Lightweight bouts between Bobby Green and Abel Trujillo, as well as Michael Johnson and Josh Thomson are no more.

The shuffle comes on the heels of the news that Johnson has been forced to withdraw from his bout with Thomson at  UFC on Fox 12 “Lawler vs. Brown” on July 26 in San Jose, Calif., stepping in will be Green who now leaves Trujillo without an opponent.

UFC officials confirmed the switches on Friday. The promotion went on to add that it’s actively searching for a new opponent for “Killa.”

Green and Trujillo were originally set to meet in February at UFC 169, but that matchup was scratched when Green withdrew from the bout due to injury. The fight was then scheduled for UFC 176, but that event was subsequently cancelled and again the tilt was moved to  Aug. 16 card in Maine.

Green last competed in December, when he extended his current winning streak to seven with a unanimous decision against Pat Healy.

Thomson hinted at possibly hanging up his gloves following a controversial decision defeat to Benson Henderson this past January, but that is clearly not the case. The former Strikeforce champion has alternated wins and losses in his last six fights and debuted in the UFC last year with a second-round technical knockout of Nate Diaz.

http://www.sherdog.com

Wadi Camacho admits defeat is ‘not an option’ as he prepares to face Stephen Simmons in a crucial cruiserweight clash.

The Londoner’s career has stuttered amidst costly defeats against China Clarke and Tony Conquest, but he will rise up the rankings with a win over Simmons at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow on June 27, live on Sky Sports.

Camacho, a Prizefighter champion, insists he learned from the two setbacks and will produce a dominant performance in front of his Scottish rival’s supporters.

He said: “Losing to him is not an option. It's the mistakes I've made that have seen me lose and I have learnt from my two defeats as I gave those fights away. I am strong-minded and in a happy place.

I've got this boy in front of me and I need to do the business. I'm going there full steam ahead and it's going to be a hot night for him, too hot.

“There's only going to be one man throwing bombs and that's me. He's going to be chucking wild shots, but I am not predicting what I am going to do, everybody knows what I do, so I'll let the fans talk about that.

“I am just going to go and enjoy myself, and put on a beautiful performance for the Scottish fans.”

The pair were team-mates in the Great Britain set-up but have fallen out since then, stoking up their rivalry with some ugly exchanges on social media sites.

Amateurs

Camacho is confident he will dish out a first defeat to his unbeaten foe, suggesting that the Scot has not improved since they were amateurs.

“We were on the GB team together and went to America on the same team and I even have photos of us two together as mates,” said Camacho. “Maybe he was worried about me taking his place on the squad? I don’t know.

“We did a bit of sparring a few years ago, but it was just a bit of technical stuff. With him what you see now is that same as he was six or seven years ago, he hasn’t been exposed properly and on June 27 I’m going to expose him.”

All of the bad blood in the build-up should mean Camacho receives a hot reception in Glasgow, but he has vowed to keep his cool when the first bell rings.

“I’m expecting a hostile atmosphere in the Braehead Arena come fight night,” said Camacho. “Booing and jeering, loads of noise, but I say to his fans: ‘Keep that coming, the more boos I get the more it will lift me up’. I’m going to take all the negativity and turn it positive, it’s going to be great.

“I'm just grateful that I have the chance to box on a big bill and fight somewhere I have never fought before and put on a great show on Sky Sports.”

Former world champion Ricky Burns returns to action on the same bill, facing unbeaten Montenegrin Dejan Zlaticanin in an official eliminator for the WBC world lightweight title.

Reigning British champion Curtis Woodhouse will also face Commonwealth title holder Willie Limond.

www1.skysports.com

A former Ultimate Fighter champion has found a home in the Titan Fighting Championships.

Efrain Escudero, the TUF 8 lightweight season winner, has signed with the company and will debut against E.J. Brooks on August 22 at TFC 29 in Fayetteville, N.C., new TFC COO Lex McMahon announced on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour.

Escudero (22-8), a native of Sonora, Mexico who now lives in Tempe, Ariz., defeated Philipe Nover to win TUF 8 back in 2008. He had a pair of stints in the UFC, the last one ending after a decision loss to Mac Danzig at UFC 145.

Since then, Escudero has made the rounds, competing in RFA, Bellator, and myriad independent promotion. He has won four out of his past five fights, including a TKO win over Juha-Pekka Vainikainen in his last fight in March in Sweden.

Brooks (7-3), a 28-year old from Illinois, is a former Bellator and RFA competitor. He's dropped his past three fights after winning the first seven of his career.

http://www.mmafighting.com

Jackson’s MMA Announces That They Will Start Their Association Program Allowing Gyms To Affiliate With One Of The World’s Premier Combat Sport Gyms. Being Part Of The Association Earns A Gym A Three And A Half Day Seminar At The Jackson’s MMA Gym And The Opportunity To Share The Curriculum From The World Renowned Gym.

