On Wednesday, the Ultimate Fighting Championship made the preliminary card for their next event, “UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2″ official with a total of seven bouts.

The remaining unannounced undercard bouts feature the following matchups: … Joe Lauzon vs. Gabe Ruediger, Andre Winner vs. Nik Lentz, Dan Miller vs. John Salter, Nick Osipczak vs. Greg Soto, and Mike Pierce vs. Amilcar Alves.

The main event features a UFC lightweight title rematch between current champ Frankie Edgar and former champ BJ Penn. The co-main event has UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture taking on boxing champ James Toney, who makes his mma debut.

UFC 118 is set to happen on Aug. 28 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. which will coincide with the promotions third UFC Fan Expo. Two bouts will be featured on Spike TV’s “UFC Prelims” special preceding the shows pay-per-view.

Check out the full UFC Press Release after the jump

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – The highly anticipated lightweight championship rematch between Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn will conclude an explosive fight card for the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 118 in Boston, Massachusetts. The title fight will round out a card that features former three-division world boxing champion James “Lights Out” Toney making his MMA debut against UFC Hall of Famer Randy “The Natural” Couture. Also featured on the card is a lightweight matchup that has the makings to be Fight of the Night, as Massachusetts native Kenny Florian is pegged to battle undefeated Gray Maynard.

UFC 118 is available live on Pay-Per-View at 10pm ET/7pm PT on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available). UFC 118 will also be available on Pay-Per-View in Spanish in the United States.

The remaining unannounced undercard bouts feature the following matchups: Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda, Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis, Joe Lauzon vs. Gabe Ruediger, Andre Winner vs. Nik Lentz, Dan Miller vs. John Salter, Nick Osipczak vs. Greg Soto, and Mike Pierce vs. Amilcar Alves.

Originally, Demian Maia (fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil/12-2) was scheduled to headline The Ultimate Fight Night® in Austin, Texas, before his opponent Alan Belcher withdrew due to an eye injury. Maia is now featured on the main card for UFC 118, his first fight since taking Anderson Silva all five rounds at UFC 112. The former No. 1 contender is now set to battle his way back to the top, starting with Mario Miranda (fighting out of Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/12-1). The relative newcomer to the UFC has two fights with the organization, most recently a TKO victory over the highly-respected veteran David Loiseau.

The Ultimate Fighter® season five winner Nate Diaz (fighting out of Stockton, Calif./12-5) has been victorious in two of his last three fights, defeating Melvin Guillard and Rory Markham. The young fighter has already compiled 14 fights in WEC and UFC, becoming a professional fighter directly out of high school. A similar path was taken by his opponent, Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis (fighting out of Bangor, Maine/22-7) who became a professional boxer at the age of 18. The southpaw’s 14th appearance in the Octagon will be close to home, as Davis trains with Mark DellaGrotte in Somerville, Mass.

UFC 118 will have a special significance to Massachusetts native Joe Lauzon (fighting out of Bridgewater, Mass./17-5) who will be fighting near his hometown and against his former teammate on The Ultimate Fighter season five. The submission specialist has garnered five victories in the UFC, with his first dating back to 2006 when he knocked-out Jens Pulver. Originally scheduled to face Terry Etim, Lauzon will have to amend his strategy as he will now fight submission specialist Gabe “Godzilla” Ruediger (fighting out of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./17-5). The former WEC® lightweight champion had a short stay on the reality show, but makes his return to the UFC after securing a six fight win streak outside of the organization.

On the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter, Andre Winner (fighting out of Nottingham, England/12-3-1) fought his way to the finale and battled fellow England native Ross Pearson. Winner was unable to secure the six figure contract, but he has since been on the winning end of his last two fights, giving him a record of 2-1 in the UFC. Also with three fights in the organization, Nik Lentz (fighting out of Eden Prairie, Minn./20-3-2) is unbeaten in his short UFC career, obtaining two victories and one draw. His good takedown defense is a direct result of his collegiate wrestling background at the University of Minnesota and his endurance has yet to be questioned as all three of his victories within the UFC have gone the distance.

A victory for Dan Miller (fighting out of Whippany, N.J./11-4, 1 NC) would have significant importance because it will get him back on the right track in his UFC career. The black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu started off his UFC career with a string of three victories, but has run across some top level talent in Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia, and Michael Bisping and is looking to get back to his winning ways. Conversely, John Salter (fighting out of Tuscaloosa, Ala./5-1) lost his UFC debut against Gerald Harris, but made amends by defeating Jason MacDonald at UFC 113. This fight will be an interesting matchup as both fighters have a background in wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

Nick Osipczak (fighting out of Nottingham, England/5-2) will be making his fourth appearance in the Octagon® after establishing a record of 2-1 in the UFC. This welterweight matchup features two young fighters on the rise in one of the sport’s toughest divisions. Osipczak, 25, has only engaged in seven professional bouts, while his opponent Greg Soto (fighting out of Point Pleasant, NJ/7-1), has had eight professional fights at the age of 24. Soto will be making his second appearance for the UFC, after a debut disqualification loss to Matthew Riddle at UFC 111.

In March of 2009, Mike Pierce (fighting out of Vancouver, WA/10-3) made his successful debut for the WEC, beating Justin Haskins with a TKO. Pierce then joined the UFC and has a record of 3-1 between the two organizations. At UFC 118, he will be facing a newcomer to the UFC, Amilcar Alves (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/11-1). Alves has established a respectable professional record and will attempt to make a spectacular UFC debut.

For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Duane "Bang" Ludwig isn't the only fighter getting back to his feet.

UFC middleweight Jason MacDonald on Tuesday had two
three-inch screws removed his ankle and was cleared for light training.

