Lightweight

Lauzon-Stout Slated For UFC 108

Lightweight contender Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon and former TKO lightweight champion Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout will meet at UFC 108 on January 8 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In an interview with Sherdog.com, Lauzon said, “I’m very happy with this fight. Sam is very tough and has a great stand-up game. His wrestling and ground game have jumped with every fight and I expect nothing less from him in this one.”

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Fight of the Day: Edwards vs. Ludwig

From Strikeforce’s “Destruction” event in November 2008, here’s longtime UFC fighter Yves Edwards taking on fellow seasoned veteran Duane Ludwig in a lightweight matchup.

Quick Hits: Strikeforce Inks Ribeiro, Thomson Injured Once Again & More

— Brazilian lightweight standout Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro has reportedly signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce. The promotion is expected to officially announce the signing shortly. While Ribeiro may actually still be under contract with DREAM, the two organizations share a talent-exchange program. Ribeiro returned to active competition earlier this year after an 18-month hiatus, defeating Katsuhiko Nagata and falling to Shinya Aoki thus far. [Sherdog.com]

—Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will be sidelined until at least December after breaking his leg for the second time this year during training. The injury will now keep Thomson from a potential showdown against Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce’s “Fedor vs. Rogers” event on November 7 in Chicago. According to Thomson, a return bout for him could be possible at a yet-to-be-announced event on December 19. [MMA Weekly]

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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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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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Sengoku “Tenth Battle” Live Results

We will be going live at 3:00 PM ET with live results of this morning’s “Sengoku Tenth Battle” event, which will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The show will air live on HDNet for those in North America.

2004 Olympic judo silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi will meet New Zealand kickboxer Antz Nansen in the professional debut for both fighters in the fight card’s main event. Additional bouts slated to take place include a heavyweight matchup pitting former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva against Jim York and a welterweight bout involving Nick Thompson and Dan Hornbuckle.

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Quick Hits: Huerta Considering UFC Return, Vasquez to Replace Hominick & More

— Despite announcing his intention to focus on his acting career full-time, UFC lightweight contender Roger Huerta is now considering a full-time return to the organization following a split decision loss to Gray Maynard at last week’s UFC Fight Night 19 that fulfilled his latest UFC contract. “I can’t go out with two losses in a row,” Huerts said. “I don’t think I’m going to call it quits anytime soon. I’m still open to acting. Hopefully we get something going with that, but I’m not going to prioritize acting now. I’ll still prioritize fighting. If the UFC wants me back, I’d be willing to go back.” [Sherdog.com]

— Seasoned veteran Javier Vasquez has been tapped to replace an injured Mark Hominick against Deividas Taurosevicius in a featherweight bout at WEC 43 on October 10 in San Antonio, Texas. Hominick will reportedly be sidelined for about a month due to a reoccurring back injury. Vasquez fell in his WEC debut last month, dropping a split decision to L.C. Davis at WEC 42. [MMA Junkie]

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UFC 103 Notes: Belfort Moves to Forefront of Middleweight Title Picture

A win over Rich Franklin was expected to make Vitor Belfort an instant contender for Anderson Silva’s UFC middleweight title. But according to UFC President Dana White, Belfort may have positioned himself as the leading candidate for Silva’s next title defense, even before Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt.

“You know, I think he might be ready now,” White said at last night’s UFC 103 post-fight press conference.

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Belfort Beats Franklin in Return at UFC 103

Vitor Belfort’s return to the UFC was a successful one as the former UFC light heavyweight champion decked former UFC middleweight king Rich Franklin with a series of punches that resulted in a first-round TKO win for the heavy-handed Brazilian in the main event of UFC 103 on Saturday night in Dallas, Texas.

Up until the ending sequence, the bout didn’t feature much action. Belfort (19-8) and Franklin (25-5) exchanged leg kicks and short jabs, but neither put together any offense of note that landed. Things completely changed however after Belfort clipped Franklin with an overhand left during an exchange.

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Escudero Blasts Miller in UFC 103 Prelims

“Ultimate Fighter 8” lightweight winner Efrain Escudero kept his perfect record intact on Saturday night, scoring a devastating first-round stoppage of fellow “TUF” alumnus and skilled grappler Cole Miller during the preliminary portion of UFC 103.

Both Escudero and Miller opted to spend the first couple minutes of their Spike TV-televised attraction feeling each other out on the feet. Miller used a substantial reach advantage to land a number of jabs and stiff right hands while Escudero timed some of Miller’s leg kicks and put Miller on the mat on two separate occasions.

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