Gyms around the world have utilized an affiliate program to expand their brand, whether it has been the Gracie Barra line of gyms or the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu gyms, even the American Top Team gym has a program to become their affiliate.

The basic idea of this opportunity is to align a smaller gym with a well-recognized gym in order for the small gym to expand on reputation and the larger gym to expand the brand into new markets. It is a trade-off between the two entities without the need for large-financial commitment. It would take the small gym several years to grow to even a fraction of the size of these larger gyms which in turn would cost an exponentially significant amount of money to accomplish and the larger gym would have to open their own gym in these small markets which would force commitment to getting a building, sending instructors and hoping the gym flourishes.

The association or affiliation program is basically a middle-grounds for both small and large gyms to erase those complications. In an announcement today, it was revealed that Jackson’s MMA would start their own association.

Per the Press Release sent out today by Jackson’s MMA General Manager Ricky Kottenstette:

A unique opportunity is now available to Martial Arts Instructors and Coaches. Renowned Mixed Martial Arts Coach Greg Jackson is extending an invitation to join the Jackson’s MMA Association and be part of the world’s premiere MMA team. Coach Jackson is seeking affiliates who share his passion for coaching and teaching Mixed Martial Arts. For those who choose to become part of the team – they will benefit from a structured, leveled, progressive MMA curriculum program customized for children as well as adults. Existing Martial Arts Schools and Gyms can add a well organized and structured MMA program to existing class offerings.

Affiliate instructors will train in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, home to Coach Jackson’s fight team for three and half days. Training will be conducted at our primary facility as well as at our pro facility – a truly unique and exciting opportunity. Coach Jackson and his staff will provide instruction so that affiliate instructors will be confident teaching Jackson’s MMA to their students. Support extends beyond initial instructor training as the association has an affiliate portal with access to curriculum schedules, class plans, video instruction and much more. Choosing to become an affiliate will allow your school or gym to become associated with the most accomplished and recognized fight team in the world today.

Martial arts school owners should contact our representatives to understand how adding the Jackson’s MMA program through the association can benefit their school and their business. By becoming an affiliate the school and students will be recognized as such on the association web site as well as with social media.

The association is also recognizing the first 100 affiliates as Founding Affiliates. Founding Affiliate Instructors will be provided a special 4 hour exclusive seminar with Coach Jackson prior to the start and in addition to their instructor training. Class sizes for instructor training sessions are capped at 25 students so you will be assured to have access to Coach Jackson.

This new opportunity is major for the expansion of the Albuquerque gym that has remained local despite it’s global brand expansion. The opportunity to work with world-renowned Greg Jackson would be a great opportunity looking to improve, upgrade or jump-start their own gym curriculum. The Jackson’s MMA gym is also home to renowned and elite level coaches Brandon Gibson, Mike Valle and the one of the sport’s top striking coaches Mike Winkeljohn.

The Press Release also leaves contact information for potential suitors:

Contacts: Greg Hendrick or Ricky Kottenstette

Call 505.209.3080 (Ext 703 or Ext 704) for more information or visit www.jacksonsmmaassociation.com

http://swfight.com

Donald Cowboy Cerrone is on a hot streak, winning his last four inside the Octagon. UFC.com takes a look at what could be next for the lightweight contender.

Putting together a win streak nowadays inside the Octagon is no small feat. Every division is absolutely packed with talent and, on any given night, even the best of the best are bound to taste defeat.

Donald Cerrone continued his impressive beat down of the lightweight division at Fight Night Atlantic City Wednesday when he became the first man to hand Jim Miller a loss by knockout.

That makes four straight finishes for Cowboy and there seems to be plenty of options waiting for him in his next potential fight. Let's look at some of the possible matchups.

> Watch: Donald Cerrone's Fight Night AC Post Fight Octagon Interview

Khabib Nurmagomedov

Maybe the sexiest potential fight for Cerrone, Khabib took to Twitter almost immediately after Cowboy's big win to let everybody, including UFC President Dana White, know that he's game to fight the red hot Cerrone.

The undefeated Russian lightweight, who is currently ranked No. 4 in the official UFC rankings, would be a massive test for Cerrone. The first thing most fight fans think about when referencing Khabib is his amazing sambo, which was on full display in his dominant win over Abel Trujilo at UFC 160.

