Well after last night GSP vs. Koscheck 2 hyped by a TUF season seems like the most logical thing to do. Like many others I am not too keen on Champions taking time off to do the show but as it stands Pierre has taken out a lot of the competition having defended his title 4 times now. So having him doing The Ultimate Fighter with Koscheck will give some time for the divison to play itself out a little bit.

I was a little weary with Koscheck’s in-ring antic regarding the downed knee that grazed him, thinking is this the sought of man that deserves a title shot? But with that he did dominate and his post-fight interview and disrespect of the Canadian fans solidified a match with Pierre if not only for the entertainment aspect it will bring to the build up.

I fully expect a GSP vs. Koscheck rematch in Canada is going to be huge,  I mean Pierre vs. anyone in Canada is going to go down well but with Koscheck playing the heel and having a platform in TUF to do it the hype for this fight will be off the charts.

There is also the fact that Koscheck whether you love him or hate him has a slight chance to be competitive with his foe, I expect Pierre to win but I don’t think it will be totally one sided. We’ll have to wait and see.

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I went into this WEC 48 with mixed feelings. Like many others a big part of me wanted to see these guys under the UFC banner and everything that goes with it. Not that I didn’t want this PPV to succeed I just didn’t really care all that much if it did at the time because it’d speed up the whole integration into the UFC.

Now after witnessing the amazing display put on yesterday by all involved I could care less for the WEC being merged with the UFC. In fact I’d much rather it stay as it is. WEC 48 was one of the greatest all-round cards I’ve ever seen, very enthralling. And when you think about it has there ever been a bad WEC card? They always deliver! Whereas even the top dog UFC can be very hit and miss.

And is a merge with the UFC even all that feasible? With the 5 current weight classes there’s 2 sometimes 3 shows a month. With the prelims becoming more jam packed then before with 7-8 fights there. Would adding the WEC be too much to handle? And as said before the WEC always deliver top notch quality fights, would scattering these all over be a good idea. After yesterday I’d prefer the WEC to keep on keeping on. And all these little exciting guys to be on the same card.

Dana said that in time the WEC’s Lightweight division will become a part of the UFC and that makes sense, but Featherweight and Bantamweight should stay put and maybe even add the Flyweight (125lb) division that has been talked about for a while to the fold and the WEC is where it needs to be.

Though is there room for both the UFC and WEC on PPV? I think there is. If they start slow, maybe have 3-4 stacked cards a year and they can build it from there. If they keep putting out a great product like that I think people will support it. WEC deserves to be on PPV and even if it results in the UFC putting some of their less then stellar shows on free tv then so be it.

Anyway the fighters yesterday left it all on the line and then some. And it was really a great pleasure to see and I hope more than ever that the WEC can survive on its own and keep growing and all their fighters get what they deserve and more. Because they’ve certainly earned it. Hopefully this PPV was a huge success and all the hard work will pay off for everyone.

So with that I’d just like to say thank you WEC for a great night of fights.

World Victory Road (WVR) recently announced the latest match-ups for it’s Sengoku 10 event, which takes place on Sept. 23 from the Saitama Community Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Dan Hornubuckle, now a household name in MMA after his brutal, lights-out head kick on Akihiro Gono at Sengoku 9 earlier this month, will try his luck against well-traveled veteran Nick "The Goat" Thompson.

Light Heavyweight King of Pancrase Ryo Kawamura will finally get his long-awaited rematch to try and avenge his 2007 loss Chute Boxe's Fabio Silva.

In addition, middleweight King of Pancrase Takenori Sato will challenge UFC veteran Joe "El Dirte" Doerksen.

Also slated for the card will be three Sengoku gold cup super fights, with the three victors of the Japanese gold cup doing battle with the three winners of the South Korean gold cup.

It pits Ikuo Usuda (5-0) against Woo Hyun Baek (1-0) in a lightweight showdown, in featherweight action Shigeki Osawa (3-0) facing off with Ki Hyun Kim (2-0) and also Ryosuke Komori (4-1) doing battle with Jae Hyun So (2-6) in a bantamweight bout.

