Current CFC Heavyweight Champion Karlos Vemola has some MMA fans frothing at the mouth to see how the Czech fighter will compete at the highest level of the sport inside the UFC’s Octagon. Vemola goes by the nickname “The Terminator” and has built a solid 7-0 record fighting mostly in England for CFC. Vemola takes on Jon Madsens at UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin as part of the undercard. It’ll be interesting to see if Vemola’s style of rushing in and trying for the quick win pays off or if the step up in competition will be too much for the 25 year old fighter to handle.

UFC welterweight Dan Hardy is looking to make his next fight in the Octagon in front of hometown fans at the O2 Arena in London England where he is tentatively scheduled to face Carlos Condit as part of UFC 120 in October, this according to MMAWeekly.

This will be the first match back for Hardy since he badly lost a unanimous decision to Georges “Rush” St. Pierre, the current UFC welterweight champion. That loss was the only blemish on Hardy’s record since arriving in the UFC, as he was riding a four fight win streak prior to that match.

Carlos Condit is coming off a very hard fought decision win over up and coming fighter Rory Macdonald and the two garnered “Fight of the Night” honors at UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin. Condit is 1-1 since his debut having lost to Martin Kampmann at UFC Fight Night 18.

Expect this fight to be very exciting, but keep in mind it’s not announced officially yet. We’ll update this story as the word comes out.

A welterweight fight between Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy and Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit is set for UFC 120. Both sides have apparently agreed to the bout, and the contract for the fight should be signed by the end of the week.

News of the likely contest between the crowd-pleasing welterweights comes courtesy of a recent report on MMAWeekly.com.

Hardy is coming off of a one-sided loss to UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111, a fight that saw St. Pierre take Hardy down at will throughout most of the fight. Before that, Hardy had defeated Rory Markham, Akihiro Gono, Marcus Davis, and Mike Swick in the UFC. Three of five Hardy’s fights in the Octagon have occurred in England, and this will be no different.

Condit’s last fight was a gutsy victory as he faced the up-and-coming Rory MacDonald at UFC 115. MacDonald dominated the first two rounds of the fight, but Condit made a staggering comeback in the final round and finished MacDonald with punches and elbows on the ground, earning him and MacDonald a nice $85,000 dollar Fight of The Night Bonus.

UFC 120 occurs on October 16 and will emanate from the O2 Arena in London, England.

Carlos Condit has agreed to fight fellow welterweight contender Dan Hardy in a UFC 120 bout planned for October.

A source close to the overseas show told MMAjunkie.com verbal agreements are in place for the fight, which was first reported by MMAWeekly.com earlier today.

UFC 120 takes place Oct. 16 at The 02 in London, England.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 24, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships concluded its hugely successful second season with two more thrilling upsets on Thursday as middleweight Alexander Shlemenko scored a stunning TKO and featherweight Joe Warren won a hard-fought split decision to emerge as the Season 2 Tournament Champions in their respective divisions.

The sold-out event at Louisville’s Fourth Street Live downtown entertainment district tied a ribbon on Bellator Season 2 in fitting fashion as fans were once again treated to a full card of electrifying fights that also included shocking upsets at bantamweight and in a Women’s Feature Fight.

But the night undoubtedly belonged to Warren and Shlemenko, whose victories earned them $100,000 in prize money and the chance to fight reigning Bellator World Champions Joe Soto and Hector Lombard, respectively, in world title fights this fall.

Shlemenko, a 26-year-old army combat fighter known for his reliance on spinning back-fists and leg kicks, came out swinging in his typical style from the opening bell. But it was a far-more-conventional right hook to the jaw that eventually finished the heavily favored Bryan “The Beast” Baker roughly mid-way through Round 1.

The devastating punch left Baker (13-2) dazed and slowly crumpled him to the canvas before Shlemenko moved in for the finish with a flurry of punches. Referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight due to unanswered blows at 2:45 into Round 1.

It was just the second time that Baker had suffered a loss as a pro with the other coming at the hands of UFC star Chael Sonnen more than two years ago.

“We had heard that Alexander Shlemenko was one of the best middleweights in Europe and he definitely proved that here tonight,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said afterward. “He beat a very, very talented fighter in Bryan Baker and he’s more than earned the right to face our champion Hector Lombard later this year.”