But Cowboy's elite takedown defense may be the answer to handing Nurmagomedov his first loss. Cowboy defends takedowns at an 87 percent clip, which is good for the second-best mark in lightweight history. If the fight remains on the feet, look for Cowboy to unload his devastating striking assasult which has helped him to a division record 12 finishes in his UFC/WEC career.

> Watch: Cowboy Talks About The Meaning Behind Tattoos

Winner of Benson Henderson/Rafael dos Anjos

Cerrone has some unfinished business with both Benson and Rafael, suffering losses to both fighters earlier in his career.

But some would argue that the current version of Cowboy is the most dangerous ever. Those looking for evidence need to look no further than his relentless pursuit of the finish throughout his current win streak. Against dos Anjos the first time around, both fighters landed their share of shots on the feet, but Rafael was able to pull off a pair of takedowns and control Cowboy on the ground.   Benson holds a pair of victories over Cerrone back in their WEC days, but the last meeting was over four years ago. It might be time for the third episode in the trilogy to see who gets a crack at the winner of Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez.

Josh Thomson

Making his presence felt immediately when he made his return to the Octagon in April 2013, Thomson became the first fighter to ever finish Nate Diaz by KO or TKO with a brutal head kick.

Thomson, the former Strikeforce lightweight champion, made three appearances in the UFC back in 2003 and 2005. After beating Diaz, Thomson met former UFC champ Benson Henderson back in January and lost by split decision. The Punk will fight Bobby Green at UFC on FOX: Lawler vs. Brown on July 26, and if he wins he'll be looking to get back into the title conversation, and what better title eliminator bout  than Thomson vs. Cerrone.

Going into Cerrone vs. Miller, everybody seemed convinced the bout had fight of the year potential, and a Cerrone-Thomson slugfest has the same appeal.

www.ufc.com

 Zak Cummings: Laughing at the Odds

Zak Cummings laughs at your betting odds. Literally.

At least when it concerns him being a 5 to 1 underdog to a fellow Ultimate Fighter alum who was also making only his second Octagon appearance. Add to that, Cummings’ UFC debut was a Submission of the Night win by way of a very slick first-round D’arce choke. Nevertheless, at UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva, Cummings found out the bad news at the last possible moment that oddsmakers had little to no faith in him that evening against Yan Cabral, and he couldn’t have cared any less.

“I laughed when I saw the odds come out,” reveals Cummings. “I knew I was the underdog, but I didn’t realize how stacked it was until he was actually entering the cage and I looked up at the screen and saw the odds (laughs). I started laughing in the cage when I saw them. I was like, ‘Whatever. We’ll see.’”

The 29-year-old, originally from Irving, Texas, was full of confidence heading into a clash with Nova Uniao’s highly-regarded BJJ black belt Cabral. Sure, Cabral was an accomplished grappler with an undefeated pro MMA record that saw him score 10 of his 11 wins by submission, but Cummings is a game fighter who had competed at a high level one and two weight classes above 170 pounds and owned nine of his 16 career wins by submission. Maybe they didn’t see it, but Cummings knew what he was capable of, especially after tasting Cabral’s best in the first round, and he went out there and proved the oddsmakers dead wrong.

“It pretty much went how I thought it would,” tells Cummings. “I knew he was going to come out and try to take me down and put me on my back. He was able to in the first round. He wanted no part of my standup. After he felt my power, he shot over and over again. It started wearing him down and he was mentally breaking and I just took control of the fight. I didn’t really feel in danger in the first round. He had a fully locked down triangle and couldn’t finish me with it. He ended up on top and somewhat had a mount position when I was against the fence, but I never really felt in danger. Even though he was in a normally dominant position, I didn’t feel in danger at all. That gave me a huge confidence boost.”

Cabral took the opening five minutes on the scorecards, but the next 10 belonged squarely in Cummings’ hands. “We came out for the second round, he threw that head kick that I caught and I chucked him off to the side - that kind of set the pace for the rest of the fight,” remembers Cummings, who would go on to score three takedowns and land four times as many significant strikes in the remainder of his unanimous decision win.”I just didn’t think he had fought anybody that had the grind and the wrestling that I have. I was really a bad matchup for him.”

In his two Octagon appearances / wins since his stint on TUF 17, Cummings has proved that he’s a truly dangerous animal at welterweight. Previously, Cummings racked up 18 pro fights at 185 and 205 pounds, where he went 15-3. Of those defeats, two were five-round decisions, with one being to currently #15 ranked UFC light heavyweight Ryan Jimmo, and Cummings has only been finished once and that was five years ago to currently #6 ranked UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy. Now, in back-to-back 170 performances, Cummings has shown improved speed, strength, durability, and, as mentioned, sheer confidence in the cage.

