A welterweight bout between returning Karo Parisyan and Dennis Hallman and a middleweight fight between Gerald Harris and newcomer Maiquel Falcao are both official for UFC 123.

UFC 123 takes place Nov. 20 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit. A light-heavyweight bout between former champs Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida headlines the pay-per-view portion of the show.

It's not known if Parisyan vs. Hallman and Harris vs. Falcao will get main-card or preliminary-card placement.

Press Release

URBAN CONFLICT CHAMPIONSHIP “UCC 3: RENEGADES” RESULTS

September 13, 2010, Jersey City, NJ – On September 10, 2010, Urban Conflict Championship (UCC) hosted seven incredible professional MMA battles at the National Guard Armory of Jersey City for its third event of the year “UCC 3: RENEGADES.” The National Guard Armory sits on New York City’s doorstep right off the Path Train. The New Jersey Athletic Control Board Official Weights, Results, Suspensions and Staff from the event:

MAIN EVENT: Luiz Azeredo vs. Brandon Adamson
Catchweight – 165 lbs
Referee Kevin Mulhall
Official Weigh In: Azeredo: 165.2Adamson: 164.2
Azeredo wins via tap due to rear naked choke at 3:06 of round one.

This bout featured the comeback of one of the few fighters to ever defeat UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Azeredo was in fine form taking Adamson to the ground and employing his World Class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to ensure his win.

CO MAIN EVENT: Jason McLean vs. Felipe Arantes ***FIGHT OF THE NIGHT BONUS
Featherweight – 145 lbs
Referee Kevin Mulhall
Official Weigh In: McLean: 145.2 Arantes: 145.6
Arantes winsunanimous decisionin three rounds 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 Mason.

The Fight of the night was a back and forth battle with Arantes gaining the edge over McClean in almost every round. The Muay Thai and BJJ specialist even recorded the last two takedowns of the bout with the All- American wrestler. Arantes conditioning proved too much for McClean.

Ryan Quinn vs. Kevin Horowitz
Welterweight – 170 lbs
Referee Dan Miragliotta
Official Weigh In: Quinn: 171.7Horowitz: 168.8
Quinn wins via TKO doctor stoppage due to facial lacerations at 2:52 of round two.

Quinn’s takedowns and ground and pound overwhelmed the always-toughHorowitz.Even thoughthere was no quit in Horowitz, referee Dan Miragliotta had seen enough.

Cliff Wattenberg vs. Daniel Sensintaffer
Welterweight – 170 lbs
Referee Dan Miragliotta
Official Weigh In: Wattenberg: 170.5Sensintaffer: 171
Sensintaffer wins at 5:00 of round two via doctor stoppage due to facial laceration

The 2 Time NCAA All American wrestler Wattenberg seemed to have the upper hand in the first two rounds of the fight. He controlled most of the ground action, but suffered a few nasty strikesduring the stand-up. One cut was severe enough for referee Dan Miragliotta call in the ringsidedoctors who called an end tothe fight.

Daniel Akinyemi vs. Rich Bianchi
Middleweight – 185 lbs
Referee Dan Miragliotta
Official Weigh In: Akinyemi: 187.9Bianchi: 187.1
Akinyemi wins via TKO referee stoppage due to unanswered punches at 2:00 of round one.

Akinyemi’s striking power and speed was too much for the rugged Bianchi to handle.

Doug Miller vs. Rich Van Houten
Featherweight – 145 lbs
Referee Kevin Mulhall
Official Weigh In: Miller: 145.3Van Houten: 145.3
Van Houtenwins via TKO referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 3:23 of round one.

Van Houten’s pro debut in front of his huge contingent was done in fine fashion. There was enough action in the first three minutes to constitute a full three round fight! Strikes, takedowns, escapes and counters flying back forth – ended in the LA Boxing representitive’sfirst round TKO.

Claudio Ledesma vs. Adam Shortz
Bantamweight – 135 lbs
Referee Kevin Mulhall
Official Weigh In: Ledesma: 136 Shortz: 135.9
Ledesma wins via TKO referee stoppage due to unanswered punches at 4:08 of round one.

Competing in the UCC for a second time, Ledesma demonstrated superb striking techniques in earning his victory.

Ringside physicians Dr. Robin Gehrmann, Dr. Ed Eaton and Dr. Eric Wurmser
Referees Dan Miragliotta and Kevin Mulhall
Judges William Mason, Douglas Crosby and Dave Tirelli
Shadow Judge Earl Brown
Scorekeeper Ellen Rubin
Timekeeper Julius Proenza

HT: UCCFights.com

Is wrestling ruining Mixed Martial Arts? Did the UFC blow it by cutting Todd Duffee? Who should Josh Barnett face in his Strikeforce debut? What is your opinion of Antonio McKee joining the UFC’s roster?

Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!

Welcome to “Grappling with Issues”, our site’s regular weekly feature highlighting insight and opinion from Adam Tool and myself on six subjects plucked from the Mixed Martial Arts landscape. However, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t feel precluded from dishing out your own thoughts on each matter in the comments section at the bottom of the column…

Did the UFC make a mistake by releasing Todd Duffee after a single loss in the Octagon?

Tool: By most accounts, absolutely. Look at the heavyweight prospects across the board in MMA and try to tell me that Duffee isn’t one of the top names on that list. The loss to Mike Russow was a tough one, but I can’t think of a single high-level fighter at the moment who didn’t come back much better after their first loss. If Duffee ends up in Strikeforce (since they’d be nuts to not try and sign him) then it’s entirely possible that he’ll be successful enough outside of the octagon, and therefore he’d have no need to return. It’s also entirely possible that Duffee will never win again and fade quietly into the night, but this seems pretty unlikely to me.

Of course, there’s more to the story than what you or I know. The brass at Zuffa have given no reason for Duffee’s dismissal, nor are they required to. There’s too much behind the scenes information that we don’t know, so we have to also consider that the UFC may have been entirely justified in their actions. I won’t speculate on things like that but I will say this: if Todd Duffee has truly pissed Dana White off, I’m sure we would have heard about it by now. The fact that Dana is remaining silent on this one implies to me that Duffee still has the door open on a potential return some day.

Conlan: Based on the only information I have, which is that Duffee is a powerful, 6-1 heavyweight with five of his wins coming by way of first-round knockout, there’s definitely reason to question why the 24-year old would be released after suffering the only loss of his career to Russow. However, I agree with Tool in terms of there possibly being more to the story than has been made public. I know Duffee is a particularly outspoken individual, so it’s possible something he said in the past could have rubbed UFC brass the wrong way the wrong way, plus there’s always the possibility the promotion was tired of having him pull out of fights with injuries as he most recently did relating to a scheduled match-up with Jon Madsen at UFC 121.

Regardless, Duffee should do fine outside of the Octagon as long as his health issues don’t haunt him down the road. Strikeforce has a relatively strong heavyweight group, Bellator’s big-boy division is on the rise, Japan has always welcomed fighters with his physique and style of attack, and there are other opportunities beyond those on smaller promotions’ cards (a future Shark Fights show for example).

The circumstances surrounding his release may be a bit mysterious, but there’s little doubt in my mind all Duffee needs to do is string 2-3 wins in a row together and the UFC will come calling again.

Who impressed you the most at last weekend’s Shark Fights 13 event?

Tool: I’m split on this one between Tarec Saffiedine and Houston Alexander. Saffiedine showed that he is legit and I expect bigger paydays and broader exposure are coming soon. Soundly defeating Brock Larson may not be quite the accomplishment that it was a few years ago, but he’s still a pretty good measuring stick for where Saffiedine is at in his career. He’s already been on a couple of Strikeforce: Challengers cards so I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he makes the move up to the big shows soon.

On the other hand we’ve got Alexander, and I have to give a solid round of applause for the Shark Fights match-maker that put Houston together with Rameau Sokoudjou. These two fighters have plenty in common and I honestly had no idea who was going to win when their bout started. Credit should be given to Alexander for surviving and recovering from the damage he took in round one. After making it to the bell Alexander really took over in the second as Sokoudjou had next-to-nothing left in his gas tank. This may not be the win that gets Alexander back in the UFC, but it’s a start at least.

Conlan: I’m heading down a different route than my compadre on this topic, but I can’t fault him for having a great deal of appreciation for both Alexander and Saffiedine’s performances as they each had qualities worth considering. That being said, as opposed to selecting an individual who added a “W” to his record at the event, I’m going to opt for someone who won in the eyes of most who watched rather than emerging victorious from the actual bout in question.

I thought newly-signed Strikeforce lightweight Jorge Masvidal turned in the performance of the night when considering his level of opposition and size differential between them. Daley had won five of his last six fights entering the match-up, with his infamous decision loss to Josh Koscheck being the lone blemish, and finished the entire lot via strikes. Masvidal was able to absorb most of the damage “Semtex” dished without waivering while also showing solid stand-up throughout. His grappling put him in a number of advantageous positions and nearly earned him the dubya…or did, depending on who you ask.

