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9/02/2010 1:38 PM ET By Ariel Helwani

*
o Ariel Helwani
o Video Reporter and Writer

Less than a year after Dana White tweeted that Karo Parisyan would never fight again in the UFC, "The Heat" has been welcomed back to the organization and offered a fight against Dennis Hallman at UFC 123 in Auburn Hills, Mich.

MMA Fighting confirmed the news with two sources close to the situation, as well as Parisyan himself Thursday afternoon.

Both Parisyan and Hallman have yet to sign the bout agreements, which have been issued to both fighters, but both fighters have verbally agreed to the welterweight bout.

Parisyan (19-5-0, 1 NC) only competed once outside the organization since he was unceremoniously fired two days before UFC 106 last November when he pulled out of a fight against Dustin Hazelett. He submitted Ben Mortimer at Impact FC 1 in July.

Parisyan told MMA Fighting he "worked hard" over the past few months to get back in the good graces of White and the UFC, until he was finally offered another shot. He said he agreed to a new three-fight deal with the organization.

The 28-year-old has experienced a rough two-year stretch. He first pulled out of a UFC 88 bout against Yoshiyuki Yoshida due to what he described then as a "last-minute back injury."

Shortly thereafter, he publicly discussed dealing with frequent panic attacks, which he said were affecting his training and also affected his performance in a loss to Thiago Alves at UFN 13.

The Armenian fighter briefly enjoyed a successful return to the Octagon when defeated Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 94, but that result was overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission when he was suspended for nine months due to testing positive for the painkillers oxymorphone and hydromorphone. As a result, his win was then changed to a no-contest.

Since returning to the UFC, Hallman (42-13-2, 1 NC) is 1-1. He most recently defeated Ben Saunders via unanimous decision at UFC 117 in August.

UFC 123, headlined by Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida, takes place Nov. 20, and will mark the UFC's first event in Michigan since 1996.

Detroit suburb to host UFC 123 on Nov. 20, "Rampage" vs. Machida headlines
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Sep 01, 2010 at 12:35 pm ET
For the first time in more than 14 years and 150 events, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is heading to Michigan.

UFC 123, which takes place Nov. 20, will be hosted by the 23,000-seat Palace of Auburn Hills in a suburb of Detroit.

The "Detroit Free Press" first reported the plans, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) since has confirmed them with sources close to the show.

The sources said cities ranging from San Antonio to Cleveland to Pittsburgh were also considered for the pay-per-view event before UFC officials ultimately settled on Auburn Hills.

As MMAjunkie.com first reported back in July, the event features a light-heavyweight headliner between former champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Lyoto Machida (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC).

Michigan hasn't hosted a UFC show since UFC 9 in 1996. The event took place at Detroit's Cobo Arena. Of the UFC's first 15 events, UFC 9 had the biggest attendance with an estimated 11,200.

Jackson, who won his title with a knockout of Chuck Liddell in 2007, looks to bounce back from a May loss to nemesis and "The Ultimate Fighter 10" rival coach Rashad Evans at UFC 114. Prior to the loss, which ended a 14-month layoff, Jackson had earned back-to-back victories over Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva. The pair of victories followed the loss of his belt to Forrest Griffin.

Machida, meanwhile, also looks to bounce back from a loss – the first defeat of his career. "The Dragon" was knocked out in the first round of his May rematch with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and relinquished his belt in the process. Prior to the defeat, Machida had earned eight-straight UFC wins, including a UFC 98 knockout of Evans that earned him the title.

For additional coverage of UFC 123, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

From MMAJunkie.com

by Steven Marrocco on Aug 31, 2010 at 4:00 pm ET
PUJI Capitol is conducting an internal review of Fighting and Entertainment Group's (FEG) assets and liabilities in advance of a push to attract investors to the struggling fight promotion.

"The actions they're taking are similar to an audit," FEG's U.S. representative, Mike Kogan, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Monday.

Kogan said the Japanese investment bank hopes to raise $230 million for FEG, which operates MMA's DREAM promotion and the K-1 kickboxing organization, over the next five years. But with the company's current financial condition, that timeline may need to be shortened.

More uncertainty arose this past week with reports that FEG had canceled DREAM.17, an event planned for Oct. 25 in South Korea.

Kogan, though, said that the event was taken off the table earlier this year when DREAM.14, originally scheduled for April 24 in Seoul, was scratched due to the absence of a television broadcast deal in the country.