Elsewhere on the card former IFL lightweight champion Ryan Schultz (20-11-1) is set to tangle with Kazunori Yokota (9-2-3) in a bout that should project the winner in to title contender status.

Sengoku 10 will feature the first (and last) Elite XC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva (12-1) and a pair of Olympians in 2000 Olympic Judo gold medalist Makoto Takimoto (5-5) and 2004 Olympic Judo silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi (0-0), who is being targeted for the main event slot for the tenth installment of Sengoku.

However, their opponents will not be announced until a later date.

Here is the current line-up for Sengoku 10:

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World Victory Road (WVR) recently announced the latest match-ups for it’s Sengoku 10 event, which takes place on Sept. 23 from the Saitama Community Arena in Saitama, Japan.

First up will be a lightweight scrap between dangerous Brazilian Maximo Blanco (3-2-1) and young prospect Tetsuya Yamada (3-1).

Blanco last competed for Sengoku this May against Akihiko Mori (7-6-1) at Sengoku 4, where he had the fight all but finished when he landed a right hook that would drop Mori to floor, and with a prone opponent ready for the taking Blanco made the mistake of illegally viciously soccer kicking Mori in the face, leaving him out cold. Blanco was disqualified for his actions and Mori was given the win.

He managed to get back on the winning path earlier this month when he captured the lightweight King of Pancrase title against Katsuya Inoue (18-7-4) at Pancrase: "Changing Tour 4," defeating his much more experienced foe with a straight left that dropped Inoue and Blanco would continue the punishment on the floor to earn a TKO victory.

His opponent Yamada is coming off a unanimous decision loss in his Sengoku featherweight grand prix round-of-16 bout to formidable UK grappler Ronnie Mann (16-2-1) which took place this March at Sengoku 7.

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World Victory Road (WVR) recently announced the first match-up for its Sengoku 10 event, setting up Kazunori Yokota (9-2-3) to do battle against Ryan Schultz (20-11-1) in a lightweight showdown on Sept. 23 from the Saitama Community Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Schultz, an International Fight League (IFL) veteran, will look to turn his luck around after a disappointing succession of losses within the promotion.

In his debut he was knocked out by Mizuto Hirota (12-3-1), who managed to land a devastating Superman punch on Schultz at Sengoku 4 last August. Then just one month after that he was disposed of quickly by Jorge Masdival (18-4) after he landed a barrage of strikes to claim victory at Sengoku 5.

Schultz has not competed since then, which will equal a one year layoff come September.

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Fight fans: Tune in tonight (Friday, Aug. 7) to check out "HDNet Fights Presents: World Victory Road: Sengoku 9" from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

The stacked mixed martial arts event, which originally took place this past Sunday (Aug. 2), will air via tape delay in for the first time in North America at 10:00 p.m. ET on HDNet.

You’ll be able to catch the conclusion of the promotion’s featherweight grand prix, with the semifinals and finals all going down in the same night.

The final four features tournament favorite and promotion poster boy, Hatsu Hioki, colliding with fellow countryman Masanori Kanehara. While on the other side of the bracket, featherweight King of Pancrase Marlon Sandro takes on Judo player Michihiro Omigawa.

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We all knew it was coming. And today Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) made it official.

Grappling sensation Shinya Aoki is set to do battle with DREAM 2008 lightweight grand prix winner Joachim Hansen for the promotion's lightweight strap at DREAM 11 from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on Oct. 6.

The pair has faced off twice before, both claiming a victory against one another. Now a rubber match is in place for one of the combatants to get the upper hand on the scorecard.

Hansen hasn’t competed since his last clash with Aoki in the summer of 2008. The Norwegian brawler was set to throw down with highly regarded lightweight standout Gesias "JZ" Calvancante in a non-title bout at "FieLDS Dynamite!! 2008" on New Years Eve.

However, "Hell Boy" failed pre-fight medicals and was forced to pull out of the fight with a mysterious "head injury" just hours before the event.

He was apparently back to full fitness and ready to battle Aoki at DREAM 10, which took place just last month. The bout was officially announced, but Hansen was abruptly pulled from the card by DREAM officials and Vitor Ribeiro inserted in his place. Aoki went on to earn a decision.

