UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger (21-4) has been drafted to replace “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (16-3) versus Fighters.com's tenth-ranked welterweight  “Killa B” Ben Saunders (8-1-2) at UFC 111 in Newark March 27, according to MMA Weekly. ...

There were no fights in the mixed martial arts welterweight top ten in January and, therefore, no movement in the rankings for February. Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2) and fifth-ranked “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) are set to battle for the top spot at UFC 111 in Newark March 27.  Predictions range far and wide, from Hardy has one foot in the grave to Hardy is the man to upset St. Pierre like "The Terror” Matt Serra (9-6) di at UFC 69 in Houston in 2007. ...

Fighters.com's fifth-ranked welterweight “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) has one chance at beating Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2) at UFC 111 in Newark March 27.  It's a slim chance, despite the hype that is being spun to convince us that the Hardy versus St. Pierre matchup is competitive. ...

Xtreme Couture's "Phenom" Vitor Belfort (18-8) scored his bulliest victory in four-plus years TKOing Fighters.com's ninth-ranked middleweight "Ace" Rich Franklin (26-5) at 3:02 of round one in a 195-pound catch weight main event at UFC 103 in Dallas Saturday night. "Jesus, I love you," shouted Belfort in the Octagon after the fight, and in his dressing room he added,  "God gave me a gift and I'm using it.  And, I'm ready.  A lot of people thought I was done, you know, and that's what I'm bringing to this game - hope, faith, and hard work. ...

American Kickboxing Academy's "Quick" Mike Swick (14-2) and Xtreme Couture's "Hitman" Martin Kampmann (15-2) will fight at UFC 103 in Dallas 19 September, announced the UFC today, and the winner will be the next challenger to UFC welterweight champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2), according to a report by MMA Junkie. Both former middlweight title prospects who dropped weight to compete at 170-pounds, neither Swick nor Kampmann have proven themselves against the UFC's established competition: former champions "Terror" Matt Serra (9-6) and Matt Hughes (41-7) and former title challengers "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (16-4) and Jon Fitch (19-3). Swick trains with Fitch and former welterweight contender Josh Koscheck (12-4) and most recently outclassed "Killa B" Ben Saunders (7-1-2) with a second round TKO at UFC 99 in Cologne last month. But, Swick's most noteworthy "W" is a unanimous decision over nails-tough "Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus Davis (16-5), who never cracked the top ten himself. ...

“Hitman” Martin Kampmann (13-2) has signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC, his agent Ken Pavia confirmed to Five Ounces of Pain Tuesday. Kampmann plans to drop to welterweight for his next fight, according to Pavia. The Xtreme Couture fighter was TKO’d at 1:22 of the first round by “The Great” Nathan Marquardt (27-8-2) at UFC 88 in September, breaking his nine-fight win streak. ...

"Sugar" Rashad Evans (12-0-1) knocked out Fighters.com's fourth-ranked light heavyweight "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-6) with a right hook in the second round Saturday night in Atlanta. Liddell lay unconcious on the canvas for several minutes after the punch. Evans jitter-bugged around a stalking Liddell the entire fight.  Liddell never really got a beat on him, but landed a straight right in the first round.  Evans back-pedalled and taunted Liddell with a dance. In the second round, Liddell lunged for an uppercut and took Evans's counter right hook square on the jaw to end the fight at 1:51. Franklin Finishes Friend "Ace" Rich Franklin (24-3) TKO'd his friend and former training partner "Hammer" Matt Hamill (4-2) at 39 seconds of round three with a left kick to Hamill's floating rib in Franklin's return to 205. Franklin had landed the same kick consistently through the first two rounds.  In the third, the kick dropped Hamill and Franklin landed two punches before referee Mario Yamasaki waved the fight off. ...

Fighters.com attended the UFC 88 open workout in Atlanta Wednesday afternoon. Fighters.com's fourth-ranked light heavyweight “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) bounced in place as reporters lined-up to interview the former UFC champion before his fight versus "Sugar" Rashad Evans (11-0-1) Saturday night. Playful and boisterous, Liddell told Fighters.com he was ready to fight Evans today in a video interview that will be posted shortly. Evans was a bit more low-key, focusing on the biggest fight of his career and rolling with middleweight training partner Nathan Marquardt (26-8-2), who fights "Hitman" Martin Kampmann (13-1) Saturday night. Co-main event second-ranked middleweight "Ace" Rich Franklin (23-3), moving to 205 Saturday versus former training partner "Hammer" Matt Hamill (4-1), skipped his scheduled session. Sources in Franklin's camp alternately told Fighters.com that Franklin wasn't feeling well and that he was eating to maintain the weight of his new division. Neither excuse gives much solace to Fighters.com after Franklin's comments about his uncertainty about fighting his former training partner and moving to 205 pounds. ...

