Old-school UFC champions Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin have agreed to step into The Octagon for more than just dancing with the stars. The two will meet in the near future for a UFC light heavyweight clash.

Nothing is official yet as Sherdog.com reported this rumor as only a “verbal agreement”, and Liddell just finished taping “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1, where he served as coach against opposing “TUF” coach Tito Ortiz. The Ultimate Fighter - Season 11 debuts on March 31 and Liddell is expected to fight Ortiz for a third time in the finale.

Stay tuned to MMA City for updates regarding this and other MMA news!

If you have been wondering where Fedor Emelianenko has been since destroying Brett Rogers and if he was ever going to fight again for Strikeforce, Sherdog has reported that The Last Emperor has been healing from a broken hand suffered against Brett’s chin and awaiting M-1 Global to finalize re-negotiations with Strikeforce.

Strikeforce and M-1 Global are in the final stages of signing off on a revised deal that will see the two organizations co-promote additional events together in the U.S. in 2010.

When finalized, the re-bolstered business relationship will also signal the return of Fedor Emelianenko, the world’s No. 1-ranked heavyweight and M-1 represented fighter, to the Strikeforce cage as early as June, both organizations told Sherdog.com over the weekend.

“I think June, July is realistic (for Emelianenko’s return),” said Evgeni Kogan, M-1 Global’s Director of Operations. “It’s not 100 percent. Don’t take this as a fight announcement, but I think during the summer.”

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said Monday that a June event headlined by Emelianenko was entirely possible. Emelianenko is expected to face Fabricio Werdum, a former top-five UFC heavyweight who earned a victory over Antonio “Big Foot” Silva last November.

M-1 Global also squashed any rumors concerning talks with the UFC.

“There is no truth to that. No one met with the UFC,” said Kogan (an M-1 Global Exec). “We have been re-checking the contract with Strikeforce, but there has been no negotiations with anyone else.”

Be sure to check back at MMA CITY for more updates on the Fedor saga.

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The WEC Bantamweight Division got a major shake-up last night at WEC 47 as a new king was crowned and a former emperor was slain for the second time in a row.

Brian Bowles, after punishing Miguel Torres to obtain the Bantamweight title, was thought to be too strong and powerful for Dominick Cruz, but after breaking his hand with his first punch of the night, Bowles was left powerless against the speed and agility of Cruz.  Realizing the fight was over, the doctor was called in after the 2nd round to assess the injury and the fight was stopped, making Cruz the new WEC Bantamweight Champ.

In what proved to be the biggest upset of the night, little Joseph Benavidez defeated Miguel Torres by guillotine choke in the second round.  Benavidez negated the reach difference by keeping his distance and taking the fight to the ground utilizing his brute strength.  In the second round, Benavidez was able to add a little pound to his ground, opening a huge gash on Torres’ forehead.   The blood was gushing everywhere and it appeared the fight might be stopped, but Benavidez was able to get position and end the fight with a deep guillotine choke.

Below are the official results for WEC 47.

• Dominick Cruz def. Brian Bowles via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) - Round 2, 5:00
• Joseph Benavidez def. Miguel Torres via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 2:57
• Javier Vazquez def. Jens Pulver via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 3:41
• L.C. Davis def. Deividas Taurosevicius via majority decision (29-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Bart Palaszewski def. Karen Darabedyan via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 4:40

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Scott Jorgensen def. Chad George via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 0:31
• Chad Mendes def. Erik Koch via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Anthony Pettis def. Danny Castillo via knockout (head kick) - Round 1, 2:17
• Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop declared split draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28)
• Fredson Paixao def. Courtney Buck via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:39
• Ricardo Lamas def. Bendy Casimir via knockout (knee) - Round 1, 3:43

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MMA LIVE discusses Fedor Emelianenko’s eventual return and Den Henderson’s Strikeforce debut against Jake Shields with CEO Scott Coker and previews WEC 47 this Saturday, March 6th.

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Spike TV released the list of fighters yesterday for 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter.  The middleweights will feature a wide range of experience from a 21-year-old with a few fights to a veteran with 33 pro bouts on his resume.  Included are teachers, firefighters, a pipeliner, social worker, an “Iron Ring” competitor, “The Crocodile Hunter’s” bodyguard and others.

The show will also feature a new format, yet to be fully explained, that will allow 28 fighters in the opener.  Check out below the list of competitors, who will be coached by Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell and can be seen on the March 31 “TUF 11″ debut.

