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Jonathan Baldock is in Montreal this weekend for MMANews.com covering W-1 MMA Bad Blood which is set to feature many former UFC veterans on the card including in the main event, Jason MacDonald taking on Vernon White, while John Alessio is on the card taking on Chris Clements and Shonie Carter faces Nabil Kahtib. Complete results are below:<br><br> Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald 189.6 lbs vs. Vernon "Tiger" White 190.2 lbs (catch weight)<br> John "The Natural" Alessio 170.3 lbs vs. Chris "The Menace" Clements 170. lbs<br> Nabil "The Thrill" Khatib 174.2 lbs vs. Shonie "Mr. International" Carter 173.8 lbs (catch weight)<br> Eddie Fyvie 145.6 lbs vs. Antonio "Pato" Carvalho 144.5 lbs<br> Tom "The Bomb" Waters 148.8 lbs vs. John "Haggis Basher" Fraser 144.4 lbs<br> Pat "Bam Bam" Healy 155.7 lbs vs. Sidney Silva 154.9 lbs<br> Jorge Britto 155.9 lbs vs. Jonathan "JJ" Mix 155.2 lbs<br> Josh Hill 134.9 lbs vs. Dennis Gagne 131.4 lbs<br> Dean "The Machine" Martins 184.5 lbs vs. Nordine "Hardknoxx" Taleb 183.8 lbs<br><br> **Note** Vernon came back after an hour to re-weigh in - made 190.2 lbs while Tom Waters came back after an hour and did not make weight again - 146.0 lbs.<br><br> Be sure to check back tomorrow for results.

Roy Nelson will take on Stefan Struve at UFC Fight Night 21 on Spike TV and the big man who won TUF 10 talks to <a href=http://www.fightersonlymagazine.co.uk/news/viewarticle.php?id=4145>Fighters Only</a> about the match:<br><br> "[Struve] is a great kid with a great record, 22-3 and he is 3-1 in the UFC. But I think our paths may have crossed a little early for him. He is a young kid, 21, I know he has a lot to look forward to ... I think its definitely going to be a ‘different' fight. You've got a 6' 11" guy against a 5' 5" guy, tall and slinky against short in stature. I think I am a little bit better in some aspects. I think my experience... actually I cant even say that, he has more fights than I do, haha! I think it will just come down to who wants it more. He is young hungry kid and I am a hungry old kid. I need to eat. I take every fight seriously, even my fight with Kimbo I took serious. You have to go in there and have a good gameplan and keep your head. One of the things I always do is take everyone serious because [MMA] is like football, any given Sunday any team can win."

Despite reports that he would be pulling out of a scheduled UFC 115 match up with TUF 11 counterpart Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz is denying all rumors and says the only way he would be pulling out of the fight is if Liddell himself is injured.<br><Br> In the report, from <a href=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/mma/03/18/ortiz/index.html#ixzz0iZ8f0DKE>SI.com</a>, Ortiz also denies rumors that his tenure as TUF 11 coach was cut short.<br><Br> It has been a wild couple of weeks for Tito and his girlfriend Jenna Jameson. She gave birth to the couples twin boys this week and Ortiz was also in the hospital with what he described as a bad case of the flu and lost fifteen pounds. The two left mysterious messages on their twitter accounts that led to the internet message boards running wild.