Shlemenko, for his part, said the win was also a statement on behalf of all pure strikers in MMA today.

“This victory means that strikers soon will be all over MMA and that Bellator Fighting Championships will be owned by the strikers,” he said through his translator.

Warren, meanwhile, took a far-more-circuitous route to his title. The 33-year-old former NCAA all-American and Greco-Roman wrestling world champion, appeared to be all but finished near the end of Round 1 when his opponent, the previously undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Patricio Pitbull, dropped him to the canvas with a right cross and then began a vicious ground-and-pound before Warren was saved by the bell.

But Warren rebounded in remarkable fashion during Rounds 2 and 3, digging deep and using his world-class wrestling skills to score points with a series of takedowns that were each followed by relentless ground-and-pound attacks punctuated with sharp elbows and stiff forearms to Pitbull’s head.

The split decision victory was even more impressive given that Warren spent much of the day battling a stomach virus that left him unable to keep food down or maintain his balance.

“I feel tired but I’m very happy now,” he said after the fight. “I fought a great fighter in Pitbull and now I’m the champion. I’m the baddest man on the planet!”

Rebney agreed, saluting Warren’s resilience and his will to win even in spite of his illness.

“He showed up tonight with a sickness that would have put a lot of people in the hospital and beat a world-class fighter and put on the kind of performance that you just can’t script,” he said. “What he did tonight was just epic and very, very impressive.”

Earlier, in the first televised fight of the night, Fresno, Calif.-based striker Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto scored a huge upset with a first round knockout of the world’s top-ranked 125-pound female fighter, England’s Rosi Sexton.

At just two minutes into Round 1, Frausto (7-1) landed a left knee to Sexton’s chin, knocking her unconscious and dropping her to the canvas before finishing her with three straight right hands to the jaw. It was just the second career loss for Sexton in 12 pro MMA fights.

“I saw the opening and I just threw the knee up,” Frausto said afterward, adding that she thinks she now deserves to be ranked No. 1 in the world at 125. “I’ve been shooting for No. 1 since I got into the sport. This is exactly why I got into MMA.”

Also Thursday, in what was billed as an “Eliminator Bout” to determine the latest entrant into Bellator’s forthcoming Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament, two-time Wyoming state high school wrestling champion Nik “Garfield” Mamalis scored his second consecutive Bellator victory to improve his pro MMA record to 10-4 and punch his ticket into the tournament’s eight-man field. The soft-spoken Mamalis used an aggressive attack to neutralize L.A.-based rising star Albert Rios (12-5) via TKO at 4:40 into Round 1.

Afterward, Rebney said that Mamalis had more than earned his place in the Bantamweight Tournament draw.

“That’s what Bellator’s all about,” Rebney said. “it’s about giving a guy like Nik who hasn’t had a chance on the big stage the opportunity to that and then he takes that opportunity by the throat.”

The evening also played host to four non-televised “Local Feature Fights” showcasing top rising stars from Louisville, Cincinnati and Southern Indiana. The results of those fights are as follows:

- Brent Weedman def. John Troyer via armbar submission – Round 1, 4:55
- Daniel Straus def. Chad Hinton via unanimous decision
- Stoney Hale def. Mike Fleniken via rear-naked choke – Round 2, 4:20
- Kurt Kinser def. David Overfield via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:30

Bellator returns to TV in August for its much-anticipated third season, which will feature eight-man tournaments at bantamweight and heavyweight as well as a first-of-its-kind Women’s Tournament showcasing eight female fighters ranked among the top 10 in their respective weight classes.

Each fight will once again be broadcast LIVE in primetime on Fox Sports Net and during special taped highlight shows every Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Bellator.

New York, NY, June 24, 2010 – Spike TV will showcase two of the Boston area’s finest mixed martial arts fighters in live undercard bouts from “UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn II” on Saturday, August 28 at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT. Live from the TD Garden in Boston, Joe Lauzon (“The Ultimate Fighter 5” alum) of Bridgewater, Mass. takes on Terry Etim in a lightweight battle and Milford, Mass native Jorge Rivera (“The Ultimate Fighter 4” alum) meets Alessio Sakara in a middleweight clash.

