Cage Gossip: MMA Rumors - UFC, Strikeforce & DREAM Rumors
Your weekly source for MMA rumors
5. Vitor Belfort Set to Return Late Summer – Early Fall
When speaking with Tatame.com, Vitor Belfort revealed that he intends to make his Octagon return later this year between August and October.
The exact date has yet to be determined as Belfort is meeting with UFC’s doctor this Tuesday to find out the latest regarding his shoulder. This is good news for the UFC’s middleweight division, which after another lackluster title fight this past Saturday, is in desperate need of legitimate threats to Anderson Silva.
4. Strikeforce to Hold Two Events in June
This past week, Strikeforce reserved the date of June 16 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The event will coincide with the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010 being held in LA that weekend and will likely be a way to help promote EA Sports’ new MMA videogame in which Strikeforce is the premier league.
The June 16 event will more than likely be televised on Showtime, as will the June 26 Strikeforce show at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.
The rumored Strikeforce card for June 16 –
- Christiane “Cyborg” Santos vs. TBA
- Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Robbie Lawler
- Bobby Lashley vs. TBA
The rumored card for June 26 –
- Fedor Emeilanenko vs. Fabricio Werdum
- Cung Le vs. (Scott Smith or Frank Shamrock)
With another quality card from Strikeforce added to the month of June that already has UFC 115, WEC 49, Fedor’s return against Werdum, and the finals of the Bellator tournaments, June is a stacked month for MMA fans.
3. Nick Diaz Booked for DREAM 14
Word out of Japan is that Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, Nick Diaz, will be returning to the Land of the Rising Sun to take on Hayato “Mach” Sakaurai at DREAM 14 on May 29.
The bout between Diaz and Sakaurai has been booked on numerous occasions and fallen through, including in July of 2008 when it was set to determine to first DREAM Middleweight Champion.
With Diaz on a roll, finishing his last six opponents, and Sakaurai dropping his last two fights, one via head kick and one via armbar, the bout isn’t the terrific clash it would’ve been two years ago, but it’s still a fun fight nonetheless.
It will be nice to see Diaz back in Japan to continue the Strikeforce/DREAM partnership, and I’m sure Diaz will enjoy the trip as well since he won’t have to be concerned about failing drug tests.
2. UFC “Fight for the Troops” in Afghanistan This Summer
Dana White recently revealed that he’s planning to hold a “Fight for the Troops” event in Afghanistan sometime this summer. The event proceeds, much like the December 2008 “Fight for the Troops” card, will likely go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
The only problem with holding an event in Afghanistan is that the UFC may not have a way of taping the event, and therefore, this could be the first UFC event ever to go unrecorded; a small sacrifice to make for the armed men and women who sacrifice their lives each and every day in Afghanistan.
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1. Fedor vs. Antonio Silva?
At a press conference in Moscow this past weekend, Fedor was quoted as saying, “I have no intentions of leaving M-1 Global. We have a very good partnership, so I don't see any reasons why I should break-up my current deal with that organization. My next opponent will be Fabricio Werdum. We are currently negotiating with his team, but if something goes wrong we will try to reach an agreement with Antonio Silva."
So it seems team Fedor has learned from the Josh Barnett debacle last summer, and barring any unforeseen problems, have a backup ready and waiting. While Silva is a step down in competition from Werdum, it’s nice to know that when June comes we’ll be seeing Fedor fight no matter what. It’s unclear whether this mention of Silva is a hint that the negotiations with Werdum’s camp are not going well, or just a way to make sure Fedor doesn’t get left high and dry without an opponent like he did last August when Barnett tested positive for steroids.
That’s it for this week’s edition of Cage Gossip, be sure to check back next Tuesday for the latest rumors in MMA universe!
By Jeffrey Concerto
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer