UFC NEWS: Kszysztof Soszynski vs. Anthony Perosh coming to UFC 131 in Vancouver

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

LogoUFC_150_822.jpg

Krzysztof Soszynski will get his wish, as MMAJunkie.com reports that he'll fight at UFC 131 in Vancouver in a bout with Anthony Perosh.

The Poland-born Canadian said in an interview this week that he wanted to fight on the Vancouver card, and the UFC has obliged with this bout with Aussie Perosh.

Soszynski returns for the first time since a win over Goran Reljic at UFC 122 in November. He has split wins and losses over his last four fights, though he holds a 5-2 record overall inside the Octagon.

Perosh has split his two bouts in the UFC, both of them coming in his home country in the UFC's two trips to Australia. Though he suffered a loss to Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 110, he was successful at UFC 127 last month with a first round submission win over Tom Blackledge.

UFC 131 is expected to take place from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver on June 11, headlined by the heavyweight number one contender fight between Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: This is a decent fight in the light heavyweight division. Perosh moved up in weight to meet Cro Cop in 2010, but looked good against Blackledge back at light heavyweight. Soszynski will be the favorite in this fight, and he's beaten a higher level of competition than Perosh has faced overall, but it's a decent fight for both and a solid undercard fight for this event.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8723.shtml

Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans Urijah Faber

Evans and Jones beef getting serious

Rashad Evans waited a long time to get his shot at the UFC light heavyweight belt against Mauricio Rua. Then he suffered an injury that would keep him out 6-8 weeks. Evans was hoping the fight would be delayed, but the UFC's troubles were averted when Jon Jones stepped in on short notice. One problem, Jones is a teammate of Evans and now the former UFC 205-pound champ is peeved at "Bones."

"When he joined the team, he joined the team on the premise that he wouldn't fight none of us because that's…with Greg Jackson, that's one of his policies. Greg brought him on the team and he said he was like, you know what? Jon's on this team, he'll be a good addition to the team. He's got a good style and he's an up and coming kid and he'll never fight you or never challenge you or nothing like that," Evans told Larry Pepe. "There's nothing you need to worry about. He brought him onto the team with that intro."

Jones didn't get the memo and jumped at the opportunity to take on Rua at UFC 128. He's clearly aware that Evans isn't happy and snapped off during last week's prefight teleconference.

"I absolutely hate when people mention Rashad Evans, especially throughout this training camp….for people to even be mentioning Rashad Evans right now…I think it's ludicrous. Rashad is not in my mind, he's not in my being, he has absolutely zero to do with my heart and who I am right now," Jones said. "This guy has nothing to do with Shogun and from here on out, I don't think I'll answer a question about Rashad. I have a lot of people outside of Rashad who I can draw energy and power from and they'll all be with me."

Evans got the message and said Jones is speaking out of inexperience.

"That does sound a little bit cold-blooded. Jon's a young guy and when you're a young guy sometimes you talk a little too fast for your brain to keep up. I don't think it's acceptable at all. I don't think it's something I'd say. It sounds like he wants to fight, huh? Those sound like fighting words," Jones told Pepe. ".[...] Sometimes when you open your mouth you show what you're afraid of more than anything. I don't know why he has such an adverse response like that to me. I've never challenged him or made him feel like he should do that sort of thing. It sounds to me ? if I was out of the situation ? that he was feeling insecure about me. You can't just expect to not talk about a situation where you stepped in for a friend and training partner in a title fight who was injured. You can't take it personal… That sounds like a baby."

If Jones wins the title, Evans has to consider taking the fight and more significantly leaving the only training he's known in Albuquerque under Greg Jackson.

"It's something I gotta talk to Greg [Jackson] about it and I gotta talk to Jon [Jones] about. That's how I believe things should be done. We entered into an agreement together and if things are gonna go another way, I don't think he should have to find out from TV. He should find out from my mouth before I tell anybody. That's just how I do it as a man.I just have to sit down and decide on whats its going to be, because whatever it is going to be, there is no going back. There is no making it better. There is no going back to the team after it is done. If we agree to fight, if we say we are going to fight, it's over," Evans said. "[...] I would need to divorce myself from the situation and just start over, and come with something new. I would divorce myself from the crew from Jackson's. Trevor [Whittman] would be separate because he is at Grudge. Jon trains in Albuquerque, so I just would divorce myself from Albuquerque and from training with Greg."

