A welterweight tilt between Marcus Davis and Nate Diaz is on tap for the promotion’s first event in Boston.

The news of the bout comes according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.

The fate of the fight is hinged on the commission’s ruling for Diaz’ role in the now famous brawl at Strikeforce: Nashville.

Diaz is coming off a victory in his debut at welterweight against Rory Markham at UFC 111. Despite Markham having a seven pound weight advantage due to missing weight, Diaz was easily able to finish Markham off in the first round. Diaz has stated that he has wanted to fight at both welterweight and lightweight in the future.

Davis is coming off of a hard-earned victory at UFC 113 against Jonathan Goulet. Davis finished Goulet with strikes in the second round, avoiding the possibility of losing three straight fights. Davis also went 17-1 as a professional boxer before entering MMA.

UFC 118 takes place on August 28 and will emanate from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

It’s been a busy day in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization with unofficial and official bout changes from several of their upcoming events including UFC 114, 115, 116, 117 and 118.

The MMA News has compiled as many of the News & Notes for Tuesday May 11, 2010 from various sources around the web to provide you, our readers with theupdates.

- “Suga” Rashad Evans plans on leaving his emotions outside of the octagon against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

“The person that brings the most mental baggage to the fight is probably going to be the person that loses because they’re going to be one step slower in their reaction and getting off.

“The key for me is to just have an empty mind, to just go in there and try to perform to my best,” Evans said. “Just let all the trash talk come to a point in the cage and not go in there and fight angry.

“You could try to take his head off with every single punch and [gas] out halfway through the first round.”

“I do want to stand and bang and show him … but then at the same time, you’ve got to win the fight,” Evans said. “It doesn’t matter how long [I] stood up with him; it’s just how [effectively] you can take him out. I plan on using everything I can to do so.

“If it happens that I see an opportunity to take him down, then I’m taking him down. If I feel he defends the shot good, then we’ll stand up and bang. It all depends on what he gives me.”

- Thiago Tavares (14-3-1) has withdrawn from his bout with Melvin Guillard (23-8-2) due to an elbow injury.

According to Davis, Tavares hyper-extended his elbow during a training session. A timetable for his recovery is not known.

“Thiago just can’t seem to catch a break,” Davis said. “This would have been a great fight.”

- UFC newcomer Waylon Lowe (8-2) will step in for Tavares against Guillard. Lowe has a wrestling background and has won his last six fights.

- Jason Brilz (18-2-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3) was made official today. Brilz replaces an injured Forrest Griffin after he suffered a shoulder injury.

- With Griffin officially replaced, a middleweight bout between Michael Bisping (18-3) vs. Dan Miller (11-3) has been promoted as the co-headliner for UFC 114.

UFC 114 takes place May 29 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and coincides with UFC Fan Expo 2010.

- Spike TV officially announces it’s next “UFC Prelims” program for next months UFC 115 event. Featured during the one-hour special will be two lightweight matches between Mac Danzig (19-7-1) vs. Matt Wiman (11-5) and Tyson Griffin (14-2) vs. Evan Dunham (10-0).

- A heavyweight bout between Ben Rothwell (30-7) and Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1) has been promoted to the PPV portion of the event after the Griffin vs. Dunham bout was dropped to the Spike broadcast.

UFC 115 takes place June 12 at GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It marks the UFC’s first-ever trip to Vancouver.

- A bout between lightweights Jacob Volkmann (10-2) and Paul Kelly (10-2) was made official for UFC 116 and will take place on the preliminary card of the event.

UFC 116 is set to take place on July 3rd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

- Fresh from their victories at UFC 113 this past weekend, UFC heavyweight fighters Matt Mitrione (2-0) and Joey Beltran (12-3) are rumored to meet at UFC 117, according to TrueFighting.com.

- The last hurdle facing UFC legend Randy Couture (18-10) and heavyweight boxer James Toney (0-0) happens to be a weight issue. The UFC had planned for both men to meet at 215 pounds, while Toney has asked for a 220 pound catch weight.

HT: MMAjunkie.com, BloodyElbow.com, and MMAFighting.com for the updates.

With his impressive and vital victory over Jonathan Goulet at this past weekend's UFC 113 event, Marcus Davis is laying off the usual post-event food binges and today settled for a boring lunch salad.

