A lightweight matchup has been booked for July’s UFC 148 event between and Team Takedown’s Shane Roller (10-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC) and longtime vet John Alessio (34-15 MMA, 0-4 UFC). The UFC officials announced the new matchup today. UFC 148 takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on Facebook, FX and pay-per-view are expected to carry the prelims.

Alessio, in his fourth stint with the organization, looks again for his first UFC win. Over the years, under the UFC banner, he suffered losses to Thiago Alves (2006), Diego Sanchez (2006) and Pat Miletich (2000). Recently, though, the 32-year-old Canadian had a short-notice fight against Mark Bocek at the past month’s UFC 145 event did not go his way. However, he had been doing well with 10 victories in his past 11 fights. After Bocek’s original opponent had to withdraw from the bout, which was his first fight in the UFC since 2006, Alessio agreed to take the fight on short notice. In 2000, Alessio made his UFC debut as he took on MMA veteran Pat Miletich at UFC 26 at the age of 20 and has fought all over the world.

Meanwhile, for Roller it is a make-or-break fight. He has dropped his past three bouts inside the octagon. At UFC Versus 6, the former WEC standout suffered a third-round submission loss to T.J. Grant and then he was knocked out cold by Melvin Guillard at UFC 132. At the UFC on FOX 2 event earlier this year, Roller (10-6) had a unanimous decision loss to Michael Johnson. Roller is (2-4) in his last six fights and he has lost three straight bouts. The former three time All-American wrestler is in dire need of a win here. Former WEC lightweight contender, Roller is looking to stop a three-fight skid in the UFC when he faces Alessio. Roller won his UFC debut with a huge knockout over Thiago Tavares in an emphatic fashion. Roller will look to stave off a potential exit from the UFC when he faces Alessio in July with the cut line looming.

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Alex Gustafsson is seen as a potential UFC light-heavyweight challenger by many as he dealt with the incumbent destiny. In truth, he is developing a style of his own, although some doubts linger over his ability to stand and trade clinically with 205lb rivals. Indeed, his footwork in giant strides is reminiscent at times of the UFC bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz.

Thiago Silva was certainly affected by this. An hour after the contest, his face looked like a series of mini-mines had exploded on it.

The young Swede shows marked improvements with each fight. Here, playing a smart game in the final five minutes of this three-round contest against the dangerous Silva, which earned him supremacy, while it was his movement and striking skills.

The Stockholm resident battered Thiago Silva before he dropped him early for the remainder of their three-round main event. The UFC on Fuel TV 2 headliner took place at Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe Arena. the home audience celebrated the event as a winning night because of to Gustafsson’s victory, although Swedish fighters went just 2-3 on the night.

The Brazilian lack of respect towards his opponents never made him a fan favorite and certainly, it did not do him any favors after the controversy in his last fight against Brandon Vera. in an attempt to hide the prohibited substances he had in his body at the time, he was found to have given a false urine sample. He was suspended for a year as punishment and his win was ultimately changed to a no contest.

Silva’s only two defeats were by former champions Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans. He was almost undefeated. will look to return with an impressive performance over a worthy opponent such as Gustafsson, as he still possesses a threat in the division. it should make for a good fight and a very difficult one to predict, as both of these fighters are very skilled on the feet and the ground.

Silva is returning after a yearlong lay-off, while Gustafsson has been moving up the rankings and mixing up his game. The native Swede could very well come out on top because of his recent performances, even though he will a have a huge challenge on his hands.

Since UFC 112 loss to Phil Davis, Gustafsson (14-1 mixed martial arts, 6-1 UFC) now has won five straight fights. His victory over Silva (14-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) was his first in the UFC to go to a decision.

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Demetrious Johnson, who UFC President Dana White calls ‘the fastest man in the division,’ was named as Pickett’s replacement in the fight, which could determine the No. 1 contender for the bantamweight title, after Brad Pickett had to pull out of his scheduled fight with Miguel Torres at UFC 130 in Las Vegas May 28.

