After suffering another severe staph infection, former UFC Interim and PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled main event bout against rising star Cain Velasquez at UFC 108. The news was confirmed by UFC President Dana White at the UFC 105 post-fight press conference.
The bout’s cancellation becomes another in a string of recent high-profile fights that have been postponed or lost altogether due to injuries or illness and it will once again put the UFC in a tough spot.
Headlined by a pitoval light heavyweight bout between Randy “The Natural” Couture and Brandon “The Truth” Vera, UFC 105 determined the career direction for many of the participants on the main card as some aimed for title contention while others fought to stay relevant in the sport.
Less than one week after leaving the Sengoku promotion and his long-time home at the Grabaka Gym, top star Kazuo Misaki has agreed to face Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba in a featured middleweight bout on the massive K-1 Dynamite!! “Power of Courage 2009” card on New Year’s Eve.
Less than two years after rising from the ashes of Pride Fighting Championships, World Victory Road and its “Sengoku” events may soon come to an end after the promotion’s main sponsor, Japanese retail giant Don Quijote, withdrew its financial support and joined with rival MMA promotion DREAM.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Manchester, England for UFC 105 this Saturday and MMARising.com has a complete preview of the card, which is headlined by a light heavyweight bout between former two-division champion Randy “The Natural” Couture and Muay Thai standout Brandon “The Truth” Vera.
Round 5 MMA has completed Series 1 of their exclusive line of UFC collectible figurines, featuring some of the promotion’s top stars from the past and present. The set of six collectibles will be released in Toys ‘R’ Us locations in time for the holiday season and will be stocked in retailers across North America in January.
Rising Japanese star Saori Ishioka will return to competition at Jewels: “Sixth Ring” on December 11th and faces yet another difficult task when she meets reigning Freestyle Cage Fighting Women’s 125-Pound Champion “Slick” Sally Krumdiack in a featured bout.
Capped off by one of the more memorable main events of the year, Strikeforce’s historic CBS debut was a huge success and concluded with #1-ranked heavyweight “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko stopping previously undefeated knockout artist Brett “The Grim” Rogers in front of millions of worldwide viewers.