One door closes and another one opens. Recently, it has been announced that Japanese star "Kid" Yamamoto was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bantamweight bout with Chris Cariaso when he was plagued by injury. However, an adequate replacement has been found as bantamweight prospect Michael McDonald has agreed to step up on short notice for the pay-per-view event: ufc 130, which takes place on May 28th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. ...

Former K-1 Heroes lightweight champion and all around Japanese mixed martial arts legend, Norifumi Yamamoto is now out of his previously scheduled bout with Chris Cariaso. The two bantamweights were originally expected to meet at UFC 130, a pay-per-view event which takes place on May 28th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main-event of the evening will pit champion Frankie Edgar against rival Gray Maynard in their rubber match. Yamamoto was forced to withdraw from the match-up recently when he suffered an injury leading into his May bantamweight tussle. ...

Former K-1 Heroes champion, "Kid" Yamamoto will have the chance try to and make good on his second impression with the UFC when he takes on Chris Cariaso this May. In his first bout with the juggernaut mixed martial arts promotion, Yamamoto was defeated in somewhat of an upset when the smaller, yet faster, Demetrious "Might Mouse" Johnson took home a dominating decision win over the Japanese legend last February for "UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort". Yamamoto, a talented collegiate wrestler, was thrown off by Johnson's takedowns and was unable to find momentum in the bout. Hoping to utilize more of his wrestling pedigree, "Kid" will have the chance to do just that when he takes on Cariaso in one of the larger pay-per-view events of the year. ...

Following ufc 126 this past weekend, a lot of new story lines have arose. Anderson Silva re-solidified himself as not only the best middleweight in the world, but arguably best pound-for-pound fighter and the greatest of all time, when he knocked out Vitor Belfort in impressive fashion in his middleweight title bout. Forrest Griffin deftly defeated former champ Rich Franklin in a pivotal light heavyweight match-up, moving him closer to the title, however Jon Jones beat him to it when he submitted then-undefeated prospect Ryan Bader with a second-round submission. However nothing surprised me more then some of these fighter pay-outs with some seeming valid, while others have me scratching my head in humble confusion. ...

With absolutely no disrespect meant to Demetrious Johnson, I really wish this list would have been “Top 5 Opponents for KID Yamamoto”. I’m saying that solely as a big Norifumi Yamamoto fan. But there can be no debate: in the preliminary fight broadcast live on Facebook, “Mighty Mouse” Johnson outright dominated “KID” with flawless takedowns, blistering speed, and constant pressure. With this win Johnson sets himself up as a fighter that UFC fans should pay close attention to, because big things are in store for him in the very near future. So without further ado, here’s my list of the Top 5 Opponents for Demetrious Johnson. ...

The MMA community as a whole is quickly gearing up for this weekend’s UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort” Pay-Per-View, and with good reason. UFC 126 is stacked from top to bottom, with big names fighting on the main card, the televised prelims, and even the untelevised prelims. Recently, it was announced that the UFC is once again traveling to the land of Facebook in order to give fans access to an exclusive, free-to-watch preliminary fight featuring the famous (and somewhat infamous) Japanese MMA star Norifumi Yamamoto. Here are all my thoughts on what should certainly be an interesting bout. ...

While UFC 126 offers some exciting match-ups, a fight pitting former champions, budding contenders, and a title fight, there was one fight that I felt that was getting highly overlooked. But, the UFC being the fan-friendly organization that it is made things right, as a preliminary bantamweight bout will now be streamed live and free on Facebook. While most casual fans are still largely unaware of this Japanese star, come Saturday night everyone will know who "Kid" Yamamoto is. The owner of one of the best highlight reels in the sport, Norifumi made a name for himself in his native Japan by defeating larger opponents in devastating fashion. Now finally in the UFC fold, the DREAM veteran will be taking on arguably one of his toughest challenges to date, ironically enough in a man dubbed "Mighty Mouse". ...

The ufc recently made an interesting pairs of signings in order to further beef up their newly-minted Featherweight and Bantamweight divisions in the days leading up to the UFC’s official merger with the wec. The UFC saw to draw on some big-name international talent, as it recently signed both Michihiro Omigawa and Norifumi Yamamoto out of Japan and into exclusive contracts. Unfortunately, the promotion also recently released a WEC veteran who had competed with the promotion five times. Despite going 3-2 in the promotion, LC Davis will have to work his way back up from the minor leagues before he’s able to call the UFC home. Here are all the details. ...

While this might not be as cataclysmic as the DREAM tag team with Sengoku for last years Dynamite!! 2009 show at the Saitama Super Arena before a near 50,000 seated crowd, this is important none the less. Recently crowned Sengoku featherweight champion Marlon Sandro, the proverbial knockout king with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt to boot, is rumored for the September 25th event for DREAM 16. ...

“Kid” Norifumi Yamamoto (17-1)’s manager told DREAM this week that Yamamoto’s knee surgery was a success, and that he would be fully recovered in six months. Yamamoto injured his right knee in training last month, preventing him from fighting at DREAM.5.  The injury was worse than originally thought, and required surgery. Yamamoto revealed on his blog that surgery was performed on his left wrist as well.  It was injured during training in September a week before his bout with Bibiano Fernandes (2-2), a match he still won via unanimous decision. ...