The UFC announced Wednesday that “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (13-1) will face Nathan Marquardt (26-8-2) at UFC 88 in Atlanta 6 September. Kampmann, a middleweight with Xtreme Couture, has nine consecutive wins, seven of which he finished in the first round. Kampmann’s last fight, a unanimous decision victory over “El Conquistador” Jorge Rivera (15-7), was in June. Marquardt won seven of his last nine matches.  He lost his last fight by split decision to Thales Leites (13-1) in June. The other loss came by first-round TKO to Fighters.com’s Middleweight Champion and UFC champ “Spider” Anderson Silva (22-4) in July 2007. ...

It's with a heavy heart that Fighters.com's June Middleweight Rankings saw legendary "Hollywood" Dan Henderson (22-7) fall from the top ten. But, the cold, hard ledger reveals Hendo' hasn't had a win at 185-pounds in two years. Hendo's previous rank was filled by tenth-ranked "Mayhem" Jason Miller (20-6), falling a notch to newly ninth-ranked "Jacare" Ronaldo Souza (9-1). Souza debuted in the top ten after pulling off a tight two-round unanimous decision over Miller in DREAM's Middleweight Grand Prix 15 June. Also in June Japanese action, "Grabaka Hitman" Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2) cemented his seventh ranking with a UD over "Pink Pounder" Logan Clark at Sengoku. Misaki now seeks revenge over new Sengoku add-on, seventh-ranked "Twinkle Toes" Frank Trigg (16-6). No Sengoku match-up has been announced for Trigg; but, one would assume Misaki's home nation promotion wants to match the old enemies as soon as Trigg is ready. Sixth-ranked "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (15-4) was pulling away from "Hands of Stone" Scott Smith (13-4) in the third round of their EliteXC title fight 31 May in Newark, west of New York City, when a thumb to Smith's eye rendered the result a No Contest. Lawler held steady in June, as did the entire middleweight top five. ...

Watching Fighters.com's fifth-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes(42-7) TKO'd at 1:02 of the second round by younger, stronger, faster, and more complete (currently) sixth-ranked "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (15-3) last night at UFC 85 in London, I couldn't help but recall the country boy whoopin' Hughes put on the original Ultimate Fighter Royce Gracie (14-3-3) two-years ago. Hughes stalked Alves for a takedown at the first bell, settling for bottom position by pulling guard, but never finding the submission opportunity he thought he could force. Again, Hughes took the Brazilian to the mat mid-way through the first and smothered the kickboxer; but, Alves utilized butterfly guard to neutralize Hughes's offense. The only damage done on the mat in round one was after the confident "Pitbull" bulldogged the veteran to the mat and hammered a crevice in Hughes's nose with an elbow strike. Hughes, like Gracie at UFC 60, was impotent. Alves wasn't falling for the tried and true tricks, wasn't physically overwhelmed by the stocky farm boy from rural Illinois, and wasn't intimidated by the future Hall of Famer's legacy. The second round was short; the end poignant. Hughes ducked for the takedown that's served as a sure-shot for ten years; and, Alves flew the distance between him and Hughes, colliding into Hughes's right jaw with his left knee. One punch later and referee Herb Dean waved off the fight, and, officially, the Matt Hughes era. Alves never doubted the outcome, but remained humble while pleading from the Octagon, "Mr. Dana White, I've been a good boy, please give me a title shot!" "He got me, no doubt," Hughes admitted. For Hughes, there remains a grudge match with fourth-ranked "Terror" Matt Serra (9-5), then a lot of prayer and consultation with his family for the proudly Christian husband and father of two. ...

UFC Middleweights "Hitman" Martin Kampmann (15-2) and "El Conquistador" Jorge Rivera (15-6) will face each other in the Octagon at UFC 85 in London. "Hitman" hasn't fought since injuring his left knee forcing him to withdraw from the main event of UFC 72 where he was set to battle "Ace" Rich Franklin (22-3). "It was a big opportunity for me to prove I belong in the big leagues," the Dane said. Kampmann is 3-0 in the Octagon with wins versus Andrew McFedries, Thales Leites, and Crafton Wallace. "El Conquistador" returns from upsetting TUF champ "Da Spyder" Kendall Grove (8-5) with a first round KO in January. From Massachusetts, Rivera is a veteran of the Octagon, appearing first in a UD victory versus "The Crow" David Loiseau (15-8) at UFC 44 in 2003. Both are dynamic kickboxers; though, Rivera has been stopped in all six of his losses, by both KO and submission.  Kampmann has never been stopped and has joined Xtreme Couture, hoping to counter Rivera's experience in the "big leagues" by osmosis. ...