Light Heavyweight

Quick Hits: Almeida Injured, Sylvia to Japan for NYE & More

- Ricardo Almeida has pulled out of his November 21 bout with welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 106 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout was expected to be Almeida’s first at 170 lbs after a career at middleweight. Fitch told MMA Junkie he’ll now get a “bigger fight instead.” [MMAJunkie.com]

- Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia will be appearing on the upcoming K-1 Dynamite! show on New Year’s Eve. Sylvia has been offered bouts with Alistair Overeem and Hong Man Choi and Fighters Only is reporting that Sylvia’s camp is currently favoring a bout with Choi. [Fighters Only Magazine]

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Forrest Griffin to Face Tito Ortiz at UFC 106

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that former UFC light heavyweight champions Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz and Forrest Griffin will rematch at UFC 106 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Griffin will be replacing UFC Hall of Famer Mark “The Hammer” Coleman who was forced to pull out of the bout after suffering a tear in one of his medial collateral ligaments.

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Coleman Withdraws From UFC 106 Bout With Ortiz

UFC Hall of Famer Mark “The Hammer” Coleman as pulled out of his upcoming bout with former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz at UFC 106 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to MMAWeekly.com, Coleman suffered a tear in one of his medical collateral ligaments. Word is Coleman has requested for the bout to be rescheduled for a later date.

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Quote of the Day: Mousasi Preparing for Strikeforce Return in November

“In November my second fight for Strikeforce will take place but my opponent is not been determined. I heard some rumors like Kevin Randleman, Paulo Filho and Mike Whitehead. Whitehead would be the most logical pick because he recently won against Randleman. I’ve also heard a rumor that Arona is fighting again and it would be great if Strikeforce can pick him up. We can use a new light heavyweight fighter.”

— Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi tells M-1 Global.com that he will return to the organization for a possible title defense at Strikeforce’s “Fedor vs. Rogers” event on November 7.

Chuck Liddell Advances on “DWTS”

It’s a day late, but it’s news anyway. Despite receiving a below-average score for the “fox trot” and the “salsa” in his first appearance on “Dancing with the Stars”, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell advanced to the next round of the competition, which will continue Monday evening at 8 PM ET on ABC.

Quick Hits: Evans vs. Silva Possible, Sylvia Withdraws from DREAM Debut & More

— Rashad Evans says that a light heavyweight clash against fellow contender Thiago Silva could be possible for a UFC event in December or early next year. “Thiago Silva is a good fighter, I’d like to fight him and I think he wants to fight me,” Evans said. “When I saw him after he fought Keith Jardine, he kind of gave me a nasty look that I interpreted like he wanted to take me on, and I’d like that.” [MMA FanHouse]

— Two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia has been forced to withdraw from a scheduled debut with Japan-based DREAM after suffering a broken hand during his first-round TKO of Jason Riley at Adrenaline MMA IV last weekend. According to Sylvia’s manager, Monte Cox, the Miletich Fighting Systems product will now attempt to land a spot on the DREAM and K-1 co-promoted “Dynamite!!” show on New Year’s Eve. [Sherdog.com]

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DREAM.12 to Feature Six-Sided Cage

Fighting and Entertainment Group today announced details regarding DREAM.12, which will take place on October 25 at the Osaka Castle Hall in Osaka, Japan. For the first time in the organization’s short history, it will use a six-sided cage.

DREAM also released a promotional video for the event, which features eight of the nine announced participants for the fight card. The video can be seen above.

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Quote of the Day II: Evans Disappointed, Would Fight Rampage for Free

“I’d be disappointed not to fight him. It would be a good fight, a fun fight, but mostly because he talked trash. He got me really angry, and I want to fight him just because of that alone. It’s a fight that people want to see. You get your mind wrapped up, and you get your mind so psyched up about fighting a fighter, and then it doesn’t happen, it’s disappointing.
That’s why I hate making a fight personal. At the end of the day, we’re professional athletes, and we get paid to do a job. But when you get to fight someone you really want to fight, that’s like a bonus. You’d almost do it for free. I would have loved to punch him in the face for free.”

— Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans tells Yahoo! Sports that if it were up to him, he wouldn’t mind fighting fellow “TUF 10” coach Quinton “Rampage” Jackson free of charge now that Jackson has opted to retire from the sport in order to focus on acting.

Quote of the Day: Dana White Responds to Rampage’s Retirement

“Rampage is a grown man. He’s acting like a baby right now, but he’s a grown man. If he wants to be in the movie business, Rampage, good luck to you, man. I hope he makes it big, and I’m not being sarcastic. I hope the movie thing works out for him. If that’s what he truly wants to do, and that’s what he feels and that’s what he thinks his career is, I wish him all the luck in the world.”

— UFC President Dana White tells the Carmichael Dave radio show that he wishes former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson genuine luck regarding his decision to retire from MMA and focus on his newfound acting career.

Nansen Spoils Izumi’s Debut at Sengoku 10

New Zealand kickboxer Antz Nansen used superior striking skills to spoil the anticipated professional debut of 2004 Olympic judo silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi, knocking Izumi down three times en route to a first-round TKO win at World Victory Road’s “Sengoku Tenth Battle” event on Wednesday.

Izumi (0-1) did surprisingly well in the loss. Willing to stand with a dangerous Nansen (1-0) on the feet, Izumi caught his opponent on multiple occasions with a few straight left hands. The tide turned when Nansen hurt Izumi with a right hand midway through the round. Izumi stumbling backwards prompting Nansen to stalk his foe, dropping him twice before finishing him off with a final combination that left Izumi bloodied and seated in a corner.

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