UFC 123

[UkrainianGuy]

UFC 123 OFFICIALLY HEADED TO DETROIT

"You gotta lose your mind in Detroit Rock City."

The UFC will try to keep that attitude in mind when they bring the biggest MMA show in the world to Detroit at the Palace of Auburn Hills for UFC 123.

UFC president Dana White announced the location to MMAFighting.com on Wednesday after weeks of speculation. Sources close to the situation also confirmed Detroit as the locale to MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday.

Detroit was on a short list of cities vying for UFC 123 on Nov. 20, according to MMAWeekly.com sources. The other major finalist, Pittsburgh, was knocked out of the running because of scheduling conflicts.

The headline fight for UFC 123 will pit former light heavyweight champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida in the main event. More fights will be announced in the coming weeks, but welterweights Matt Brown and Rory MacDonald have already agreed to meet on the November card.

The UFC has visited Detroit before, prior to Zuffa, LLC taking over. UFC 9: Motor City Madness took place at the Cobo Arena in 1996, with UFC hall of famers Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn meeting in the main event.

[UkrainianGuy]

PARISYAN BACK IN THE UFC,
FACES HALLMAN IN DETROIT

Welcome back to the Octagon, Karo Parisyan.

The one-time top ten welterweight and former 170lb title contender has been asked to return to the UFC and face Dennis Hallman at UFC 123 in Detroit.

The news was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the situation on Thursday, with verbal agreements in place for the fight. MMAFighting.com first reported the news on Thursday.

Parisyan (19-5) left the UFC unceremoniously after dropping out of a fight in November 2009 against Dustin Hazelett after failing to receive a license for his fight from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Speaking to MMAWeekly.com following the incident, Parisyan said, "Everything is over bro. I’m just going to go home. Everything is (expletive) up. I’ve got to think about what I’m going to do for my career."

His removal from the fight was followed up by UFC president Dana White hitting Twitter and proclaiming that Parisyan would never fight in the UFC again stating, "He will not be fighting Saturday or ever again in the UFC!”

Well, never doesn't always mean never.

Since leaving the UFC, Parisyan has only fought once, a submission victory over Ben Mortimer in Impact FC in Australia.

Welcoming Parisyan back to the UFC will be fellow Octagon veteran Dennis Hallman (45-13-2) who came back to the promotion himself in late 2009 after more than 4 years away from the UFC. Since returning, Hallman has gone 1-1 with a win over Ben Saunders in his last fight, while his lone loss came at the hands of John Howard.

The fight between Hallman and Parisyan will likely occupy part of the untelevised undercard, although no official announcement about the fight or the card have been made by the UFC at this time.

[UkrainianGuy]

RUEDIGER VS. KELLY SET FOR UFC 123

Two lightweights may be battling for their UFC careers in November as Gabe Ruediger will get another crack in the Octagon as he faces British fighter Paul Kelly at UFC 123 in Detroit.

The fight was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight on Tuesday, with bout agreements expected to be issued shortly.

Getting back to the UFC after a 4 year hiatus, Gabe Ruediger (17-6) stepped in on short notice to face Joe Lauzon at UFC 118 in Boston. It didn't go so well for Ruediger.

Stumbling out of the gates early, Ruediger found himself submitted by Lauzon at just over 2 minutes into the first round. Vowing to come back stronger after UFC matchmaker Joe Silva promised him at least one more shot, Ruediger will get a full training camp to prepare for his November showdown at UFC 123.

For his part, Paul Kelly (10-3) has been a tough fighter for the UFC ever since he debuted in 2008. Picking up some big wins along the way, Kelly eventually dropped from welterweight to lightweight, but has had mixed results.

Going 2-2 over his last 4 fights, Kelly will look to keep his UFC career alive when he faces Ruediger in the undercard at UFC 123 in Detroit.

More fights for the UFC's upcoming return to Detroit should be announced in the coming weeks.

[UkrainianGuy]

LAUZON VS. SOTIROPOULOS ON TAP FOR UFC 123

The lightweight division is currently on the look out for new top contenders, and a couple of those prospects will lock horns at UFC 123 in Detroit as Australian George Sotiropoulos gets back in action against Boston native Joe Lauzon in a main card bout on the card.

