This is your quick source to find out happenings in the world of mixed martial arts. This blog will provide up to date info, news and notes as it happens.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Correction: Chris Leben Arrested for Probation Violation

It was reported earlier that UFC middleweight Chris Leben had been arrested for DUI when in fact Leben turned himself in and was arrested in Oregon on Wednesday for a parole violation stemming from a previous DUI offense, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

As of late Wednesday evening, Leben remained behind bars.

Leben will go before a judge at 3 p.m. on Thursday. It was determined upon his booking that he was not eligible for bail because of the probation violation, according to the representative.

Leben (18-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC), 27, most recently defeated Alessio Sakara in March at UFC 82. After Chuck Liddell was forced to pull out of a UFC 85 main-event bout with Rashad Evans, the UFC booked fights between Leben and Bisping, as well as Matt Hughes and Thiago Alves. The popular fighter found his way to the UFC via the first season of the UFC reality series, "The Ultimate Fighter."

There's no word how and if the arrest may impact his June 7 fight with Bisping, which takes place overseas in London, England.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Roger Huerta vs. Kenny Florian Set for UFC 87

UFC lightweight contenders Kenny Florian (9-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Roger Huerta (20-1-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) have made no secret of their desire to fight each other, and Florian specifically has mentioned a UFC 87 event in August as the most likely date for the bout.

The Florian-Huerta fight will most likely serve as a co-main event for the Aug. 9 event. A heavyweight bout between UFC hall-of-famer Mark Coleman former WWE performer and NCAA champion Brock Lesnar headlines the event.

Florian fought earlier this month at UFC Fight Night 13 and defeated Joe Lauzon via second-round TKO. It was his fourth consecutive victory since a loss to Sean Sherk for the then-vacant lightweight title. Florian has now won seven of his past eight fights -- all via stoppage.

Huerta, meanwhile, will enter the bout with 16 consecutive victories (with one no-contest), including a perfect 6-0 mark in the UFC. The 24-year-old fought five times in 2007 and opted to take some time off to recover from the grueling schedule. His fight against Florian will be his first bout in more than eight months; he last defeated Clay Guida via third-round submission in The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale main event.

The Florian-Huerta bout will have obvious implications on the UFC's lightweight title picture, as the winner will likely next face either B.J. Penn or Sean Sherk, who fight for the title next month at UFC 84.

Travis Lutter Cut From the UFC

UFC middleweight and "The Ultimate Fighter 4" winner Travis Lutter, who most recently suffered a second-round TKO to Rich Franklin at UFC 83, has been released from the UFC.

Lutter confirmed the news with a recent blog post.

Lutter, who nearly submitted Franklin with a first-round armbar at the April 19 event, has been dropped from the UFC after facing arguably the division's top two fighters: Franklin and UFC middleweight title-holder Anderson Silva.

"Friday [afternoon] I was told by my manager that UFC matchmaker Joe [Silva] had left my him a message on his phone that I had been released from my UFC contract because of my two losses in a row," Lutter wrote.

After defeating Patrick Cote to win "TUF 4," Lutter earned his guaranteed title shot with Silva. However, he failed to make weight for the event -- earning the wrath of MMA fans and even UFC president Dana White -- and despite a solid first round, he ultimately suffered a second-round submission loss via strikes.

Lutter (9-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC) made his octagon debut at UFC 50 and earned a second-round knockout victory over Marvin Eastman.

This is no surprise given the dog house Dana White had put him in. Do you think he was really cut because of having 2 losses in a row against Anderson Sylva and Rich Franklin respectively? He failed to make weight and then gassed out after the first round. If fights were only one round long and only 5 minutes Lutter would be the middleweight champion. He simply dominates in the first round and then the tank runs dry.

Travis Lutter will be a pretty good force in another organization and needs to work on some serious cardio. I wouldn't be surprised if he returns to the UFC in the future when the ever boring middleweight division needs a bit of shaking up.

It just goes to show, don't get on the boss's bad side in the UFC.

Leben vs. Bisping Confirmed for UFC 85

Just hours after the organization announced a UFC 85 main event of Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves, the UFC also confirmed a main-card bout between Chris Leben (18-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and Michael Bisping (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC).

UFC 85, which also features a bout between former headliner Rashad Evans and James Irvin (a replacement for injured Chuck Liddell), takes place at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Bisping agreed to the bout less than a week after his UFC 83 main-card victory over Charles McCarthy. Bisping, the light heavyweight winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 3," made his middleweight debut with a first-round TKO at the event. McCarthy announced his retirement just days after the fight.

Bisping will now take on hard-hitting Leben, a product of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" who most recently TKO'd Alessio Sakara at UFC 82 in March. The 27-year-old, who began his UFC career with five straight victories, will now go for his third straight win after back-to-back losses to Jason MacDonald and Kalib Starnes.

With this week's flurry of UFC 85 transactions, a solid middleweight bout between Nate Marquardt and Thales Leites has now officially been relegated to the un-televised preliminary card.

The latest card now includes:

MAIN CARD (TELEVISED)

Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes
Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick
Rashad Evans vs. James Irvin
Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum

PRELIMINARY CARD (NOT TELEVISED)

Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
Thales Leites vs. Nate Marquardt
Luiz Cane vs. Jason Lambert
Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan
Jess Liaudin vs. Paul Taylor
Antoni Hardonk vs. Neil Wain

Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves to main event UFC 85

To make up for the loss of Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans earlier this week, the UFC has pulled together a new main event for UFC 85 on Saturday, June 7 at the O2 Arena in London.

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (42-6) will take on Thiago Alves (14-3), who recently stalled Karo Parisyan's plans for a title shot.

Hughes was rumored to face Matt Serra next to settle their feud from being coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 6. Hughes stated on his blog that regardless of whether he wins or loses against Alves, he will get his fight with Serra next.

With a win over Hughes, Alves could put himself in line for a title shot alongside Jon Fitch. Alves is 7-2 inside the Octagon and has won five in a row.