Now it appears whatever problems between Hansen and DREAM have now subsided, though it wouldn’t be at all surprising if they re-emerged and more mysterious shenanigans take place before we reach Oct. 6.

Fingers crossed.

DREAM 11 will host to the conclusion of the featherweight grand prix and the "Super Hulk" open weight tournament semifinals.

Here is the current line-up for DREAM 11:

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World Victory Road (WVR) recently announced the next batch of participants for its Sengoku 10 event, which takes place at the Saitama Community Arena in Saitama, Japan, on September 23.

Sengoku lightweight standout Kazunori Yokota (9-2-3) is set to compete, as well a pair of Olympians in 2004 Olympic Judo silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi (0-0) and 2000 Olympic Judo gold medalist Makoto Takimoto (5-5).

All are scheduled for Sengoku 10; however, their opponents will not be announced until a later date.

Yokota will likely look for a crack at the Sengoku lightweight title with another win and could be granted a shot if he has a good outing come September. He also holds a recent win over the current champion Mizuota Hirota (12-3-1).

Therefore, a second encounter between the two could go down soon. He last competed at Sengoku 8 this May where he squeaked a split decision victory over jiu-jistu ace Leonardo Santos (6-3).

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Sengoku 9, which featured the promotion’s featherweight grand prix, took place earlier this morning (Sunday, Aug. 2) from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

For fans in North America it will air via tape delay on HDNet this Friday, Aug. 7 at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Kick-starting the event was a heavyweight showdown that would see Yoshihiro "Kiss" Nakao pick up a tiresome decision victory over Korean import Choi Mu Bae.

We then moved swiftly onto the featherweight grand prix semifinals, with Hatsu Hioki taking on Masanori Kanehara.

Though it was a bout that saw Hioki dominate the majority of, Kanehara didn’t give up and showed his tenacity by surviving and scrambling out of numerous submission attempts. He was also mounted several times, enduring punishment as Hioki rained down many blows from the top position.

Kanehara managed to turn his luck around in the third round and mounted a better offense; however, it was not enough to win the fight, which when it came to its conclusion saw Hioki take the decision nod.

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Josh Barnett is reportedly under consideration for a return to mixed martial arts action later this year at Sengoku 11 which takes place from the Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Japan on November 7, as reported by Fight Opinion.

Barnett heads back to the "Land of the Rising Sun," a country that's hosted a good portion of his career and may become his main base at least for the foreseeable future after "The Babyface Assassin" failed a pre-fight drug screening for anabolic steroids prior to a showdown with Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: "Trilogy" on Aug. 1.

He returned a positive "B" sample on Friday (July 31) according to the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC), all but confirming his initial test result from last month which could potentially prevent him from receiving a license to compete on American soil for at least a year.

And should he return to fight in U.S. somewhere down the line it’s likely he won’t be greeted with welcome arms after much fan backlash directed at him for the incident. It would also seem unlikely that any stateside promoter will be eager to book him after this recent debacle.

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World Victory Road is set to present Sengoku 9 taking place this Sunday on August 2 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

For fans in the North America it will be aired on HDNet via tape delay next Friday August 7, at 10:00pm ET.

The event will of course host the conclusion of the promotion's featherweight grand prix, with the semifinals and finals all set to go down in the same night.

First up will be Tournament favorite and promotion poster boy Hatsu Hioki who will collide with fellow countryman Masanori Kanehara.

Hioki earned his way into the final four by firing off two impressive submission victories in his preliminary bouts, with both wins coming in the first round.

He firstly submitted American Top Team (ATT) prospect Chris Manuel (6-2-2) with a slick fight ending triangle armbar this March at Sengoku 7. Then just 2 months later in a quarterfinal bout Hioki locked on a triangle choke that forced UK grappler Ronnie Mann (16-2-1) to tap at Sengoku 8.

His opponent Kanehara reached the semifinal stages by garnering decisions over a couple of Korean imports, firstly in Jong Man Kim (21-9-2) and then he would score another decision in a closely contested battle with hard hitting slugger Chan Sung Jung (6-1) this May.

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Japan’s Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) announced earlier today the pairings for its featherweight grand prix semifinals as well as a tournament reserve bout, which are all set to go down at the DREAM 11 event scheduled for the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on Oct. 6.

