Not so long ago were the heralded PRIDE days, where some of the best fighters assembled under one roof—but with a catch. Now, fans are accustomed to bouts that are under strict relegations of the unified rules of combat: no knees to a downed opponent, no kicks to the head of a downed a opponent, no stomps, etc.

However, all these seemingly “archaic” (or what I call “fun”) discrepancies will be tossed out the window when Gilbert Yvel and Tony Lopez headlining “Colosseo Championship Fighting 6: Bushido” which will feature the old school PRIDE rules that made every fan a die hard PRIDE fan.

The event takes place on July 23rd on the outskirts of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada though no venue has been tapped as of yet.

Promoter Pasqualino Santoro has lobbied to have the International Combative Sports Association to oversee the event in an effort to have the “unorthodox” special-rules carried out, which will allow the aforementioned soccer kicks, stomps, and knees to the head of a grounded opponent–something that is not regularly seen in the United States and mostly in overseas action.

“I’d rather watch a DREAM event than a UFC event”, began Pasqualino in an interview with MMAJunkie.com.

“And with all the stuff going on in Japan right now, I don’t see a big problem with honoring the Japanese people by going with PRIDE rules.”

Gilbert, a veteran of the old PRIDE days will likely gladly welcome the rules that he had become accustomed to in the earlier stages of his career. In his way will be former King of the Cage light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Tony Lopez. Both men have a penchant for punching people in the face, so it should turn into an all out war, which is something that I’m sure influenced the decision for this particular bout to headline the card.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the event including the specified rules and regulations? Additionally, the first-round will be 10-minutes in length with the second-round clocking in an additional 5-minutes. Old school. Sound off in the comment section below.

After a three fight stint within the organization, Yvel was unable to mount a win in his brief stint with the organization. Making his debut in the promotion against current number one contender Junior dos Santos is no small feat, and at UFC 108 this past January, “The Hurricane” got the full brunt of dos Santos’ hands. The talented Brazilian who trains with the likes of the Nogueria brothers and Anderson Silva to boot, was able to knockout the K-1 veteran inside of the first-round.

And from there on out, things didn’t get much easier for the 34-year-old vet.

Following his bout with “Cigano”,Yvel was then matched up with former IFL star Ben Rothwell. While the bout was mostly met on the floor, where “Big Ben” held the clear advantage over the adept striker, Yvel had his best moment’s of the fight in the second round, where he was able to reverse from bottom position and reign down a heavy dose of ground and pound. It looked like the finish was close, but Rothwell was able to survive, and was able to comeback in the third round, work takedown’s and eventually walk away with a unanimous decision victory.

In his final appearance, Gilbert, who has moved to Las Vegas full time to train with some of the best trainers and fighters in the world including UFC veteran and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor John Lewis, was finished by season ten veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter” Jon Madsen. The collegiate wrestler, who is one Brock Lesnar‘s main training partners, took Yvel to the ground early and pinned him against the cage and unleashed a barrage of punches, which eventually halted the bout in just a little under two-minutes inside of the first-round. The bout took place on the preliminary portion of UFC 121.

According to MiddleEasy.com, Yvel has since been removed from the roster.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the news? Three in a row usually signals the end for any fighter, especially since Yvel was not able to record one victory within the organization. Where should Gilbert go from here? Sound off in the comment section below.

This card certainly brings the goods with Lesnar topping the slate but it is the Spike TV bouts and undercard which really makes this night shine.  Patrick Cote and Ryan Lawlor kick off the two fights on free TV while fans in the house will be treated to the always exicting Sam Stout battling Paul Taylor at lightweight and Gilbert Yvel brawling with Jon Madsen at heavyweight.

Are you ready for BROCKTOBER?  Read on for all the latest event details from the UFC.

These fights were confirmed as final for UFC 121 today by the UFC:

Back in the Octagon^® for the first time since a submission victory over Kris McCray to win Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter^®, Court McGee (fighting out of Orem, Utah / 11-1) will put his six-fight professional winning streak on the line against Ryan Jensen (fighting out of Omaha, Neb. / 16-5). The 33-year-old is coming off a submission win over Jesse Forbes barely a minute into the fight. The pair of middleweights are sure to put on a grappling clinic, with 15 of the 27 wins between them coming by submission and each fighter winning Submission of the Night honors in their last fight.

Patrick Cote (fighting out of Quebec City, Quebec Canada / 14-6) looks to re-establish himself as a middleweight contender after blowing out his knee in a title fight against Anderson Silva after four straight UFC wins that include first-round knockouts of Drew McFedries and Kendall Grove. But first, “The Predator” will first have to get through “Filthy” Tom Lawlor (fighting out of Orlando, Fla. / 6-3, 1 NC), the last fighter to beat C.B. Dollaway, doing so in under a minute with a guillotine choke that earned him Submission of the Night in his middleweight debut at UFC 100.