For this fight, UFC 130 odds will be available closer to May 28.

Torres is a former WEC bantamweight champion, who is 39-3 with nine wins by knockout and 23 by submission. Torres also features a Muay Thai striking style, who is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. By beating Antonio Banuelos by unanimous decision, Torres made his UFC debut at UFC 126 in February of this year. Many expect Torres to show off the full skill set that made him one of the best submission bantamweights in the WEC in his second UFC performance as he didn’t show off his full arsenal in the fight, largely playing it safe.

By defeating Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto by decision after three rounds, Johnson also won on the UFC 126 card. With two knockouts and five submissions Johnson is 9-1 in his career. He’s known for his wrestling ability along with his speed. Once Johnson is able to force them to the mat, he has an array of holds that he can force submissions using his stamina allows him to wear out opponents.

Johnson should have the advantage on the mat although he doesn’t have the quick-strike ability that Torres does. On the UFC 130 card, the contrasting styles should make this one of the most exciting bouts.

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On April 30 in Toronto, more than 40,000 fans expected to attend at the Rogers Center. UFC 129 will smash the promotion’s attendance record.

You’ve been anticipating this fight for a solid five years if you’re a longtime MMA fan. Over the last half decade, no two guys have been more dominant at 170 pounds than Georges St-Pierre and Jake Shields. Four years ago the UFC champ GSP hasn’t lost a round since his upset loss to Matt Serra; Shields has won 15 straight fights.

It presents a new challenge for each fighter, what makes this bout particularly interesting. Shields will be the most dangerous submission artist St-Pierre has ever faced, as one of the world’s very best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. Meanwhile, Shields has fought at 185 pounds before and even manhandled Dan Henderson, who usually fights at 205 pounds.

St-Pierre will be the strongest pure wrestler Shields has ever faced, on the reverse. Generally, Shields dominates a fight once he takes it to the ground; he could have trouble doing so against the freakishly strong GSP.

GSP studies his opponents eternally and shows up for every bout ready to fight them wherever they’re weakest. Shields’s clear weakness is in the standup game. His striking is very remedial. Meanwhile, St-Pierre made his name as an electrifying Karate striker and trains in boxing with the legendary Freddie Roach. In UFC 129 picks, St-Pierre is -450 while Shields is +350.

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At a Strikeforce event planned for July, Fedor Emelianenko is supposed to fight an as-yet-unnamed challenger. The co-promotional stamp of Strikeforce partner M-1 Global will bear the event. Following the sale of Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker’s California-based promotion to the UFC, he is yet to talk with company officials.

According Coker, Emelianenko is improbable to fight current Strikeforce light-heavyweight winner Dan Henderson. Since the challenger is yet to be pronounced, the betting odds for the Strikeforce event planned for July has not yet released.

After knocking out Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, Henderson got his hands on the light-heavyweight belt. Strikeforce chief Coker feels Henderson might be “a little bit small” to face the heavyweight, although he has made frequent calls to take on Emelianenko.

In the last fight Antonio Silva, Emelianenko weighed in at 230 pounds, while Henderson cuts hardly any weight to make his 205-pound divisional limit.

At “Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva”, Emelianenko (31-3 MMA, 1-2 SF) most recently competed this past month and endured the second true loss of his virtually unblemished career. He was ruled out to fight a third round with Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva by the doctors. At “Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum”, the upset came against Fabricio Werdum, who jammed Emelianenko in a triangle choke and forced him to tap in 69 seconds.

With notable wins over Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), and Kevin Randleman, Emelianenko amassed a remarkable 14-0 record under the now redundant PRIDE Fighting Championship banner between 2002 and 2006. At that time, many saw Emelianenko as a relentless force and as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

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Shinya Aoki faces Lyle Beerbohm in a lightweight match-up on the San Diego card. This marks the return of Aoki to Strikeforce on April 9. On Monday, Strikeforce officials confirmed the match-up.

