Thiago Tavares officially is off next month's UFC on Versus 2 fight card.

MMAjunkie.com first reported earlier this week that an injury had forced Tavares' opponent, UFC newcomer Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire, off the card.

Today, a source close to Tavares told MMAjunkie.com a replacement couldn't be found and that the lightweight will be shifted to a future card.

Welterweights Diego Sanchez and Paulo Thiago look to return to the winner's circle when they meet at
UFC 121.

PennyJoMMA.com first reported the matchup on Tuesday evening, and
multiple outlets have since confirmed that verbal agreements are in place
and both fighters are expected to make it official shortly. It is
unknown whether the fight is a part of the event's televised lineup.

UFC 121 takes place Oct. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and
features a heavyweight headliner between current champion Brock Lesnar
and challenger Cain Velasquez.

Fights, not fighters, are what make MMA events entertaining. You can stack a card with high quality fighters but there is no guarantee that this will make for enjoyable fights.

UFC 115 came in for heavy criticism from people who were unhappy at the lack of top class talent on display. What the main card of UFC 115 might have lacked in top ranked fighters though it more than made up for with a series of spectacular fights.

Local lad Rory Macdonald got the action off to the best possible start by picking Carlos Condit apart for two rounds to open up an insurmountable lead on the scorecards. The Canadian crowd were delighted and nothing short of a third stoppage would have suffice for Condit.

An uncharacteristically animated Greg Jackson sent Condit out for the third and final round telling him that, quite simply, he needed to go to war. Condit took Jackson’s words to heart and set about dominating Macdonald with a brutal display of ground and pound.

With a healthy two round lead presumably under his belt Macdonald only needed to survive this onslaught until the final bell to claim a decision victory. With less than seven seconds remaining and Condit raining down a barrage of unanswered blows the referee stepped in for a dramatic yet highly unpopular stoppage.

It was no more than Condit deserved for an inspiring comeback and tellingly there were absolutely no complaints from his vanquished opponent. This was one of those rare fights were both fighters were able to enhance their reputations and deservedly claimed fight of the night honors.

Next up were the heavyweights and Ben Rothwell and Gilbert Yvel were involved in a back and forth war which surpassed expectations despite an anti climactic third round. Rothwell went at Yvel from the opening bell and set a surprisingly fast pace for a heavyweight. Yvel fought back and was battering Rothwell by the time the bell rang.

Both fighters were already fatigued when round two began but Rothwell was able to take Yvel down and keep him there, although without doing any real damage. When Yvel was able to reverse the position he was far more effective and although Rothwell spent the majority of the round in a dominant position Yvel did far more damage.

Bereft of all energy both fighters came to a virtual stand still in the third round. Rothwell was once again able to secure a dominant position and this time Yvel was unable to escape, spending almost the entire round pinned to the floor. Rothwell was understandably awarded the decision although either of the first two rounds could conceivably have gone to Yvel.

Martin Kampmann showed that he is a serious welterweight contender by defeating Paulo Thiago with an extremely technical display. Thiago was consistently beaten to the punch by some crisp striking and Kampmann appeared on the verge of submitting the BJJ black belt on a couple of occasions. Kampmann is slowly working his way up the welterweight ladder and is probably only one more win away from a title shot.

Crocop vs Barry had all the makings of a classic and it did not disappoint. Barry enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and dropped Crocop with two hard right hands. Crocop seemed surprisingly reluctant to throw his legendary left kick preferring instead to use some unorthodox side kicks and spinning heel kicks. A stand up exchange towards the end of the round was enjoyed by both fighters so much that they shared a premature embrace but this was Barry’s round and Crocop’s face was badly swollen at the end of it.

UFC fans have been waiting to see the Crocop who laid waste to Pride’s heavyweight division inside the octagon and in round two they finally got to see him. Barry was unable to pull the trigger and Crocop showed good versatility to take Barry down and emphatically win the round.

By round three the real Mirko Crocop was ready to stand up. He chased Barry across the Octagon while picking him off with a selection of punches in a performance reminiscent of his Pride days. Once again Crocop was able to take Barry down and this time he secured a rear naked choke for a dramatic submission win.

After such an entertaining build up expectations were high going into the main event and it did not disappoint. Much was made of Liddell’s superior preparation and he showed that even aged 40 he is still able to evolve as a fighter with some vicious kicks, one of which probably broke Franklin’s arm.

At one point Liddell even successfully executed an unlikely take down but he seemed in a hurry to finish the fight and his impatience was to cost him. As the round drew to an end he chased Franklin down and pinned him against the cage, landing a sharp elbow. Liddell lunged forward looking to finish the fight and ran straight into a right hand from Franklin which knocked him out cold.

It was a huge win for Franklin and demonstrates that he is still a force in the light heavyweight division. For Liddell this surely marks the end of a glorious career but the iceman can feel proud that at least he went out on his shield.

Throughout his four-year UFC career, welterweight Martin Kampmann has often been labeled a Danish kickboxer.

Despite six submission wins to Kampmann's credit, perhaps no fight better showcased his now-well-rounded game than Saturday's unanimous-decision win over Paulo Thiago.

UFC president Dana White, in fact, said Kampmann was able to do something no one else has: make Thiago uncomfortable on his feet.

If tonight was the last time we see UFC legend Chuck Liddell wage war in the Octagon, the former UFC light heavyweight champion has absolutely nothing to hang his head about.

“The Iceman” may have come up on the short end of the stick in this evening’s clash with UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, but Liddell showed flashes of brilliance in his bout with the revitalized Franklin and never appeared out of the fight until the final 2 or 3 seconds of the contest. Although Liddell managed to score a surprising takedown midway through the opening round, the story of the fight was the popular duo trading punches and kicks for the bulk of the 205 lb. scrap. With just seconds remaining in he first round it appeared as though Liddell had Franklin on the run, scoring with a barrage of punches and elbows on the feet, before Franklin landed a devastating straight right hand that dropped the beloved 12-year UFC veteran to the canvas in a heap.

Liddell and Franklin went to war tonight in the the main event of UFC 115 this evening in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

After the fight Franklin revealed that he had suffered a paralyzing injury in the early moments of round one.

“Early in the fight when Chuck threw that right kick to my body, I could feel it click and I knew my left arm was broken,” revealed Franklin following the war between legends.

When asked what was next on his agenda Franklin  was quick to stake his claim in the 205 pound division, leaving no doubt as to what weight class he hopes to compete at in the future.

“I’m here at 205 now and if my next fight is at 205, that’s where I’ll be,” said Franklin. ”I want to make a run for the title.”

Although we may have seen the final chapter play out in the career of one mixed martial arts legend, fans were also treated to the beginning of a new chapter for another.

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic showed the heart of a champion this evening after being badly battered on separate occasions in the first round of his heavyweight clash with fellow heavyweight knockout artist Pat Barry, coming back to stop the fellow K-1 veteran with a succession of punches on the feet which progressed into some good old fashioned ground and pound before a rear-naked choke signaled the violent end of the electrifying battle between the two late in the third and final round.

Carlos Condit has a long history of rallying back from the brink of defeat and this evening was no exception. “The Natural Born Killer” dug deep in his welterweight clash with the previously undefeated hometown favorite Rory Macdonald, turning the tide in the third round after clearly losing the first two rounds to stop the hard-hitting Canadian prospect with just 7 seconds remaining in the bout.

Macdonald mixed his takedowns with his striking game beautifully for the first two rounds between the two before Condit came out with a sense of purpose in the third and finished the 20-year-old “Waterboy” with a vicious volley of unanswered ground and pound.

“It was a just stoppage,” said Macdonald following the back-and-forth battle. ”He kicked my ass.

“He was hurting me from the start. He hurt me with the first punch he landed and it was all downhill from there.”

Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann put up arguably the most impressive performance of his career against the extremely dangerous Paulo Thiagoin a hard fought three round unanimous decision victory. Kampmann surprised many by dominating the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt at his own game on the ground as well as on the feet for nearly every moment of the 15 minutes contested between the two.

The victory was the second in a row for Kampmann, who improved his UFC record to an extremely impressive 8-2 and his career record to 17-3 with the one-sided beating of Thiago.

A full set of results from UFC 115 are listed below:

Mike Pyle def. Jesse Lennox via technical submission (triangle choke) - Round 3, 4:44

Claude Patrick def. Ricardo Funch via submission (guillotine choke)- Round 2, 1:48

James Wilks def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Mario Miranda def. David Loiseau via TKO – Round 2, 4:07

Matt Wiman def. Mac Danzig via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:45

Evan Dunham def. Tyson Griffin via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Carlos Condit def. Rory Macdonald via TKO – Round 3, 4:53

Ben Rothwell def. Gilbert Yvel via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Martin Kampmann def. Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Pat Barry via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 4:30

Rich Franklin def. Chuck Liddell via knockout – Round 1, 4:55

UFC 115 Liddel vs. Franklin has a main card packed with what appear to be five guaranteed crowd pleasing bouts as all 10 combatants on the PPV card have a history of finishing their fights in dramatic fashion.

We start with the Quick Hit Predictions for the undercard and then on to the five main televised bouts.

Non-Televised Matches

Mario Miranda over David Loiseau
Ricardo Funch over Claude Patrick
Mike Pyle over Jesse Lennox
James Wilks over Peter Sobotta

Spike TV Matches

Matt Wiman over Mac Danzig
Tyson Griffin over Evan Dunham

Welterweight Bout: Carlos Condit (24-5) vs. Rory MacDonald (10-0).

Condit enters his third UFC bout after being on both ends of a split decision in his previous two fights. MacDonald is entering the Octagon for the second time after picking up a submission win in his UFC debut.

Before entering the UFC, Condit had won five straight fights in the WEC and was that promotion’s 170-pound champion before the division folded and was absorbed into the UFC.

MacDonald is hungry and looking to take the next step in his career.

I’m sensing a trend in Condit’s UFC fights though.

Prediction: Condit over MacDonald by decision.

Heavyweight Match: Ben Rothwell (30-7) vs. Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1, 1 NC)

Do not expect anything other than a brawl in this one. Both these guys want to stand and fire away until one of them falls.

Yvel is more famous for hitting guys in the groin from his days in Japan. Rothwell was one of the top heavyweight fighters not in the UFC for a couple of years.

Prediction: Rothwell over Yvel by knockout.

Welterweight bout: Paulo Thiago (13-1-0) vs. Martin Kampmann (16-3-0)

What we have here is the next couple of guys trying to solidify their place in line after the upcoming Welterweight title fight between Georges St-Pierre and Josh Koscheck.

Thiago comes in having won two in a row and three of his four UFC fights. Kampmann has won three out of his last five outings.

Thiago owns a KO win over Koscheck. Kampmann is 3-1 since dropping to 170 from middleweight.

Prediction: Kampmann over Thiago by technical knockout.

Heavyweight Bout: Mirko Cro Cop (26-7-2, 1 NC) vs. Pat Barry (5-1-0)

Two well-traveled kickboxers will meet and don’t make any bets on this one going to the floor for a submission finish.

Cro Cop has more head-kick knockouts on his resume than any 10 fighters anyone can name put together. Barry has ended fights with some of the most vicious leg kicks ever seen.

Cro Cop’s resume is a who’s who of MMA. Barry is taking a definite step up in competition by facing a sure-fire future Hall of Famer.

Cro Cop heads in to this fight with a 2-1 record since returning to the UFC in June 2009. Cro Cop is 3-3 overall in the UFC.

Barry is also 2-1 in his only three fights in the promotion.

Official prediction: Cro Cop over Barry by TKO.

Light-Heavyweight bout: Chuck Liddell (21-7-0) vs. Rich Franklin (27-5-0, 1 NC)

It’s been 14 months since Chuck “THE ICEMAN” Liddell was knocked out by Mauricio Rua in Montreal. It’s been six months since Rich “ACE” Franklin was stopped by Vitor Belfort in Dallas.

Both are certified legends in the sport. Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame last July. Franklin is pretty much waiting on the call to the hall.

Liddell is a headhunter. Franklin is a technical/strategic fighter who has a few KOs on his highlight reel.

Liddell circles around the perimeter of the cage like a shark and draws fighters into range of his lethal punches. Franklin will break you down with kicks and strikes before he puts you on your back to pound you out.

I think ring rust is real. So who has more?

Official Prediction: Franklin over Liddell by decision.

Until Next Time

I’m Q
CYA

“Words are important, I thank you for hearing my words.” George Carlin RIP.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - UFC welterweight and self-described
adrenaline junkie Paulo Thiago says it's much easier
than you'd think to be a fighter and a special forces police officer.

"[My] commanders do the best they can," Thiago, who faces Martin
Kampmann at UFC 115 on Saturday, told MMAjunkie.com on Wednesday. "Whether I win or lose, I always have the best support."

But as far as he goes in MMA, there's one thing he won't give up, and
that's his day job.

Click here to view the embedded video.

UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin is set to take place on June 12, 2010 from GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The fourth ever UFC event in Canada will feature a main event bout between Chuck”The Iceman” Liddell and Rich”Ace” Franklin. Other notable bouts include Mirko Cro Cop vs. Pat Barry and Paulo Thiago taking on Martin Kampmann. Here’s the complete list of fights, as it currently stands:

Main Card

Light Heavyweight bout: Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin
Heavyweight bout: Mirko Filipović vs. Patrick Barry
Welterweight bout: Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann
Heavyweight bout: Ben Rothwell vs. Gilbert Yvel
Welterweight bout: Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald

Preliminary card (Spike TV)

Lightweight bout: Tyson Griffin vs. Evan Dunham
Lightweight bout: Mac Danzig vs. Matt Wiman

Preliminary card

Middleweight bout: David Loiseau vs. Mario Miranda
Welterweight bout: James Wilks vs. Peter Sobotta
Welterweight bout: Ricardo Funch vs. Claude Patrick
Welterweight bout: Mike Pyle vs. Jesse Lennox

“I thought it was amazing, I was really glad. Shogun is a guy I respect, he helped me a lot on Chute Boxe, also Dida… They have always been on my side, I’m very glad, independently he is part of my division. I loved to see his knockout over Lyoto, it made me even happier about it,” laughs Thiago.

Thiago Silva (14-2) is preparing to return to the octagon at UFC 117 later this summer against Tim Boetsch, who makes his return to the UFC after three victories outside the organization. After losing to Rashad Evans at UFC 108, Silva is training hard for this fight and will look to put on a good show on Aug. 7.

“I’m training hard and I’m ready, it’s about time. I’m 100% ready to make a good show, I’ll train hard to win”.

HT: Tatame.com

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.