“I feel amazing at this weight,” states Cummings. “I never got manhandled or ‘out-strengthed’ at 185 or at 205, but this is the weight that I really need to be competing at. I’ve known that for a while, but it’s one of those things where if you’re not losing then there wasn’t a reason to do it. Now, I’m fighting the best guys in the world and fight for the best promotion possible, so let’s take a serious run at this and do it at the right weight class. I knew I could get to 170, but I just had to make a lot of changes. I made those changes and it has meant the world to me. My speed is there and I feel very strong and powerful. I’ve got knockout power in both hands and I’m very strong when I clinch on to somebody. I finally feel like I’m at a weight class where it is all coming together for me.”

Up next, Cummings will get his biggest opportunity yet to climb the divisional ranks as he meets Gunnar Nelson in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandao. The #13 ranked Nelson is coming off a highlight reel effort in London against Omari Akhmedov, where the Icelandic wunderkind scored a Performance of the Night bonus with his first-round guillotine choke victory. The 25-year-old Renzo Gracie BJJ black belt is unbeaten as an MMA pro in 13 bouts and he owns three wins inside the Octagon. With the clash set in Dublin, Nelson will no doubt have the crowd’s support as he trains under coach John Kavanagh at SBG Ireland.

“The last time I watched him fight I thought he was impressive,” admits Cummings. “Actually, my mom called me and was like, ‘That guy’s pretty good.’ I know Gunnar is a more dangerous fighter than Cabral was MMA-wise, but I feel like they’re very similar guys. Gunnar’s striking is very different with that unorthodox, karate style, but he’s a grappler at heart. He’s a very good grappler like Cabral and he’s going to try and take this fight to the ground and put me on my back. I really feel like it’s going to be very similar to the last fight stylistically. I’ve prepared for a war, I’ve prepared for a Fight of the Night. I hope he has too.”

In preparation for Nelson, Cummings has been busy training under the watchful eye of coach Deryck Ripley at Glory MMA Fitness in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. A resident of “The Show-Me State” since he was three years old, Cummings’ small Midwestern gym boasts two more UFC rising talents besides himself in lightweight James Krause and #11 ranked flyweight Tim Elliott. For strength conditioning, Cummings works with Brian Wilkerson at River Market Crossfit and is an avid swimmer. In charge of keeping him upright is his chiropractor Renny Russell, as Cummings jokes, “If I didn’t have him my body would be falling apart (laughs).”

Obviously, Cummings’ ground game was tested against Cabral in his last outing and, most likely, will be tested again by Nelson. As mentioned, Cummings is a BJJ brown belt, and before that he wrestled from sixth grade through junior college. Nowadays, Cummings’ ground talents are being honed by one of the best in Wendell Alexander (co-founder of Nova Uniao) BJJ black belt Leo Pecanha. When asked why he can excel on the ground against someone like Cabral or Nelson, Cummings answered, “I’m not going in there to put on a gi and put on a sports jiu-jitsu match with these guys - it’s a fight and that’s something I do pretty well.

“I think I do a very good job remembering that I’m in an MMA fight and not in a jiu-jitsu match when I hit the ground,” continues Cummings. “A lot of these guys, these top level jiu-jitsu guys, they strike and strike and then when they hit the ground they pretty much go straight jiu-jitsu. I do a very good job of mixing in my punches and wrestling and my scrambles along with my jiu-jitsu game. I know that helped me out a lot in my last fight. If we had just done a straight jiu-jitsu match, who knows what would have happened. But I was able to hit him in the face with a couple of punches and he was letting go of all kinds of submission attempts. He went for a kneebar and I landed a couple of hard shots with my left hand and he let go immediately and that’s how I took his back.”

This Saturday in Ireland’s capital city, Cummings will collide with Nelson for a co-main event scrap with Fight of the Night written all over it. “When you have two guys who don’t want to play the point system - they want to choke the other guy out or knock him out - it makes for an exciting fight,” asserts Cummings, who is ready to take out the favorite once again with a smile on his face. “I know I’m going to come in as the underdog and I’ll be laughing at it again. I know where my skill set is and I know I can compete with these guys and I know I can compete with the best guys in the world and Gunnar’s one of them. But it’s my time to prove to everybody else that I’m one of those guys too.”

www.ufc.com

Heavyweight contender Chris Arreola underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow on Monday in Los Angeles, trainer Henry Ramirez told ESPN.com.

On May 10, Arreola challenged Bermane Stiverne for a vacant world title -- the belt that Vitali Klitschko relinquished when he retired in December -- and got knocked out in the sixth round in Los Angeles in a rematch of a previous decision loss to Stiverne.

Ramirez said the elbow has been bothering Arreola (35-4, 31 KOs), 33, of Riverside, Calif., for the past few years but that it further deteriorated during training camp for the title fight.