Dana White is pretty clear on his thoughts about friendship being a roadblock anywhere in the fight game. He's happy that Evans is finally seeing the light.

"It makes sense [that they fight each other if Jones wins the title]. There's been a lot of stuff [said by] Rashad. Rashad thinks that I'm hatin' him or whatever the deal is. I don't. The reality is ? I said it on your show the last time I talked to you ? he hasn't known Jon Jones that long. To call him a brother and this and that…I really believe that…and Rashad didn't tell me this. Jon Jones didn't tell me this. This is just something that I came up with in my head. This has to be coming from the camp," White told MMAFighting.com. "[...] The reality is, this isn't a team sport, man. You look throughout the history of boxing, guys used to have to spar with each other all the time and the guys who came in as sparring partners eventually became world champions some day. You have to train with other people. You have to train with the best. It's a fact. You just don't become such "close friends" that you don't want to fight each other. It's [expletive]."

Evans should straight out call for the winner regardless of training camps and "friendships."

"If I was Rashad, I would say whoever wins this fight I wanna fight," White said. "The guy got injured; he was next in line for the fight. I'd wanna fight him too. But now he's gotta sit around, he's gotta wait and see what happens with these two, he's gotta wait to see who wins ? do they come out 100 percent or are they injured and have to wait a little while or do they want to fight again? He's put himself into a bad position and that's what I was saying about him: He's boxed himself into this corner."

You can watch UFC 128 right here on Yahoo!

Quotes via Cage Potato

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Evans-and-Jones-beef-getting-serious?urn=mma-wp199

Min Soo Kim Dong Hyun Kim Kevin Knabjian John Kolosci

MMA LIVE: Strikeforce "Feijao vs. Henderson" review, inaugural pound for pound list unveiled and more

Logo_MMALive_70_50.jpg

On a new edition of ESPN2's MMA Live, the crew breaks down last weekend's Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson event and also unveils their inaugural pound for pound list (below):

ESPN2's MMA Live Pound for Pound list

1) Anderson Silva - UFC
2) Georges St. Pierre - UFC
3) Jose Aldo - UFC
4) Frankie Edgar - UFC
5) Mauricio Rua - UFC
6) Dominick Cruz - UFC
7) Cain Velasquez - UFC
8) Jon Jones - UFC
9) Jake Shields - UFC
10) Gray Maynard - UFC






App Users Click Here For Video: http://sports.espn.go.com/videohub/video/video?id=6202817

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Other_News_4/article_8715.shtml

Nathan Jones  Kevin Jordan Jeff Joslin Scott Junk 

UFC NEWS: Spike TV to air "Jon Jones: In the Moment" special on Thursday ahead of UFC 128

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Jon_Jones_180_7.jpeg

The rapid ascent of Jon Jones from UFC rookie with only months of experience to title challenger at this weekend's UFC 128 event has been fascinating, and the organization agrees.

According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, the UFC will present a special half-hour program on Spike TV this week highlighting Jones' rise and following him as he prepares for the biggest fight of his young career.

"UFC Presents Jon Jones: In The Moment" will highlight Jones' rise up the ranks, from his debut at UFC 87 in 2008 up through his impressive submission victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 126. In addition to Jones' highlights, the half hour program will also take fans inside his training camp and home life ahead of his bout with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in New Jersey.

"UFC Presents Jon Jones: In The Moment" airs on Spike TV this Thursday at 11PM ET/PT, and UFC 128 airs live on pay-per-view this Saturday from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: This should be a very cool new special for the UFC to run, and depending on the ratings hopefully it's the type of thing they'll continue to produce for more fighters going forward. Any new way of presenting and hyping fights and promoting events is positive, and even if they fail to gain interest with this particular special, hopefully they'll continue coming up with new things to produce. At any rate, I'm looking forward to this special on Thursday.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8750.shtml

Takashi Sugiura Jung Chan Sung Minoru Suzuki Tim Sylvia

Poll results: Who deserves the next shot at the UFC lightweight title?