"Basically, it's very simple; we don't have any Korean stars – nobody who's enough to attract super strong ticket sales," he said. "So what's the point of going into Korea?"

DREAM.14 subsequently was rescheduled for May 29 and featured a headliner between Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz and veteran Hayato Sakurai. It took place in DREAM's usual home of Saitama, Japan.

Meanwhile, Kogan said DREAM officials are keeping operations lean for the rest of the year while PUJI prepares to shake the money tree. The promotion has two events on its schedule before year's end: DREAM.16, which takes place Sept. 25 in Nagoya, Japan; and Dynamite!! 2010 on New Year's Eve, presumably in Saitama. Additionally, the 2010 K-1 Grand Prix continues with its "Final 16" event on Oct. 2 in Seoul.

But Kogan admitted FEG's future is grim if the Japanese investment bank does not make headway by the beginning of next year.

"Are you asking me if we're going to be in business after Dynamite? I don't know," he said. "It's very difficult. Obviously, we're short on revenues, and we need to – besides restructuring – we need to be able to find new sources of revenue.

"You need money to make money, so to speak. I don't sit in on the financial meetings. But it's very challenging.

"We need investment money. That's the bottom line."

He sounded cautiously optimistic about FEG's viability.

"I know that there are various companies that PUJI has already spoken to that have shown tremendous interest, and there's been ongoing conversations," he said. "There have been a few near misses where we were almost heavily invested (in) by some companies over the years. I think there's interest, but I don't know 100 percent what's going on."

Kogan, who once ran a computer-hardware company before the dot-com boom and joined up with FEG for 2007's K-1 Dynamite!! USA event, said those who criticized the fight promotion's course are missing the bigger picture.

"FEG is a complicated company and machine that comes together by a lot of different pieces coming together, and the biggest piece of it is that we'll never understand is the way that Japanese culture works, and the way they do things," he said. "Where I have no problem telling somebody to go [expletive] themselves, they wouldn't, and (they) end up spending money on something we really shouldn't be. You know what I mean? It's just a different culture. They don't operate necessarily how we do. That's just my opinion."

Whether FEG continues to be viable is yet to be determined. Kogan is resolved either way.

"If this is our last year, then I need to go look for another job," he said.

For more on the upcoming DREAM schedule, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

I don't follow boxing anymore.

I know about Mayweather and the Klitshko's?,but that's it.

With that said, which MMA fighters could James Toney beat?
And, which boxers could beat Randy Couture?

I'm thinking Toney could beat Big Timmah, but that's only based on his fight with Ray Mercer.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Chuck-Liddell-shaves-iconic-mohawk-for-charity?urn=mma-266175

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UFC 124, St-Pierre vs. Koscheck II headed to Montreal's Bell Centre on Dec. 11
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Aug 30, 2010 at 6:40 pm ET
As it turns out, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will rematch first-time contender Josh Koscheck in his backyard.

The marquee match-up will not take place in Las Vegas, as early reports suggested.

Instead, the promotion will return to Montreal's Bell Centre for the event, presumably titled UFC 124, on Dec. 11. It's the UFC's fourth trip to the Canadian city.

MMAFighting.com first confirmed the event's location earlier today with UFC president Dana White. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) also confirmed the news with multiple sources close to the event, who said the organization wanted to capitalize on St-Pierre's hometown crowd.

St-Pierre (20-2 MMA, 14-2 UFC) and Koscheck (15-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) recently wrapped a six-week shoot for "The Ultimate Fighter 12," on which they coached opposing teams of lightweights. The winner of the reality show earn a six-figure UFC contract.

The Dec. 11 bout serves as the traditional season-ending fight between the reality show's coaches.

The pair first met at UFC 74. St-Pierre, who had lost his belt at UFC 69 to Matt Serra, controlled Koscheck on the mat and earned a three-round unanimous-decision victory.

St-Pierre reclaimed the undisputed title a year later at UFC 83 when he re-matched Serra in the promotion's first trip to the Bell Centre. He since has defended his title four times against Koscheck's teammate Jon Fitch, as well as B.J. Penn, Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy.

Meanwhile, Koscheck has amassed a record of 6-2 since then with key wins over Dustin Hazelett, Chris Lytle and Anthony Johnson. He secured his title shot with a decision win over Paul Daley, which took place during the promotion's third trip to Montreal back at UFC 113.

