A welterweight bout between Mike Pierce (11-3) and UFC newcomer Amilcar Alves (11-1) looks to be set for UFC 118 according to sources close to the event. Their fight is expected to take place on the preliminary card of the event.

UFC 118, not yet made official, is expected to take place on Aug. 28 at the Boston TD Garden and will be headlined by a UFC lightweight title bout between champ Frankie Edgar vs. former champ BJ Penn.

Pierce defeated Julio Paulino in his last octagon appearance, having earned a unanimous decision in March at the UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones event. He’s 1-1 in his last two but is 7-1 in his past eight fights. His last four fights have all gone to a decision, with the lone loss against Jon Fitch at UFC 107 in December.

While Alves, who makes his promotional debut and will fight in the US for the first time, has won his past eight fights. The bout against Pierce will be his first in 2010, having only fought twice last year. Eight of his career wins have come via stoppage, with seven earned in the first five minutes.

UFC 114 is packed full of interesting fights with the pick of the action being a genuine grudge match between Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Evans and Jackson were coaches on the least season of the Ultimate Fighter and the escalating animosity between them was there for all to see. The idea was that the two coaches should meet in a light heavyweight showdown once the series had concluded but instead Jackson surprisingly announced his retirement from MMA.

Frustrated fight fans wishing to see the two settle their differences in the Octagon will finally get their wish at UFC 114. It is an intriguing match up between two fighters who despite their very public differences share obvious similarities.

Both are former light heavyweight champions, both have only been beaten once in the UFC and both come from a wrestling background. Both men are good with their hands and both hold first round knockouts over former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.

Jackson is not renowned for his submissions but is more than competent on the ground. Despite having been recently awarded a BJJ black belt Evans has never won a professional MMA match by submission. Jackson appeared particularly susceptible to low kicks in his loss to Forrest Griffin. This is one aspect of his game which Evans may look to exploit but he may be reluctant to throw too many kicks for fear of being taken down.

Unless either man has a major surprise in store it is likely that the game plan for both will be to either finish the fight with a big right hand or impress the judges with a series of eye catching take down. With a huge amount of pride at stake, as well as a shot at newly crowned light heavyweight champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, this is a fight fit to headline any UFC card.

While the headliners may be motivated by their dislike for one another Dan Miller and Michael Bisping should need no more motivation then the knowledge that they will be fighting for their UFC futures in this middleweight clash. Both men have lost two out of their last three fights and another loss would do serious damage to their chances or long term survival in the UFC. Bisping’s profile is sufficiently high that the UFC will be reluctant to cut him too quickly but three losses out of four would leave him in a very precarious position. A third consecutive defeat would almost certainly spell the end of Miller’s UFC career.

Miller is a BJJ black belt and will be looking for a submission win. Bisping is a well rounded fighter whose only losses have been to the very best in the business, Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson and most recently Wanderlei Silva. He bounced back from both his previous losses and will be looking to get back on track after a disappointing decision loss to Silva. Bisping will be looking to utilize his stand up whereas Miller will be desperate to take the fight to the floor which should make for an interesting clash of styles.

Recent heavyweight arrivals Todd Duffee and Mike Russow find themselves surprisingly high up the card. Although a newcomer to the UFC Russow is a veteran of 14 MMA fights and will be looking to make a name for himself by making it two UFC wins out of two. Duffee is still something on an unknown quantity having won his first fight by knock out only seven seconds into the opening round. An impressive win could potentially catapault either man up the rankings in a division which currently lacks a little depth.

A couple of more established fighters will also be in action. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira stepped out of the shadow of his elder brother, former heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, in spectacular style knocking out Luiz Cane in the very first round of his UFC debut.

He looks an outstanding prospect in a division dominated by Brazilians and will be expected to easily overcome the challenge of Jason Brilz. A late replacement for the injured Forrest Griffin, Brilz is a wrestler who has won three out of his four UFC fights. Nogueira is an excellent boxer and will be looking for another early knock. He is also a BJJ black belt and even if Brilz can take him down he will be very comfortable fighting off his back. It would represent a major surprise if Brilz can stop ‘little Nog’ from rising further up the light heavyweight rankings.

Diego Sanchez has decided to vacate the lightweight division after a vicious beating at the hands of BJ Penn. He returns to the welterweight division to face unbeaten Englishman John Hathaway. It will be by far the toughest test of Hathaway’s career with Sanchez expected to make an immediate return to winning ways.