MacDonald suffered a broken tibula, a dislocated ankle and bone and
ligament damage when John Salter took him down in the first round of
their fight at UFC 113.

With Phil Baroni out due to a collarbone injury, 6X UFC veteran Dan Miller will fill his shoes in facing off with John Salter at UFC 118.

UFC 118 is set to take place on August 28 from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

News of Baroni’s injury was first reported by MMAJunkie.com and Miller’s substitution was subsequently revealed by MMADiehards.com.

Miller entered the UFC with a bang, racking up three consecutive wins before dropping his last three straight and will undoubtedly be fighting for survival in the promotion, while Salter has gone 1-1 since entering the UFC with a defeat at the hands of Gerald Harris and a recent victory over Jason MacDonald.

“The New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni has withdrawn from his bout against John Salter which had been scheduled for UFC 118: Edgar Vs. Penn 2 due to injury. Baroni damaged his collar bone during training, and used twitter to express his frustration:

I cant take it anymore. Im freaking out. anxiety im shot. beaten.

While Baroni has a name that many MMA fans recognize there’s considerable doubt as to whether his talent level is good enough to keep him in the UFC. A loss to Salter would have, more than likely, forced the UFC to drop the axe and remove him from the roster. There’s no word on a replacement at this time, but we’ll bring you word as it comes out.

Update: An update from MMA Diehards has 11-4 Dan Miller replacing Baroni against John Salter at UFC 118. Miller is 3-3 in the UFC and has been given one more shot at keeping his job with the promotion after having lost his last three fights. He last appeared at UFC 114 in May, losing a unanimous decision to Michael Bisping on the main card.

No official word has been released on the fight and where it may place on the nights card.

UFC welterweight Phil Baroni is out of next month's UFC 118 event and his fight with John Salter due to a collarbone injury.

Baroni's agent, Ken Pavia of MMAAgents.com, today confirmed the news with MMAjunkie.com.

"He suffered a minor injury that interrupted his preparations," Pavia said. "It's not going to be a long-term problem."

UFC 118 is still almost two months away but the card is set to be a completely stacked affair, with two main event bouts and several other solid fights. UFC will be in Boston, Mass. for the first time, and it seems like the UFC wants to set the bar extremely high. The main event will feature the first title defense of Frankie Edgar as he rematches BJ Penn while the co-main event will feature UFC Hall of famer Randy Couture returning to the Octagon to take on boxing star James Toney. The card doesn’t get any weaker as Nate Marquardt looks to rebound from his loss to Chael Sonnen as he takes on BJJ wizard Rousimar Palhares while boston’s own Kenny Florian will fight game Gray Maynard. There’s even unconfirmed rumors that Nate Diaz will be fighting on the card possibly against Marcus Davis. Wow this is a must by pay per view.

Main card

Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn
Heavyweight bout: Randy Couture vs. James Toney
Middleweight bout: Nate Marquardt vs. Rousimar Palhares
Lightweight bout: Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard

Preliminary card (Spike TV)

Middleweight bout: Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara
Lightweight bout: Joe Lauzon vs. Terry Etim

Preliminary card

Lightweight bout: Andre Winner vs. Nik Lentz
Middleweight bout: Phil Baroni vs. John Salter
Welterweight bout: Nick Osipczak vs. Greg Soto
Welterweight bout: Mike Pierce vs. Amilcar Alves

After Thursday's official announcement of UFC 118, a 10th fight has been added to the lineup and is now part of the night's preliminary card.

As expected, after a brief stop in the welterweight division, veteran fighter Phil Baroni returns to middleweight to fight fellow 185-pounder John Salter.

UFC 118 takes place Aug. 28 at TD Garden in Boston.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - David Loiseau is grateful to the UFC for
giving him another look after he got caught in red tape.

Loiseau, 30, was booked on short notice to face John Salter at UFC 113
in Montreal before the Quebec Athletic Commission put a hold on his
fight license, which prompted UFC officials to give his slot to Jason
MacDonald.

But instead of shrugging their shoulders and saying, "Better luck next
time," UFC matchmaker Joe Silva rebooked the former middleweight
contender against Mario Miranda at Saturday's at UFC 115 event.

UFC middleweight fighter Gerrald Harris (15-2) finally has an opponent for UFC 116.

Harris was previously named to the event without an opponent will now face Renzo Gracie fighter Dave Branch (6-0) on the unbroadcasted preliminary card.

UFC 116 will take place on July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. and will be headlined by a UFC heavyweight unification title bout between champ Brock Lesnar vs. interim champ Shane Carwin.

Harris has won his last nine fights including his past two UFC bouts against Mario Miranda and John Salter. This will be his first UFC pay-per-view fight as his wins over Miranda and Salter took place at UFC Fight Night events.

The “TUF 7″ cast member has won 7 victories via T(KO) and 5 by submission. He also earned the “Knockout of the Night” bonus against Salter at UFN 20 after earning the TKO win in the third round.

Undefeated Renzo Gracie fighter, Branch, has yet to lose and carries a 6-0 record into the octagon when he makes his UFC debut against Harris. None of his six opponents have been able to carry the fight into the third round, with Branch earning 3 submission and 3 T(KO) victories.

HT: MMAWeekly.com

Nick Catone is regrouping at a new gym after
suffering three herniated discs in his back which forced him to withdraw
from a planned fight with John Salter at UFC 113.

The UFC middleweight told MMAjunkie.com that he has
joined the Renzo Gracie Fight Team out of UFC welterweight Ricardo
Almeida's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school in Hamilton, N.J., which hosts
around 25 fighters including UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

In the course of the move, the New Jersey native Catone decided he wants
to drop from the middleweight to the welterweight class.