When it was announced that Tito Ortiz had decided to rethink his earlier refusal and accept the ufc’s call to rematch Rashad Evans, some of us were left scratching our heads and wondering what happened to Lyoto Machida. When it was announced that Phil Davis had to pull out of his fight with Evans, many sources claimed that Machida/Evans 2 was in the works. However, that fight hasn’t happened, and it’s interesting to note that the UFC and Machida seem to have two very different reasons for why this fight wasn’t made. Here are all the details. ...

Not many people are willing to challenge the word of UFC President Dana White, both inside and outside the UFC. Dana White says all manner of controversial things very regularly, but few fighters are willing to speak out against the man that signs their checks. Interestingly enough, one man that’s decided to do so recently is former champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. It’s pretty unusual that “Big Nog” makes himself a point of controversy, so here are all the details. ...

In one of the biggest MMA scandals to hit 2011 so far, Nate Marquardt was removed from his main event slot at today’s “UFC on Versus 4” event due to failing his medical examinations. Rumors and speculation have been running wild, with little actual facts to substantiate anything. But one thing we do know is that UFC President Dana White made the call to not only remove Marquardt from the event, but remove him from the UFC altogether. Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo is your new “UFC on Versus 4” main event, and Nate Marquardt is no longer a UFC employee. ...

Recently, much has been made of the ufc and Spike TV possibly ending their long-held partnership. For my part, I wondered whether or not the UFC had finally outgrown Spike TV. We now have a pair of interesting updates on the situation, courtesy of UFC President Dana White and industry insiders. While White still contends that the UFC is talking to “everybody”, a new report states that the UFC could be interested in purchasing its own network. Here are all the details. ...

UFC President Dana White certainly likes to keep fight fans and insiders on their toes. The always-controversial UFC President has made several major announcements in the days leading up to their next big event, UFC 131 “Dos Santos vs. Carwin”. Chief amongst them is a trifecta of sweeping changes: the UFC will be adding a Flyweight division soon, there will now be five-round main event fights with or without a title on the line, and Nick Diaz is now a UFC fighter and has officially vacated his Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. Here are all the details. ...

What does the future hold for Brock Lesnar? The former UFC Heavyweight Champion and highly-controversial mega-draw has been sitting on the sidelines ever since it was announced that he had come down with another case of diverticulitis, the disease that once nearly took his life. Many fans and insiders openly wondered if this disease, or the way Lesnar would treat it, would cost him his UFC career. We now have our answer, courtesy of UFC President Dana White. Read on for all the details. ...

Why has season thirteen of the popular UFC reality TV show “The Ultimate Fighter” fallen relatively flat in the ratings? The show seems to be picking up, and its ratings were never all that bad when put into context, but certainly the numbers have been disappointing for a show tethered to the strength of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar’s massive drawing power. Never one to mince words, UFC President Dana White recently gave his own personal opinion on why TUF Season 13 hasn’t measured up to expectations. Here are all the details. ...

Perennial contender Kenny Florian has racked up some impressive victories in his career. Whether it be his first-round submission victory over former title challenger Joe Stevenson, his dominant decision victory over Roger Huerta, or his third-round submission win over former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi--Florian has an impressive body of work in the 155-pound class. However, as Florian prepares to make the drop to the featherweight division, he was so bold as to ask his friend and employer, UFC President Dana White if he will be next in line for a shot at the title, to which White answered in the affirmative. ...

Many were taken back by the signing of Jason Miller to the UFC. Though he has competed in the organization in the past, he has since been fighting in a variety of promotions, most recently being Strikeforce. Miller was originally scheduled to face off against Tim Kennedy in a rubber match at the March 5th Strikeforce event in Columbus, Ohio, though he was subsequently removed from the bout for no apparent reason. Well now it looks like said reason stems from Miller's involvement in the infamous "Nashville Brawl", which left him banned from both Showtime and CBS alike. All this is from Miller's newest employer in UFC President Dana White. ...

For many reasons, the ufc’s upcoming return to Brazil is quickly becoming one of the can’t-miss events of the year. The card will feature such talent as Anderson Silva, Mauricio Rua, and many more, and will be the first UFC event in Brazil in over a decade. One of the most popular rumors surrounding this card was that “UFC: Rio” would see the return of the legendary Royce Gracie. But according to a new interview, UFC President Dana White has no interest in bringing back the UFC Hall of Famer. Here’s all the details. ...

Who, or what, is the UFC’s competition? Before Strikeforce, there was Affliction. Before Affliction, it was Elite XC. And on and on it goes: PRIDE FC, the IFL, so on and so forth. At least, that’s how most MMA fans and insiders see things. That’s certainly not how Dana White sees things, though. In a new and quite interesting interview, the controversial UFC President revealed that other major sports are his rivals, and not other MMA organizations. Here are all the details. ...