UFC 114 is an enticing concoction of veterans with a point to prove and up and coming fighters with nothing to lose. The highlight will undoubtedly be the long awaited clash between Evans and Jackson. These two have not been shy about expressing their dislike for one another and now it is time for them to let their fists and feet do the talking.

When Diego Sanchez steps in to the cage against
John Hathaway at Saturday night's UFC 114 event in
Las Vegas, it will be the first time "Nightmare" has competed at
welterweight since a June 2008 win over Luigi Fioravanti.

Sanchez made the move back to 170 pounds after a failed lightweight
title bid against B.J. Penn at UFC 107 this past December.

A winner of the original "The Ultimate Fighter," Sanchez said the return
to 170 pounds was always in the cards, and though he's done with
lightweight for now, he feels there's unfinished business with Penn.

On Tuesday the UFC announced several ‘Grappling Superfights’ for the upcoming Grapplers Quest tournament, held as part of the second-ever UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas, in conjunction with this month’s “UFC 114: Rampage vs. Evans” event.

This year’s superfights include Shayna Baszler vs. Penny Thomas, Bill Cooper vs. Hermes Franca, Fredson Paixao vs. Caol Uno and Jeff Glover vs. Javier Vazquez. Also competing at the event will be former PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi, who enters the tournament in the Men’s Advance welterweight division (169.9 pounds and under).

“For grappling fans, this is an awesome opportunity to see some of the world’s best ground fighters compete against one another,” UFC president Dana White stated in today’s official release.

The UFC Fan Expo takes place May 28 and 29 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas with action starting on Friday, May 28 at 1 p.m. PT local time. The first ‘Superfight’ includes South African Penny Thomas vs. Shayna Baszler and is followed by the Bill Cooper vs. Hermes Franca match.

About The Competitors:

Recognized for his colorful hair, engaging personality, and ferocious fighting spirit, former UFC star Hermes Franca is also widely-respected in grappling circles. A highly-decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, Franca returns to grappling competitions at the UFC Fan Expo when he takes on Bill Cooper in an exciting matchup.

At just 23 years old, Bill “The Grill” Cooper is already a grappling sensation. Since earning his black belt from Ricardo Miller at the age of 20, Cooper has won 25 Grapplers Quest titles from around the country. Now teaching in Thousand Oaks, California, Cooper will face one of the toughest tests of his young career in Hermes Franca on May 28.

Penny Thomas is a South African Jiu-jitsu star fighting out of San Diego, Calif. Training under the tutelage of Saulo and Alexandre Ribeiro, Thomas is a two-time Abu Dhabi World Champion, as well as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt and defending Grapplers Quest All-Star Pro Champion. Representing Gracie Humaitá, Thomas is eager to take on Baszler on May 28.

Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler competes out of Sioux Falls, S.D. and owns an MMA record of 11-6. Baszler has scored notable victories over Roxanne Modafferi and Megumi Yabushita in her career and looks to make a big statement with a grappling win over Thomas later this month.

One of the most respected fighters in the history of the sport, Japanese star Caol Uno began his career in 1996 and blazed a trail for lighter weight fighters. Having fought a Who’s Who of MMA, including BJ Penn, Jens Pulver, Rumina Sato, and Dennis Hallman, the 35-year-old has defeated over half of his opponents by submission. The dynamic Uno looks to test his grappling mettle when he battles Fredson Paxaio at the UFC Fan Expo.

Fredson Paixao’s accomplishments in the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu speak for themselves. A four-time world champion, the 30-year old from Parintins is considered one of the best grapplers of this era. Now competing in MMA for the WEC, Paixao – who is only the second person in the world to go from purple to black belt in just four years – will get back to his roots by grappling competitively during the UFC Fan Expo.

A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the late Carlson Gracie, 34-year-old Javier Vazquez ranks among the most gifted grapplers in the world. With nine of his 14 professional MMA victories coming by way of submission, the WEC star vows to put on a show when he takes to the mat against Jeff Glover on May 29.

With 23 Grapplers Quest titles to his name, California’s Jeff Glover has taken the jiu-jitsu world by storm. Add in accolades as a 2008 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship-Silver Medalist, 2008 PacSun Hawaii Absolute/No-Gi/Gi Champion, 2007 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship Gold Medalist, and it’s clear why seeing Glover’s name on the marquee means some high-level jiu-jitsu. Among the best guard players to ever grace the mat, Glover plans to showcase his high-level grappling when he takes on Javier Vazquez later this month.