The fact “Gamebred” is a natural 155-pounder while Daley is a big welterweight also deserves discussion. Though American Top Team’s Masvidal faltered towards the end of the third round, the 25-year old still went a full fifteen against Daley – somewhat of a rarity in terms of the Brit’s past opponents. In reality, 20 of the 25 victories Daley has notched in his career have been by way of a finish. To maintain consciousness for three rounds while also being 15-20 pounds lighter than Daley when the cage-door closed is an extremely impressive feat and one that deserves full credit.

Josh Barnett recently signed with Strikeforce. Who would you like to see him face first in the organization?

Tool: You know what would help answer this question? If Strikeforce actually announced which of their heavyweights were going to be fighting one another soon. Fedor Emelianenko is (as always) tied up in negotiations. Fabricio Werdum is out the rest of the year with an injury. Alistair Overeem is taking his Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship and going back to competing in K-1 for now. Brett Rogers is taking his two-fight losing streak and competing on a show for W1 (who?) in Canada next month. Meanwhile Antonio Silva sits on the sidelines praying that somebody takes a fight against him. Also I think Andrei Arlovski may still be under a Strikeforce contract, but who know these days?

Now that I’ve mentioned all the top names under the Strikeforce banner, allow me to suggest a different option for Barnett’s first opponent: Lavar Johnson. Johnson has already made a name for himself amongst hardcore fans thanks to two explosive win on Strikeforce: Challengers. He’s never had a fight go to a decision and a bout with Barnett is a huge opportunity for him. It’s not the most appealing match-up for Barnett but it’s certainly a fight he would be favored in. If Barnett wins then it’s a great chance to expose him to audiences that have never seen him fight, and if Johnson wins you’ve instantly created a new star in your best division.

Conlan: I like the choice of Johnson, though it seems Shane del Rosario would be the way to go if giving a lesser-known fighter an opportunity to shine against a veteran like Barnett.

However, there’s only one truly logical choice for me and that’s Fedor Emelianenko. Fans have been longing to see Emelianenko and Barnett square off for years and were cheated out of a chance to see the match-up in 2009 at an Affliction event (in large part due to Barnett testing positive for steroid use a week-and-a-half before the show was scheduled to take place). As long as he’s able to test clean, unless of course Strikeforce wants to stir up criticism by promoting an event in a location with less-stringent drug testing policies than California, there’s no reason Barnett shouldn’t finally be paired with Emelianenko inside a cage. Neither is getting younger, and Strikeforce needs to make the biggest bouts possible in order to draw interest from mainstream fans and maintain relevance among the hardcore sector.

Who do you feel has the longer road back to the UFC: Paul Daley or Keith Jardine?

Conlan: If Dana White’s mind didn’t change faster than the colors of a chameleon with ADD the answer to this question would be fairly obvious since Daley is the only option with a “lifetime ban” from the Octagon attached to his name. However, the topic becomes a bit more interesting because the UFC President has no problem treating his past statements like they were written on a dry-erase board as indicated by, among other things, his recent decision to bring Karo Parisyan back into the fold.

That being said, I think the presently-banished Brit has a better chance of making his way back to the UFC than Jardine for a number of reasons. Daley is eight-years younger than Jardine for starters, meaning he has more time to work with in his career than “The Dean of Mean”. He’s also won two fights since his post-fight sucker punch of Josh Koscheck at UFC 113 last May whereas Jardine was unable to get by part-time middleweight Trevor Prangley at Shark Fights 13 – an individual who was dismantled in three-and-a-half minutes by Tim Kennedy a few months prior. Prangley is talented to be sure, but he’s nowhere near the quality of the UFC’s light heavyweights, and in that regard losing to him was devastating to Jardine’s chances where a promotional return is concerned.

“Semtex” also has a more fan-friendly style than Jardine, and at the end of the day the UFC is a business recognizing the value of keeping its supporters happy. Putting Daley in the ring against an opponent who isn’t afraid to strike is as simple a recipe for excitement as peanut butter, jelly, and two slices of bread is for a delicious sandwich. On the other hand, Jardine hasn’t finished an opponent since Forrest Griffin in December 2006, and he seems less willing to engage these days than in the past because of his chin’s lacking durability. Beyond their respective approaches to fighting, Daley’s polarizing personality also “puts asses in the seats” in comparison to Jardine’s soft-spoken humility, and is yet one more factor in the many making him the more-likely candidate for a future return to the UFC than the Greg Jackson team captain.