You know they’re coming. I know they’re coming. Perhaps they’ve been here all along, or maybe they’ve been spying on us for decades. They could want our water, or it could be their one weakness. They could come in peace, or they could just as easily come to kill us all. Aliens, my friends. The truth is out there, but the real question is: what do we do with that knowledge? In order to prepare us all for the inevitable, here are the top five fighters I believe could survive an alien apocalypse. ...

One of the top prospects of the welterweight field, Myles Jury, is now out of the competition. Tonight, the first episode of the thirteenth season of "The Ultimate Fighter" has wrapped up. Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar coaches opposite of Junior dos Santos a field of 14 welterweight hopefuls who will work there way through the competition to meet in the finals this June in Las Vegas to determine the next winner of the TUF series, who will battle for the six-figure UFC contract. An early favorite for the show in Jury, is now sidelined from the show during a freak injury and he has since been replaced. ...

While not a whole lot of changes have come from the acquisition of Strikeforce to the Zuffa banner, some are beocming immediately noticeable. Previously, UFC President Dana White had asserted in a media teleconference earlier today that both Strikeforce and the UFC will operate as two separate companies, at least for the time being. There will be no sort of co-promotion and fighters that are under contract with said organization's will remain with their brand, despite some early backlash from the media and fans alike. However, some changes that have been made are the use of the unified rules of combat that Strikeforce has now adopted. Also, the pay-per-view model for Strikeforce will quickly come into play, which can be as early as June when the second leg of the heavyweight grand-prix goes underway. ...

From fans to journalists to the fighters themselves, everyone is still reeling over the landmark announcement that Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, has purchased Strikeforce. In one fell swoop the UFC has bought up the second-biggest MMA promotion in the world, and even as a Strikeforce fan I can admit that it was a distant (though closer than ever before) second. Over the next few days we’ll likely be inundated with plenty of news about this deal, but for now, here’s what two of Strikeforce’s top fighters had to say: newly-crowned Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson, and current Welterweight Championship contender Paul Daley. ...

News has just hit the net that Zuffa has officially acquired the upstart Strikeforce promotion. As is expected, many sites are scrambling back and forth to cover the news, but Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com was the first to break the story. This is a landmark day in the history of MMA, and while it may not be on the level of the day the UFC purchased the legendary PRIDE FC promotion, it certainly comes close. What follows are some of my early reactions to this monumental piece of news. ...

Yes, it's true. The UFC has officially acquired strikeforce. Think of it in every sense of the word. Acquired: to come into possession or ownership of; get as one's own: to acquire property. 2. to gain for oneself through one's actions or efforts. If the UFC wasn't considered the juggernaut promotion of mixed martial arts, there would be no denying them now, as they have come to be in the possession of their biggest competitor in the industry. Now they are officially boundless. ...

For former UFC light heavyweight champion, Rashad Evans is in a bit of pickle, for lack of a better term. He was originally scheduled to be facing off gainst current titleholder Mauricio "Shogun" Rua come this march for the coveted belt, however a freak injury in training camp has since sidelined "Sugar". Now, in his place, friend and teammate Jon Jones has since stepped up to the plate in order to vie for the world title. And according to Evans, it was hard enough to work his way back up the ladder the first time since his losing his title in May of 2009, but now that thing's are sour between him and UFC President Dana White, he predicts that he may have to wait a bit longer. ...

It’s rare that I find myself wholeheartedly agreeing with ufc President Dana White. It’s not because I have some sort of vendetta against the man, unlike some of his cynics I’m well aware of the contributions he’s made to this sport and I don’t have a problem giving credit where credit is due. I tend to often disagree or partially disagree with him simply because he’s a controversial man that says controversial things. But recently, Dana White perfectly summed up my feelings on why Matt Hamill vs. Quinton Jackson isn’t getting half the praise that it should be: Matt Hamill fights to finish, and Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson was a boring fight. ...

For George Sotiropoulos, this has been a long time coming for the Aussie. Quietly making his way up the lightweight ranks, "The Ultimate Fighter" season six veteran has racked up an impressive 7-fight win streak inside the ufc, and remains undefeated inside the octagon. In fact, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt's lone career losses have come to the hands of Kyle Noke (at middleweight) by split-decision. He later avenged that loss and his only other blemish stems from a controversial disqualification defeat at the hands of perennial top-10 fighter Shinya Aoki in 2006. With another potential win in grasp, UFC President Dana White deems Sotiropoulos worthy of a title shot. ...