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 18, 2010) — Ryan McGivern, the former IFL champion and longtime pupil of former UFC Champion Pat Miletich, is the latest addition to Bellator Fighting Championships’ upcoming Season 2 middleweight tournament roster.<br><br> The 30-year-old McGivern boasts an overall professional record of 13-6 including wins over UFC veteran Matt Horwich and WEC veteran Dan Molina. A native of Bettendorf, Iowa, he was a four-time letter-winner in wrestling at the University of Iowa.<br><br> “With his experience in a top NCAA wrestling program and in the IFL, Ryan McGivern brings some great credentials to our 185 tournament,� said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “With him and the rest of the middleweights that we’ve signed, I can tell you that there are going to be some very exciting fights beginning next month.�<br><br> McGivern is the sixth confirmed participant in Bellator’s eight-man middleweight tournament, joining Bryan “The Beast� Baker, Jared Hess, Sean Loeffler, Matt Major and Eric Schambari. The group boasts a combined overall winning percentage of .829 (68-14). <br><br> Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 145, 155 and 170 lbs. during its second season, with the winners in each division being declared No. 1 contenders to Bellator’s current champions. Each of Bellator’s 24 Season 2 and 3 events will be broadcast on FOX Sports Net, NBC, Telemundo and on The Score sports network in Canada.<br><br> Though McGivern has not taken a professional fight in more than a year, he has maintained a full-time training regimen at the Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Iowa, while also working full-time as a procurement specialist for the U.S. Department of Defense. He calls Bellator “the next major step in my career.�<br><br> “I had the chance to watch a lot of the Bellator fights last year, and it’s just an awesome promotion,� he said. “Getting in the tournament is just an incredible opportunity for me. Being on TV and being matched up against some really great fighters is extra motivation to be at the top of my game. I just can’t wait to get into the cage.� <br><br> For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. For tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Finally, these two former Ultimate Fighting Championship® light heavyweight champions get a chance to let their fists do the talking. After multiple back-and-forth verbal exchanges on the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter®, former UFC® light heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage� Jackson and “Suga� Rashad Evans are set to headline UFC 114, presented by THQ’s “UFC Undisputed 2010� and live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 29. <br><Br> “It’s no secret that Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans don’t like each other, and this rivalry has gotten more and more intense in the last few months,� said UFC President Dana White. “I can guarantee you that neither one of these guys wants to lose to each other, this fight is going to be insane.�<br><Br> Tickets for UFC 114 are priced at $650, $450, $300, $200, $125 and $75, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Saturday, March 27 at 10 a.m. PT at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at UFC.com, www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. <br><Br> UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Thursday, March 25 at 10 a.m. PT via the website UFC.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Friday, March 26 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.<br><Br> UFC 114 will be available live on Pay-Per-View on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).<br><Br> As quick with his fists as he is with his wit, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage� Jackson (fighting out of Irvine, Calif., 30-7) hammered the competition on his way to the title with a stunning KO victory over then champion Chuck “The Iceman� Liddell at UFC 71. With knockout wins over Wanderlei Silva, Liddell and Marvin Eastman and a decision victory over Dan Henderson, the 31-year-old Memphis, Tennessee native has picked up wins against some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts. Most recently earning a unanimous decision win over Keith Jardine at UFC 96, Jackson has won two in a row and now faces Jardine’s friend and training partner.<br><Br> “I really want to knock this guy out,� Jackson said. “I’ve never, ever wanted to knock someone as cold as I want to knock Rashad Evans out. He’s disrespected me so much, for so long. I am so motivated to train my ass off. I’ve moved my coaches into my house already - Rashad should be prepared to see a brand new Rampage in May. I saw him in Sydney a few weeks back and we picked up right where we left off. I can’t stand him. He’s a disrespectful person and I didn't even want to beat Wanderlei as much as I want to beat this guy.�<br><Br> A former All-American college wrestler turned successful mixed martial artist, “Suga� Rashad Evans (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M., 19-1-1) put himself back on the championship track with an impressive decision victory over knockout artist Thiago Silva at UFC 108. With an outstanding 9-1-1 record in the UFC, Evans has fought and beaten the best, including wins over former UFC champions Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. Now the 30-year-old former Michigan State wrestler and Niagara Falls, New York native will get his chance to exchange blows with the man he’s been exchanging words with.<br><Br> “I don’t like all the pre-fight talking, so I can’t wait until I finally get my chance to shut him up,� said Evans. “There were a lot of times on the show when I wanted to hit him right there. When Keith [Jardine] was training for his fight with Rampage, I had to mimic Rampage’s style. I can probably beat Rampage as Rampage now. Plus, he’s gotten fat. He needs to get in shape just to get in shape. I may come to the Octagon with Mr. T just to get in his head.�<br><Br>

Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez talks to the media about his match up with Shinya Aoki at Strikeforce On CBS:<br><br> "My biggest advantage in this fight is my stand up and my patience. I’ve been fortunate enough to see the Aoki style. I’m just going to be patient and let it happen. I think I can knock this guy out in two rounds... I’m really happy to have this fight on CBS. Millions of people will be watching and, yeah, it definitely makes a difference. To me it’s a coming out party to display my skills to the world."