The reserve bout will pit Kazuyuki Miyata (7-7) against Daiki "DJ.taiki" Hata (11-5-3).

Hata actually won his preliminary bout in the tournament garnering a unanimous decision over Hideo Tokoro at DREAM 8 this April, though he was unable to recover in time from a nagging eye injury he sustained earlier this year to compete in the quarterfinals. So the man he defeated, Tokoro, stepped up and took his place in the tournament.

First up in the semifinal action will be wrestling convert Joe Warren (2-0) taking on jiu-jitsu ace Bibiano Fernandes (5-2).

Warren made his debut in mixed martial arts in the tournament opening round at DREAM 7 this March where he defeated former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe (12-4) via TKO (cuts). Then in only his second professional bout, he shocked the world when he bested featherweight superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto (17-2) via decision win at DREAM 9 this May.

Fernandes' path to the tournament consisted of garnering decision victories over Takafumi Otsuka (8-4-1) and Masakazu Imanari (16-7-1).

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Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) recently announced that DREAM 12, which was originally set for Oct. 31, is now set to take place from the Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan, on Oct. 25.

Its the latest shake up from the company for its upcoming lineup of events.

DREAM 12 was expected to feature the semifinals of the "Super Hulk" open weight tournament; however, the match ups were recently moved to DREAM 11 on Oct. 6. Remember that DREAM 11 was originally expected go down on Sept. 23.

So now this all means that the promotion will stage two events in the month of October.

FEG has yet to announce any bouts for DREAM 12 -- the card is empty at this moment. That will likely change real soon as we get closer to fight night, which is just three months out.

On the other hand, in addition to the "Super Hulk" semifinals, DREAM 11 will feature the conclusion of the featherweight grand prix -- the semifinals and final are set to go down in the same night.

DREAM 11 is expected to air in primetime on Japanese broadcasting network TBS. It will be last show on the promotion's current television deal. And that's likely the reason the card has started to become stacked in hopes of drawing much needed high ratings.

Indeed, two title bouts are also in the works for DREAM 11.

Its lightweight champion, Joachim Hansen, (19-7-1) will make a return to action and defend his title for the first time against Japanese mainstay Shinya Aoki (21-4). And Jason "Mayhem" Miller (22-6) will battle it out with bitter-rival Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (10-2) for the vacant DREAM middleweight title.

For more on DREAM click here.

Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) has officially announced the pairings for the semifinals of its K-1 World MAX 2009 (154 lbs) tournament, which are scheduled to take place from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on Oct. 26.

K-1 MAX Japan Tournament runner-up Yuya Yamamoto will face off against Italian bruiser Giorgio Petrosyan, who managed to outscore the first ever K-1 MAX champion Albert Kraus on the judges scorecards to claim victory in his preliminary bout at K-1 World MAX Final 8.

On the other side of the brackets will be a contest between a pair of former two-time K-1 World MAX Champions, Dutch blitzkrieg Andy Souwer (2005 and 2007 winner), taking on Muay Thai sensation Buakaw Por. Pramuk (2004 and 2006 winner), in what will be the third showdown between the two.

The pair have faced off twice before and are currently one apiece in the rivalry with Souwer winning a decision at the 2005 K-1 MAX Final and Buakaw exacting revenge with a vicious knockout in the 2006 K-1 MAX Final.

Now they will duke it out once more for the upper hand in the rivalry scorecards and also to reach this years tournament final and a chance to win it for a record third time; however, Yamamoto or Petrosyan may have something else to say about that.

The winners of the semifinal bouts will then be given time to rest and will meet later in the same evening in the main event of the show.

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DEEP, which recently announced the acquisition of Pride FC and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Ryo Chonan (15-10), has revealed that "The Piranha" will take on Jutaro Nakao (22-14-4) at DEEP: "43rd Impact" from the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, on Aug. 23.

Chonan most recently competed under the UFC banner, amassing a disappointing record (1-3) with the promotion. His last outing was split decision loss to Canadian grappler TJ Grant (14-3) at UFC 97: "Redemption" this past April.

It marked the second consecutive loss for Chonan, which would lead to him getting handed his walking papers and released from his contract.

The good news is that it didn't take long for Chonan to return home -- he has had a solid relationship with the organization throughout his career, hosting 12 of his previous professional bouts. And he once held the promotion's middleweight title.

In fact, Chonan has stated it’s now his goal to reclaim DEEP gold. First up, however, he’ll have to get past crafty veteran Jutaro Nakao.

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Japan’s Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) has announced that WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki is set to do battle with DREAM 2008 lightweight grand prix winner Joachim Hansen for the promotions lightweight strap at DREAM 11 from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on Oct. 6.

This will be the third showdown between the pair.

Their first meeting would go down at Pride Shockwave 2006 which would see "Hellboy" succumb to the ground game of the "Tobikan Judan" and become part of the ever growing highlight reel of Aoki’s by being victimized via gogoplata.

However the second encounter would go a little differently.

They would end up facing off again in the DREAM Lightweight Tournament Final at DREAM 5 in July of 2008.

Aoki was trying to work his ground game as usual, when Hansen decided he wanted no part of it and got back to his feet and threw a earth shattering left punch to the jaw of the still grounded Aoki. This would leave him dazed and prepped for more punishment courtesy of some nasty strikes forcing the referee to jump in and save the helpless victim.

Now a rubber match is in place for one of the combatants to get the upper hand on the scorecard.

Hansen hasn’t competed since his last clash with Aoki in the summer of 2008.

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Japan’s Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) recently announced the pairings for its featherweight grand prix semifinals which are set to go down at the DREAM 11 event scheduled for the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on Oct. 6.

First up will be wrestling convert Joe Warren (2-0) taking on jiu-jitsu ace Bibiano Fernandes (5-2).

Warren made his debut in mixed martial arts in the tournament opening round at DREAM 7 this March where he defeated former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe (12-4) via TKO (cuts). Then in only his second professional bout he shocked the world when he bested featherweight superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto (17-2) to a decision win at DREAM 9 this May.

Fernandes path to the tournament consisted of garnering decision victories over Takafumi Otsuka (8-4-1) and Masakazu Imanari (16-7-1).

On the other side of the brackets will be hard hitting slugger Hiroyuki Takaya (11-6-1) who is coming off a impressive annihilation of Yoshihiro Maeda (24-7-2) at DREAM 9. He takes on fellow countryman, fan favorite and general underdog Hideo Tokoro (22-16-1).

The semifinal bouts for DREAM’s open weight tournament, which has been dubbed the "Super Hulk" tournament, will also take place at the event.

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DREAM 10, which featured the promotion’s welterweight grand prix, took place earlier this morning (Monday, July 20) from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

If you missed it you’ll be able to catch the replay on HDNet this Friday, July 24 at 10 p.m. ET.

To kick off the show would be the welterweight grand prix featuring the reserve bout between Tarec Saffiedine and Seichi Ikemoto. The bout ended up going the distance with Saffiedine garnering a unanimous decision win once the bout came to its conclusion.

Ikemoto started well but as the fight progressed Saffiedine took over the pace and proved to be more effective, while Ikemoto attempted to be flashy with numerous failed flying double axe handles and spinning back fists.

We then moved swiftly on to the tournament semifinals, with tournament favourite Hayato "Mach" Sakurai doing battle with Cage Rage veteran Marius Zaromskis. The bout started at a frantic pace with both fighters landing some vicious clean shots to one another though neither seemed too fazed at first.

But Zaromskis' quickness started to get the better of Mach and he started landing the more damaging blows that started to rock Sakurai. Then the bout was suddenly halted by ringside officials to check two cuts to the head of Sakurai, after a little deliberating and cleaning of the wounds they decided the fight could continue.

And just as soon as it had Zaromskis continued with more of the same and then managed to land a nasty high kick that dropped and saw Mach face plant into the canvas, Zaromskis jumped on the downed Sakurai and landed more shots to the dome of his dazed opponent which forced the referee to intervene.

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Japan’s Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) held the weigh-ins today for its DREAM 10 event, which is set to go down from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on July 20.

Hayato "Mach" Sakurai missed weight twice today; however, the good news is that he was able to hit the mark on his third and final attempt. It marks the second time in a row "Mach" has tipped the scales overweight -- he had similar problems this past April at DREAM 8.