Judging from the views John Moody’s interview with Dana White received (over 40,000, congratulations John!), people are interested in what Dana White thinks of strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix. Recently, the always-controversial UFC President revealed who he think will win the Grand Prix, and why. And in a bit of a shocker, White picked a man that he’s had many troubles with in the past, a man that’s actually on the shortlist of fighters permanently exiled from the UFC: former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett. Here are all the details. ...

As it heads into its landmark thirteenth season, “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV show has constantly been a ratings goldmine for all involved, with the success of the show largely contributing to MMA re-entering the mainstream. Many fans like to debate on what needs to happen in order to keep the show fresh after all these years, and one of the most often-repeated ideas is to have international versions of the popular UFC reality TV show. And according to UFC President Dana White, that goal is closer than ever. ...

Many are wondering what the future holds for Fedor Emelianenko. Only a select few have any say in that matter. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker is one of those rare few. Coker was the driving force behind bringing Emelianenko to Strikeforce in the first place, and he’s kept “The Last Emperor” under the Strikeforce banner despite several high-profile contract renegotiations. Recently, Coker commented both on Emelianenko’s future and the highly controversial Twitter rant launched by UFC President Dana White in response to Emelianenko’s latest loss to Antonio Silva. ...

By John Moody Showtime clocked in with 1.1 million viewers for the Fedor / Silva fight.  This is a huge number and bodes well for continued support from Showtime and for the growth of Strikeforce.  However, the next round of fights in the Heavyweight tournament will reveal if Strikeforce can keep this level or if this is all due to the lure of Fedor.  While Dana White tweeted a smiley face... :) As Fedor went down, the UFC does have some competition here.  This heavyweight tournament has gravitas and respect.  White can’t dismiss this group of fighters as second rate.  With Barnett, Overeem, and Kharitonov still alive, the winner of this tournament will have a legitimate claim as best in the world. ...

One of the few successful ways of combating internet piracy is to prosecute offenders so often that only the most brazen out there attempt to profit at the expense of your company. This is the UFC’s modus operandi when it comes to illegal streams of UFC broadcasts, and it’s been working quite well. And with the federal government's recent involvement in shutting down several popular streaming sites, the UFC is cracking down on internet piracy like never before. UFC President Dana White recently spoke at length about the battle to fend off illegal broadcasts; here are some of the highlights as well as my reaction. ...

The estranged middleweight contender Chael Sonnen will not be returning to the Octagon in the foreseeable future. After originally raising eyebrows following his spirited fifth-round submission loss to Anderson Silva, where the Oregon native was linked to Performance Enhancing Drugs due to high levels of testosterone found in his system--which was ultimately attributed to hormonal injections for a disease called hypogonadism. Since then, the former title challenger has plead guilty to Money Laundering charges, a felony punishable up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 worth in fines. Needless to say, his life isn't exactly where he would like it to be, and UFC President Dana White believes that the 185-pounder needs more time reassess his current dilemma. ...

Even though it’s still over a month away, many MMA fans and insiders are already talking about the main event of UFC 128, aptly named “Shogun vs. Evans”. Mauricio Rua, PRIDE FC legend and current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, makes the first defense of his belt since beating Lyoto Machida in dramatic fashion and then sitting on the sidelines for some time with an injury. Much has been made of “Sugar” Rashad Evans opting to sit on the sidelines as well, in order to preserve his spot as the top contender. Recently, Dana White had an interesting take on the situation. Here are all the details. ...

By John Moody Dana White took time recently to speak with Fighters.com and hit on some of the biggest topics in MMA. White reacts to the coming Strikeforce Heavyweight tournament, Randy Couture's pending return to the cage, and how Brock Lesnar will fare as a coach on the Ultimate Fighter reality show.  Good stuff from the boss, and he too thought Frankie Edgar was going to lose when he was rocked early in the first round against Gray Maynard. Click through to watch the video. ...

Time and time and time again, the UFC continues to set one simple precedent: you compete at your best, or you lose your job. It seems as if no contract is safe these days, and that anyone can be let go at any time for just about any reason. UFC President Dana White recently reaffirmed the UFC’s “nobody is safe” rule when he singled out both Lyoto Machida and Tito Ortiz as two fighters potentially on the chopping block. The naming of Ortiz comes as a shock to relatively no one, but news that White may give Machida the axe is already turning a few heads. Here are all the details. ...

Former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva has stated that he would like to make a return to action by possibly March of this year. A slew of opponents have already thrown their name in the hat to face "The Axe Murderer" including Chris Leben, Chael Sonnen, Alan Belcher--and most recently Brian Stann. The former Marine came off of an impressive performance in his last outing when he took on "The Ultimate Fighter" veteran and former top contender in Leben, who he defeated with a deftly accurate array of strikes which eventually lead to a first-round TKO victory. ...