In a welterweight matchup, Mike Guymon (fighting out of Lake Forest, Calif. / 13-3-1) looks to build on his recent success, having won six out of his last seven bouts, including a unanimous decision victory over Yoshiyuki Yoshida in his last fight at UFC 113 to pick up his first UFC victory. “The Joker” will meet up with Daniel Roberts (fighting out of Tulsa, Okla. / 10-1). “Ninja” boasts excellent wrestling, as an NAIA All-American wrestler, and jiu-jitsu skills, with seven of his wins coming via submission, and he is coming off a decision victory over Forrest Petz that earned him his first win in the Octagon at UFC 116.

Sam Stout (fighting out of London, Ontario Canada / 16-6-1) has quickly become a fixture in the UFC, with good reason. The 26-year old veteran, “Hands of Stone,” has received five total and three straight Fight of the Night awards in his career, including wins over Joe Lauzon, Matt Wiman and Spencer Fisher. Stout has another Fight of the Night candidate on the horizon as he takes on Paul Taylor (fighting out of Walsall, England / 10-5-1, 1 NC). “Relentless” is dropping from welterweight to lightweight for this battle, and is a three-time Fight of the Night winner himself. Taylor will look to add another award to his resume in his first-ever pro fight in the United States.

Despite breaking his jaw during a preliminary victory at the start of The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 and being unable to continue onto the show, Chris Camozzi (fighting out of Lakewood, Colo. / 13-3) refused to give up on his dream and was rewarded with a fight against James Hammortree at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale, which resulted in a unanimous decision win. The 23-year old will match up with the undefeated Dongi Yang (fighting out of South Korea / 9-0), who is making his UFC debut. Yang has never been to a decision, winning eight bouts by knockout and one by submission, and has allowed a fight to last into the third round only once in his professional career.

In a bout that pits experience against youth, heavyweight Gilbert Yvel (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev. / 36-15-1, 1 NC) looks to use his extensive mixed martial arts experience to propel him to victory; “The Hurricane” has been in there with standouts like Junior Dos Santos, Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and many more. On the other side of the Octagon^®,Jon Madsen (fighting out of Granite City, Ill. / 6-0) has just six professional fights under his belt, but is yet to taste defeat. Madsen has been able to use his technical boxing and impressive wrestling skills to guide him to a perfect 3-0 record in the Octagon to date.

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BROCKTOBER is finally here!  Sound off about this card.  Which fight are you most interested in?

Yvel, a talented Dutch striker who shook his stigma as a “bad boy” (after knocking out a referee in 2004) of MMA after several years of what is percieved as good behavior in the realm of the worlds most brutal sport, will return for the third time in the UFC.

After losses to heavyweight contender Junior dos Santos and the uncrowned IFL heavyweight champion Ben Rothwell–most recently at UFC 115, Yvel will look for his first victory in three tries when he meets rising prospect, Jon Madsen.

Madsen, a training partner to the current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, has been on a tear since leaving from his stint on the ultra-popular season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter”. Riding on a three-fight win streak inside the cage, the undefeated heavyweight wrestler hopes to send Yvel packing from the worlds premier organization with his third loss, while picking up his fourth-straight
victory and moving closer to possible title contention.

The bout will be regulated to the nights preliminary portion. UFC 121 will take place in Anaheim, California on October 23rd, at the Honda Center. The 11-card bout reads as the following, after the promotion made today official the full card.

Main Card

Heavyweight Championship bout: Brock Lesnar (c) vs Cain Velasquez

Welterweight bout: Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann

Welterweight bout: Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago

Light Heavyweight bout: Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill

Heavyweight bout: Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Preliminary card (Spike TV)

Middleweight bout: Court McGee vs. Ryan Jensen

Middleweight bout: Patrick Côté vs. Tom Lawlor

Preliminary card

Welterweight bout: Mike Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts

Lightweight bout: Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor

Middleweight bout: Chris Camozzi vs. Dong Yi Yang

Heavyweight bout: Jon Madsen vs. Gilbert Yvel

So, now that it’s officially official, mma
peeps, what do you think of the 11 bouts taking place? It looks to be one of the bigger cards of the year. Which fight do you like best? Your opinions known below.

“Cro Cop” finished “Hippo” Anthony Perosh (10-6) due to doctor stoppage after a Filipovic elbow opened a cut on Perosh’s head at UFC 110 in Sydney February 20.  Perosh was a late replacement for “Big” Ben Rothwell (29-5) who came down with the flu before the fight.

Barry knocked out Antoni Hardonk (8-6) at UFC 104 in Los Angeles last October.

Barry was originally scheduled to fight Dutch kickboxer “Hurricane” Gilbert Yvel (33-13-1) in Vancouver, but Yvel will fight Rothwell according to MMA Junkie.

Yvel was knocked out by Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked heavyweight “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2.

Rothwell lost by TKO to Cain Velasquez (9-0) at UFC 104.

Both seventh-ranked Shane Carwin (10-0) and unranked Cain Velasquez (7-0) have been hyped as top contenders ahead of dos Santos primarily because Carwin is all-American and Velasquez is Mexican-American, two key UFC demographics.  Dos Santos has a better record than both Carwin and Velasquez over the last two years and with every bit as exciting finishes as either.  But, dos Santos has been underhyped also because Nogueira is both still a contender and a big draw.  Only one of them can be marketed as a potential contender at a time because they won’t fight each other, and Nogueira is the bigger name.

But, Fighters.com thinks dos Santos’s time gaining experience versus quality opponents like Yvel and “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2) will benefit him in the long run more than being rushed to a title shot like Carwin and Velasquez have been.

In boxing, prospects take a long road to a title shot, building their record and experiences on the path.  They beat power punchers, technical fighters, European stylists, pressure fighters, brawlers, and every look they can get while gradually increasing their level of competition.  They might even lose a fight or two along the way and good fighters will learn from those losses as much as from their wins.  By the time they fight for a title, if they’re management has served them well, they’ve seen it all and are confident going into their first title challenge.

In MMA, prospects are often rushed through the ranks and granted title shots because they’re getting a lot of hype or are marketable, not necessarily because they’re ready physically and mentally.

However, because dos Santos’s rise through the ranks has been limited by his teacher’s contendership, he’s earning an eventual title shot the old fashioned way.  And, he’ll benefit from that in the long run.

Just in the UFC, he’s beaten a world-class submission grappler and certified top ten heavyweight ninth-ranked “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1), a 6’11″ young thoroughbred “SkySkraper” Stefan Struve (23-3), an MMA legend and patient kickboxer Filipovic, and now a intimidating, wild kickboxer in Yvel.  Dos Santos also has one loss under his belt, a 2007 armbar submission to Joaquim Ferreira (3-3).

Dos Santos is already a top contender, though you wouldn’t know it in the UFC’s marketing.  However, when his time finally comes, he’s going to have the skills, experiences, and seasoning to be a long-serving champion.

Fighters.com January Heavyweight Rankings

1. “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-1)

2. Brock Lesnar (4-1)

3. Frank Mir (13-4)

4. “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1)

5. “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (10-1)

6. “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-1)

7. Shane Carwin (10-0)

8. “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5)

9. “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (13-4-1)

10. “The Natural” Randy Couture (17-10)

Gonzaga is suffering from a staph infection, preventing the original dos Santos versus Gonzaga fight.

However, Yvel might be a worthier challenger to dos Santos and proves that the UFC and M-1 Global can do business together when a deal makes sense.  Yvel is managed by M-1 Global and knocked out former UFC champion “Rock” Pedro Rizzo (17-9) at Fight Force International in Biloxi June 27.

Dos Santos will return from a stoppage over another storied kickboxer, “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic’s (23-6-2) at UFC 103 in Dallas September 19.

Yvel will fight “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (27-9), who was originally scheduled to fight “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-5).

Buentello is coming off a third round TKO of “Baby Fedor” Kiril Sidellnikov (5-3) at Affliction’s Day of Reckoning in Anaheim 24 January.

M-1 told Fighters.com that Yvel will not rematch Red Devil heavyweight Roman Zentsov (17-12), who knocked Yvel out in a 2006 PRIDE fight.

The event will be lead by the return of Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked heavyweight Aleksander Emelianenko (12-3) after the commission debacle before Affliction’s debut in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, 19 July.  Emelianenko will fight Korean Sang Soo Lee (9-4).

The event will also feature a team format with bouts between Russia’s Red Devil team versus Korea and Russia’s Legion team versus Holland.

The Red Devil versus Korea match-ups will be lead by a light heavyweight bout between Red Devil’s Mikhail Zayats (7-1) and Korea’s Eun Soo Lee (9-0).

Zayats made John Cornett (5-4) verbally submit at M-1 Challenge 7 in Nottingham 27 September.

Lee won a unanimous decision over Daijiro Matsui (10-18-4) at DEEP Gladiator Okayama 16 August and will make his M-1 debut in St. Petersburg.

The Legion versus Holland match-ups will be highlighted by a middleweight fight between “Russian Warrior” Ansar Chalangov (8-3) versus Jason Jones (5-2).

Chalangov tapped Eulogio Fernandez (0-1) in a toe hold at M-1 Challenge 4 in St. Petersburg 27 June.

Jones lost a UD to Riki Fukuda (10-3) DEEP 38 in Tokyo last Thursday.

The rest of the card includes:

Yuri Ivlev (1-0) v Bogdan Cristea (4-2-1)
Islam Karimov (2-3) v Romano Delos (0-0)
Besike Gerinava (5-0) v Kamil Uygun (6-3)
Akhmed Sultanov (1-1) v TBD

Mikhail Malutin (7-5) v Soo Yong Kim  (1-0)
Erik Oganov (8-7) v Do Hyung Kim (9-5)
Dmitry Samoilov (5-4) v Min Suk Heo (1-2)
Kiril Sidelnikov (3-1) v Jang Yong Kim (1-1)