The doctor said he couldn't believe that Chris has been fighting all these years with it, said Ramirez, who was at Kerlan-Jobe Surgery Center with Arreola, who was waiting to be released. He always favored the arm and this camp it was happening almost every sparring session, especially when he got hit on it. It really bothered him in camp. And he hurt it in the fight.

The doctor termed it an arthritic elbow. They did a scope. They cleaned up scar tissue and fragments.

Ramirez said Arreola would not have full motion in the elbow for about a month and then would have stem cell treatment before he being allowed to train again in about eight weeks.

He had a cortisone shot going into the fight, which he got in late April, Ramirez said. But by the time the fight came it had gone away. It's something he's been dealing with but it has gotten progressively worse.

Ramirez and promoter Dan Goossen said if all goes well with Arreola's recovery the plan is to schedule his next fight for sometime in October.

http://espn.go.com/

Heavyweight contender Vyacheslav Czar Glazkov, coming off a career-best victory against longtime contender Tomasz Adamek in March, will return to action against Derric Rossy on Aug. 9, Main Events announced Wednesday.

The scheduled 10-round bout will headline a Fight Night tripleheader at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Also on the card is a 12-round light heavyweight fight between Robert Berridge and Vasily Lepikhin and red-hot heavyweight prospect Joseph Parker of New Zealand, who will face an opponent to be determined in the scheduled eight-round opener.

This card features a bunch of powerful big men, so I expect to see some fireworks at the Sands on August 9th, Main Events chief executive Kathy Duva said. I'm happy to bring Czar Glazkov back after his impressive performance against Tomasz Adamek in March and to introduce some new faces to the 'Fight Night' fans.

The 29-year-old Glazkov (17-0-1, 11 KOs), a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist from Ukraine, who moved with his wife and daughter to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, about a month ago, will be working with trainer (and former world titleholder) John David Jackson for the first time.

He is 100 percent concentrated on boxing. Many changes came into his life since he moved here, manager Egis Klimas said. He started working with his new trainer John David Jackson so it will be interesting to see the new Czar.

Said Glazkov, Preparation in Florida is going well and John and I have a good understanding. He is adding some new stuff and I like it. I can't wait to try new things in the ring.

Rossy (29-8-0, 14 KOs), 34, of Medford, New York, is a journeyman opponent who has lost two of his last three fights and six of his last 10. But when few opponents were willing to face Glazkov, Rossy was.

Tune in boxing fans because you will see some great heavyweight action, Rossy said.

Berridge (24-1-1, 20 KOs), a 29-year-old southpaw from New Zealand, will be making his United States debut against Lepikhin (15-0, 8 KOs), 29, of Russia, who will be fighting outside of his home country for the first time.

Parker (9-0, 8 KOs), 22, a former amateur standout, scored a seventh-round knockout of veteran American Brian Minto in New Zealand last Saturday. Parker has been getting enormous hype in his home country. The fight will be his second in the United States, having fought in Irvine, California, in his fifth pro bout in May 2013.

http://espn.go.com/

Demetrious Johnson will defend his UFC flyweight title against Chris Cariaso at UFC 177.

UFC officials Tuesday announced that the 125-pound championship bout will serve as the co-main event to the pay-per-view card Aug. 30 at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Calif.

Following Johnson’s five-round shellacking of Ali Bagautinov at UFC 176, many MMA fans and pundits wondered how soon “Mighty Mouse” would fight on a pay-per-view card following reports of poor buy rates. As it turns out, the wait will only be a little over two months, but this time Johnson’s defense will support the headlining bantamweight title rematch pitting T.J. Dillashaw against Renan Barao.

Top contender John Dodson’s recent knee injury likely threw a wrench into the UFC’s flyweight title plans, but a game and streaking Cariaso will try and make the most of his opportunity. The former World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight has been competing at flyweight since 2012. After going 1-3 to start, “Kamikaze” has bounced back by winning three consecutive bouts, most recently against Louis Smolka at UFC Fight Night “Brown vs. Silva.”

http://www.sherdog.com

After almost 25 minutes of war in the main event of UFC 175, title challenger Lyoto Machida unloaded a last-minute barrage of punches at the champ, hoping to land a desperation knockout blow to become the first fighter to beat Chris Weidman.

But after a 10-second flurry, the champ collected himself, stepped forward and signaled to Machida to keep on coming. That hand gesture was the perfect end to the memorable bout, and the champ will need that fervor considering what's waiting for him in a daunting and stacked middleweight division.

Bryan Callen hosted a live podcast on the stage at UFC Fan Expo on July 6, and called the middleweight division the Murderers Row of the UFC. It's not really a stretch, either.