Why the discipline?

Davis - and UFC officials - hope to get the Maine native and Massachusetts-based Team Sityodtong fighter on an Aug. 28 UFC 118 card slated to take place at Boston's TD Garden, the fighter today told MMAjunkie.com Radio.

After a week off from espousing my knowledge (or lack thereof) when it comes to correctly picking MMA results I’m back once again offering up a little insight and opinion on how I see this weekend’s “UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2” event unfolding. The card includes a number of interesting pairings highlighted by a headlining rematch featuring not only the intrigue of a controversial decision dished out in the combatants’ initial encounter but also that derived from the simple fact Mauricio Rua and Lyoto Machida are among the truly elite 205-pounders in Mixed Martial Arts. Beyond the light heavyweight championship clash, a bout with less-direct title implications is also set to take place in the form of welterweights Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley facing off, as well as the scheduled sophomore appearance of Kimbo Slice in the Octagon, the involvement number of local products guaranteed to amp up the Montreal crowd, and what I feel are some truly excellent stylistic match-ups involving both veterans and prospects.

Before I get into the “pick em” part of this article let me preclude the breakdown of bouts by saying one of the things about Mixed Martial Arts I’ve always loved is its unpredictable nature. I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction with a little insight/opinion included in the deal, but readers would be wise to avoid laying down money on my attempts to glimpse into the future. Beyond that, please don’t hesitate to share your own thoughts on any or all of the scheduled fights in the “Comments” section below, and let’s get this show on the road…

PRELIMINARY CARD

Jason MacDonald vs. John Salter

Smart move by the UFC brass to have a popular Canadian fighter open the card up against an adversary he should have no problem beating. MacDonald’s primary focus will be on dragging things down to the mat and working his jiujitsu. If successful Salter will find himself swimming in treacherous waters as “The Athlete” has submitted eighteen of the twenty-four of the opponents he’s beaten. I think he’s slick enough on his feet to defend anything Salter will have to offer and as previously stated his grappling is superior. Outside of the old “puncher’s chance” I think it’s safe to say it’s pretty much a given MacDonald will win this match-up.

Winner – Jason MacDonald via Submission Round 2

Johny Hendricks vs. T.J. Grant

This is an evenly matched fight where each man essentially negates the other’s skills based on their respective styles. Grant specializes in jiujitsu while Hendricks is a top notch wrestler, meaning Grant will likely struggle to take Hendricks down and seek out submissions while Hendricks will have to be wary of shooting in because of the threat Grant poses from the bottom. I think it could result in a stalemate of sorts that isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing thing for fans to watch. I’m giving Hendricks the edge to win because I think his grappling will allow him to control in-ring positioning, as well as assist in avoiding mistakes that might result in a submission from the bottom. After all, more than half of Grant’s wins have come by way of armbar, so it’s definitely a technique the former All-American needs to be consciously looking out for.

Winner – Johny Hendricks via Decision

Joey Beltran vs. Tim Hague

Beltran vs. Hague is a guaranteed slugfest that very well may produce the show’s “Knockout of the Night”. Neither is afraid to stand and bang while both possess knockout power. I would be shocked if this bout sees the third round. I’m picking Beltran because he’s been hot as of late, winning seven of his last eight fights by TKO, while Hague is coming off consecutive losses and has the added pressure of knowing a third could equate to a pink-slip from the organization.

Winner – Joey Beltran via TKO Round 1

Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Michael Guymon

Yoshida hasn’t lived up to the hype he entered the UFC with, but then again two of his four fights have come against extremely dangerous opponents (Anthony Johnson and Josh Koscheck) so it’s hard to fault him for stumbling a bit along along the way. I like that Guymon has the same number of wins by TKO as he does by submissions, and I won’t be surprised if the diversity of his skills lead way to an upset victory. However, I’m picking Yoshida because I simply think he’s the better overall fighter, and I have more confidence in his ability to finish things with strikes or successfully land takedowns while working his way into position for a choke.