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin talks about a potential match up with Randy Couture this summer. Although it isn't signed it appears like this will be the next match for both fighters:<br><br> "It’s not signed yet, but we’ve been working Randy now for a while. We’ve talked June, then we talked August and now we’re talking June again," Franklin said. "I think we’re having problems with Randy’s scheduling. So I really don’t know what the plan is at this point." <Br><br> "I’m at a point now where I’ve fought enough fights and it’s time for me to make a title run again and see where that takes me. That’s where my focus is Now,’‘ said Franklin, who has five fights left on his contract. "It depends on the speed of things. I would imagine I’ll probably end up negotiating one more contract before I retire. I’m looking at another two or three years of fighting."<br><br> Props: <a href=http://www.bostonherald.com>The Boston Herald</a>

The fourth and final Gamestop Exclusive Pre-Order character has been announced. The Ultimate Fighter 10 winner Roy Nelson will be the last exclusive for the 2010 entry in UFC: Undisputed Series from THQ.<br><Br> Nelson joins Brendan Schaub, Marcus Jones, and James MacSweeney as a set of characters that will be available to gamers that pre-order the game from <a href=http://www.gamestop.com>GameStop</a>.

CHICAGO, Ill. (March 17, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships put the final piece in place for its much-anticipated Season 2 lightweight tournament today with the signing of 9-3 up-and-comer Pat Curran.<br><br> The 22-year-old Curran is the cousin of UFC, WEC, Strikeforce and PRIDE veteran Jeff Curran but is quickly stepping out of his cousin’s shadow and carving his own path in the MMA world. <br><br> Pat Curran first gained widespread notoriety thanks to his appearance on Season 2 of the short-lived TapouT reality show, where he was given the nickname “Paddy Mike� by the show’s host, Mask. Most recently, in late February, Curran won a unanimous decision over Robbie Olivier, one of Britain’s top ranked fighters, at an event in Olivier’s home country.<br><br> “My cousin and I have the same last name and he helped pave the way for me, but that doesn’t help me once I’m in the cage—it’s all on me then,� Curran said. “Bellator is a huge step in my career and I’m excited for the chance to really prove myself and make a name for myself around the world.�<br><br> Curran grew up in South Florida where he was an All-State high school wrestler and moved to Illinois in 2007 to begin training at his cousin’s Curran Martial Arts Academy in the Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake.<br><br> He will make his Bellator debut at Bellator XIV on April 15th in front of a hometown crowd at the Chicago Theatre.<br><br> Curran is the final competitor to be added to Bellator’s eight-man Season 2 155 lbs. tournament along with former UFC superstar Roger Huerta, Season 1 runner-up Toby Imada, former Olympian Ferrid Kheder, undefeated Canadian phenom Mike Ricci, European stalwart Janne Tulirinta, the undefeated Chad Hinton and former All-American wrestler Carey Vanier.<br><br> Each tournament fight will be broadcast live in prime time on FOX Sports Net every Thursday night beginning April 8th and replayed in special highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo every Saturday night beginning April 10th.<br><br> First round matchups will be announced later this week.<br><br> “Pat is a very solid addition to our stacked 155 lbs. tournament,� said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Pat comes from MMA royalty and is ready to make his own impact on the sport. He was sought after very aggressively by several other major promotions, so I’m excited for him to be a part of our organization. It will be great to see him fight in front of his many hometown fans next month at the Chicago Theatre.�<br><br> For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Bellator. For tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.

Chinzo Machida, brother and training partner of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida talks to Tatame.com about his brothers training for his rematch with Shogun at UFC 113 in Montreal in May, as well as his thoughts and the Machida camp thoughts on the last fight:<br><br> What do you expect from this rematch?<br><br> We can’t predict the fight itself, but Lyoto is more prepared than the other time, more focused on the fight, stronger. We changed the concentration on training, we don’t let a lot of people around him in training anymore, thing that had no reason to happen. We separated his training, making him more focused.<br><br> How do you think it’s gonna be this fight?<br><br> I believe in a knockout by Lyoto, that’s why we’re looking at.<br><br> How is his training?<br><br> He’s training well, doing the karate, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, a little bit of everything, besides muay thai, physical preparation… We already started the training in January, his hand is 100% now.<br><br> What did you think about the first fight?<br><br> I thought Lyoto won it, looked for the fight all the time, besides his characteristic is to counter attack. Shogun didn’t expose himself, he’s kicking Lyoto, but with few moments of definition. This rematch can start the same way, but I’m sure it’ll go a different way. Lyoto wasn’t very satisfied with the critics and Shogun wasn’t happy with the result either. It can put both to define the fight, but we’ll only know it at the fight time. Nobody wants to let it go to decision again.