Tool: I can agree with the points that Brendhan made, but I’m going in the other direction and taking Jardine. While their career trajectories may be vastly different there is one factor that evens the scales just a bit, and that is Jardine’s previous loyalties to the UFC. During his long career in the octagon Jardine was the model of a thankless employee, headlining several events despite the enormous differences in paychecks between himself and his opponents. As far as public record is concerned he never turned down a fight, even when the UFC slotted him against newcomer Houston Alexander after Jardine’s underdog win over Griffin. The loss to Prangley is a setback for sure, but let’s not forget that Jardine fought some of the toughest guys in the world at 205 lbs. during this current losing streak. On top of that he’s been around long enough to have a much higher name value than someone like Daley, and thus it shouldn’t take nearly as long for him to get back in the octagon. After all that’s why Jardine hasn’t signed with Strikeforce, because he wants to stay in Dana White’s good graces.

Of course all of this stuff is meaningless if Jardine doesn’t win a fight soon. If I were in Keith’s ear I would probably tell him to try his trade in Japan for a fight or two. If anybody can match a mid-level fighter up with a complete can, it’s the Japanese promoters.

BUY/SELL – You agree with the UFC’s decision to sign Antonio McKee.

Conlan: Definitely a “buy” for me. McKee has both the personality and in-ring credentials to support a campaign in the UFC. “Mandingo” – by far one of my favorite nicknames to type/say – last lost to Karo Parisyan in February 2003 and is 14-0-1 since. Though I can see the case against him involving both age (40) and the enormous amount of decisions he’s piled up in his career (18 of his 25 total victories), being part of the UFC is about winning and an ability to draw interest from fans. In addition to his success in the ring over the past seven years, McKee is also one of the sport’s more-outspoken individuals. He’s called out BJ Penn in the past, spoken about the influence of race on the UFC’s roster, promised to retire if he didn’t finish Luciano Azevedo last weekend at MFC 26, and is completely comfortable in front of a camera or talking trash to sell a bout to media. He’s unique in a number of ways, and regardless of age or style I’m absolutely interested in seeing what he has to offer inside the Octagon.

Tool: Interestingly enough this question was originally worded to pose the question of whether we think McKee should be signed by the UFC. That was before the outspoken lightweight made his negotiations with Zuffa public knowledge on another website’s radio show, thereby necessitating a minor change in the phrasing of this particular topic.

Regardless, this is also a “buy” for me. I think Brock Lesnar and Chael Sonnen have already proven the drawing power a good trash-talker can bring, and I expect McKee to have plenty of things to say about the proverbial shark tank that is the UFC’s lightweight division. As Brendhan already pointed out the guy can not only talk a good game, he can back it up as well. Given his stifling offensive style I have no doubt that he’ll bring plenty of trouble to anyone that gets the task of welcoming McKee to the octagon. On the other hand he may get completely blown-out by any number of younger fighters on the roster, but I’m curious to see how this whole thing plays out.

Several fighters have made comments in the past few weeks about the trend of high-level wrestlers winning “boring” decisions. What’s your take on the current state of wrestling in MMA?

Conlan: I don’t see any problem with the amount of wrestling in MMA or the influence it has on action in the ring. Grappling is one of the world’s original combative techniques and absolutely has a home in its current form where fighting is concerned. Our nation’s historical love of the sport has assisted in producing a number of its top athletes, many of whom are now professional Mixed Martial Artists, and as such it makes sense an American promotion like the UFC would be dominated by wrestlers. In Brazil it’s BJJ and Muay Thai; in Europe it’s kickboxing and sambo; in Japan it’s judo and Jiu-Jitsu. We as fans simply hear/see more in regards to the dominance of wrestling because of the UFC’s overwhelming presence in comparison to the entire industry.

I do, however, have an issue with the way ringside judges’ tend to score takedowns without always taking into account how active both competitors are when things hit the mat. If a fighter in top position is sitting in his/her opponent’s guard while the other individual is attempting submissions, working to escape, or landing strikes from the bottom then that needs to be part of the decision process in terms of how the round is scored. I believe a lot of the criticism high-level wrestlers are currently receiving for their arguably less-exciting approach to MMA is related to the number of bouts lost for that very reason. I also feel referees across the board need a better sense of recognition when it comes to a fighter who is aggressively looking to advance position and one who is content bleeding time off the clock by half-heartedly punching from full guard. As far as I’m concerned, improving officiating and how points are tallied would drastically reduce the number of yawn-inducing rounds and wet-blanket based decisions.