Winner – Yoshiyuki Yoshida via Decision

Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet

I have high hopes for this match-up as far as entertainment value goes. Like I said in this week’s Grappling with Issues, “Though neither is within a stone’s throw of title contendership or is likely to dramatically improve their standing in the immediate future, both are veteran fighters who prefer to strike and may be in a ‘loser leaves town’ situation.”

Also, the fact Goulet will be fighting in front of his fellow Quebeccers should introduce additional elements of excitement and energy into the bout. Ultimately, I think Davis will win based on his superior boxing and the fact he’s been consistently active in the ring as opposed to Goulet’s recent absence from it. The New Englander may not be “Top 10” material in the welterweight division but he’s definitely skilled enough to beat most opponents, especially journeymen like “The Road Warrior”. He should be able to win the stand-up battle while stuffing the bulk of Goulet’s takedowns and scoring a few of his own if need be.

Winner – Marcus Davis via Decision

Tom Lawlor vs. Joe Doerksen

The Bell Center’s custodial staff may deserve a bonus after the dust settles and these two exit the Octagon given that their nicknames are “The Filthly Mauler” and “El Dirte”. It seems all the bout needs is Peanuts’ “Pig-Pen” acting as referee.

On a serious note, I think it’s actually a very interesting pairing, and I can see the end result going to either since each individual has a few things working for and against him. Doerksen’s experience eclipses Lawlor in as severe a fashion as you’re likely to ever see in the Zuffa era. The 50-fight difference between them is a remarkable stat, and I’d wager it’s the largest gap in the promotion’s history minus a bout or two involving Jeremy Horn (a veteran of more than 105 professional matches). Doerksen has won his last five fights, and his grappling ability makes him a threat on the ground to submit most foes or occasionally work his way into a TKO-friendly position.

However, as good as Doersken can look at times, he’s also inconsistent. He splits decisions against lesser competition and has shown himself to constantly be at risk of losing by submission or knockout instead via one specific method of attack. I think Lawlor’s energy, power, and steadily improving skills will prove to be too much for the eleven-year MMA veteran and earn him the win though it won’t necessarily be pretty. Unlike Doerksen, Lawlor has the ability to severely hurt opponents while standing or when postured up over their downed form. I also feel he’s strong enough, and smart enough, to handle Doerksen’s ground game…and gosh darnit people like him!

Related to that final note, it will be interesting to see if the UFC makes an effort to show this fight specifically because of Lawlor’s status as sort of a cult hero in the MMA community. The Ultimate Fighter Season 8 contestant endeared himself to many while on the show due to his antics and sense of humor while also being a regular member of popular MMA forum “The Underground” and delivering two of the most entertaining entrances in the UFC’s recent history. Since it’s expected another memorable walkdown will take place on Saturday night (rumors range from a theme involving classic World Wrestling Federation tag-teams “The Mounties” or “The Hart Foundation” to the use of an American-centric theme song) it would make sense for the UFC to capitalize on his popularity/behavior as long as the PPV’s running time and the actual quality-of-fight permit it.

Winner – Tom Lawlor via Entrance TKO Round 3

MAIN CARD

Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote

First off, major credit to Cote for taking on such a difficult opponent in his return to action after almost a year-and-a-half on the sidelines recovering from a severe knee injury. Belcher continues to improve on a per-bout basis and is polished enough to earn a “W” from any position. Only two of his fifteen career wins have come via decision, so he definitely knows how to seal the deal rather than eek out victories, and he’s equally tricky to finish as well based how infrequently he’s been taken out in less than fifteen minutes. Cote has a similar knack for avoiding the judges’ scorecards, but he’s primarily reliant on striking to merit his hand being raised at the end of the night instead of being comfortable in all areas of the fight. He may have physically recovered from knee surgery but I wonder if he’s mentally recovered from it. I’ve heard it takes awhile for athletes to fully trust their joints and ligaments after major reconstruction and I wouldn’t be surprised if “The Predator” is a bit hesitant to go 110% in the ring. The outcome of the contest may rely on what goes through his mind when he digs in to sprawl, takes a few vicious leg kicks to the once-damaged area, or tries to plant and put his full force into a punch. I don’t think the psychological aspect involved can be denied, and coupled with ring rust from the extended hiatus I think it means Belcher is going to break thousands of French-Canadian hearts en route to a win tomorrow night. Expect him to clinch whenever possible to negate Cote’s ability to throw power-punches, test his fitness, and even sneak in a takedown or two along the way.