Everyone else on the card made weight and are locks for the event.

Here are the official weigh-in results for DREAM 10 (converted from kilograms to pounds):

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Japan’s Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) recently announced a change of date and venue for its DREAM 11 event, which will now take place from the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, on Oct. 6.

It was originally set to go down Sept. 23 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan; however, a venue switch and an additional two weeks were required to make it happen.

The semifinal bouts for DREAM’s open weight tournament, which has been dubbed "Super Hulk," will take place at the event. Japanese fan favorite Ikuhisa Minowa has been put to the task of facing off against 7’2" Korean gargantuan Hong Man-Choi in his semifinal fight, while the other side of the brackets will feature Gegard Mousasi doing battle against the dangerous Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

"Super Hulk" tournament finalists will then do battle on New Years Eve at the annual Dynamite!! event.

DREAM 11 is also expected to feature the semifinal bouts of the featherweight grand prix. Though the pairings are still to be announced, it will feature fan favorite and underdog Hideo Tokoro, jiu-jitsu ace Bibiano Fernandes, hard-hitting slugger Hiroyuki Takaya and also wrestling stud Joe Warren, who shocked the world recently by defeating featherweight superstar Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto.

Also slated for the card is a clash to take care of some unfinished business between the charismatic Jason "Mayhem" Miller and grappling phenom Ronaldo Souza.

The bitter rivals recently fought this May at DREAM 9 for the vacant DREAM middleweight title, though the bout was stopped after an errant blow from Miller to a downed Souza caused a deep laceration, which the severity of forced the ringside officials to call off the bout and declare it a no contest.

Now the pair will tangle for a third time this October for a more decisive outcome and also to declare a new DREAM middleweight champion.

And elsewhere in non-tournament action Karate stylist Andrews Nakahara is set to throwdown with Croatian sensation Zelg Galesic in a middleweight showdown.

Here is the current line-up for DREAM 11:

DREAM middleweight title:
Jason Miller (22-6) vs. Ronaldo Souza (10-2)

Featherweight grand prix participants:
Joe Warren (2-0)
Hideo Tokoro (22-16-1)
Bibiano Fernandes (5-2)
Hiroyuki Takaya (11-6-1)

"Super Hulk" open weight grand prix semifinals:
Hong Man-Choi (2-2) vs. Ikuhisa Minowa (42-30-8)
Gegard Mousasi (25-2-1) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4)

Non-tournament bout:
Zelg Galesic (9-4) vs. Andrews Nakahara (2-1)

For more on DREAM click here.

Japan’s Fighting & Entertainment Group (FEG) recently announced the final line up and bout order for its next event, DREAM 10, which will take place from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on July 20.

For North American fans it will air live on HDNet at 3 a.m. ET and an encore presentation is set for next Friday, July 24, at 10 p.m. ET.

The focal point of the event will of course be the conclusion of the welterweight tournament, which was created in a bid to crown a new 168-pound champion.

The event will get kick started with the welterweight grand prix reserve bout between Seichi Ikemoto and Tarec Saffiedine, then after that the welterweight semifinals should quickly get underway.

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World Victory Road (WVR) recently announced the first handful of participants for it’s Sengoku 10 event, which takes place at the Saitama Community Arena in Saitama, Japan, on September 23.

The first (and last) Elite XC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva (12-1), UFC veteran Joe Doerksen (41-12) and former IFC lightweight champion Ryan Schultz (20-11-1) are the participants scheduled for Sengoku 10, though all pending opponents are to be announced at a later date.

Silva last competed at Sengoku "Rebellion" this January, where he picked up a quick and easy win over Yoshihiro Nakao who came up lame with a knee injury just one minute into the bout and had to forfeit.

"Bigfoot" has been targeted as one of the focal points (along with Josh Barnett) for a yet to be announced mini-heavyweight tournament, so a good outing at Sengoku 10 should keep him in the running for that while a loss may not.