Please note that all rings of the UFC Fan Expo tournament will be stopped during these Superfights, and that while fans will get to see all the tournament and Superfight action, seating will be limited and handled on a first come, first served basis.

For more UFC Fan Expo information and to purchase tickets, visit UFCfanexpo.com. For companies interested in reserving space at this premier event, contact Ed Gallo, Event Director at 1-203-840-5546 or email egallo@ufcfanexpo.com.

UFC.com

It looks like UFC 118 will be a night to showcase the lightweight division as another blockbuster lightweight bout between Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard has been signed.

Florian confirmed the fight on a recent edition of MMA Live.

Florian will look to stop the aggressive wrestling of “The Bully” in what should be a number one contender’s fight for the lightweight crown. Florian will have the hometown advantage as UFC 118, and Maynard may be walking into hostile territory.

Florian has went 11-3 in the promotion since his debut with his only losses to BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez, and Sean Sherk and has went on three and six fight win streaks in the promotion with victories over Roger Huerta, Clay Guida, Joe Lauzon, and recently Takanori Gomi. Florian came close to championship gold on two occasions, but has loss to Sean Sherk in 2006 and BJ Penn last year.

Maynard is undefeated in MMA, and has been the only fighter to defeat UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, a fight that he dominated with wrestling at UFC Fight Night 13. While “The Bully” may not be an exciting fighter, nobody has yet to formulate a game plan to stop Maynard. This will be Maynard’s first true test against an established lightweight in the UFC, and an upset win could put him in line for a shot against either Frankie Edgar or BJ Penn.

UFC 118 takes place of August 1 and will emanate from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The PPV event will be headlined by a rematch between Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn for the lightweight title.

Click here to view the embedded video.

BJ Penn talks to the Cagewriter about his book tour, losing the belt, and rematching Frankie Edgar. Penn shows his maturity by not getting all excited about the loss.

HT: Yahoo! Cagewriter

Find more videos like this on BJPENN.COM

BJ Penn meets fans at a book store in Torrance, Cali. to help promote his new book “Why I Fight“, apparently there is some pretty good stuff in Penn’s book about UFC president Dana White.

Undefeated UFC fighter Gray Maynard (9-0) is eyeing the lightweight title, if he can’t face Frankie Edgar next he’ll settle for Kenny Florian.

“If Penn is going up against Edgar, if that happens, the only one that I would want to go up against is Florian. I think that would be a great scrap, and that would be cool with me. Boston here I come. Let’s do it.”

No official word has come down from the UFC but a rematch between Edgar and former Champ BJ Penn appears to be in the works for later this summer. Maynard realizes how close their fight was and understands why a rematch is warranted.

“I told them I’d love that fight. Of course anytime it’s a chance to go for the belt, you have to jump on it,” said Maynard. “The next best would be Florian. That would be a great fight.”

“Obviously it was close. It was real close. It could have gone either way, and Penn is a big draw, so from a business standpoint I can tell why. If it were anyone else I’d be pretty hurt of course, but that’s just kind of how it goes.”

Maynard earned a split decision victory over Nate Diaz at UFN 20 this past January. It was his seventh win under the UFC banner with one “no contest” in his UFC debut against Rob Emerson at the “TUF 5″ Finale.

HT: MMAWeekly.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

BJ Penn talks about MMA, is loss this weekend at UFC 112, and his upcoming book “Why I Fight”. Oh yeah, and he performs a take-down of host Brian Kilmeade of Fox News, but is stopped before he can sink the Kimura, too bad.

During a recent radio interview BJ Penn said he was contacted by the UFC about a potential rematch with Frankie Edgar.

“The UFC contacted us yesterday, and I think they want to put a rematch together, so I think a rematch is in the works. I think the next three months, four months at the most,” Penn said.

Penn was defeated by Edgar in the co-main event of last weekends UFC 112 event, losing his lightweight title to “The Answer” by unanimous decision. With a possible rematch coming in the next three to four months the event could take place on either of the August events, August 1st in Oakland or August 28th in Boston.

HT: 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C. via MMAFighting.com.

Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - In 13 professional fights, including last Saturday's bout with BJ Penn, new UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has lost just once. But the significance of Edgar's win over Penn on that lone man to beat him - Gray Maynard - didn't hit home right away.