So with fight fans' focus beginning to shift to what's next for Weidman as he prepares for his next foe, UFC.com takes a peek at a number of those potential title contenders and what those matchups would look like.

> Watch: Order the UFC 175 Replay on UFC Fight Pass

Ronaldo Jacare Souza

Jacare vs. Weidman may be the most intriguing matchup that lies ahead in the division. The former Strikeforce king has an always-improving stand-up game that he is able to combine with world-class jiu-jitsu and judo.

Souza is a perfect 3-0 in the Octagon and is set for a huge clash with Gegard Mousasi. Jacare suffered a loss against Mousasi back in 2008, so a win over the veteran middleweight would surely make a strong case for Souza to be next in line for a shot at Weidman.

When Jacare and Weidman finally hook up, their stellar skill sets will set the stage for an intriguing matchup. Both fighters look to take the center of the Octagon and are always going forward and pushing the pace. Both fighters can get the fight to the ground, and when they do they will look to throw powerful shots from every position. Souza's transitions are amazing, and if Weidman finds himself in the top position, the questions will be whether or not he's able to deploy his deadly ground and pound with Jacare looking for a submission.

Vitor Belfort

One of the most feared strikers in UFC history, Belfort has won 10 of his last 12 fights, losing only to Anderson Silva and Jon Jones in title fights.

The Phenom was set to face Weidman at UFC 173, but the bout fell through when the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned the use of testosterone. Belfort was on the drug and needed time to ween himself off, but he failed a random drug test in February, which means he'll still need to be approved by the commission before he is able to compete again in the UFC.

If Belfort is able to return to the Octagon, he'll present a unique challenge for Weidman with his power and experience. The champ showed he can take a punch at UFC 175 after Machida landed a number of big shots in the later rounds, but Belfort would be the biggest puncher he's faced yet in his career.

Something else to remember about Vitor, who holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is that he almost forced Jones to tap out due to an armbar when the two met at UFC 152. If Weidman is able to get Belfort to the ground, where the champ does some of his most devastating damage, he'll have to be careful as Vitor looks to attack from his back.

> Watch: Weidman on Colin Cowherd

Luke Rockhold

Rockhold is still recovering from a broken toe suffered against Tim Boetsch at UFC 172, but the former Strikeforce champion has been very vocal about wanting a rematch against Belfort, the only loss he's suffered in his last 12 fights.

With Weidman looking to need some recovery time of his own after his war with Machida, a No. 1 contender match between Rockhold and Belfort could be a possibility if Belfort is able to fight.

Known for his clever and accurate striking, Rockhold, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, has demonstrated his well-rounded arsenal throughout his career, with five submission wins, most recently a finish of Tim Boetsch in April.

Weidman has showed his elite stand-up, controlling KO artist Machida for the majority of their fight in the stand-up, as well as in the historic KO finish of Anderson Silva. Rockhold would be best served to use his accurate striking to wear down the champ and take his chances in the later rounds, unless he can pull off a submission on top or from his back.

Lyoto Machida

This is an easy one - who doesn't want to see five more rounds between The Dragon and Weidman? It looked like Machida figured some things out in the fourth round against the champ, and another meeting between the two would be a very compelling main event.

With so many other contenders waiting for their shot, it's impossible to predict who will get the next shot, but Machida-Weidman 2 is a guaranteed thriller after what we just witnessed at UFC 175.

What's Your Take? Make sure to tell us what you think in the comments below!

www.ufc.com

LAS VEGAS -- Two of the three fights Floyd Mayweather Jr. has had on his six-fight Showtime/CBS contract -- Robert Guerrero and Marcos Maidana -- failed to reach the benchmark 1-million buy mark, the figure Mayweather has said is a big deal.

But both of those bouts were organized with little room to spare and resulted in poor promotions that got off to a slow start without a media tour.

The one fight that surged past 2 million buys and set the all-time pay-per-view revenue record was his showdown with Canelo Alvarez. That fight included a 10-city tour. I strongly believe the excitement created by the tour across the country gave the promotion a massive jolt and was a big factor in helping it set multiple records, even though it was a hot fight from the moment it was announced.

Mayweather announced Thursday that he will fight Maidana again on Sept. 13 at the MGM Grand, but this time there will be a five-city tour -- something the fight really needs if Mayweather has a prayer to bolster his sagging pay-per-view numbers. I think it can only help stoke interest in the rematch of what was an excellent fight in May, albeit a close but clear win for Mayweather, who unified welterweight titles.

The tour stops are all open and free to the public (first come, first served). Here's a rundown on the particulars if you are interested in checking out any of the stops. If you've never been, these tour stops are a lot of fun.

