After first toying with the idea, Dustin Hazelett apparently has decided to move from welterweight to lightweight.

Sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com "McLovin" has agreed to meet fellow jiu-jitsu specialist Mark Bocek at UFC 124. MMAWeekly.com first reported the matchup.

UFC 124 takes place Dec. 11 at the Bell Centre in Montreal and features a welterweight title bout between current champion Georges St-Pierre and Josh Koscheck.

With another lightweight title shot not on the horizon, B.J. Penn will return to the welterweight division to complete a trilogy of fights with Matt Hughes.

The fight takes place in November at UFC 123 and could serve as the night's co-main event, a source close to the negotiations told MMAjunkie.com.

Hughes first hinted at the matchup in a Tuesday blog post, which prompted reports of the Penn booking.

Former UFC champions BJ Penn (15-7-1) and Matt Hughes (45-7) will meet for a third time when the two square off at UFC 123.

The news was confirmed by MMAFighting.com after rumors of the matchup surfaced on Monday on CagePotato.com.

The welterweight bout will take place at the yet to be officially announced UFC 123, which goes down at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan on Nov. 20.

Both of their previous meetings have been fought for the UFC welterweight title with each fighter holding a win over the other. Hughes holds the last victory, defending the welterweight title at UFC 63, defeating Penn by TKO (punches) in the third round. While Penn earned the first victory by submitting Hughes by rear-naked-choke at UFC 40 to earn the Hawaiian his first UFC title.

Penn is coming off back-to-back lightweight championship losses to Frankie Edgar at UFC 118 and UFC 112. “The Prodigy” has stated that he wanted to come back quickly to face a big name and now has it in Hughes. Penn has fought for either the UFC lightweight or welterweight title in his past seven fights going 4-3 overall in those bouts.

The UFC Hall of Famer, Hughes, has shown a resurgence in his career after losing back-to-back matches to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 79 for the UFC interim welterweight title, and to Thiago Alves at UFC 85 in a 174 lbs catchweight bout. Since those losses he’s earned three straight wins against some tough opponents. He’s defeated Matt Hughes at UFC 98, Renzo Gracie at UFC 112, and earned his first “Submission of the Night” bonus for choking out Ricardo Almeida at UFC 117.

UFC 123 is expected to be headlined by a light-heavyweight bout between another set of former champions, Lyoto Machida vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

A welterweight bout between rising contenders Rick Story and Johny Hendricks is slated for The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale in December.

A source close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com that verbal agreements are in place and that bout agreements are in the process of being finalized.

The fight is expected to be part of the night's main card, which airs live on Spike TV.

Undefeated welterweight Carlos Eduardo Rocha is
expected to meet "The Ultimate Fighter 11" runner-up Kris McCray at UFC 122.

The matchup was first reported by German MMA website GroundAndPound.de, and MMAjunkie.com confirmed that verbal agreements are in place for the bout with paperwork expected shortly.

UFC 122 takes place Nov. 13 at Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen,
Germany, and airs via same-day delay on Spike TV. A middleweight fight
between Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami headlines the event.

The weigh-ins for Maximum Fighting Championships latest event, “MFC 26: Retribution” went down at the City Centre Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada today at 1430 PM EST (1130 AM PST).

Hosting the weigh-ins were HDNet Fights announce team of “The Voice” Michael Schiavello and Frank “Twinkle Toes” Trigg. Both men will also be ringside performing their duties for Friday’s HDNet broadcast.

“MFC 26: Retribution” will take place at the River Cree Resort and Casino on Friday in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The event begins at approx. 8PM EST (5PM PST), with the live HDNet broadcast beginning at 10 PM EST (7 PM PST).

The event is headlined by a MFC lightweight title defense by champion Antonio McKee who puts his ten fight win streak on the line against Luciano Azevedo when both men step into the ring. The co-main event sees the return of Canadian welterweight Ryan Ford to the MFC and will face Douglas Lima.

Fans can find more event details at MaximumFighting.com.

