With Melvin Manhoef sidelined due to injury, Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba has stepped in on short notice to battle former Cage Rage British Middleweight Champion Zelg Galesić at Olympia Dream.12 on October 25th inside the confines of the “White Cage.”
Also rumoured to be a part of the card is a heavyweight bout between reigning Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem and former PRIDE and Cage Rage mainstay James “The Colossus” Thompson.
With just one month to go before her biggest MMA fight to date against Kerry Vera, Kim “Sugar Free” Couture has opted to spend her time working in planned angles for professional wrestling promoter Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling rather than preparing for her opponent.
Couture debuted as a “fan” at a TNA pay-per-view event last night and began a scripted feud with Lisa Marie Varon (“Tara”), whom Couture has engaged in a war of words with over the past few months after Varon announced her intentions to compete in MMA.
Looking to rebound after his submission loss to Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes in the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix, American wrestling powerhouse Joe Warren will face another stern test when he meets Japanese legend and former Shooto Pacific Rim Lightweight Champion Rumina “Moon Wolf” Sato at Vale Tudo Japan 2009.
The October 30th event, which also features top stars Takanori “Fireball Kid” Gomi and “Lion” Takeshi Inoue, will be contested under Vale Tudo Japan rules and will feature five-minute rounds.
After contract talks with the UFC reached an impasse, former PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight Champion Dan “Hendo” Henderson is rumoured to be in talks with Strikeforce and could sign with the promotion in the near future.
Henderson, whose contract expired after his knockout win over Michael “The Count” Bisping at UFC 100, became frustrated with his employers after he was refused a title fight against UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva.
Another exciting bout is in the works for the upcoming UFC 108 card, as lightweight standouts Tyson Griffin and Jim Miller are set to square off in what will be a very important fight in the stacked division and could lead the victor to future title contention.
Griffin has been a mainstay in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2006 and has been involved in a series of high-profile fights. Likewise, Miller has enjoyed great success inside the Octagon and will look to take a giant step towards the UFC Lightweight Championship at Griffin’s expense.
Perhaps repeating past mistakes, UFC welterweight contender Josh Koscheck has his sights firmly set on challenging Georges “Rush” St. Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship and appears to be overlooking a formidable opponent, Mike Pierce, at UFC Fight Night 20.
Koscheck previously made headlines by bragging about knowing nothing about his UFC 95 opponent, newcomer Paulo Thiago, but was promptly knocked out by a two-punch combination from Thiago in the later stages of the first round.
In a fight with major title implications, former WEC Welterweight Champion “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit is rumoured to be taking on British knockout artist Paul “Semtex” Daley in a featured welterweight bout at UFC 108 in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 2, 2010.
Both fighters are coming off of wins, though they came in vastly different manners. Condit escaped with a razor-thin Split Decision over Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 19 on September 16th, while Daley stopped top contender Martin Kampmann at UFC 103 three days later.
Confirming rumours from earlier in the week, fan favourite “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva has announced that he will take on judo ace Yoshihiro Akiyama in the main event of UFC 111, which will emanate from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia on February 21, 2010.
The fight will headline the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first event in Australia as the promotion looks to continue its expansion around the world. Both fighters will look to put on a show for the fans, but Silva desperately needs an impressive victory in order to return to contention.