RICH ATTONITO
Fighting out of: Deerfield Beach, FL/American Top Team
Record: 7-3
Age: 32
A 2001 graduate of Hofstra University in Long Island, N.Y., Rich Attonito wrestled several different weight classes as a member of the Pride wrestling team including the 167-pound and 197-pound. divisions. Attonito has been training with American Top Team since he moved to Florida in 2006. He is the strength and conditioning coach for UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti.

SETH BACZYNSKI
Fighting out of: Canyon, AZ/Apex MMA
Record: 11-5
Age: 28
Training partner to “TUF” alumni Santino DeFranco (season nine) and Efrain Escudero (season eight) at Apex MMA in Arizona, Seth Baczynski is a fulltime water inspector at Liberty Water.

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WEC 47 goes to Ohio on March 6th as Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles defends his title against Dominick Cruz and former Champ Miguel Torres takes on Joseph Benavidez for the top contender spot.  Honestly, I would have liked to have seen Bowles take on Torres again but I guess we’ll have to wait.  Other notables on the card are Jens “Little Evil” Pulver, Leonard Garcia, , George Roop, and L.C. Davis.

Below is the full card for WEC 47 with the Main Card airing on Versus.

MAIN CARD

• Champ Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz (for bantamweight title)
• Joseph Benavidez vs. Miguel Torres
• Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez
• L.C. Davis vs. Deividas Taurosevicius
• Karen Darabedyan vs. Bart Palaszewski

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Chad George vs. Scott Jorgensen
• Erik Koch vs. Chad Mendes
• Danny Castillo vs. Anthony Pettis
• Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop
• Bendy Casimir vs. Ricardo Lamas
• Courtney Buck vs. Fredson Paixao

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UFC on Versus?  I know, it seems odd, but hey, its a free UFC fight and a great headliner to boot, as Brandon Vera will take on Jon Jones and Junior Dos Santos will battle Gabriel Gonzaga on March 21st.

The latest UFC on Versus 1 card includes:

MAIN CARD

• Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera
• Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
• Paul Buentello vs. Cheick Kongo

PRELIMINARY CARD

• James Irvin vs. Alessio Sakara
• Spencer Fisher vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig
• Shannon Gugerty vs. Clay Guida
• Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
• John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
• Chase Gormley vs. Brendan Schaub
• Rob Kimmons vs. Mike Pierce
• Jason Brilz vs. Eric Schafer

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UFC 2010 Undisputed hits stores May 25th with more submissions and more fighters. Here is a first look at the game trailer and a sales pitch from UFC President Dana White.





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Frank Mir issued an apology today following an interview this weekend with WXDX-FM in which he said he wanted rival and UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to be “the first person that dies due to octagon-related injuries.”

Although Mir may have been taking a page out of the Lesnar pro-wrestling hype media package, in a sport battling for mainstream popularity, many understandably thought he crossed the line when wishing death upon the current title-holder.

Frank Mir stated

“I would like to apologize to Brock Lesnar, his family, the UFC and UFC fans for the stupid remarks.  I respect Brock, all the other fighters, and the sport of mixed martial arts. I’m sorry that I stepped out of line.”

White, always good for a comment, assured it won’t happen again.

“Frank’s been with the UFC a long time, he’s a two-time heavyweight champion and a commentator for the WEC,” White stated. “I think his emotions are running high right now, he has a big fight coming up next month, and he’s still upset about his loss to Lesnar. He’s been talked to, he regrets what he said, and he won’t be saying anything like that again.”

Mir’s next fight is at UFC 111 on March 27, where he will meet Shane Carwin for an interim heavyweight title. Lesnar, sidelined since the second Mir fight due to a severe case of diverticulitis, is likely to face the winner in a title-unification bout. (dejavu)

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With 17,831 in attendance, UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia qualified for the largest UFC crowd outside the US, and the fighters responded with a great night of fights.

Without a doubt, the hi-lite of the night was Cain Velasquez putting the rest of the Heavyweight division on notice with a dominating performance over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.  Cain needed only 2:20 to find Nog’s weakness standing up,  knocking him to the ground where he followed with a vicious ground and pound leaving the former Pride Superstar looking at stars in the dark.  The UFC brass were so impressed that Cain earned KO of the Night and an extra $50k.

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