychiatrist. That sounds pretty sick to me, but good luck. I’m sure there will be blood, both mine and his, so we’ll see what happens. I don’t know, that’s kind of a weird thing to say and I did hear that he said that. I was like, ‘What the hell is he talking about?’ What can you say. He’s got some issues, but I’m not going to let anything he says bother me."

-- Former UFC lightweight champion, Sean Sherk

In this week’s edition of the Friday Night Throwdown, it’s the final part of a three-part series that covers UFC 84: "Ill Will" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24.

And we’ve saved the best for last.

Of course, we’re finally going to touch on the main event of the evening and preview the UFC lightweight title fight between division champion, BJ Penn, and former 155-pound beltkeeper, Sean Sherk.

It’s no secret that these two men don’t like each other –- check out the war of words at the top of this column for proof of that. For weeks fans and others have referred to this showdown as a grudge match.

I see it more as war … let the games begin.

Continue reading this post »

A "Dragon" looks for his coming out party while a "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" looks to be the spoiler in this week’s edition of the Friday Night Throwdown.

In the second part of this three-part series, we will look at the other light heavyweight battle between Lyoto Machida and Tito Ortiz at UFC 84: "Ill Will" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24.

This fight could be the fight that could reshape the rankings of the light heavyweight division in the UFC and possibly send Ortiz riding off into the free agent sunset in search of his pot of golf at the end of the rainbow.

It’s time to breakdown this fight for both fighters.

Continue reading this post »

With a sell out crowd of 8,000 fans expected to fill up the lower bowl of the Arco Arena, the WEC recently announced that it will release more tickets for WEC 34: "Faber vs Pulver" on June 1.

In fact, according to the press release, the Zuffa-owned promotion will sell tickets for the upper sections of the arena for only $35! (Excluding taxes and additional services, of course.)

Vice President of Production for the WEC, Peter Dropick, had this to say:

"WEC fans bought all of the tickets so fast that we decided to open up more seats upstairs. We originally planned to sell seats only in the lower sections for this event, but it’s going to be such an exciting night of fights that we want to accommodate as many fans as possible to see the live action."

How can you argue with that?

WEC 34 is easily the most stacked card in the promotion's history with two title fights lined up and two former champions also in action. It's going to be an historic night on June 1, which we can all witness for free on the Versus channel at 9 p.m. ET.

To purchase WEC 34 tickets head over to Ticketmaster.com or StubHub.com (Note: StubHub often has seats available even if the event or certain section is "sold out.")

Welcome back folks for another edition of the Friday Night Throwdown here on MMAmania.

This latest installment will be one of a three-part series that takes a look at the three key fights that will headline UFC 84: "Ill Will" on May 24. In part one today, I’ll go in-depth on the upcoming light heavyweight tilt between Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine.

In the coming weeks, the Throwdown will also cover both the Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida and BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk match ups.

Put simply, a stellar card takes place 22 days from now as UFC 84 will feature not only a grudge match for the lightweight title, but two key light heavyweight super fights that will determine who could be in line for a title shot.

One of those encounters features the return of Silva and Jardine, who both fought Chuck Liddell at one point last year with mixed results. Wanderlei went to war with Liddell in arguably one of the greatest slugfests ever in the sport while Jardine outworked Liddell to a split decision win.

There are two BIG questions that have to be answered on May 24th:

Continue reading this post »

World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) yesterday released the final card for its biggest event in the organization's history at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif., on June 1.

The blockbuster event will feature two title fights along with the return of former champions "Razor" Rob McCullough and Chase Beebe.

Here's the final line up:

Main event

WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver

Main card (televised)

WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda
Mark Munoz vs. Chuck Grisby
"Razor" Rob McCullough vs. Kenneth Alexander

Under card (may not be broadcast)

Donald Cerrone vs. Richard Crunkilton
Jeff Curran vs. Mike Brown
Chase Beebe vs. Will Ribiero
Tim McKenzie vs. Eric Schambari
Alex Serdyukov vs. Luis Sapo
Alexandre Noguiera vs. Jose Aldo
Charlie Valencia vs. Dominick Cruz

WEC 34 is arguably the promotion's deepest card ever.

In addition to the title fights, as well as the main card action, former NCAA Division I champion Mark Munoz will make his debut. Munoz is considered by many to be one of the best pure wrestlers to ever enter the sport and will look to make big splash against Grisby.

Also making his WEC debut is former 143-pound SHOOTO champion, 'Pequeno' Noguiera, who is one of the best submission fighters in the world in regardless of weight class.

In short, this is one hell of a card that will be shown on VERSUS on June 1 at 9 p.m. ET.

WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit (22-4) signed a four-fight contract extension with the Zuffa-owned promotion, according to USAToday.com.

"The Natural Born Killer" -- who was a spectator at last Saturday's UWC show in Washington, DC -- made the announcement during the event. It must be noted that prior to the extension that Condit had one more fight left on his current deal.

It's clear that locking Condit to a long-term deal means that the WEC sees him as one of its premier stars in the organization along with fellow champions Urijah Faber and Brian Stann.

Condit, in fact, is undefeated in the WEC and is riding a four-fight win streak. His last defeated Carlo Prater via submission in the first round at WEC 32 last February.

He's quietly one of most underrated welterweights in the world and is awaiting his next opponent.

Welcome to the debut of the "Friday Night Throwdown" here on MMAmania.com.

Every Friday night here on MMAmania.com, I’ll wrap up the major weekly MMA news and attempt to digest it all. The Throwdown will also include featured columns, fighter interviews and fight previews of all of the big events in the coming months.

In addition, the Throwdown will have a mailbag edition where I’ll be taking questions from you guys on the last Friday of each month.

Whoot! Now I think I can get on with the debut column!

Continue reading this post »

Former WEC lightweight champion Razor Rob McCullough is set to get back on the road to reclaim his 155-pound title, beginning with Kenneth Alexander at WEC 34: "Faber vs. Pulver" at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif, on June 1.

McCullough is looking to rebound after losing his WEC lightweight strap to Jamie Varner his last time out at WEC 32. He will take on a decorated wrestler in Alexander.

Both men are coming off losses; therefore, the last man standing will take the first step in getting back into title contention.

In addition, Jeff Curran will also be on the lookout for redemption on the star studded card against American Top Team-trained fighter Mike Brown. This will mark the first fight for Curran since his loss to featherweight champion Urijah Faber via guillotine choke at WEC 31.

Brown -- who is making his WEC debut -- has a tall task ahead of him, taking on a very experienced fighter in Curran.

This is a very stacked card and the biggest event in the history of the promotion. Faber will tangle with former UFC lightweight champion in the main event, and gifted bantamweight champion, Miguel Torres, will defend his 135-pound belt against Yoshiro Maeda.

It's shaping up to be a great night of mixed martial arts action and the best part is it's FREE on Versus.

Check out the most recent WEC 34 card after the jump:

Continue reading this post »