mma news

James Irvin vs. Alessio Sakara is not a particularly relevant fight in the middleweight division in mixed martial arts. Neither guy is a win away, or even two or three wins away, from title contention. But it will be the first fight on UFC on Versus 1 Sunday night, and both guys show in this preview video that they understand the reason they've been matched up in the first UFC fight ever to air on Versus.

Jon Jones, they say, is the future.

In that, there is a lesson to be learned. It is a title that was once bestowed upon his "UFC on Versus" opponent, Brandon Vera, after Vera burst upon the scene smashing everything in his path and proclaiming his intent on becoming the first UFC fighter to simultaneously hold the light-heavyweight and heavyweight championship belts. Yet now, here Vera stands a loser of four of his last seven fights, and facing the possibility of a must-win situation.

Opportunities can come quickly in MMA. They can end just as fast. With the benefit of some age and maturity, Vera knows that now, and that at 32, his chances of fulfilling his promise are running low. This bout against Jones gives him his best chance of reigniting his career.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is on Versus for the first time on Sunday night, with a very good card by basic cable standards headlined by a light heavyweight clash between Jon Jones and Brandon Vera. We've got the full preview and predictions below.

On Oct. 23, 2008, three days after the EliteXC mixed martial arts promotion folded, UFC President Dana White was talking to a group of reporters in Chicago, promoting UFC 90, which would take place a couple days later. White was in good spirits, laughing at the demise of EliteXC, but he turned very serious at one point and said that the one EliteXC fighter he felt badly for is Jake Shields.

Shields was, until the fall of EliteXC, its welterweight champion. He's now the Strikeforce middleweight champion, but he'll soon be a free agent, and I think it would make a lot of sense, both for Shields and for White, if Shields signed with the UFC.

The long-awaited, once-delayed rivalry fight between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Rashad Evans is now signed, sealed and soon-to-be delivered to UFC 114 in Las Vegas.

The UFC today officially announced the bout, which was originally supposed to be contested back at UFC 107.

The first fight on the first pay-per-view card for World Extreme Cagefighting will be a bantamweight bout between Scott Jorgensen and Antonio Banuelos.

Damacio Page was originally slated to face Banuelos on the April 24 WEC 48 card, but the WEC announced today that Page is injured and Jorgensen will take his place. The promotion also confirmed that the fight is slated to be the first on the televised card, which is headlined by a featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber.

Strikeforce has the spotlight to itself.

The long-rumored UFC event expected to counter the promotion's April 17 CBS offering will not take place, MMA Fighting has confirmed.

Earlier this month, the UFC explored the option, going so far as to inform likely broadcast partner Spike TV that the show was a go, but the company has apparently reversed course, and a Spike source said the network has been told by the UFC that the show is no longer happening.

Fast-rising welterweight Dan Hornbuckle has signed with American Top Team, the MMA camp announced on Twitter Thursday morning. Hornbuckle, who recently signed with Bellator and will face Sean Pierson in the first round of the organization's welterweight tournament April 22, had previously spent most of his time training out of Team Solid/Goshin Jitsu in Champagne, Ill.

Nicknamed "The Handler," Hornbuckle enjoyed a breakout 2009 campaign, as he defeated Joe Alexander, Akihiro Gono and Nick Thompson all via impressive knockout.