In Strikeforce, Aoki last fought in April when he lost to lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez in a lopsided decision. Since that time, in MMA competition Aoki has gone 3-0, which includes a win over Tatsuya Kawajiri.

In December, Aoki lost a fight to kick boxer Yuichiro Nagashima. It was a mixed-rules bout hence the fight does not appear on the mixed martial arts record. In the first round, K-1 kickboxing rules were followed, while in the second round Dream MMA rules were put into use. At the start of the second round, Aoki was defeated when Nagashima knocked him out with a knee strike to the face.

This past April, Aoki made his promotional debut at the CBS-televised and faced champion Gilbert Melendez. The Cesar Gracie protege en route controlled him to a unanimous decision loss, in a one-sided and largely dull affair.

Aoki’s last trip inside the ring was disastrous, although he had success in MMA. Aoki was knocked cold by a knee just four ticks into the MMA portion of the fight, in a mixed rules bout with kick boxer Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima on New Year’s Eve, after fleeing from Nagashima for the duration of the striking-only first stanza.

Beerbohm, from the first loss of his career, would look to rebound back. On Feb. 18 in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers 14, the Wash, native was nearly submitted and ultimately outpointed by tough veteran Pat Healy. Over Rafaello Oliveira, Duane Ludwig and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro, Beerbohm carries notable victories in his previous Strikeforce appearances.

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In the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 170-pound title, Jon Fitch or BJ Penn will get another shot. UFC President Dana White said that at welterweight, the winner of a Feb. 26 bout between Fitch and Penn would be named the No. 1 contender. In 2008, Fitch unsuccessfully challenged champion Georges St. Pierre and in 2009, Penn did the same. Both will fight in the main event of UFC 127 inside the Acer Arena, Sydney, Australia.

Fitch is an American Kickboxing Academy product, who has rattled off a five-fight winnibg streak since his loss to Georges St. Pierre in August of 2008. In his 14-fight stint inside the octagon, the “Fight of the Night” performance Jon turned in remains his only blemish, which includes victories over Diego Sanchez, Paulo Thiago, and Thiago Alves (twice). Since losing to St. Pierre, Fitch has won five consecutive bouts. For welterweights, the USA TODAY/SB Nation consensus rankings list Fitch at No. 2. Fitch finally appears poised for another chance at a title. He is currently riding a five-fight win streak.

Since returning to the division with a vengeance, Penn meanwhile has reasserted himself into the 170-pound title picture. Penn moved up to the welterweight class for a rubber match with rival Matt Hughes last November, after dropping back-to-back bouts to current lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. He scored a 21-second knockout over the UFC Hall of Famer. Only St. Pierre and lightweight champion Frankie Edgar have beaten Penn since 2007. He is the consensus No. 9 welterweight.

Fitch said that more than fighting B.J, he does not want to waste any time thinking about anything more. He added that he has certain advantages in sizes but he is aware that it will not be enough. To make sure that there are not any mistakes in this fight, he had to work a lot on speed, explosiveness and keeping everything tight.

The latest UFC betting odds on Bodog.com is Penn (+160) and Fitch (-200).

The winner probably will not face St. Pierre, regardless of the outcome in Sydney. UFC expects St. Pierre to move up to 185 pounds for a bout with middleweight champion Anderson Silva, if the champion beats Jake Shields on April 30.

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Josh Koscheck will be out of action from UFC for at least six months as he recovers from surgery that repaired a broken orbital suffered in his Dec. 11. In that UFC 124 bout, he lost to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Since losing to Georges St. Pierre in a unanimous decision at UFC 124, Josh Koscheck made his first public appearance.