THQ has sent along news that for the Playstation 3 release of UFC Undisputed 2010, Legends Dan Severn, Royce Gracie, and Jens Pulver will all be exclusive characters. Sorry Xbox 360 fans but these characters will not be available when the game is released and there is no news if they will be available down the line.<br><br> But thats not all, there are also five events exclusive to the PS3:<br><br> Ultimate 2009 Category<br><br> UFN 18 – Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann<br><br> Ultimate Knockouts Category<br><br> UFC 102 – Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia<br><br> Ultimate Classics Category<br><br> UFC 60 – Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie<br><br> UFC 66 – Keith Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin<br><br> Ultimate Submissions Category<br><br> UFC 68 – Martin Kampmann vs. Drew McFredries<br><br> The game releases on May 25th for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 console with a release for the PSP sometime in the future. UFC Undisputed 2010 is the followup to the first game in the series from 2009. The 2009 entry sold 3.5 million copies across the 360 and PS3 platforms.

James Irvin talks to TSN.ca about his battles with drug addiction and his return to the Octagon:<br><br> "The Anderson Silva fight, I have 25 stitches across my cheek from when he blasted me," the mixed martial arts fighter told The Canadian Press. "Every day when I look in the mirror, I have a clear reminder of what those drugs did to me and what lies ahead of me if I was ever to start using that garbage ever again."<br><br> "It wasn't until a time that I just stopped taking them that I realized I needed them just to keep on functioning," he said. "At that time I had become an addict and I was hooked on them.<br><br> "I needed to get caught," he said. "I needed to get in trouble for it and wake me up and get off of those things."<br><br> "I'm trying to get [reach out] to fighters, but it's kind of a taboo thing," said Irvin. "I don't think fighters want to talk about it. Fighters definitely don't want to admit that they have a problem with it when it's obvious they do because more and more fighters are getting caught with the stuff and getting caught with it in them."<br><br> Irvin returns to the UFC at UFC on Versus 1 against Alessio Sakara.

Strikeforce President Scott Coker was a recent guest on MMAJunkie Radio and gave his thoughts on Jose Canseco competing in Strikeforce. His response is interesting, waiting to hear what Cesar Gracie tells him about Canseco:<br><br> "I can tell you this: If Cesar Gracie says to me, 'Jose's training with me, I'm going to get him ready, and I'm going to do it in four or five months,' and Cesar's telling me this? That will have a lot of weight on what we decide," Coker recently told MMAjunkie.com.<br><br> "Scott said if Jose wants to train, he'll put him in a Challenger series (event) if it's not the Herschel Walker fight," Gracie said. "There are a couple of other organizations that are interested in Jose that I'm meeting with next week." said Cesar Gracie.

New York, NY, March 17, 2010 – Veteran UFC® fighter and “The Ultimate Fighter 1� finalist Stephan Bonnar will host the Spike.com weekly series “The Ultimate Fighter: Aftermath.� The first installment, featuring UFC president Dana White as a guest, will debut on Wednesday, March 31 at 11:00 PM directly following Spike TV’s premiere of the “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz.� <br><br> Each “The Ultimate Fighter: Aftermath� will include interviews from current cast members who will provide fresh insight and a behind-the-scenes look from the week’s previous episode. Taped in Los Angeles, each installment will also include analysis of the week’s previous fight and special guests. Last season, “The Ultimate Fighter: Aftermath� averaged two million views on Spike.com.<br><br> Bonnar’s (14-7) three-round war against Forrest Griffin in “The Ultimate Fighter 1� finale in April 2005 ranks as one of the most memorable fights in mixed martial arts history. Despite losing, Bonnar received a three-fight contract and has since fought some of the biggest names in the light heavyweight division including Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine and Mark Coleman. <br><br> The 11th season of Spike TV’s most popular original series ever, “The Ultimate Fighter,� for the first time, will feature 28 of the best up and coming mixed martial artists in the world competing for 14 spots in “The Ultimate Fighter� house. The series boasts a new format which will be introduced to viewers in the show’s premiere episode. The smash hit will also feature two coaches who need no introduction to mixed martial arts fans, UFC legends Chuck “The Iceman� Liddell and Tito “The Huntington Beach Badboy.�

New York, NY, March 16, 2010 – The second episode of the three part series, UFC Primetime®, features more tough talk between UFC® champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Dan Hardy as they prepare for their world welterweight title clash at UFC 111: ST-PIERRE vs. HARDY. The new episode premieres Wednesday, March 17 at 10:00 PM ET/PT on Spike TV.<br><br> Dan Hardy on Georges St-Pierre:<br><br> As far as saying I’m not a martial artist…Because he walks out in the Octagon in his pajamas he’s a martial artist and I’m not? <br><br> He knows nothing about me…I’ve been doing martial arts my whole life. I’ll brawl…but I think about what I’m doing. I’m a cerebral fighter.<br><br> Martial arts is about going to war… and it’s about messing people up. And that’s what I’m going to do. <br><br> Dan Hardy on his workout:<br><br> “My workout is the winning formula. You can't put muscles here (pointing to his face). And that's all I'm aiming for... He can jump higher than me. He can lift trucks. It makes no different to me. When I connect on his chin he can lift all he wants…he's still going down.�<br><br> Georges St.-Pierre on his training: <br><br> “I train myself to fight an army of guys. By training myself to fight an army of guys, one man cannot break me. “<br><br> “March 27 I am going to beat Dan Hardy and stay world champion. The war is on now. The war has already started.� <br><br> Matt Serra on Dan Hardy:<br><br> “Not a lot of guys give Dan a chance. I know what that feels like. I know what it's like to prove people wrong. There are a lot of people you are going to give a big F.U. to win when you win the fight.�<br><br> Nate Marquardt on the fight:<br><br> “There is going to be a point in this fight when Hardy realizes he shouldn’t be in there with Georges and he is way in over his head. That’s where the fight is going to turn. And it’s going to be all Georges.� <br><br> “UFC Primetime,� produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®), is a look into the lives of perhaps the world’s best pound for pound fighter, St-Pierre, and Hardy, the man looking to unseat him at the top of the welterweight ladder. As the two prepare for their meeting in late March, Spike TV will present three special weekly installments that will take viewers across the pond to Nottingham, England as Hardy trains with the rest of his Rough House team, and back to North America to Montreal to see how St-Pierre, one of the most beloved athletes in Canada, is preparing for his title defense. “UFC Primetime� delivers an extraordinary amount of access to two of mixed martial arts’ best, as they head into what could be the signature fight of 2010 at UFC 111. <br><br> Christopher Martello of Spike TV serves as executive in charge of production of UFC Primetime. <br><br> UFC 111 will air live on Pay-Per-View Saturday, March 27 from the Prudential Center, in Newark, NJ at 10:00 PM ET/ 7:00 PM PT.