The full “MFC 26: Retribution” weigh-ins are as follows:

Main Card

MFC Lightweight Championship bout: Antonio McKee (154.4) vs. Luciano Azevedo (154.2)
Welterweight bout: Douglas Lima (170.8) vs. Ryan Ford (169.4)
Middleweight bout: Tom Watson (182.8) vs. Jesse Taylor (185)
Light Heavyweight bout: Mike Nickels (204.2) vs. Dwayne Lewis (204.6)
Middleweight bout: David Heath (184.6) vs. Solomon Hutcherson (185)
Lightweight bout: Curtis Demarce (154.6) vs. Tyson Steele (155.4)

Preliminary Card

Light Heavyweight bout: Adam Rabidoux (184.4) vs. Taylor Bull (183.6)
Welterweight bout: Ryan Ballingall (176.4) vs. Aaron Berke (177.2)
Lightweight bout: Theo Brisley (153.2) vs. Chad Freeman (155)

HT: MMACanada.net for the weigh-in results

PRESS RELEASE / CHICAGO, Ill. (September 08, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships today announced the signing of former U.S. Olympian Judoka and fast-rising, undefeated Mixed Martial Artist Rick Hawn to its already stacked welterweight roster.

Managed by his former Judo coach and American Judoka legend Jimmy Pedro, Hawn has amassed a collection of almost two dozen medals in major U.S. and international events, including a 9th place finish in the 2004 Olympic games. Already the most decorated American Judoka artist to make the transition into MMA, Hawn has made quick work of his competition while establishing himself as a knockout finisher, compiling a perfect 8-0 professional record with six of those wins coming via TKO or KO.

“Adding Rick Hawn to our world-class welterweight division is something we are very excited about, “said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Rick’s Judo pedigree can’t be matched, but it’s his striking that puts him a cut above. Ricks’ potential at 170 pounds is really unlimited.”

Hawn started his Judo at 12 years of age and always had his sights set at competing in the Olympic Games. Once he achieved that goal, Hawn needed a new challenge.

“I was always really interested in MMA. I followed MMA when I was really young when it was first on pay-per-view, but I wanted to see how far I could go with Judo first,” said Hawn. “Once I reached the Olympics, I figured that it was time to start devoting the majority of my time to MMA. I was just really excited to get started on my new career.”

The transition to the sport has been seamless. The Massachusetts native won his first five fights in the span of nine months. In his last fight Hawn delivered a second round knockout to battle tested UFC and Bellator veteran Shonie Carter. Even with his accomplishments, the relatively new MMA star is ready for a new challenge.

“I signed with Bellator because I’m looking for that next challenge,” said Hawn. “Bellator has a lot of really good welterweights, and I think I fit in well to that division. I’m really looking forward to testing myself against this level of competition”

Hawn joins Bellator’s stacked welterweight division which includes champion Lyman Good, former Olympian and Season 2 Champion Ben Askren, and Dan Hornbuckle, all of whom surely have their sights set on the Judoka phenom. Hawn will face his toughest competition yet in Bellator, but it’s something he’s looking forward to.

“Right now I’m just looking to constantly improve but my ultimate goal is to be considered one of the best fighters in MMA,” said Hawn.

Hawn is the third former Olympian to join Bellator’s ranks including Askren and Ferrid Kheder.

Press Release

Edmonton, Alberta (Canada): Rising Canadian fight promotion The Fight Club (TFC) today announced the finalized fight card for their next event, “TFC 11: Full Force.” This exciting event will take place on Friday, September 10th at the Shaw Conference Center. In the main event, one of the most anticipated rematches in Canadian MMA history will commence, as newly-minted TFC Light Heavyweight Champion Martin “The Stress” Desilets (10-2) and UFC veteran Victor “The Matrix” Valimaki (16-6) will lock horns for the belt. Also on the line will be the TFC Canadian Lightweight Championship as undefeated Edmonton native Mitch Clarke (7-0) will battle Josh Machan (7-3). In addition, top Canadian welterweight Ryan “The Kid” McGillivray (10-4-1) will put his talents on display against three-time TFC veteran Markhaile “Showtime” Wedderburn (10-7), who will be taking the place of the injured Adam Lynn (13-8). Doors for this exciting nine-fight event will open at 7 PM, and the fights will begin at 8 PM. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, http://www.thefightclub.ca/, or (780) 451-8000.

In their first bout, which took place at “TFC 10: High Octane” this past March, Martin Desilets and Victor Valimaki laid it all on the line, throwing punches with abandon. In the end, Desilets was able to outlast his foe en route to a TKO victory with only ten seconds left in the first round. He gained Valimaki’s light heavyweight strap in the process. Check out the full fight here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEVf9dK3NR4. Now, these two will look to exceed their performances from their first fight at “Full Force.” Valimaki will attempt to regain his lost crown, while Desilets will do everything he can to hold onto it. Regardless of who comes out on top, the true winners will be the fans.

