Confirming weeks of speculation, Strikeforce has confirmed plans for an eight-man heavyweight tournament and officially announced all tournament participants today. In one first-round matchup, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem will rematch Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum.
Other opening round bouts will see “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko return to the cage to face Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, while Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski battles Sergei Kharitonov. Completing the bracket, “The Babyfaced Assassin” Josh Barnett will clash with Brett “The Grim” Rogers.
Citing low ticket sales, DEEP has officially announced the postponement of its planned “Mayhem In Macao” event that was scheduled to take place this Saturday, January 8th. A revised date for the event, which was to be held in The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, was not named in the release.
Voting for the 2010 Women’s Mixed Martial Arts Awards has now concluded and winners have been crowned in 18 categories. With a perfect campaign in 2010, Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Tournament Champion Miesha “Takedown” Tate has been named the 2010 Female Fighter of the Year.
With a kick that was felt throughout the MMA world, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis put a stamp on his five-round victory over Ben “Smooth” Henderson to become WEC Lightweight Champion at WEC 53 on December 16th. Pettis enters the 155-pound ranks and should challenge for UFC gold in 2011.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, tonight with a New Year’s card at UFC 125: “Resolution.” The event was headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and Gray “The Bully” Maynard.
Fighting and Entertainment Group showcased its annual New Year’s Eve extravaganza tonight at K-1 Dynamite!! “Power of Courage 2010.” The event was headlined by a DREAM Featherweight Championship rematch between Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes and Hiroyuki “Streetfight Bancho” Takaya.
Japanese stars Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii and Rin Nakai both picked up convincing victories tonight at the all-day Sengoku Raiden Championship: “Soul of Fight” event in Tokyo, Japan. Fujii earned a dominant decision win over Emi Fujino, while Nakai submitted journeywoman Mika “Hari” Harigai.
More fights are in the works for the upcoming UFC 128 event on March 19th. Former WEC champions Urijah Faber and Eddie Wineland are expected to compete in a bantamweight bout on the card, while Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub takes on Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović in heavyweight action.