<p>Edmonton, Alberta (Canada): The Fight Club (TFC), one of the top fight promotions in Canada, is proud to bring MMA fans &ldquo;HIGH OCTANE&rdquo; on Friday, March 19th, live from the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The event will feature several top MMA superstars, including TFC World Welterweight Champion Ryan &ldquo;The Real Deal&rdquo; Ford, former TUF finalist Tommy &ldquo;Farmboy&rdquo; Speer, TFC World Light Heavyweight Champion Victor Valimaki, and UFC veteran Tim &ldquo;Thrashing Machine&rdquo; Hague. Tickets are available through http://www.thefightclub.ca/, or (780) 991-5670.<br /> <br /> &ldquo;HIGH OCTANE&rdquo; will be the first Canadian MMA event to be shown live on pay per view. The PPV will be available across Canada on Shaw, Shaw Direct, Bell TV, and Viewer&rsquo;s Choice. The event will also be broadcasted at many commercial establishments, bars, pubs, lounges, and casinos across Canada. In addition, through a distribution agreement with Ringside Boxing &amp; MMA, the event will be televised to a potential worldwide audience of over 130 million viewers on a delayed basis. A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday, March 17th at 2 PM at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton.<br /> <br /> In the main event, Ryan &ldquo;The Real Deal&rdquo; Ford (11-2) will defend his title against TUF season six finalist Tommy &ldquo;Farmboy&rdquo; Speer (13-4). &ldquo;The Real Deal&rdquo; is a native of Edmonton, and has defeated UFC veterans Pete Spratt and CJ Fernandez. Many consider Ford to be the top contender for the next breakout Canadian welterweight, following in the footsteps of current UFC World Welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre. Speer, who has beaten War Machine (a.k.a. Jon Koppenhaver), Ben Saunders, and George Sotiropoulos while appearing on The Ultimate Fighter season 6. He has gone 4-1 since his exit from the UFC.<br /> <br /> The co-main event will feature Edmonton, Alberta native Victor &ldquo;The Matrix&rdquo; Valimaki (16-5), who holds the TFC Light Heavyweight Championship, as he puts his title on the line against Martin &ldquo;Stress&rdquo; Desilets (9-2), who hails from Victoriaville, Quebec. Former UFC fighter Valimaki is riding a seven-fight winning streak, and is hoping that a win over Desilets will vault him back into the UFC. He holds victories over MMA legend Dan &ldquo;The Beast&rdquo; Severn and UFC veterans Vernon &ldquo;Tiger&rdquo; White, and Jason Day. Desilet is the XMMA Light Heavyweight title-holder, and trains with the likes of Kenny Florian and George St. Pierre. He is the number-one contender to the belt held by &ldquo;The Matrix.&rdquo;<br /> <br /> Also featured at &ldquo;HIGH OCTANE&rdquo; will be recent UFC heavyweight Tim Hague (10-3) taking up-and-comer Tyler East (5-3) in an anticipated bout. The massive Hague has defeated UFC veterans Sherman &ldquo;The Tank&rdquo; Pendergarst and Pat Barry. The man he&rsquo;ll be facing, Tyler East, is a 6&rsquo;5&rdquo; 230 lb. youngster who has fought for Bellator and King of the Cage. In addition, Edmonton native Victor &ldquo;The Professor&rdquo; Bachman (6-2), a former TFC Canadian Welterweight Champion will compete in a match in which the winner will get a shot at the Canadian title in June.<br /> <br /> The full fight card includes: <br /> <br /> &middot; 170 lbs: Ryan Ford (11-2) vs. Tommy Speer (13-4)<br /> &middot; 205 lbs: Victor Valimaki (16-5) vs. Martin Desilets (9-2)<br /> &middot; 265 lbs: Tim Hague (10-3) vs. Tyler East (5-3)<br /> &middot; 170 lbs: Victor Bachmann (6-2) vs. Markhaile Wedderburn (8-5)<br /> &middot; 185 lbs: Sheldon Westcott (2-1) vs. Tim Smith (10-4)<br /> &middot; 195 lbs: Cody Krahn (6-2) vs. Elliot Duff (2-2)<br /> &middot; 165 lbs: Mitch Clarke (5-0) vs. Brandon MacArthur (5-14)<br /> &middot; 155 lbs: Curtis Demarce (9-7) vs. Mike Bell (4-14)<br /> &middot; 170 lbs: Rio Wells (2-0) vs. Karel Berger (1-0)<br /> &middot; 170 lbs: Jason Zorthian (3-3) vs. Todd Mabbott (2-1)<br /> &middot; 155 lbs: Doug Neumann (0-0) vs. David Bodrug (1-0)<br /> <br /> For more information, please visit our website at http://www.thefightclub.ca/ <br /> <br /> &nbsp;</p>