Winner – Alan Belcher via Submission Round 2

Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione

Slice has definitely shown improvement since his days in EliteXC but there’s one thing I haven’t seen – devastating power. He couldn’t flatten Houston Alexander or James Thompson even though both are known to have jaws made of Ming Dynasty china rather than glass. If Kimbo isn’t able to leave his opponents seeing stars with every looping blow he launches then what else does he really have to use against them?

On the other hand, “Meathead” has decent stand-up and heavy hands. He’s a better grappler with a greater chance of taking Kimbo down to work a submission than having the same done to him in return. His striking is a bit more technical than the former street fighter’s, so I believe he’ll find a few opportunities to land jabs and work in a couple nice combinations. If Seth Petruzelli could finish Slice while walking backwards I’m confident Mitrione can at minimum do the same.

Winner – Matt Mitrione via TKO Round 2

Sam Stout vs. Jeremy Stephens

This particular bout has serious “Fight of the Night” potential. Stout and Stephens are both fearless strikers who could use the momentum a memorable win on a stage like UFC 113 would provide. I expect them to stand and bang until someone falls down. I’m giving the nod to Stout because I think he packs a little more power in his punches, plus he’ll have the entire support of the arena being yet another popular Canadian fighter on the card.

Winner – Sam Stout via TKO Round 3

Josh Koschek vs. Paul Daley

I don’t disagree with the general structure most people seem to be assigning to Daley vs. Koscheck. Tell me if this sounds familiar. “Kos” will likely see what his British adversary has to offer in the stand-up department while trying to avoid any of the knockout blows Daley is known for. As soon as he no longer feels comfortable risking the proposition of staring up at the arena lights he’ll shoot in for a takedown. At best he’ll work towards either a submission or ground-and-pound TKO and at worst he’ll grind out a decision win. “Semtex” will clearly have a few knees loaded up to unleash when the takedown attempt comes. If he lands one or even a solid punch he could end things immediately but other than that he’s in trouble. It’s a pretty simple scenario and one I subscribe to. While Koscheck has definitely been rocked before, I think his chin is durable enough to absorb a little damage if it means latching on and dragging Daley down to the canvas. He’s smart enough to recognize the opportunity a win at the event would provide and as such I don’t think he’ll waste a lot of time tempting fate on his feet.

Winner – Josh Koscheck via Submission Round 2

Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

Based on their first fight I’d say the result of the rematch is an equivalent coin-flip. Both Machida and Rua are of such quality as Mixed Martial Artists neither has a significant advantage or overwhelming hole to exploit. Each has knockout ability, mainly due to precision and technique rather than pure power, while also possessing the necessary jiujitsu skills to latch onto limbs or procure choke holds on the mat. Conditioning was a gray area for “Shogun” after his slew of injuries in 2006-2008 but he looked to be in excellent shape against Chuck Liddell and in the initial bout with Machida so I don’t think cardio will be an issue. I’m only picking the champion to retain his belt because I feel Rua may be a little more aggressive this time out which could open him up to making uncharacteristic mistakes. If Machida can score a few clean punches, or possibly even land a trip or takedown, he should be able to mix in enough offense along with his standard defense throughout the bulk of the bout to come away with another win.

Winner – Lyoto Machida via (More Tolerable) Decision

Two more bouts look to be on tap for UFC on Versus 2, both in the middleweight division.

“The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz (8-1) will face Japanese fighter Yushin Okami (24-5) and Brian Stann (8-3) who makes the drop to middleweight, will step into the octagon against Mike Massenzio (11-3).

UFC on Versus 2 is expected to take place on Aug. 1 at the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The news of the Munoz vs. Okami fight was confirmed by MMAWeekly.com, while the Stann vs. Massenzio bout was first reported by Heavy.com.

Munoz has been on a tare since dropping to middleweight winning his past three fights including a spectacular TKO victory over Kendall Grove at UFC 112 in his last fight. Both fighters walked away with the “Fight of the Night” honor for the match. Munoz is 5-1 with the WEC/UFC.