The UFC's lightweight title picture is currently among the cloudiest of any of the promotion's seven weightclasses.

Sure, we know that current champion Frankie Edgar will face top challenger Gray Maynard at May's UFC 130 event, but after that, who's next?

In our latest MMAjunkie.com poll, we asked our readers to play UFC matchmaker and decide who should get the next crack at the 155-pound title. The response was overwhelmingly one-sided.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/ui8fYkm1Pr8/poll-results-who-deserves-the-next-shot-at-the-ufc-lightweight-title.mma

Javier Torres Tor Troeng Nobuhiko Takada Yoshihiro Takayama

UFC ON VERSUS 3 LIVE RESULTS: Penick's round by round report of Sanchez vs. Kampmann event from Louisville

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC_on_Versus_3_poster_180_12.jpg

UFC ON VERSUS 3
MARCH 3, 2010
LIVE FROM LOUISVILLE, KY.

-After the gladiator intro, it's time for another UFC event on the Versus network. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan open up the show and run down what's on tap for tonight's fights. First up is the rematch between Brian Bowles and Damacio Page after a commercial break.

[Commercial Break]

FIGHT ONE: BRIAN BOWLES VS. DAMACIO PAGE (BANTAMWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Page swings heavy right off the bat. Page comes forward with a high kick and a big knee but Bowles takes it in stride. Bowles circles away from another attack. Page landed a couple of heavy leg kicks. He jumped up for another flying kick. He is coming in very aggressive to start this fight. Bowles came forward with an overhand right that grazed Page. Bowles countered a leg kick with a two punch combo. Bowles landed two and Page countered. Bowles missed a right and just barely avoided the counter. Page came in with a knee and landed a kick to the body. Bowles landed a nice right to the body. Bowles landed a left. He landed an uppercut that hurt page. He caught a kick from Page and put him on the ground. He started landing a number of strikes on the ground and then locked up a guillotine. Page tried to fight it off, but he went out cold.

[Commercial Break]

WINNER: Bowles via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:30 of the first round

POST FIGHT: Bowles said he was expecting Page to come out like he did and counted on his footwork like he did in the first fight and it worked. He said the guillotine was his signature move and he hits it in the gym all the time.

STAR RATING: (***) Awesome one round fight. There was a lot of back and forth with Page starting out strong and Bowles giving fans a little deja vu by ending that fight at exactly the same time and in the same manner as he did their first meeting in 2008.

[Commercial Break]

PRELIM FIGHT A: IGOR POKRAJAC VS. TODD BROWN (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Pokrajac came forward immediately and kept Brown's back against the cage early. He landed a number of good strikes and got in with a nice combination. Brown pressed Pokrajac to the cage two minutes into the round. The crowd booed. Pokrajac got in a knee to the head with his back on the cage. Nice. Brown landed an uppercut. He threw a couple of knees to the thighs before Pokrajac got loose. He landed a nice punch. Brown countered him with a good punch of his own. He got in for the clinch again and pressed him to the fence. He landed a knee to the thigh. Pokrajac landed an uppercut. Brown landed a coupld of punches in close and then backed off. Pokrajac landed a head kick. Brown tried to initiate a takedown but got shrugged off. Pokrajac landed a nice right. Brown tried to circle and Pokrajac dropped him with a punch and he tried to shoot in with 30 seconds left. Pokrajac stood again. He got Brown to the cage and dropped him with a knee to the jaw. He continued throwing punches for the next 20 seconds, and the ref should have stopped that before the bell, and Brown couldn't get up after the round. The fight was stopped between rounds.

WINNER: Pokrajac via TKO at 5:00 of the first round

POST FIGHT: Pokrajac called out Tito Ortiz after the fight and requested the fight from the UFC.

STAR RATING: (**+) Great end to the round for Pokrajac and a very good performance overall. Brown offered some resistance in the clinch and with his counter right in the middle of the round, but that was all Pokrajac and he devastated him with that knee at the end.

