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When Vladimir Matyushenko looks across the Octagon at Jon Jones on Sunday night, he'll see an opponent who's younger, bigger, and faster. He'll see a fighter who's been all but officially anointed as the next big thing in the UFC light heavyweight division. He'll see a fighter who is essentially undefeated in a little over two years of competition, and one who is a 6-1 favorite with online oddsmakers.

None of this, of course, is news to Matyushenko. He knew what he was getting into when he accepted the fight, though the decision to do so wasn't automatic.

"I won't say I hesitated, but I thought about it for a few days and had a team meeting with my coaches and teammates," Matyushenko told MMA Fighting. "When it comes to a fight, if [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva gives you something, that's the offer. I don't think it's right to try and pick fights, say, 'I want to fight this guy or just new guys.' No, to be in this sport you have to be willing to fight the best. That's what I'm here to do."

Ryan Couture, son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, has signed a multi-fight contract with Strikeforce and will make his professional MMA debut at Strikeforce Challengers 10 on Aug. 13 in Phoenix, AZ.

Randy Couture first revealed the signing Monday to ESPN's MMA Live and Strikeforce has since confirmed the bout details.

Newer fans of mixed martial arts know Jason "Mayhem" Miller as the goofy guy who hosts Bully Beatdown, not as a bully himself. Even when Miller instigated a brawl at the end of Strikeforce's last CBS show, it came across more like a prank gone bad than an attempt to pick a fight. And in the clip above, Miller decries Nick Diaz for making MMA fighters look like "thugs."

But it wasn't that long ago that Miller had a reputation as one of the thugs in MMA. He was placed on probation for beating someone up in a bar and later charged (and acquitted) with first-degree burglary. Miller doesn't talk about that part of his past very often, but he opens up about it to Michael Schiavello in an interview that will air on HDNet Friday night.

As James Toney talks up his UFC 118 fight with Randy Couture, he makes so many outlandish, over-the-top comments that you're never sure how much of it he actually believes and can back up in the Octagon, how much is a delusional overestimation of his own boxing skill and underestimation of Couture's MMA skill, and how much is pure hype that he doesn't believe for a minute.

But whatever the case, it's always entertaining.

In a live chat with MMAFighting.com, Toney belittled the punching prowess of MMA fighters in general and Couture's striking in particular, and he said that while he admires Couture for having the, um, guts to fight him, he doesn't think anyone in MMA can touch him standing up.

Just two weeks before its first women's tournament, Strikeforce might be losing one of its competitors.

There have been reports that Carina Damm, of Brazil, is having a hard time getting her visa secured so she can travel to Phoenix for the Aug. 13 welterweight (135 pounds) tournament, and Strikeforce spokesman Mike Afromowitz confirmed that speculation on Wednesday night in an e-mail to members of the media.

Damm is scheduled to be one of four participants in the tournament, which will be held at Phoenix's Dodge Theatre as part of a Strikeforce Challengers event that will air live on Showtime. The main event of the card is a 182-pound catchweight bout between Joe Riggs and Louis Taylor.

Damm (15-3) hasn't fought outside her native Brazil in more than two years. She has a 10-fight winning streak.

Recently the Maximum Fighting Championship organization sent out a press release with a quote from lightweight champ and MMA vet Antonio McKee, who vowed to retire if his upcoming fight with Luciano Azevedo on Sept. 10 goes to a decision. This raised some eyebrows around the MMA world, because if there's one thing McKee (24-3-2) is known for aside from his dominating wrestling-based style, it's winning decisions.

McKee likes to point out that he hasn't lost since his 2003 defeat via decision against Karo Parisyan, but during the unbeaten streak that consisted of thirteen wins and one draw, all but two of those fights went to the judges' scorecards.

With that kind of track record, is the 40-year-old McKee really willing to wager his career on his ability to finish the very tough Azevedo, or is this all a publicity stunt? To find out, I sat down for a conversation with the always outspoken lightweight.

Chicagoan Mark Miller and Josh Shockley, of nearby Northwest Indiana, will meet on the local preliminary card of Bellator 25 on Aug. 19.

A Bellator official confirmed the bout to MMA Fighting on Wednesday, as did Shockley – who was scheduled to make his debut with the promotion at Bellator 14 in April, but had to pull out with a shoulder injury.

Bellator 25 will be a "home" fight for both Miller and Shockley at the Chicago Theatre downtown on State Street. Bellator, which is headquartered in Chicago, will host a card in its home city for the third time. Bellator 7 took place at the Aragon Ballroom; Bellator 14 was also at the Chicago Theatre.

When boxing champion James Toney first signed with the UFC, he didn't see any reason he shouldn't get a heavyweight title shot. And so, Toney says, he asked for Brock Lesnar as his first opponent inside the Octagon.

But the UFC had other ideas.

According to Toney, when the UFC told him he wasn't just going to waltz right in and fight the heavyweight champ, that set off an interesting negotiation with the promotion, which floated the idea of having him fight Kimbo Slice before settling on Randy Couture as his first UFC opponent.

The Shark Fight Promotion has added even more notable fighters to its Sept. 11 Shark Fights 13 card in Amarillo, Texas.

Zuffa veterans Pete Spratt, Douglas Evans, Brock Larson, Marcus Hicks and Karen Darabedyan, Bellator heavyweight Dave "Pee Wee" Herman, Strikeforce and Bellator veteran Aaron Rosa and Sengoku featherweight Ronnie Mann have signed on to compete on the undercard.

Previously announced for the main card were Keith Jardine vs. Trevor Prangley, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Houston Alexander, Joey Villasenor vs. Drew McFedries and Paul Daley vs. an opponent to be announced.

James Toney, the soon-to-be 42-year-old pro boxer who was a two-time Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year, is preparing to take up a new sport when he steps inside the Octagon for a mixed martial arts fight with Randy Couture on Aug. 28 at UFC 118. But he'll take some time out of his preparation on Wednesday to participate in a live chat with MMA and boxing fans here at MMAFighting.com.

If you want to know why Toney decided to give MMA a try, where he stands on the "boxing vs. MMA" debate, and how he views Couture as an opponent, this is your chance to ask him. The live chat begins Wednesday at 1:25PM ET.