<p>Top Lightweight Gray Maynard recently spoke about his place in the UFCs 155lb division and called out the winner of Kenny Florian and Takanori Gomi. He also talks about Sean Sherk dodging a fight against him:<br /> <br /> <i>&quot;If Florian beats him, [Florian has] a great name,&quot; Maynard said. &quot;It's like, 'Florian's unbelievable, he beat the PRIDE champ'. ... It doesn't matter if [Gomi] is still good or not; it's his name (that matters).&quot; &quot;I asked for Sherk two or three times, and he said no,&quot; Maynard said. &quot;To me, it isn't that tough of a fight. I think Miller, Diaz, Huerta &ndash; that's more of a tough one. <br /> <br /> &quot;But [Sherk] has a name because he was a champ. I was trying to (get the fight), but he said no. And I was like, 'Well, I'll keep that quiet, I guess. He's got a job, and he's doing what he has to do, but I would have liked to have that fight.'&quot; <br /> <br /> &quot;I think Florian will win,&quot; Maynard said. &quot;I don't know if Gomi's really into it anymore. The last two or three (fights), he's looked like he hasn't really trained. It's just like, 'Ah, I'm here for the paycheck.' But obviously he's tough, and he's a good name.&quot; <br /> <br /> &quot;I think I've earned it, so hopefully it will happen,&quot; Maynard said. </i><br /> <br /> Props: <a href="http://www.mmajunkie.com">MMAJunkie.com</a></p>

<a href=http://www.sbnation.com>SB Nation</a> has the report:<br><br> DIRECTV and Comcast have reached an agreement to return VERSUS to the DIRECTV programming lineup today. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.<br><br> VERSUS will return to the same DIRECTV programming packages it was in at the end of August 2009.<br><br> "We are pleased that both sides were able to work out a satisfactory deal to bring this programming back to our customers," said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV.<br><br> "We're excited that we were able to come to a fair agreement that puts VERSUS back in millions of homes with DIRECTV in time for our busy spring programming schedule," said Jamie Davis, president of VERSUS. "We look forward to super-serving these fans with NHL regular-season and playoff coverage, our first live UFC event and much more."<br><br>

Dan Hardy was a guest on MMAJunkie Radio this week and talked about his strategy going into his title bout with champion Georges St. Pierre at the end of March:<br><br> "It depends how eager he is to get the fight started," Hardy told MMAjunkie.com Radio (audio). "If it starts fast, he'll get knocked out fast. If he takes his time, he might get knocked out in a later round. <br><br> "It depends on him, really, and what kind of pace he wants to push."<br><br> ... "I'm getting messages from all over the world, not just from the U.K. To my surprise, I'm getting a hell of a lot of messages from Canada. <br><br> "They usually start with, 'I'm Canadian, but,' and then it goes on to explain that they like Georges St-Pierre, but they're ready for a change, and they want me to win."

Junior Dos Santos talks to UFC.com about his upcoming match with Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC On Versus this month as well as his previous bouts inside the Octagon:<BR><BR> "[Rogerio 'Minotouro'] He's my master and he taught me everything. If I face and beat great athletes nowadays, this is because Rodrigo supported me. ... I'd probably not have become a fighter or my career would be on a different course than it is today if I didn't have Rodrigo and Rogerio helping me."<BR><BR> vs. Fabricio Werdum - When Bruce Buffer said my name and I do my pre-fight ritual of pointing to the ground, Werdum came in my direction, punching his hand, and said, 'You gonna take a beatdown.' Nobody saw it. He did that and I said, 'So come on,' and walked back to my corner furious, but with a smile on my face. And I felt that when the approach is this way I fight better."<BR><BR> vs. Stefan Struve - He extended his hand, I didn't tap it. (laughs) Later we'll chat, now is time to trade punches. He's a nice guy, dangerous on the ground, however I wasn't not going to be his friend inside the Octagon (laughs). Let's fight and become friends only after the fight.<BR><BR> vs. Mirko Cro Cop - Fabio Maldonado told me, 'Cigano, when you look into the eyes of your opponent, he'll not reach you. You're fast, strong, let him know that you're better.' I believed in what he said and I go to knock guys out in all my fights; maybe I can't always do it, but it's my goal."<BR><BR> vs. Gilbert Yvel - "People called me arrogant during that fight because I smiled when he landed that high kick. But that was because we trained to defend exactly that combo, a straight and a high kick. I recorded it and he tried it during the fight, so I smiled because his game was just the way we knew it would be, and I asked for more."<BR><BR> "I think my ground is good if you want to know," said dos Santos. "I train with great guys in the USA too and I'm always learning. This fight is going to be a test for me; I have a chance to surprise people because I believe [Gabriel Gonzaga] Napao will try to take me down. There are positions that I developed in secret and if I've the chance I won't waste them."

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