The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight on Wednesday.

Since spending time on the 6th season of the "Ultimate Fighter", George Sotiropoulos (13-2) has dropped down to 155lbs and recently become a wrecking machine in his fights.

Starting with a tremendous showing in his home country of Australia with a win over Joe Stevenson, Sotiropoulos has taken huge strides in his overall game, and continued that run with another dominant performance over Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 116. With the contender's picture in the 155lb weight class more wide open that ever before, the Australian will try to put his name in the hat with a win in Detroit.

Standing in his way will be Boston fighter Joe Lauzon (19-5) who comes into UFC 123 after a first round drubbing of former castmate Gabe Ruediger from the "Ultimate Fighter" season 5 just last month at UFC 118.

The fight took just over 2 minutes and Lauzon was obviously healthy and ready to go for another fight, so he'll get his chance against Sotiropoulos in November.

The bout between Lauzon and Sotiropoulos is expected to be part of the main televised card, headlined by former light heavyweight champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson taking on Lyoto Machida.

[UkrainianGuy]

LENTZ VS. GRIFFIN HEADED TO UFC 123

Two very tough lightweights with wrestling pedigrees will match-up at UFC 123 in Detroit as Nik Lentz, coming off a win at UFC 118, takes on Xtreme Couture fighter Tyson Griffin.

The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight on Wednesday.

Nik Lentz (19-3-2) comes into UFC 123 undefeated during his time in the Octagon, most recently defeating Andre Winner in Boston in August. A very tough wrestler, Lentz is known for his ground control and ability to pace the fight in his favor.

He will have a tough test proving that trait in his next fight though as he takes on a very good wrestler in his own right as Tyson Griffin steps in to oppose Lentz in Detroit.

Looking to avoid three losses in a row may be the ultimate motivation for Griffin (14-4) who travels to Detroit after suffering the first knockout of his career in his last fight against former Pride champion Takanori Gomi.

Training out of Las Vegas, Griffin was a winner of two fights in a row before running into Evan Dunham and Gomi in back-to-back bouts, but looks to rebound when he faces Lentz in November.

There's been no word if the fight between Lentz and Griffin will take place on the televised portion of the card or not.

[UkrainianGuy]

why??

TRILOGY: PENN VS. HUGHES 3 AT UFC 123

Trilogies have become a part of great film series and great fights.

The next trilogy in MMA will take place at UFC 123 when former welterweight champions B.J. Penn and Matt Hughes settle the score in the co-main event of the Nov. 20 event in Detroit.

Rumors about the bout began to circulate on Monday when Hughes posted on his official website that UFC president Dana White had contacted him with an interesting proposal for the November card.

Penn previously stated on his website that he had also been contacted about a potential return in November.

The pieces started falling together and the two legends were put together for a third fight. MMAWeekly.com sources on Monday confirmed the rumors that Penn and Hughes had agreed to meet. MMAFighting.com was the first to officially report the bout.

Penn originally met Hughes in January 2004, when the former lightweight decided to make the trip to 170 pounds to face one of the most dominant champions the weight class had ever seen. While Penn went into the bout as an underdog, he was more than happy to shock the world. He submitted Hughes with a rear naked choke in the first round.

The two met again in September 2006, and after a back and forth war early, Hughes eventually got Penn down, trapping him in a crucifix position and hammered the Hawaiian with punches until the fight was stopped.

Now, in November, the pair will finally put their rivalry to rest.

Hughes had stated after his August win over Ricardo Almeida that he intended to take some time off and return in 2011, but he's also said numerous times that he doesn't turn down the UFC when they come calling. This appears to be one such instance.

This will be the first trip back to 170 pounds for Penn since he lost to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94 in January 2009.

The bout between Penn and Hughes will serve as the co-main event on the card headlined by former light heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

[UkrainianGuy]

UFC 123 OFFICIAL FOR DETROIT;
2 BIG SHOWDOWNS

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday made its return to the Motor City official. For the first time since UFC 9 in 1996, the promotion heads to Detroit.