Lauzon (17-5) burst onto the mixed martial arts scene with a shocking knockout of former lightweight champ Jens Pulver at UFC 63 in September 2006. A cast member of “The Ultimate Fighter 5,” Lauzon won his first three UFC bouts before losing to fellow New Englander Kenny Florian via TKO in April 2008. After winning two of his last three fights, Lauzon needs a win in front of his hometown fans to ascend to the top reaches of the lightweight division.

Fighting out of Liverpool, England, lightweight contender Terry Etim (14-3) has won four of his last five bouts in the Octagon® and is unquestionably one of the UK’s finest prospects. But to take that step to the next level, he must get past Lauzon on August 28th. This marks the sixth time Etim has fought live on Spike TV
Veteran fighter Rivera (18-7) has won a career-best three straight UFC fights including most recently a second-round TKO over Nate Quarry (“The Ultimate Fighter 1”) in March. The 38-year-old will fulfill a life-long dream as he will step into the Octagon for the first time live in front of his partisan hometown Boston crowd.

Fighting with American Top Team in Miami, Sakara (19-7, 1 NC) switched to fighting middleweight 2 ½ years ago, and after dropping his first fight to Chris Leben at 185 lbs, he has won his last three bouts. The veteran slugger is coming off an impressive 1st round TKO over James Irvin this past March.

Other bouts on the card might air on Spike TV, to be determined by the length of the fights.

Spike TV is available in 98.6 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at www.spike.com/press.

When an arena clears at the end of a Mixed Martial Arts event it’s often assumed the men (and/or women) whose blood and sweat still stain the canvas have finished fighting as it relates to that particular show. They typically pack up their gear, take care of on-site media obligations, and head to a hotel room to either lick their wounds or get dressed for an after-party where an entirely different sort of tongue-wagging may eventually come into play. Regardless of extra-curricular choices or the evening’s earlier result, those who entertain in the ring exit the venue with the closure of knowing they can move forward in life and onto the next opponent; that the work they’ve done will be rewarded with adulation from supporters, the personal satisfaction brought on by competition, and of course some level of financial gain.

Or so it’s assumed.

On May 15th, 2010 a show promoted by an organization known as the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts took place in Birmingham, England. The card featured a number of recognizable names, including those with Octagon experience on their resume like Seth Petruzelli, Matt Horwich, and War Machine. Petruzelli and the man once known as John Koppenhaver fared better in result than Horwich but all three spent weeks preparing in the gym with the mutual understanding BAMMA 3 would be like any other event.

On June 8th, 2010 all three men are still awaiting payment for the commitment each fulfilled. Apparently, BP isn’t the only dealer of dismay from across the pond with an element of slime involved. Money depended on for training costs, mortgages, general bills, food, family, and any other imaginable want or need remains a promise unkept, and thoughts originally turned towards a future competitor now look at an opponent possibly looming in a ring far different from any used in combat sports – a court of law.

News of the situation first came to light a week ago when Petruzelli and War Machine took to different realms of cyberspace to plead their cases. Said Petruzelli on popular MMA forum The Underground, “This is B.S! We feed our families with this money.” Meanwhile, the Ultimate Fighter Season 6 alumnus went the route of Twitter and addressed the topic in standard form, writing “Sure would be nice if BAMMA decided to FINALLY f*cking PAY US! Or maybe that’s too much to ask? WTF!? Really getting PISSED now! Contract said 72 hours…lol That’s 3 days right? Just wondering because it’s been 3 WEEKS!” He even went as far as to send a message to BAMMA’s account questioning whether or not they were going to pay or if the promotion felt they didn’t deserve their money.

In Horwich’s case, the woman he married a day after an IFL title defense (Kelly) spoke up to elaborate on the situation. “The promoter…had the balls to tell me he didn’t know we needed to be paid so urgently. People think fighters are rich and famous…they are normal people that need their money to eat too. We’re starving over here peoplel!!!!!” She also, understandably angry about things, made it clear she was thankful she and her husband hadn’t purchased a new house as they’d been considering, or else “WE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO (HAVE) PAID THE GOD DAMN RENT!!!!!”