[Commercial Break]

-Joe Rogan interviews Jon Jones via satellite before his UFC 128 bout with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

FIGHT TWO: ALESSIO SAKARA VS. CHRIS WEIDMAN (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Weidman took the center of the cage. He threw a high kick early but it didn't land. He slipped as he threw a right. Weidman is throwing some awkward looping punches. Sakara got off with a nice three punch combo and ended it with a leg kick. He got in another one after a brief combo from Weidman. Weidman threw a kick to set up the clinch and pressed Sakara to the cage. Sakara held him off, however, and got separation. Weidman landed a nice straight right. He got in with a leg kick. Weidman with a two punch combo. He covered up as Sakara threw a combo and he ate a leg kick. Weidman shot in for a single leg and turned it to a double against the cage. Sakara held him off. Weidman finally stood and separated with an elbow. Sakara got in another combination to the body. Weidman tried to land a knee to the head but missed. Weidman again shot in but was stuffed. Weidman landed a few punches. They traded punches in the center. Weidman landed a nice left. Weidman landed a left and kept Sakara's back on the cage. Weidman landed a few more punches as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Weidman. He was pressing the action throughout, landed a number of good combinations of his own and cut Sakara. Sakara scored with some strikes of his own and good combos, but Weidman just edged it.

ROUND TWO: Weidman shot in for a single leg and completed a takedown very quickly into the round. Wiedman worked in the guard and then passed into side control. He landed a hard elbow and Sakara's bleeding profusely. Weidman is landing some good, hard strikes here early in the round. Sakara tried to escape and Weidman kept him down. Sakara finally swept Weidman and hopped to his feet. He landed a big combination. Weidman got back in close and took Sakara down again. Sakara was able to get back to his feet again. They pause the action to check Sakara's cut but let him return. They traded strikes. Sakara landed a nice combination to the body late in the round before it came to an end.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Weidman. He messed Sakara up early and survived the late onslaught. Good round for him.

ROUND THREE: Sakara landed some vicious body shot early and Weidman landed a knee to the head. Weidman shot in and completed another takedown into side control. Sakara tried to work off the cage, but Weidman moved him away. Weidman landed some strikes in side control and opened Sakara back up. Weidman is continuing to land big strikes and Sakara is in trouble. Sakara got half guard back but Weidman continued to work. The ref stood them up with two minutes left. Terrible, terrible standup. Weidman shot in and again took Sakara down against the cage into side control. Weidman worked short forearm strikes to the face. Sakara tried to escape but Weidman kept him on his back. He got to half guard and landed more strikes. Sakara got back to his feet but just briefly as Weidman took him down again. He landed a number of strikes against the cage as the fight came to an end.

Penick's Analysis: 10-9 Weidman. That was another great round to seal it for him after a close first round that could have gone either way. Considering this was only his fifth fight, that was a very good performance.

[Commercial Break]

WINNER: Weidman via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

POST FIGHT: Weidman thanked the UFC for the opportunity and said he wanted the win really bad. He said he came in there to stop him but isn't surprised he wasn't able to finish him considering he's a veteran.

STAR RATING: (**) It was a good performance from Weidman, but not an entirely thrilling fight. Sakara just didn't have an answer for the takedowns as the fight went on and took a ton of damage down the stretch.

[Commercial Break]

-Joe Rogan interviews Mauricio "Shogun" Rua via satellite ahead of UFC 128.

FIGHT THREE: C.B. DOLLAWAY VS. MARK MUNOZ (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Dollaway came forward and landed a hard leg kick early. Munoz tried to get in close but Dollaway got in and took him down. He almost got a good position but ended up letting Munoz stand up. Munoz cracked him with a huge right and came back at him and landed another big uppercut that sent him sprawling back. Dollaway fell to his back and Munoz landed two hammer fists and Mario Yamasaki stopped the fight. That was too early of a stoppage by Yamasaki. Dollaway was in trouble, but he was still reacting and attempting to grab Munoz. He got hit hard with four punches there.

WINNER: Munoz via TKO at :54 of the first round

POST FIGHT: Joe Rogan said Dollaway went out, I'm seeing those replays differently, but he was definitely hurt. It was quick, but Munoz had him in a bad, bad spot.