• Monday, noon ET: New York at the pedestrian walk in Times Square between 42nd and 43rd Streets.

• Monday, 6:30 p.m. ET: Washington, D.C. at DAR Constitution Hall. A performance by rapper and D.C. native Wale will follow the press conference.

• Tuesday, 11 a.m. CT: Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre.

• Tuesday, 6 p.m. CT: San Antonio at Six Flags Fiesta Texas’ Lone Star Lil's Amphitheater.

• Thursday, noon ET: Los Angeles at Pershing Square.

http://espn.go.com/

Mitchell Smith believes his performance in defeating previously unbeaten Peter Cope for the vacant English title on Wednesday underlines his status as one of boxing's rising stars.

The 21-year-old floored Cope in the sixth round before claiming a unanimous points decision from the ringside judges.

Cope is the Harrow boxer's second consecutive unbeaten scalp after his two-round demolition of Mark Evans in February and Smith is targeting more success in the next 12 months.

When I knocked the Welsh champion Mark Evans out in two rounds people starting asking questions about my ability to go 10 or 12 rounds, Smith told Sky Sports.

But I did 10 rounds tonight at a decent pace, I'm answering questions all the time and I'm ticking all the right boxes.

I've been a pro now two years and I'm doing things the traditional way, Southern Area, now the English and I'd like to challenge for the British in the next 12 months.

But it was a patient and mature performance tonight and I'm so happy to go down in history as having been an English champion.

Meanwhile, Frank Buglioni bounced back from the loss of his European belt to Sergei Khomitsky with a fine fourth-round stoppage victory over Sam Couzens.

A packed undercard at London’s York Hall also saw wins for Bradley Skeete, Gary Corcoran, Tom Baker and Romeo Romaeo.

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Rising welterweights will battle at the UFC 178 card in Las Vegas, as the promotion announced that former UFC title contender Patrick Cote will take on knockout artist Stephen Thompson in the pay-per-view card at Nevada’s pay-per-view card on Sept. 27.

Cote (20-8) enters the fight coming off three consecutive victories over Alessio Sakara, Bobby Voelker and Kyle Noke. The TUF: Nations coach is 3-1 since his return to the Octagon. The Canadian went 4-0 when fighting for other promotions in 2011 and 2012.

Thompson (9-1) bounced back from his first professional loss to Matt Brown, winning three straight since May 2013. After going the distance against Nah-shon Burrell, Wonderboy finished Chris Clements and Robert Whittaker.

New fights were also announced for the UFC 177 card in Sacramento, Calif., including a battle of exciting lightweights.

Ramsey Nijem and Carlos Diego Ferreira, who were last seen in the Octagon in devastating first-round victories worth of Performance of the Night bonuses, are set to collide on Aug. 30.

Nijem (9-4) finished Beneil Dariush with punches in Abu Dhabi, scoring his second win in a row following a decision over Justin Edwards. The TUF 13 runner-up looks for his sixth victory under the UFC banner.

Undefeated in MMA, Ferreira (10-0) impressed in his UFC debut in June, scoring a 38-second submission victory over Colton Smith. The lightweight entered the UFC after winning the Legacy FC 155-pound title in November.

UFC 177 will also feature a heavyweight bout between Ruan Potts and Anthony Hamilton.

Potts (8-2) looks for his first UFC win after a first-round loss to Soa Palelei in May. The former Extreme Fighting Championship Africa heavyweight champion entered the UFC in a three-fight winning streak with three first-round submissions.

Hamilton (12-3) also had his winning streak snapped in his UFC debut. Freight Train, a former MFC heavyweight champion who entered the Octagon riding a six-fight winning streak with five finishes, tapped to Oleksiy Oliynyk in his first UFC appearance.

http://www.mmafighting.com

Bobby D. Presents jumps back in action for the second time this month after a successful fight card last July 11th at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA. Last Friday in Indio, Victor Ruiz of Tijuana defeated Timur Shailezov while Chantel Cordova captured the vacant NABF super flyweight title over Patty Alcivar via a unanimous decision in an all-action fight card. On Friday, July 25th, from his home base at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Diego, Bobby D. Presents offers “San Diego Fights: Border Wars II”. In the main event, a very special scheduled eight round bout will be featured between Aaron “Gavilan” Garcia (14-3-2, 4KO) of Vista, CA and Tijuana, Mexico’s Danny “Huracan” Ramirez (10-1, 4KO) for the vacant super featherweight California State title.

