WEC 34 Weigh In

The weigh in's for tonight's WEC 34 have taken place in Sacramento, California.

The main event features Jens Pulver taking on featherweight champion Urijah Faber for the WEC Featherweight title.

Here are the full results for the weigh ins:

WEC Featherweight Championship Bout: Jens Pulver – 145 versus Urijah Faber – 144.5

WEC Bantamweight Championship Bout: Yoshiro Maeda – 135 versus Miguel Torres – 135

Chuck Grigsby – 204.5 versus Mark Munoz – 205.5

Kenneth Alexander – 155.5 versus “Razor” Rob McCullough – 155.5

Danny Castillo – 155 versus Donald Cerrone – 155.5

Mike Brown – 145 versus Jeff Curran – 144.5

Will Ribeiro – 135 versus Chase Beebe – 136

Jeremy Lang – 183.5 versus Tim McKenzie – 184.5

Luis Sapo – 170 versus Alex Serdyukov – 169.5

Alexandre Franca Nogueira – 145.5 versus Jose Aldo – 145.5

Dominick Cruz – 135 versus Charlie Valencia – 135.5

Elite XC Result Updates

Here are the results as they happen for tonight's Elite XC card. It is currently being broadcast on CBS.

Prelims

Joe Sampieri defeated Mike Groves via TKO (strikes) in Round 1

Zach Makosky defeated Andre Soares via unanimous decision

James "Binky" Jones defeated Calvin Kattar via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1
Wilson Reis defeated Justin Robbins via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1
Matt Makowski defeated Nick Serra via TKO (fighter unwilling to continue) in Round 2
Carlton Haselrig defeated Carlos Moreno via TKO (fighter wouldn't answer bell) in Round 1
Chris Liguori defeated Jim Bova via TKO (cut) in Round 2

Main Card

Brett Rogers defeated Jon Murphy via TKO (strikes) in Round 1
Joey Villasenor defeated Phil Baroni via TKO (strikes) in Round 1

Gina Carano defeated Kaitlin Young via TKO (doctor stoppage) in Round 1

Robbie Lawler versus Scott Smith was ruled a no contest due to an accidental eye poke. The fight was stopped in round 3 by the doctor. Smith argued that he was ok to continue. Gary Shaw announced that he would award both fighters their win bonuses and there will be a rematch.

Kimbo Slice defeated James Thompson via TKO (strikes) in round 3

AFL: Bulletproof Results

Last night saw the conclusion of the AFL's newest event, AFL: Bulletproof.

The event saw some exciting fights, including the crowning of a new AFL Welterweight champion. In this match up, heavy underdog Brent Weedman shocked everyone, including his opponent Douglas Lima, by submitting him in the second round, taking the win, and the title.

Here are the results from the fights:

Brent Weedman defeated Douglas Lima via submission (arm bar) in Round 2 for the AFL Welterweight Title
Torrance Taylor defeated Junior Assuncao via unanimous decision
Diego Saraiva defeated Josh Cate via TKO (punches) in Round 1 for the AFL Lightweight Title
George Lockhart defeated George Allen via unanimous decision for the AFL Middleweight Title

Dan Christison defeated Sam Holloway via submission (arm bar) in Round 1
Ethan Garrison defeated Willie Smalls via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1
David Curby defeated Robi Ramey via TKO (strikes) in Round 3

Bobby Lashley Makes Move To MMA

Last night the American Fight League announced that former WWE Pro Wrestler Bobby Lashley has signed a contract with their promotion.

The announcement was made at AFL:Bulletproof, which took place last night (Results for this event can be found here: )

Lashley's transition from pro wrestling to MMA has been rumored for the past few weeks, but it wasn't until last night that his destination was made clear. Lashley has been training at the American Kickboxing Academy, with notable UFC fighters such as Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick and Jon Fitch.

No date has been set for Lashley's MMA debut, but it is expected to be sometime in the near future. We will keep you posted on any further updates.

UFC Release Gate and Attendance Figures

The UFC have once again put on a successful show, with the figures speaking for themselves.

Keith Kizer, of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, stated that the overall paid attendance for UFC 84 was 13,448, alongside complimentary tickets of 1,325, for a total attendance of 14,773. The gate receipts totaled $3,732,000.

Kizer also stated that the base fighter purse for the event stood at a little over $1,000,000. This doesn't include fighter bonuses such as fight of the night, or any pay per view shares. For example, Tito Ortiz will have received a percentage of the pay per view totals.

Elite XC Weigh In Results

There was once again drama at an Elite XC weigh in, thanks to Gia Carano. Whilst most fighters made weight successfully for the event, Gina missed her target weight of 140lbs by 4.5lbs. She was told to cut 3.5lbs in an hour, as is madatory in this situation, but was then advised by a doctor that she couldn't do this, as her health would be at risk.

Carano's manager had contacted Elite XC officials aproximately two hours before the event, explaining that they didn't expect that Gina would be able to cut weight quicky enough, so a contingency plan was already in place.