Since washing out of the UFC in April of 2008 after a loss to Jason McDonald at UFC 83: "St. Pierre vs. Serra 2", middleweight Joe "El Dirte" Doerksen has gone on to win three straight, including picking up a victory in his debut for WVR at Sengoku 6 last November, where he pummeled Izuru Takeuchi late into the third round, winning by technical knockout (TKO).

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Tune in this Monday, July 20 for "HDNet Fights Presents: DREAM 10" from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The stacked mixed martial arts event will air LIVE in North America at 3:00 a.m. ET.

For all you sleepyheads and chislers who refuse to shell out the few extra clams for a DVR, you can catch the encore presentation next Friday, July 24 at 10 p.m. ET.

DREAM 10 will feature the semifinals and finals of the promotions welterweight tournament, which was created in a bid to crown a new 168 lb champion.

Japanese mainstay Hayato Sakurai (35-8-2) takes on unorthodox Marius Zaromskis (9-2) and on the other side of the bracket will be jiu-jitsu ace Andre Galvao (3-0) facing off against the explosive Jason High (7-1).

Also in non-tournament action will be WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki colliding with fellow jiu-jitsu ace Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro in what should turn out to be quite a grappling demonstration. Former WEC middleweight Kingpin Paulo Filho and dangerous K-1 striker Melvin Manhoef are also scheculed to hook 'em up.

Here is the current line-up for DREAM 10:

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The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 7 cast member Jesse "JT Money" Taylor (11-3) has recently announced that his next bout will be against Korean Judoka Dong Sik-Yoon (4-6) at DREAM 10 on July 20, from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, according to his official Web site.

Taylor had his fair share of infamy throughout the seventh season of TUF, but it may be the feat he managed to establish towards the end of the show that he’s best known for: Being the first person ever to reach the finale but to get kicked off before competing.

That incident stemmed from Taylor’s drunken debauchery in a Las Vegas Casino which rubbed UFC president Dana White the wrong way and lead to him giving the boot to the TUF 7 Finalist.

He did get a second chance with the organization at UFC Fight Night: "Silva vs. Irvin" in July 2008, though ended up losing to fellow TUF 7 castmate CB Dolloway via slick Peruvian necktie which would also lead to Taylors second exile from the UFC.

Since than he has been toiling on the small circuits of North America, where he has managed to rack up five wins in the last year which apparently has earned him a call up to go fight on the big stage in Japan for DREAM.

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Pride FC legend and Ukrainian berzerker, Igor Vovchanchyn (47-9-1) will, reportedly make a return to mixed martial arts competition at the Fighting Mixed Combative, which is the upstart South Korean promotion’s sophomore event on Sept. 29, 2009, according to our friends over at Nightmare of Battle.

No possible opponent has been named at this time.

This comes as surprising news, seeing how one year ago Vovchanchyn seemed to be completely against the idea of a return to mixed martial arts:

"I’m a businessman now. I won’t come back. Sure I think about it every once in a while, but I’m 35, you know. The main problem is the injuries. I can’t even strike with my right hand. I got three screws in my right elbow and one in the left. I’m about to undergo an operation on my nose as I can’t breathe right. To sum things up, there is no sense in my comeback."

Has time has healed old wounds? Perhaps his return is purely financially motivated. Or maybe he just couldn’t resist one last swan song to go out on a high note.

Either way, it’s hard to imagine "Ice Cold" returning to the fighting form that once made him one of the most feared strikers in mixed martial arts. Besides the nagging injuries he’s complained of in the past, he's coming off a long layoff, having not competed since August of 2005, which was a unanimous decision loss to Judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura (13-9) at Pride: "Final Conflict 2005."

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World Victory Road (WVR) recently announced the latest match-ups for its next event, Sengoku 9, which are the three tournament finals derived from it’s reality television show "Project Gold Rush" at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Aug. 2.

"Project Gold Rush" was a new Television show from WVR that aired in Japan and recently came to it‘s conclusion, similar in structure to The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), featuring up-and-coming fighters battling it out in tournament format.

The show featured three weight classes and finalist from each will battle it out at Sengoku 9.

First up will be the lightweight (154lbs) final, which pits undefeated Shooto prospect Ikuo Usuda against Cage Force product Koji Ando.