In a battle for the TFC Canadian Lightweight title, the undefeated Mitch Clarke (6-0), a native of Edmonton, will fight Josh Machan (7-3, seven straight victories), who hails from Red Deer, Alberta. This scrap features two top young Canadian lightweights, and is sure to electrify the crowd.

With the TFC World Welterweight Title declared vacant due to the departure of Ryan Ford from the organization, TFC’s top welterweight contender, Ryan “The Kid” McGillivray, is now in the spotlight. “The Kid” has only been competing in mixed martial arts for the past four years, but has quickly established himself as one of the top Canadian prospects in the welterweight division. All of Ryan’s fights have been in and around his hometown of Edmonton, so he is very well-known in the local MMA community, and he has built a loyal and enthusiastic fan base. And with eight of his ten victories coming via submission, fans know that they can always expect an exciting fight for McGillivray. He’ll be facing a strong Muay Thai fighter in Markhaile “Showtime” Wedderburn. This tough Canadian fighter has fought top 170ers such as Ford, Jason High, and Dan Grandmaison. It will truly be a test for “The Kid.”

Here is the finalized fight card:
Light-heavyweight: Champion Martin Desilets (10-2) vs. Victor Valimaki (16-6) for the TFC World Light Heayweight title
Lightweight: Mitch Clarke (7-0) vs. Josh Machan (7-3) for the TFC Canadian Lightweight title
Welterweight: Ryan McGillivray (10-4-1) vs. Markhaile Wedderburn (10-7)
Welterweight: Ryan Machan (11-5) vs. James McCutcheon (3-2)
Welterweight: Rio Wells (3-0) vs. Chuck Pelc (2-1)
Women’s 130lb: Sy Jewett (1-0) vs. Rachael Swaetz (3-1)
Welterweight: Darcy Boizard (1-1) vs. O’Denva Phillips (0-0)
140 lbs: Reece Chapman (0-0) vs. Adam Bodwell (0-0)
Lightweight: Steve Beaumont (0-0) vs. Dean Cox (0-0)

The event will be shown on The Fight Network on tape delay, and news on a press conference will be announced soon. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.thefightclub.ca/

As expected Brent Weedman and Jacob McClintock are slated to meet at Bellator 30, and the winner earns a berth into the organization's season-four welterweight tournament, officials recently announced.

MMAjunkie.com first reported the bout in August.

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

PRESS RELEASE / CHICAGO, Ill. (September 07, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships today announced a welterweight match-up between explosive finisher Brent Weedman and Season 2 Welterweight Tournament veteran Jacob “Tic-Toc” McClintock for a spot in the upcoming Bellator Season 4 Welterweight tournament. The fight is slated to take place during Bellator’s return to Louisville at Bellator 30 from “Fourth Street Live!” in Kentucky on September 23rd.

Weedman (16-5) has finished every one of his victories by KO or submission and enters the bout on an eight-fight win streak, but the Kentucky native isn’t worried about personal records. For Weedman, it’s all about winning the chance to compete in the Bellator Season 4 Welterweight tournament.

“I really try not to focus on any kind of streak I have going, good or bad,” said a modest Weedman. “Obviously it’s always nice to be on a run like this, but I try and focus on every individual fight as they come along, and right now that seems to be working for me. Win or lose, I try and learn from what I did wrong, so I can grow as a fighter.”

The view is a little different for McClintock (6-1), who is coming off his first professional defeat at the hands of hard hitting Ryan Thomas via first round TKO at Bellator 15.

“Coming off a loss, I am pretty excited to get back in there and redeem myself,” said an eager McClintock. “I’ve been training really hard for this fight. I’m working really hard on all aspects of my game – pushing my conditioning really hard.”

If McClintock wants to get back into the win column, he may have to do it quick, as Weedman doesn’t see the fight lasting very long.

“This isn’t me being cocky at all, but I don’t have many fights that go to the third round, so I see this one ending with me knocking him out early,” said Weedman. “I just don’t like to tip tap around, so if I see an opening, I’m going to take it.”

Whichever way it goes, fight fans are in for an explosive bout.

“We’re thrilled to have these two welterweights go head to head at a great venue like Fourth Street Live in Louisville ,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Adding this fight to an already loaded televised event is going to make for a great night of fights.”