Okami, meanwhile erased a recent loss by defeating Lucio Linhares at UFN 21 via TKO (doctors stoppage). The ever dangerous UFC middleweight has gone 8-2 with the promotion since making his debut in August of 2006.

Stann, a former WEC light-heavyweight champion, will make his debut at middleweight against Massenzio. He comes in after a loss to Phil Davis at UFC 109 and is 2-2 in the UFC. With the drop in weight, Stann hopes to have better success using his size to help negate opponents takedowns. His loss to Davis was an example, as Davis used his wrestling skills to dominate Stann in their fight.

Massenzio hasn’t fought since December of 2008 when he was defeated by C.B. Dollaway. The long layoff was due to a variety of injuries. He defeated Drew McFedries at UFN 15 in his UFC debut, earning a submission (kimura) victory in the fight.

News of two more match-ups for the World Extreme Cagefighting’s next event, WEC 49, have been targeted for the preliminary card.

A bantamweight bout between Will Campuazano (7-1) and Ravael Rebellow (6-3), as well as a featherweight matchup between Rafael Assunção (14-2) and Diego Nunes (13-1).

WEC 49 is set to take place on June 20th at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and will mark the promotions Canadian debut with the main card airing live on the Versus network.

Campuazano is 1-1 in the WEC so far, having defeated Coty Wheeler at WEC 46 in his last fight. That bout also earned both men the “Fight of the Night” honor. The loss was to Damacio Page at WEC 43 in Campuazano’s WEC debut, marking the first loss of his professional career.

Rebellow is also 1-1, coming off a win after losing his WEC debut. The Jiu-Jitsu fighter defeated Kyle Dietz at WEC 41 by submission and lost a split decision to Japanese fighter Kenji Osawa at WEC 39.

Assunção looks to erase a loss after being defeated by Urijah Faber in his last fight at WEC 46. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt had won six straight before the loss and is is 2-1 in the WEC.

Nunes suffered the first loss of his career against LC Davis at WEC 44 in his last fight. The Brazilian had won thirteen straight matches including two in the WEC over Cole Province and Rafael Dias.

The undercard for UFC 116 just got a bit more exciting with a fight between Matt Brown and Chris “Lights Out” Lytle has been booked according to a recent report on MMA Fighting.

Both fighters usually put on some of the most exciting fights in the welterweight division and this fight should be no different. This fight has been added to what should be a huge event with the return of Brock Lesnar in the main event.

This will be a rematch from 2007 in the United Fight League, as Lytle choked Brown out with a guillotine choke in the second round.

Since his return to the UFC after a stint on the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter, Lytle has racked up seven “Of the Night” bonuses, with four fights of the night bonuses against the likes of Kevin Burns, Marcus Davis, Paul Taylor, and Thiago Alves. Since his return in 2007, Lytle has gone 6-3 with his only loses to Davis, Alves, and Matt Hughes. His most recent victory was over Brian Foster in-which he executed a beautiful rolling kneebar only a minute into the fight.

Brown made his debut after his stint on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Griffin, and has gone 4-2 in the promotion, with his only losses to Dong Hyun-Kim and recently to Ricardo Almeida at UFC 111. Brown’s most memorable fight in the octagon might be his fight against Pete Sell at UFC 96, in which he dropped Sell to only have the fight restarted, and then proceeded to pound Sell some more despite Brown wanting the fight stopped.

UFC 116 takes place on July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and it will be aired on PPV.

MMAjunkie.com Radio today welcomes a pair of recent big-fight winners;
Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and UFC 112 winner
Phil Davis each call in to the program.

Melendez discusses his five-round shellacking of DREAM lightweight
champion Shinya Aoki while Davis reflects on his recent impressive win
over Alexander Gusatfsson and considers what's next in line on his fast
rise to superstardom.

MMAjunkie.com Radio begins at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay
Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. Listen to and watch a
video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

After what will be a yearlong layoff, World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight contender Josh Grispi will look for his fourth straight WEC win when he meets fellow title hopeful L.C. Davis at WEC 49.

Grispi announced via Facebook that he'll fight at the event, and sources close to the show today told MMAjunkie.com bout agreements are in the process of being finalized for the Davis matchup.

WEC 49 takes place June 20 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.