Garcia, one of the most decorated amateur fighters out of San Diego County, is on a four win streak after an eighteen month hiatus back in 2011. Since then, Garcia has stopped Cesar “Mayu” Garcia of Ensenada in the first round and Kevin Hoskins in the fifth. He’s gone the distance with Johnny Frazier and in his last fight against the game Thomas Herrera. In Ramirez he will find a tall and lanky Tijuana warrior who just dropped a unanimous decision to the talented Guy Robb is on the hot pursuit to get back on the winning streak and on the way grab the California state title.

In the first edition of “Border Wars”, Tijuana junior flyweight Kenia Enriquez (11-0, 6KO) stopped the recognized Jolene Blackshear of San Diego to capture the vacant NABF title. The scheduled eight round contest ended in the seventh when the third man in the ring, Jose Cobian, had seen Blackshear receive enough punishment and waived off the fight. Enriquez is scheduled for July 25th in the semi-main event against an opponent to be named shortly in a non-title fight. Ranked #6 in the world by the WBC and the IBF as well as #5 by the WBA, Enriquez looks to fight for a world title in the next twelve months.

Also featured on the card will be super bantamweight “Smokin” Joe Perez (4-1-1, 3KO), lightweight Viktor Chernous (15-1, 5KO) and lightweight Riccy Hood (1-0), all in separate fights.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel is located at 2270 Hotel Circle N., in the Mission Valley section of San Diego. Doors open at 6:30pm with the first punch thrown at 7:30pm. For tickets and info, please visit SanDiegoFights.com or call 619.420.8866.

http://www.fightnews.com/

Heavyweight Anthony Joshua believes Matt Skelton could receive a nasty shock after he compared him to Audley Harrison.

The Londoner will face Skelton, a former world title challenger, at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports.

This is only his seventh professional fight, but Skelton has questioned the quality of Joshua’s opponents so far, comparing him to Harrison, who failed to fulfil his potential in the paid ranks.

Joshua has taken the comparison as a positive, but insists there are stark differences between him and the fellow Olympic gold medallist.

“I take that as the utmost respect you know,” he told Sky Sports News. “Audley has done a lot for boxing, Olympic gold medallist, he opened the doors for the likes of myself and Luke Campbell, Nicola Adams, the whole Team GB.

But at the end of the day we’re different fighters and if he’s comparing me to Audley he’s in for a world of shock, because we’re completely different fighters and that’s just how it goes.

“We’re got different styles, I’m a different man and I’m going to bring something different to the table.

Joshua is rarely satisfied with his performances, despite six stoppage wins, and has been sharpening his skills during an intense training camp.

“It’s a really tough life,” he said. “You see the glitz and the glamour of things, but behind closed doors it’s a lot of sweat, hard work and criticism. Trying to get things right.

“That’s why I am so hard on myself with my performances because we train so hard.

“I really love what I do, that’s why no matter how much pain I go through, how down I am, I get up in the morning refreshed and ready to go to try and get it right.”

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Irish boxer Katie Taylor could not contain her delight after scooping Sky’s Sportswoman of the Month award for June.

Taylor won 33 per cent of the vote, beating off competition for the accolade from heptathlete Katerina Johnson-Thompson and golfer Michelle Wie who polled 24 per cent and 19 per cent respectively.

“Thanks so much. It is an absolutely huge honour for me particularly with the calibre of athletes that were nominated this month,” Taylor told Sky Sports News.

“I’d just like to thank everyone who has voted for me over the last week. It’s a huge honour and this sport has been incredible for me, so I’m delighted to have won this award. It’s fantastic for me.”

The Bray fighter, who is an Ambassador for Sky Sports Living for Sport, claimed her 16th major title in a row after winning the gold medal at last month’s European Championship in Bucharest.

It was Taylor’s sixth consecutive European title and the 28-year-old revealed her desire to constantly improve has been the key to her success.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” she said. “A lot of people see me coming back with these gold medals all the time but you don’t see how tough it is in the gym every single day.

“I try and go into every competition as an improved fighter and the beauty of sport is that you can never stop improving and you can never stop getting better.

“That’s what I’m aiming for - to become a better boxer every single day.”

The Olympic champion added: “The Europeans was the first major competition since the Olympic Games so it was very important for me to win it and I’m delighted to have retained my title.

“I’d love to defend my world title in November as well and my main goal is to defend my Olympic title in Rio so there’s a lot to train for.

“It’s going to be a tough few months but I have such a great team around me. My dad is my coach and with my dad by my side there is nothing we can’t achieve.”

Sportswoman of the Month June results:

Katie Taylor - 33%

Katarina Johnson-Thompson - 24%

Michelle Wie - 19%

Natasha Harding - 14%

Ellen Hoog - 5%

Siobhan-Marie O’Connor - 4%

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