Fast-forward to this past Wednesday when Petruzelli stated he’d received half of his expected winnings with the remainder promised for payment later in the day while management for War Machine and Horwich, by proxy of his wife, claimed neither camp had received a dime of their purses. Hours later BAMMA apparently made good on their word to Petruzelli and War Machine, yet Horwich was left in the cold. As of Saturday, June 12th – nearly a month after the actual event – the same remains true. (UPDATE: Horwich was FINALLY paid today, a month to the day after the card’s completion.)

Unfortunately, circumstances like the above are not as uncommon as fans (and fighters) might hope nor are they limited to small shows. Far too often the men and women who sacrifice their bodies for our entertainment are victims in an industry where expectations often exceed ticket-sales and PPV buys. Quinton Jackson, among others, has spoken in the past about PRIDE shorting him and delaying payment during the promotion’s heyday. DREAM has been associated with with similar activities, most notably with current Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz after he defeated Katsuya Inoue at DREAM 3 in May 2008. The same was essentially true in the case of the mid-card fighters set to square off at Affliction III before Tom Atencio folded up shop ten days out from the event. In reality, considering the rarity of a promoter not being associated on some level with questionable financial practices, it’s really no wonder the UFC is the cream of MMA’s crop.

It’s common knowledge we live in a money-driven society where characters ranging from legitimate to downright shady will attempt to capitalize on a trend in hopes of striking it rich. As such, we have to accept the business of Mixed Martial Arts is no different, and the practice of exploiting others in hopes of turning a profit is anything but a newly invented concept. However, that’s not to say people should stand idle while athletes we respect or are personally invested in as fans pay the price after already sacrificing so much for our mere enjoyment. We need to stop focusing so much on the figures and turn our attention to whether or not a contractual agreement was actually fulfilled. When a promotion, like BAMMA, shafts a fighter you need to let your opinion be known both in written/verbal form as well as when it comes to buying future shows/tickets. Likewise, when fighters are paid on time you need to support those companies for living up to their word. Mixed Martial Artists fight for us. Now it’s our turn to fight for them.

UFC welterweight contender Dan Hardy expects to fight in October at UFC 120, but the search is still underway for an opponent.

While a guest on today's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio, Hardy confirmed he's expected to compete on the overseas card but said his matchup and opponent are not official.

As MMAjunkie.com recently reported, UFC 120 is expected to take place Oct. 16 at The 02 in London, England. The night's main card airs via same-day delay on Spike TV.

Press Release

Brazilian lightweight only man to beat World Champion Jose Aldo

The Maximum Fighting Championship has added a fighter with impressive credentials to its talent roster in the lightweight ranks.

Brazilian star Luciano Azevedo (16-8) boasts a strong resume and the native of Rio de Janeiro is expected to make his organization – and North American – debut at MFC 26. Details on the show and its lineup will be announced shortly. Azevedo has signed an exclusive four fight deal with The Maximum
Fighting Championship.

The 26-year-old, who has won six of his last eight encounters, holds the distinction of being the only fighter to best world-renown featherweight Jose Aldo, capturing a submission victory via rear-naked choke when the two met in 2005 in Brazil. One of Azevedo’s other career highlights is a decision win over veteran Din Thomas – a verdict that came just four months after his victory over Aldo.

“I’m very excited to have Luciano in our organization and I’m expecting big things from him. I believe he can deliver in a big way,” said MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich. “Obviously he has a great resume particularly with his win over Aldo – the only man in the world that has that distinction. Luciano has all the tools to be a champion so I’m hopeful he will live up to the expectations.”

Azevedo has yet to fight in North America, predominantly fighting in his native Brazil but also making five trips to England, two to Japan, and a single matchup in France. The five-foot-eight jiu-jitsu practitioner and wrestler has won 12 of his fights by submission – five each by triangle choke and armbar along with two via rear-naked choke.

LAS VEGAS - Middleweight Michael Bisping has peace of mind going into his fight with Dan Miller this weekend at UFC 114 - even though he'd rather be across the pond in his hometown of Clitheroe, England.

Bisping said he's gained a new confidence in his training despite a setback in February against Wanderlei Silva, and he plans to take Miller out - not just get through the fight.

But the sooner he can get through the fight, the better. Bisping was on a plane to Las Vegas for UFC 114 mere hours after his girlfriend gave birth to their third child, a son, and he misses his family dearly.