STAR RATING: (**) That ended really quickly, and the stoppage may have been a bit early, but it's still a big win for Munoz. It's a rough setback for Dollaway, and brings an end to his three fight win streak.

[Commercial Break]

PRELIM FIGHT B: THIAGO TAVARES VS. SHANE ROLLER (LIGHTWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Roller landed a couple of jabs early. He pressed Tavares and landed a couple of punches. He circled away as Tavares came forward. Roller blocked a head kick. Roller landed a left and avoided the overhand right from Tavares. Roller landed a leg kick. Tavares responded with one of his own. Roller got in a body punch. Roller rushed in and missed a combo but ended nicely with a straight kick. Tavares rocked Roller with a combo and a number of strikes on the cage. Goldberg called him a mini Vitor Belfort. Not quite, Mike. Roller recovered, but he was definitely in a bad spot there briefly. He landed a couple of nice jabs on Tavares. He shot in but was held off by Tavares. Roller landed a good leg kick. Tavares blocked an overhand right. Roller pressed Tavares to the cage and landed a straight kick. They got in the clinch and Tavares landed a knee as the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Tavares. He did the most significant damage in the round, and though Roller was aggressive and had some good combos of his own, Tavares did more in the round.

ROUND TWO: Tavares got in with an early combination. Roller landed a kick and Tavares returned one of his own. Roller popped in with a straight right. Tavares shot in and took Roller to the ground. Roller got back to his feet nicely, but Tavares kept a body lock on the cage. Tavares finally let it go and separated. Roller then knocked Tavares out with a right out of nowhere! He followed up with a few unnecessary punches on the ground and the fight is stopped. Huge right from Roller. Tavares fell straight back like Nate Quarry when he was knocked out by Rich Franklin.

WINNER: Roller via KO at 1:28 of the second round.

POST FIGHT: Roller said he wasn't using his movement in the first round, but in the second got some feints in and landed the right.

STAR RATING: (***-) The first round had some good back and forth action, but it was the knockout in the second that brought this fight up. Huge, huge right hand from Roller and a great win. Coming off the win over Jamie Varner, Roller is on a good roll right now.

[Commercial Break]

MAIN EVENT FIGHT FOUR: DIEGO SANCHEZ VS. MARTIN KAMPMANN (WELTERWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Sanchez came out to the center of the cage but they both tentatively felt each other out early. Kampmann engaged first with a short combination. Sanchez grabbed a thai clinch and landed a knee. He got in a decent short combo. Sanchez with a punch to the body. Kampmann stalked Sanchez but ate a straight right. Sanchez shot for a single leg and pressed Kampmann to the cage. Kampmann stuffed it, turned Sanchez around and landed a knee to the body. Kampmann dropped Sanchez with a straight right and grabbed a front headlock. Sanchez pulled a switch on the cage and got to his feet. They separated and Kampmann continued the striking assault. He landed a nice knee as Sanchez dropped down for a shot. He then stuffed the shot. Sanchez landed a nice pucnh. Kampmann sprawled another shot and just missed a knee. Sanchez landed a good punch to the body. Kampmann came back forward and landed a good short combination. Kampmann landed another counter right and Kampmann is battering Sanchez's face up. Sanchez shot in for a double leg again and got stuffed. Sanchez ate a counter left before the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kampmann. Sanchez didn't look good in that round. Kampmann out-struck him, messed his face up and stuffed his takedowns throughout the round. Could be a long night for the newly nicknamed "Dream."

ROUND TWO: Sanchez tried to grab a leg early but Kampmann held him off. Sanchez went right back in for a double leg, landed a knee to the thigh, but still couldn't get Kampmann down. Kampmann stalked him down and landed a nice combination. Kampmann again landed more punches as he walked him down to the cage. Sanchez shot in again and pressed Kampmann to the cage. Kampmann stuffed him again and landed a few more strikes. Sanchez shot in again, but once more could not get the takedown. Kampmann landed a good strike. Sanchez pressed Kampmann to the cage and started swinging and he landed a bunch of punches. He hurt Kampmann there and Kampmann is bleeding. Sanchez shot in again but was stuffed yet again. Sanchez threw a high kick that was nowhere near landing. Kampmann landed a few counter-strikes. Sanchez pressed in and landed a few punches in combination. They traded punches in the center. Sanchez continued landing strikes against the cage and hurt Kampmann again before the round ended.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sanchez. He stole the round by doing more damage overall and he hurt Kampmann a number of times. Big round and this fight is even into the third.