Gina's opponent, Kaitlin Young, was given the option to withdraw from the fight, keeping her "show" pay, or to fight regardless of the weight difference, and receive 12.5% of Carano's pay on top of her pay. Young chose the latter, leaving Carano 12.5% down on her base pay.

All other fighters weighed in successfully, and the card is set for tomorrow night. Here are the official weigh in results:

Kimbo Slice (235.5) vs. James Thompson (257)

Robbie Lawler (184.5) vs. Scott Smith (184.5)

Gina Carano (144.5) vs. Kaitlin Young (140.5)

Jon Murphy (260.5) vs. Brett Rogers (263.5)

Phil Baroni (185) vs. Joey Villasenor (184.5)

Carlton Haselrig (263) vs. Carlos Moreno (261)

Jim Bova (160.5) vs. Chris Liguori (161)

Matt Makowski (171) vs. Nick Serra (167)

Wilson Reis (140.5) vs. Justin Robbins (140.5)

James “Binky” Jones (154.5) vs. Calvin Kattar (155.5)

Zach Makovsky (135) vs. Andre Soares (134)

Mike Groves (154) vs. Joe Sampieri (155)

Cage Rage 27 Fights Announced

English promotion Cage Rage have announced half of the fights for their July 12th card today. The event will be held at Wembley Arena in London.

The main event so far is a heavyweight bout between Robert "Buzz" Berry and Neil Grove. The card also features a heavyweight bout between Mustapha Al Turk and James McSweeney for the currently vacant Heavyweight title.

Here is the card as it stands:

Robert "Buzz" Berry versus Neil Grove

James McSweeney versus Mustapha Al Turk

John Phillips versus Tom Watson

Scott Jansen versus Joe Mac

Dave Legeno versus Kev Sims

Ziggy versus Michael Sidwell

UFC 84 Suspensions Issued

In the aftermath of UFC 84,the Nevada State Athletic Commission have issued medical suspensions to the following fighters:

Sean Sherk has been suspended until July 7 with no contact until June 24 due to a laceration to his right cheek.

Keith Jardine has been suspended until Nov. 21 for a nasal fracture. Jardine can be cleared by a doctor before the November date, but cannot compete earlier than July 24, with no contact until July 9.

Tito Ortiz was suspended for six months or until he gets his left hand and wrist x-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic doctor.

Wilson Gouveia was suspended for six months or until he gets clearance from a doctor for a broken nose and possible cheek. Gouveia also suffered broken ribs in his TKO loss to UFC newcomer Goran Reljic.

Kazuhiro Nakamura was medically suspended for six months or until he gets clearance from a doctor due to a broken nose suffered in his TKO loss.

Jason Tan was suspended for six months or until he gets his broken nose cleared by a doctor.

Elite XC Weigh Ins Announced

Elite XC have announced the weigh in details for Saturday's event.

The weigh ins will take place tomorrow outside the Prudential Center in New Jersey at 2PM. Here is the card for the event, which will be aired live on CBS:

Kimbo Slice vs. James “The Colossus” Thompson
Elite XC Middleweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler vs. Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith

Joey Villasenor vs. Phil “The New York Badass” Baroni

Gina “Conviction” Carano vs. Kaitlin Young

Brett “The Grim Rogers vs. Jon Murphy
Carlos Moreno vs. Carlton Haselrig

Chris Liguori vs. Jim Bova

Nick Serra vs. Matt Makowski

Wilson Reis vs. Justin Robbins

James “Binky” Jones vs. Calvin Kattar

Zach Makovsky vs. Andre Soares

Mike Groves vs. Joe Sampieri

Mark Hughes To Make MMA Return

In an interview with former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes, we learned that Mark Hughes is looking to make his return to the Octagon in the near future.

Hughes stated that his brother was planning to sign an exclusive contract with the UFC, possibly opening the door to fight cards featuring both brothers. Mark Hughes fought for the UFC when it was run by SEG Sports, but left the fight game shortly after, and has never competed since.

Mark fights at middleweight in order to avoid a potential match up with his brother. He could be a powerful addition to the middleweight division, if his former fight style is anything to go by. He has a similar style to Matt Hughes, and could provide some very interesting fights. Matt has stated that he hopes to compete on the same card as his brother some time in the near future.

Paulo Filho Out Of Rehab And Ready To Fight

WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho has been released from rehab in Brazil, after he admitted himself due to a drug problem.

Filho is now reported to be ready for action, and is already back in training. The WEC have issued this statement:

"As I mentioned before, we supported Paulo. He obviously did the right thing, and we hope that he's taking care of his personal issues and he gets better and gets back in to the cage."

The WEC hope that Filho will be back to defend his title before the end of this year.

CWFC World Title On The Line

On June 8th, the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship Bantamweight Title will be fought for at Quannum Fighting Challenge 3 event.