UFC 123, at the Palace at Auburn Hills, features former UFC light heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida in the main event, alongside a co-main event rubber match between former welterweight champions Matt Hughes and B.J. Penn.

“When you think of Detroit, the first names that come to mind are legends like Joe Louis and Tommy Hearns,” UFC president Dana White said. “This is a real fight town with diehard fight fans, so I'm happy to be the guy bringing big fights to the Motor City.

“We’re bringing the best UFC fighters here on Nov. 20,” he added.

“Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida are two of the top light heavyweights in the world. I expect this fight to be a war, as both of these guys want to get back in the title run. The co-main event is Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn, two of the best fighters in UFC history. They have both beat each other and jumped at the opportunity to fight a third time.”

Tickets for UFC 123 go on sale Monday, Sept. 20, with a special UFC Fight Club on-sale date of Friday, Sept. 17.

[UkrainianGuy]

HARRIS WELCOMES FALCAO TO THE UFC IN DETROIT

Gerald Harris may be the worst welcoming party to ever greet newcomers into the UFC, but he's going to get one more for his next fight. The middleweight from Oklahoma will meet Maiquel Falcao in his debut fight in the Octagon in November, as the two will square off at UFC 123 in Detroit.

The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the match-up who stated that fighters have verbally agreed to the contest, with bout agreements set to signed shortly. Tatame.com first reported the bout on Monday.

Since returning to the UFC in early 2010, Gerald Harris (17-2) has become a nightmare for fighters making their debuts in the UFC. Harris has taken out three fighters in a row making their first appearance in the Octagon including John Salter, Mario Miranda and most recently Dave Branch.

The fight with Branch earned Harris a "Knockout of the Night" bonus and a slot as a "Top Play of the Weekend" on ESPN's SportsCenter. The man with the slam will look to provide another highlight reel win when he returns at UFC 123.

Brazilian Maiquel Falcao (25-3) will be the next fighter to try and test Harris, and see if he can get past the UFC freshman slump every other middleweight has faced when fighting the former Cleveland State wrestler.

Falcao is a dangerous striker who is currently riding a 7-fight win streak, and has also competed in the past as a professional boxer in Brazil.

The bout between Harris and Falcao will likely be part of the UFC 123 undercard, but no announcements about the card have been made official by the promotion yet.

[UkrainianGuy]

UFC 123 Finalized With 11 Bouts On The Card

As the UFC prepares to descend on Detroit for the first time in over 14 years, the promotion has announced the remaining bouts for the Nov. 20 card going down at the Palace at Auburn Hills.

Outside of the main event and co-main event pitting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson against Lyoto Machida, and B.J. Penn against Matt Hughes, the show will feature an additional 9 fights bringing the night’s total to 11 bouts.
Lightweights Joe Lauzon and George Sotiropolous face off in a pivotal 155lb showdown, while the man with the slam himself Gerald Harris faces UFC newcomer Maiquel Falcao in a middleweight contest.

Rounding out the night’s main card will be former NCAA champion Phil Davis as he takes on Tim Boetsch in a light heavyweight contest.

The Spike TV prelims will features a couple of compelling match-ups as former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor Matt Brown looks to take out Matt Hughes’ trained fighter Brian Foster, while Aaron Simpson and Mark Munoz put their friendshis aside for a night to meet in a middleweight bout.

The untelevised undercard features the return of former welterweight contender Karo Parisyan and he looks to prove the UFC was right in giving him another chance as he faces Dennis Hallman in a welterweight bout. Darren Elkins faces dangerous Brazilian prospect Edson Barboza, while British fighter Paul Kelly gets late replacement T.J. O’Brien in a lightweight fight.

The final card rounding out the 11 bout show will be lightweight Tyson Griffin looking to get back on track against Nik Lentz.

UFC 123 takes place Saturday night Nov 23 from the Palace at Auburn Hills just outside Detroit, starting at 9 p.m. ET with the Spike TV prelims for the televised broadcast.

[UkrainianGuy]

[ScarHead]

when does cain fight again?

[UkrainianGuy]

unknown as of yet...

[UkrainianGuy]

[UkrainianGuy]

[UkrainianGuy]