Tool: I’m tempted to leave this space blank as I absolutely agree with my colleague on every point he’s made. Wrestling rules American MMA which I suppose is precisely the very reason so many foreign fighters are speaking out against it. Shinya Aoki seems to think that butt-scoots should be counted more than takedowns, while British fighters like Dan Hardy are upset that guys won’t stand and bang with them. I can find merit in the arguments against how takedowns and ground control are scored in MMA, but that’s more of a reflection on the larger problem of an antiquated scoring system (and that’s a subject for another time).

This whole outcry of fighters against wrestling in MMA is really not that far removed from the much older outcry of fighters against Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The two disciplines are similar in the fact that, when they work, they are guaranteed to win fights. Nowadays most professional fighters have solid defense against the most common types of BJJ holds, and I’m fairly certain that in five or ten years time most fighters will have solid takedown defense. Eventually guys will start drilling hip escapes and scrambles so hard that they’re second nature for the next generation. Once more and more fighters adapt themselves to the current landscape of the sport, it will most likely end up changing once again.

Frank Trigg's fighting career isn't over.

Trigg, who hinted at a possible retirement following his February release from the UFC, has booked a Nov. 9 fight in Israel, the 38-year-old today announced.

The former top UFC contender fights Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Roy Neeman at an International Fighting Championship event in Tel Aviv.

CHICAGO, Ill. (September 15, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships today officially announced a September 30 Season 3 Women’s semi-final fight between explosive striker Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto and top submission specialist Jessica “Jag” Aguilar at Bellator 31, taking place at L’Auberge du Lac Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

“Zoila and Jessica were both very impressive in their quarterfinal wins, so fans should expect a great fight between these two fast-rising stars in women’s MMA,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Whoever is eventually crowned Bellator Women’s Champion, they will have certainly earned that title.”

To get to this point, both Frausto and Aguilar faced tough competition in the Bellator quarterfinals. “The Warrior Princess” made her way to the final four at Bellator 25 when she faced the previously undefeated Jessica Pene, who entered the fight holding a perfect 7-0 record. After three rounds of punishing Pene with a wide range of strikes, Frausto was not only awarded a 30-27 unanimous decision victory, but the fight against Aguilar in the semi-finals.

Making her Bellator debut in the Season 3 opener in Hollywood, Fla., Aguilar squared off against Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez in quarterfinal action. An overmatched Alvarez had no answer for the dangerous submission arsenal of Aguilar, who finished the fight in the first round with an air-tight arm-triangle choke to move onto the semi-finals at Bellator 31.

Aguilar knows the chance to become the first Bellator Women’s Champion is within reach, and is ready for the challenge.

“Becoming the first Bellator Women’s Champion is very important to me,” said Aguilar. “This has been my dream since I started my MMA career, and this is the opportunity to make it all come true. I want to leave my legacy as the first-ever Bellator Women’s Champion.”

Frausto holds similar beliefs, and has her sights set on becoming champion.

“Winning this tournament would be a dream come true,” said Frausto. “Winning this tournament would make me the best of the best, and I want that more than anything in the world right now and will do anything in my power to accomplish that.”

Tickets for Bellator 30 are available at www.Ticketmaster.com.

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

About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

The fight card is set for this month's WEC 51 event.

WEC officials today confirmed the 11-bout lineup, which is headlined by a featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Manny Gamburyan.

A spokesperson later confirmed to MMAjunkie.com that five bouts, including a potential slugfest between featherweights Mark Hominick and Leonard Garcia slugfest, are part of the Sept. 30 Versus broadcast.

PRESS RELEASE / CHICAGO, Ill. (September 15, 2010) – The Bellator Season 3 Women’s Tournament continues in Lake Charles, Louisiana as the undefeated #1 female fighter in the world Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii (21-0) faces off against the fourth ranked 115-pounder and dangerous veteran submission specialist Lisa Ward (14-5-1) in semi-final action on September 30th to move one step closer to becoming the first ever Bellator Women’s Champion.

The pair of top female fighters are far from strangers. In their only other previous meeting, Fujii ended the fight early with a controversial armbar submission. Nearly three years since the outcome, Ward still doesn’t agree with the result.

“My loss to Megumi should have been a no contest,” said Ward. “The fight was stopped because the referee thought I tapped and admitted he never actually saw it. I’m not sure what he was thinking, but I was defending properly and was in NO danger of submitting. Megumi is a great competitor, but in this fight, I’m going to play my game, and deliver her the first loss in her career.”