Next in tournament action will be featherweight (143lbs) competitors, seeing DEEP veteran Toru Harai facing off with Shigeki Osawa, who is the only participant to already have had a bout under the World Victory Road banner, which was a unanimous decision victory over Kota Ishibashi this May at Sengoku 8.

And last but not least the bantamweight (132lbs) final with Takeshi Numajiri taking on Ryosuke Komori.

The pairings for World Victory Road’s featherweight grand prix semifinals are of course also set to go down at Sengoku 9.

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Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) held its latest event, K-1 World MAX Final 8, from the Nippon Budokan Arena in Tokyo, Japan, yesterday (July 13).

For fans in North America it will air via tape delay Friday July 17 at 10 p.m. ET on HDNet.

The focal point of the evening was another mixed martial arts vs. K-1 fight with DREAM lightweight standout Tatsuya Kawajiri going up against former two-time K-1 Max World champion Masato. It seems as if FEG is trying to brew up a rivalry between both sports to drum up fan interest.

Perhaps it's working.

The back and forth battles, which have mainly seen MMA stars of DREAM head over to K-1 to try their hands at the striking-only sport, have not only being entertaining, but has seen a fair share of the mixed martial artist stand their ground and do quite well.

However, just not this time around.

Kawajiri was simply outclassed in his bout with K-1 legend Masato. It’s hard to fault him though -- his primary base is wrestling and it’s safe to say he was out of his element in a stand up only fight against someone the caliber of the Masato.

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Props: Telegraph.co.uk

Former WEC welterweight kingpin Carlos Condit (22-5) is set to do battle with Chris Lytle (27-17-2) in a 170-pound showdown at UFC Fight Night 19 from the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Sept. 16, 2009, according to MMA Fanhouse.

Condit debuted for the UFC this April, making the jump from the WEC after the promotion’s 170-pound division was folded. He fought top contender Martin Kampmann in an all-out action packed war at UFC Fight Night: "Condit vs. Kampmann." Unfortunately, "The Natural Born Killer" came up short, as "The Hitman" was able to eek out a split decision victory.

It was a closely contested bout, but nonetheless still a loss. Condit now looks to get back on the winning path and reclaim the glory he once had as a three-time defending WEC champion.

"Lights Out" Lytle is coming off a unanimous decision win over Kevin Burns at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 9 Finale this June, in what was an exciting showdown that saw Lytle earn his third "Fight of the Night" bonus in as many attempts.

He’ll be hoping to make it four in a row come September, and Condit will be happy to oblige, as he has been in his fair share of entertaining bouts himself.

The main event of the evening will see TUF 5 winner Nate Diaz (10-4) get a chance to break out of an 0-2 slump when he tangles with Melvin Guillard (22-7-2). It is also expected to feature a lightweight rumble between Roger Huerta and Gray Maynard.

UFC Fight Night 19 will serve as the lead-in for the upcoming tenth season of TUF, which features Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson and a solid collection of 15 other heavyweight fighters competing in a tournament-style format to earn one "six-figure contract."

For more on Fight Night 19 stay dialed in to MMAmania.com and remember to check out our event archive right here. Also be sure to check out the latest UFC Fight Night 19 card and rumors right here.

Grapplers Quest recently announced that it has added the final "super fight" to the UFC’s first-ever grappling tournament, a contest between Vinicius Magalhaes and Daniel Valverde. The tournament is slated to be a part of the UFC Fan Expo from July 10 to 11 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Magalhaes — The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 light heavyweight finalist — is a former Mundials and Pan-American grappling champion, boasting one of the slickest ground games in the world.

His opponent, Valverde, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach at Team Nogueira which should add some intrigue into the bout and a compelling storyline to boot.

That’s because in the time Magalhaes spent on The Ultimate Fighter, he managed to infuriate Coach Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by talking down his jiu-jitsu and saying it wasn’t of a high standard which led to a verbal altercation between the two.

So lots of bragging rights on the line here when Valverde squares off with Magalhaes.

Grapplers Quest at UFC Fan Expo will feature talents such as Shooto legend and Japanese mainstay, Rumina "Moon Wolf" Sato, Ulysses "Useless" Gomez, Fredson Paixao and Joe Stevenson, among other notables.

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