“Kid” Norifumi Yamamoto (17-1) withdrew from the 21 July DREAM.5 card Friday due to a partially torn right ACL. He suffered the knee injury during training Thursday when he landed awkwardly after attempting a flying knee.  He could be out six months. Yamamoto was to face Joseph Benavidez (7-0), who trains with WEC Featherweight Champion “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-1). DREAM promoter Keiichi Sasahara said the organization hopes to keep Benavidez on the card and is currently making arrangements to replace Yamamoto. ...

Oft considered 145-pounds' top fighter, "Kid" Norifumi Yamamoto (17-1) will debut in DREAM in their fifth installment 21 July in Osaka. Likewise, Fighters.com's fourth-ranked middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1) will debut in DREAM on the same card. No opponent has been named for Akiyama; but, "Kid" will fight undefeated Joseph Benavidez (7-0), a training partner of the other hand on the top featherweight title, "California Kid" Urijah Faber (21-1). Yamamoto TKO'd Rani Yahya (11-4) in the second round in December in K-1 Dynamite!! Benavidez tapped Maurice Eazel (3-8) in a first-round rear naked choked in May at Palace Fighting Championships. ...

At a UFC 83 press conference in Montréal Friday, UFC President Dana White, fighting illness, revealed his plans to feature lower weight classes in the WEC and higher weight classes in the UFC. "We're still trying to figure that out," White admitted, but added, "We're going to make the WEC the smaller weights and the UFC will be the heavier weights.  We'll probably take some of the guys in the higher weights, the champions over there and bring them into UFC." The WEC currently features featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight divsions.  The UFC includes lightweight up to heavyweight divisions. The UFC has recently lost several top heavyweight talents, including Fighters.com's third-ranked heavyweight "Maine-iac" Tim Sylvia (24-4), who was released by white and signed by Adrenaline MMA. Fighters.com's second-ranked heavyweight, "The Natural" Randy Couture (16-8) "resigned" from his UFC contract in October 2007; though, White continues to consider Couture a co-holder of the UFC heavyweight title with "Minotauro" Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1).  Friday, White repeated his invitation to Couture to settle the championship versus Nogueira. Fighters.com's sixth-ranked heavyweight "Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski (12-5) is currently a free agent and expected to leave the UFC, though White repeated Friday his optimism in re-signing Arlovski. Former top-ranked heavy "Cro Cop" Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2) was also recently released from his UFC contract after losing two straight. Champions who could be changing promotions are WEC Light Heavyweight Champion "All American" Brian Stann (6-0), WEC Middleweight Champion and Fighters.com third-ranked 185-pounder "Ely" Paulo Filho (16-0), and UFC Lightweight Champion and Fighters.com's fourth-ranked 155-pounder "The Prodigy" B.J. Penn (12-4-1). White also mentioned his desire to match WEC Featherweight Champion "California Kid" Urijah Faber (20-1) versus "Kid" Norifumi Yamamoto (17-1).  The two fighters are considered the world's best at 145-pounds.  White stated that "Kid" "comes with a big price-tag." ...

UFC President Dana White announced via letter to Croatian sports website Javno Thursday that he has terminated heavyweight Mirko Filipovic's contract pursuant to a clause that allows renegotiation after Cro Cop lost two consecutive fights. At the same time in Tokyo, Cro Cop shocked a press conference announcing the creation of a new Japanese mixed martial arts promotion called Dream. "I'm very excited to be here again," Cro Cop said.  "I'm so excited to be part of this." Cro Cop scored a single victory in the cage while disappointing twice, in a vicious knockout to Gabriel Gonzaga and a grueling tussle with Cheick Kongo. Cro Cop indicated he preferred fighting in a ring, but hoped to return to the Octagon one day. White welcomes him whenever he's ready. The 33-year old explained, "I left because I couldn't wait any longer.  I asked for a fight earlier, as early as March 1; but, I was offered May, or even later.  I asked for a rematch with Gonzaga in Zagreb; but, he lost to [Fabricio] Werdum, so that fell through.  And I'm in shape, I gained muscle mass, I'm 105 kilograms and I want to fight." Cro Cop's departure from PRIDE to the UFC in December 2006 was exciting, most predicting a virtual coronation as UFC Heavyweight Champion. Cro Cop, however, was unprepared for the Brazilian Gonzaga and uninspired versus the Frenchman Kongo, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of White, Cro Cop, and MMA fans. Cro Cop admitted, "The last two years I've been in some kind of mental blockade.  I was empty before fights, depressed, I hated myself.  I'm sorry to have disappointed my English fans who welcomed me like a king." Dream will be a homecoming of sorts, returning Cro Cop to his comfort zone. The promotion is a collaboration between ex-K-1 and PRIDE executives.  Norifumi Yamamoto, Shinya Aoki, Hayato Sakurai, Gesias Calvancante, and Royce Gracie have all joined Filipovic at Dream. The Saitama Super Arena will host the first fight card March 15 when Calvancante and Aoki will finally showdown and Cro Cop will return versus an unnamed opponent. ...