ROUND THREE: Both fighters exchanged strikes in the center of the cage. Sanchez landed a hard right. He popped in with a hard right again. Sanchez with a right to the body. He shot in for a single and Kampmann stuffed him again. He landed a knee as Sanchez got back up. Kampmann landed a left. Diego landed a nice punch. He came forward with another combo and landed a couple of the punches thrown. Sanchez tried to shoot again and Kampmann stuffed him once more. Sanchez landed a nice left and followed it up with more punches. Sanchez shot in once more and finally completed a takedown into side control. Kampmann gave up his back but Sanchez slipped off and Kampmann got to his feet. They traded punches again. Sanchez scored with another short combo. He landed a number of big punches. Kampmann landed a nice counter punch with a minute left. Sanchez pressed Kampmann to the cage and landed a big combination. Sanchez landed another combo against the cage and he's pressind the action. Sanchez's face is bleeding profusely. He tries to chase Kampmann down but misses and gets hit even more.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kampmann. Sanchez missed a lot of those punches and Kampmann lit him up late in the round. This was a close fight, and both had their moments, and really either fighter could win this one with the second and third being really close.

WINNER: Sanchez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

POST FIGHT: The crowd boos the decision. Sanchez said they both got caught with some big shots, they both got caught, but he thought he won the fight by controlling the pressure. He thanked the fans in Louisville. Sanchez's face is just messed up right now. Kampmann said he thought he won the fight and the crowd cheered for him. He said he thought he won all three rounds, but just look at Diego's face. He said he felt he landed the cleaner shots. He said Diego's a tough warrior but he's very disappointed.

STAR RATING: (***+) This was a really good fight, regardless of your thoughts on the decision. It was a close fight, especially in the second and the third. Sanchez missed a lot of his flurries, but continuously pressed the action, and did land a lot of damage when they started trading punches at the cage. Kampmann is in a position where once again he feels he won a fight but didn't do enough himself to outright claim it. It's the continuously spouted adage about not leaving it in the hands of the judges, and Kampmann simply couldn't do enough tonight to take it from the judges.

-That's another event in the books. Thanks for joining us tonight for our live round by round coverage of the fights. Be sure to stick with us for fallout this weekend, and check in Saturday night as we'll be live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, for Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson, airing live on Showtime.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_PPVs_6/article_8643.shtml

Jaime Gutierrez Dave Gomez Keith Hackney Matt Hamill

BELLATOR NEWS: Eddie Alvarez vs. Pat Curran officially headlines Bellator 39 from the Mohegan Sun Arena, Ben Saunders debuts

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Logo_Bellator_150_246.jpg

The Bellator Lightweight Championship bout between Eddie Alvarez and Pat Curran will headline Bellator's fourth trip the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on April 2, the organization announced on Wednesday.

The event, which will be Bellator 39, will air live on MTV2 beginning at 9PM ET. Tickets for the event are on sale now, ranging from $35 to $75.

"Returning to Mohegan Sun in Season 4 was a high priority for us ? Mohegan Sun has a spectacular venue, a great gaming facility and a luxurious hotel. I?m really looking forward to our return," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "Putting together an incredible night of fights is only one part of the equation ? having a great place to show it is the other and Mohegan Sun is the perfect venue for this event."

Alvarez fights for the first time since his October victory over Roger Huerta. The season one lightweight tournament winner will make his first title defense in the bout against Curran.

Curran, who captured the season two tournament victory with wins over Mike Ricci, Huerta and Toby Imada, will fight for the first time since the season two finals win.

The card will also feature the debut of former UFC veteran Ben "Killa B" Saunders in a bout against Bellator and Strikeforce veteran Matt Lee, as well as the semifinal round of Bellator's welterweight tournament, which kicks off this Saturday in Bellator's season four debut.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Bellator/article_8638.shtml

Scott Morris Johnnie Morton Ben Mortimer Curtis Mostat