That fight is etched into Montreal fans' minds for two reasons: Daley's post-fight suckerpunch – which got him fired from the promotion – and Koscheck's post-fight rant against their beloved hockey team, Montreal Canadiens, as well as St-Pierre himself.

No other matchups are currently rumored for the Dec. 11 card, which airs on pay-per-view.

For more on UFC 124, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Georges St-Pierre)

Dave Meltzer reports via 411Mania that a middleweight bout for the top contender spot will feature Vitor Belfort taking on Yushin Okami in the main event of UFC 122 in Oberhausen, Germany this November:

According to F4Wonline.com, Belfort will face Yushin Okami (25-5) in the main event of UFC 122 on November 13 in Oberhausen, Germany. It is expected that the winner of that fight will face the winner of the Silva/Sonnen II fight at some point next year.

UFC 122 is expected to air for free in the US on Spike TV via tape delay on November 13th. The rumored card now includes:

Vitor Belfort vs. Yushin Okami

Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara

Jason Brilz vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic

Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta

Dennis Siver vs. TBA

Pascal Krauss vs. TBA

Kris McCray vs. TBA

We all KNOW that James Toney is going to lose to Randy Couture tomorrow, the question is which manner will he lose.

"Mayhem" vs. Sakuraba, Mousasi vs. Mizuno, Warren vs. Omigawa set for DREAM.16
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Aug 27, 2010 at 7:50 pm ET
With his grudge match on hold, Jason "Mayhem" Miller (23-7 MMA, 1-1 DREAM) will tide himself over by fighting an MMA legend.

The colorful Strikeforce fighter will returns overseas to face Kazushi Sakuraba (26-13-1 MMA, 3-3 DREAM) at DREAM.16, which takes place Sept. 25 at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan.

HDNet Fights today announced the fight, as well as a previously reported fight between Tatsuya Mizuno (8-5 MMA, 1-0 DREAM) and Gegard Mousasi (29-3-1 MMA, 7-0 DREAM) for the first-ever DREAM light-heavyweight title.

Also announced was a long-rumored bout between Bellator season-two featherweight-tournament winner Joe Warren (5-1 MMA, 2-1 DREAM) and UFC/PRIDE vet Michihiro Omigawa (11-8-1 MMA, 2-0 DREAM). Warren, of course, is also slated to fight Bellator champ Joe Soto at Bellator 27 on Sept. 2, three weeks before his DREAM.16 bout.

Miller's move comes not long after a meeting with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz failed to materialize. Diaz this past week signed to face K.J. Noons on Oct. 9 at "Strikeforce: Noons vs. Diaz," which squashed a wave of fan interest in a grudge match between Miller and the champion.

The two were involved in a post-fight brawl four months ago at "Strikeforce: Nashville" and had pumped up their mutual disdain in interviews (self-conducted and otherwise) after Miller said this past month that he'd like to repay Diaz for the melee with a kick to the face.

Earlier this week, Cesar Gracie, Diaz's manager and trainer, told MMAjunkie.com that a potential Miller matchup had been bandied about by Strikeforce officials but never formally offered. He said his fighter would be open to a catchweight fight in the near future but not a fight at middleweight.

"If you want to call out the champion, that means you're prepared to go to his weight," Gracie said. "If you're not prepared, don't call him out. If he just wants to fight Nick, come by the academy, and Nick will oblige him on the spot at any weight."

Rather than take on a gaggle of Gracie's for free, Miller has opted to get paid. In his most recent fight – at least that of the legal, sanctioned variety – he met Jake Shields for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title on the CBS-televised "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" event and came up short on points after a five-round, grappling-heavy bout.

Prior to that, Miller was disqualified during a rematch with Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for the vacant DREAM middleweight title when he threw an illegal kick to the downed submission ace.

Meanwhile, the rapidly aging Sakuraba most recently fought Ralek Gracie at May's DREAM.14 event and lost by unanimous decision. The setback came after back-to-back wins over unheralded opponents Zelg Galesic and Rubin Williams.

Considered a forefather of Japanese MMA and a living legend in the sport's early days, the 41-year-old Sakuraba has been riding ever so slowly into the sunset of his 14-year-career.

Sakuraba won the UFC's Ultimate Japan heavyweight tournament in his third professional fight. He perfected the colorful masks and ring entrances that Miller has employed in recent years.

For the latest on DREAM.16, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

via Dana White

http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/08/25/dana-white-talks-ufc-118-arianny-celeste-posing-in-novembers-p/