He said that he was beaten by Georges fair and square, although he thinks that he was unlucky in the match as he broke his eye, when he received the first punch, making the fight an uphill climb from the very start. He recovers from a broken orbital bone suffered in the loss to St. Pierre. If that was not the case, he definitely thinks that the fight would have been a lot different. On Dec. 20, he underwent surgery in Boston and he has been told by doctors to limit his physical activity to walking.

During the 25-minute title affair, the American Kickboxing Academy product ate jab-after-jab and now it looks like Josh will be shelved for the better part of 2011.

He said that he would build his way up to being the No. 1 contender; he will continue to grind and put himself back in position. He added that he still has five months of recovery time. Under the right eye, Koscheck has a large scar and he said that the right side of his face remains numb.

Nonetheless, he is a talented fighter, who aims to get back in the ring. Lately, he had to swallow his pride, ever since he was deftly defeated by number one ranked welterweight fighter in the world and top-3 pound-for-pound fighter.

At 170 pounds within the UFC, the only real fight remaining for St. Pierre is against former EliteXC Welterweight champion Jake Shields. The match will happen at UFC 129 in April. George St. Pierre remains a massive betting favorite (-600) for the fight, although Shields has an impressive track record. UFC odds makers have determined that St. Pierre is still a six-to-one favorite, even against the man who may be the second best welterweight in the world.

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On February 5 in Fukuoka, Japan, street fighting legend turned mixed martial artist Kimbo Slice is scheduled to make his professional wrestling debut. Against disgraced Sumo wrestler Shinichi Suzukawa, Slice’s professional wrestling debut will be in the Inoki Genome Federation’s upcoming eight-man tournament at Genome 14.

He has already quit boxing as well as he couldn’t cut it as a mixed martial artist. Kimbo Slice had left boxing promoter Gary Shaw after filming the latest installment of “The Scorpion King” and decided that boxing wasn’t for him which was reported earlier this week.

He was a hard hitting street fighter even though he was not a proficient mixed martial artist. Boxing requires entirely too much discipline and Kimbo just doesn’t have it. But the world of professional wrestling doesn’t require the multiple talents of MMA or the ridiculous skill set of boxing. It’s just what Kimbo Slice wishes to flourish in a different career.

The fact that Kimbo Slice is a character to most is another reason why a career in the world of professional wrestling makes total sense. He has an image that fans immediately notice as well as he is marketable. It was quite sure that WWE and TNA will be watching Slice very closely over the next couple of months. Though the street fighter couldn’t cut it in other sports, this wrestling thing may be just the right move for him.

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For UFC 129 in Toronto, a featherweight bout between Pablo Garza and Yves Jabouin is on deck. For the fight, both men have verbally agreed to it, with contracts set to be distributed by the promotion in the coming days.

Dana White said that Canadians love the UFC and they have shown their love for the game repeatedly. Come April 30 and this will go down in the history books. Fans in Ontario have patiently waited for the bouts. He added that Toronto is going to host the biggest-mixed martial-arts event ever in North America.

After a 1-2 stint in the WEC, the bout will be Jabouin’s UFC debut. At WEC 49, Jabouin was finished by Mark Hominick in a “Fight of the Year” contender, after losing his debut in a split decision to Rafael Assuncao. For Jabouin, it is a fight on home soil. Under the tutelage of St-Pierre trainer and strategist Firas Zahabi, he works out of Montreal’s Tristar Gym. With the now-defunct WEC, the Port-au-Price, Haiti, native ended a three-fight stint on a winning note when he took out Brandon Visher via decision at WEC 52.

In the opening round of The Ultimate Fighter season 12, Garza was eliminated. At WEC 51 in September, he got the call from Zuffa to take a fight against Tie Quan Zhang. He lost the bout and he got another shot at the Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale in December, where he made his UFC debut. In the first featherweight bout in UFC history, Garzais a month removed from a highlight reel performance against Freidson Paixa. The Brazilian was knocked out cold by a flying knee and threatened to send him out on a stretcher. He turned out to be OK after several tense moments prone on the canvas.

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