The confidence Ward exudes may be from her impressive victory over the previously undefeated Aisling “Ash the Bash” Daly in the Quarterfinals of the Women’s Tournament back at Bellator 26 in dominating fashion.

While slightly worried about Daley’s perfect record heading into the fight, Ward took control of the fight right out of the gate, and didn’t let up until the final bell sounded.

“I was a bit intimidated by her perfect record, but when I saw the caliber of her opponents I knew she was going to have a big test on her hands with me,” said Ward. “No disrespect to any of her wins; I just feel the girls I have fought are on a whole different level. When I stepped in the ring, I became completely confident and knew she would have to kill me before I would lose.”

The intimidation Ward felt may come into play again when she enters the ring against the world’s top female fighter for a shot at the Bellator Women’s Championship.

Fujii knows she has a target on her back, but she plans on using the pressure to her benefit when she steps in the ring.

“To be undefeated is a great challenge,” said a modest Fujii. “It makes me train harder and I try to focus on being a better fight than my last fight. I use the pressure of my record to help take my fighting to the next level.”

A bantamweight-tournament semifinal fight between Ed West and Jose Vega is set for this month's Bellator 30 event, officials today announced.

Bellator 30 takes place Sept. 30 at Fourth Street Live! in Louisville,
Ky. West vs. Vega is part of the night's FOX Sports
Net-televised main card.

The two 135-pounders look to advance to the tourney's finale, which crowns the organization's first-ever bantamweight champion.

PRESS RELEASE / CHICAGO, Ill. (September 15, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships today officially announced a September 30 Season 3 Women’s semi-final fight between explosive striker Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto and top submission specialist Jessica “Jag” Aguilar at Bellator 31, taking place at L’Auberge du Lac Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

“Zoila and Jessica were both very impressive in their quarterfinal wins, so fans should expect a great fight between these two fast-rising stars in women’s MMA,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Whoever is eventually crowned Bellator Women’s Champion, they will have certainly earned that title.”

To get to this point, both Frausto and Aguilar faced tough competition in the Bellator quarterfinals. “The Warrior Princess” made her way to the final four at Bellator 25 when she faced the previously undefeated Jessica Pene, who entered the fight holding a perfect 7-0 record. After three rounds of punishing Pene with a wide range of strikes, Frausto was not only awarded a 30-27 unanimous decision victory, but the fight against Aguilar in the semi-finals.

Making her Bellator debut in the Season 3 opener in Hollywood , Florida, Aguilar squared off against Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez in quarterfinal action. An overmatched Alvarez had no answer for the dangerous submission arsenal of Aguilar, who finished the fight in the first round with an air-tight arm-triangle choke to move onto the semi-finals at Bellator 31.

Aguilar knows the chance to become the first Bellator Women’s Champion is within reach, and is ready for the challenge.

“Becoming the first Bellator Women’s Champion is very important to me,” said Aguilar. “This has been my dream since I started my MMA career, and this is the opportunity to make it all come true. I want to leave my legacy as the first-ever Bellator Women’s Champion.”

Frausto holds similar beliefs, and has her sights set on becoming champion.

“Winning this tournament would be a dream come true,” said Frausto. “Winning this tournament would make me the best of the best, and I want that more than anything in the world right now and will do anything in my power to accomplish that.”

Former UFC lightweight star, and current Bellator fighter, Roger Huerta (21-4-1) isn’t worried about titles, as much as he’s worried about rankings when he steps into the cage against Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez.

Both men will square off on the upcoming Bellator 33 event in a non-title “Super Fight” on Oct. 21 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Penn.

Huerta, who is 1-3 in his past four fights, and is coming off a loss to Pat Curran in the season two lightweight tournament semi-finals. Don’t let his recent record fool you, the loss to Curran was a shocker to many, but his other losses were to two very tough opponents in Gray Maynard and Kenny Florian.

Huerta sees this upcoming fight as a make it or break it moment for him, as he feels, he is facing one of the top three lightweights in the world.

“I put him (Alvarez) in top three for sure…I really don’t care about the title. For me it’s just getting back up there on the rankings.”

“It’s here, it’s here now,” Huerta said. “It’s been like I’ve been given another chance and it’s one of those things like, ‘Alright, this is it. This is for all the marbles. You probably won’t ever, ever get a chance like this again.’”

Huerta was a guest on ‘The MMA Hour’ over at MMAFighting.com on Monday to talk about his upcoming Bellator Fighting Champinships fight.