The current champion Paul "Metabolic" McVeigh will take on Steve McCombe in an attempt to defend his belt. This fight will mark McVeigh's third defence of his belt. He is coming off a loss to former Shooto Featherweight Champion Masahiro Oishi at a Cage Force event in Japan. McVeigh's pro record is 12-5. He is well known to UK fans as being CWFC's first CWFC Featherweight champion by defeating Chin Weakasingh. Weakasingh is also the unlucky opponent that McVeigh defeated for his current title.

Steve McCombe holds a record of 7-3, and comes from the UK based EFR Fight Team. The pair will meet at The Frontier Noghtclub in Batley, West Yorkshire on June 8th.

Tito Officially Leaves The UFC

There has been lots of speculation recently regarding Tito Ortiz and his future in the UFC.

After his last fight at UFC 84, Ortiz stated that he was unsure of his future with the UFC, and didn't know whether he would continue with the company. Since then, Ortiz has stated that he is most definitely leaving and going to a new promotion. Which promotion, he is not sure.

Elite XC and Affliction have both been mentioned as possible promotions, but Ortiz isn't making his decision yet. As soon as we hear which promotion he decides on, I will let you know.

Another Change To UFC 85

The UFC match makers are surely tearing their hair out over the number of injuries and other issues surrounding the UFC 85 card.

Once again, they have been left to ring round looking for a last minute replacement for an injured fighter. This time, British fighter Neil Wain has pulled out of the event due to a broken nose, leaving Antoni Hardonk without an opponent.

Heavyweighgt fighter Eddie Sanchez has agreed to step in as a replacement, less than two weeks before the event, despite the fact that the event is to be held in a completely different country. Sanchez is 8-1 in his professional career, and 3-1 in the UFC. His only career loss came to Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 67.

The event will take place on June 7th at the O2 Arena in London, England, featuring a main event of Matt Hughes versus Thiago Alves.

Castillo To Replace Crunkilton At WEC 34

With Rich Crunkilton out of WEC 34, Danny Castillo has stepped in to take his place.

This will be Castillo's first time fighting for WEC. He currently holds a professional record of 5-0, and will look to make it 6-0 when he faces Donald Cerrone.

Cerrone is 7-0 in his professional career, and made his WEC debut in September 2005. He won his fight against Kenneth Alexander, but later tested positive for a banned diuretic and his win was overturned.

The two will meet at WEC 34 on June 1st. Also featured on the card is the main event of Urijah Faber versus Jens Pulver for the WEC featherweight belt.

Ryo Chonan Out Of UFC 85

Former Pride fighter Ryo Chonan is reportedly out of UFC 85, although no reason has yet been given.

The UFC have drafted in Kevin "The Fire" Burns to replace him. This will be Burns' first time in the UFC, and has little under two weeks to get himself in shape, and travel from Iowa to the UK.

Burns holds a record of 4-1 and has stopped his opponents in all four of his wins, three of them by submission. Credit has to be given to Burns for taking the fight on such short notice. His opponent will be Roan Carneiro, who has a professional record of 12-6 and is 2-1 in the UFC.

Vitor Belfort To Affliction?

Former UFC fighter Vitor Belfort has announced that he has signed with new promotion Affliction.

Whilst this information may be true, it is difficult to beleive he will be fighting for them any time soon. Vitor was found guilty of using anabolic steroids by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and was banned from fighting for a year. Under these rules, a fighter who is banned is not allowed to fight anywhere in the world. Belfort defied this ruling by fighting on a Cage Rage card in England.

So Affliction may have signed Belfort, he will have to convince California State Athletic Commission to give him a fighters license. This is highly unlikely, and may cause problems for both Belfort and Affliction.

Cro Cop To Fight At DREAM 4

We have recently learned that former Pride and UFC fighter Mirko Cro Cop will compete at DREAM 4.

The match will not be an MMA match, but instead will be a grappling match under ADCC rules. His opponent will be Ralek Gracie. Cro Cop was originally slated to face Jerome Le Banner at DREAM 4, but an injury forced the match to be pushed back to DREAM 5.

DREAM 4 takes place on June 15th in Japan. Check out our DREAM 4 section to see other news for this event.

Doug Marshall Signs With PFC

Former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Doug "Rhino" Marshall has signed a on fight deal with Palace Fighting Championship.

The WEC fighter is still signed by WEC, and has apparently been given permission to fight for the organisation. Marshall will fight for PFC on July 18th at PFC 9 in California. His opponent is currently unknown.

We will bring you any further updates as we learn them.

Adrenaline To Feature On HDNet

Mark Cuban's HDNet has announced it's intentions to air Adrenaline MMA's first three fight cards on their channel.

Adrenaline is the new promotion run by fighter manager Monte Cox. Their first event will take place at the Sear Center Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on June 14th.

HDNet have recently stated that they are looking to strike deals with new MMA promotions to air their shows, and Adrenaline is the newest addition to the station.