MMA Junkie initially reported news of the contest on Thursday morning. Neither the bout nor the event has been officially announced by the promotion, and a venue for the show has yet to be determined.
Caceres, perhaps better known to fans of the reality series as “Bruce Leroy,” was eliminated by eventual “TUF” finalist Michael Johnson in the show's quarterfinal round. Only 22, Caceres snapped a two-fight losing streak by defeating Jahmal McLennan in February before signing on to participate in “TUF.” Typically fighting at lightweight, Caceres was scheduled to make his official UFC debut against Season 12 semi-finalist Nam Phan at the show's finale, but he was forced to withdraw due to injury. Caceres will make his featherweight debut at Fight Night 24.
Semezier is currently riding a three-fight losing streak heading into his UFC debut. The 30-year-old has had a difficult 2010, dropping contests to Deividas Taurosevicius, Javier Vazquez and Cub Swanson, respectively. To Semerzier's credit, however, his efforts against Swanson at WEC 52 earned him “Fight of the Night” honors. Prior to those defeats, the Linxx Academy product had an unbeaten record of 5-0, including a successful WEC debut against Brazilian submission specialist Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 43 that garnered him a “Submission of the Night” bonus.
Fight Night 24 is expected to be headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between former UFC champion Tito Ortiz and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and will likely feature the return of Anthony Johnson as he squares off against hard-hitting Brit Dan Hardy in a welterweight duel.
By Mike Whitman (mwhitman@sherdog.com)Thursday, December 30 10:22 am PT: Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia will replace Todd Duffee at Titan Fighting Championships 16 on Jan. 28 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. Sylvia will now meet “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 alum Abe Wagner in the show’s main event.TFC officials made the announcement on Thursday. According to a TFC press release, the acquisition of Sylvia was necessary after Titan CEO Joe Kelly gave Duffee permission to compete against Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem at “Dynamite: The Power of Courage 2010” on New Year’s Eve in Japan.
“Titan is a fighter-friendly organization. We treat the athletes that work with us like people and not commodities. While we were excited to have Todd be a part of our HDNet debut, we also realize how important the Overeem fight was for him at this stage of his career,” Kelly said. “I have a longstanding friendship with Todd’s manager, and Titan’s burgeoning relationship with HDNet is also very important. We didn’t want to stand in the way of this great fight happening on New Year’s Eve with everyone in the States also being able to watch on HDNet.”
Sylvia rides a four-fight win streak heading into the contest, defeating the likes of Paul Buentello and Mariusz Pudzianowski. Prior to his those victories, Sylvia had lost three consecutive bouts, as he was finished by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Fedor Emelianenko and former WBO heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer. His loss to Nogueira was the last bout in his lengthy UFC run, which saw “The Maine-iac” best the likes of Brandon Vera, Jeff Monson and former heavyweight titleholder Andrei Arlovski (twice).
By Jeff Sherwood (Jeff@Sherdog.com)Thursday, December 30 8:35 am PT:8:00 p.m. Versus: Countdown to UFC 125 (Replay)
9:00 p.m. Versus: WEC Best of 2010 (Replay)
12:00 a.m. ET Versus: Countdown to UFC 125 (Replay)
4:00 a.m. ET HDNet: K-1 Dynamite: The Power of Courage 2010
9:00 a.m. ET SpikeTV: Countdown to UFC 125 (Replay)
10:30 a.m. ET MAVTV: MMA H.E.A.T. (Replay)
7:00 p.m. ET Versus: WEC’s Greatest Knockouts (Replay)
8:00 p.m. ET HDNet: Inside MMA -- Bazzie Awards
9:00 p.m. ET HDNet: K-1 Dynamite: The Power of Courage 2010 (Replay)
3:00 a.m. ET HDNet: Fighting Words with Mike Straka -- Best Of 2010 (Replay)
4:30 a.m. ET HDNet: HDNet Fights Best Of 2010 (Replay)
8:30 a.m. ET HDNet: Adrenaline MMA II (Replay)
2:00 p.m. ET Versus: WEC 51 “Aldo vs. Gamburyan” (Replay)
6:00 p.m. ET Versus: WEC 52 “Faber vs. Mizugaki” (Replay)
6:00 p.m. ET MAVTV: Ultimate Combat Experience (Replay)
9:00 p.m. ET Ion: UFC 125 Prelims
9:00 p.m. ET Versus: WEC’s Best Submissions (Replay)
9:00 p.m. ET mun2: Bellator (Replay)
10:00 p.m. ET PPV: UFC 125: Resolution
12:00 a.m. ET Versus: WEC 53 “Henderson vs. Pettis” (Replay)
3:00 a.m. ET NBC: Bellator Highlights (Replay)
4:30 a.m. ET HDNet: XFC XIII “Unstoppable” (Replay)
11:00 p.m. ET MAVTV: MMA30 (Replay)
Sherdog learned of Carpenter’s participation from sources close to the situation on Thursday. Bellator’s tournament will serve to crown the promotion’s first 205-pound champion. Carpenter joins Daniel Gracie as the second confirmed participant for the event. Light heavyweight is the only division in which Bellator has yet to crown a champion.
Carpenter is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and fights out of Balance Studios in Philadelphia. The 30-year-old battled his way to a perfect 5-0 record in local shows before making his Bellator debut in October, edging Jamal Patterson by split decision at Bellator 33. Carpenter holds half of his career victories by submission and is a veteran of Matrix Fights and Monte Cox’s Adrenaline MMA promotion. The 6-foot-3 submission specialist began his career in 2005, finishing his first three opponents before taking a two-year break from the sport in 2008. He rejoined the fight game in February and has earned three decision victories in 2010.
Season 4 will also reportedly feature a second heavyweight tournament to provide a No. 1 contender for Cole Konrad’s title. Last season, the promotion held three tournaments, with Konrad defeating Neil Grove to win the heavyweight strap at Bellator 32. That event also saw another champion crowned, as Zach Makovsky rode out a unanimous decision over Ed West to take the 135-pound belt. Finally, a women’s 115-pound champion was determined at Bellator 34, after Zoila Frausto edged the previously unbeaten Megumi Fujii by split decision.
By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Thursday, December 30 12:55 am PT:For decades, boxing was criticized for devoting little time or resources to undercards. Events pushed two headlining fighters; fans -- especially celebrities, who need to devote time to important thoughts -- grew trained to not even show up for preliminary bouts.
The UFC has rarely had that problem: a major selling point of MMA has always been substantial cards. Taken as a whole, there’s some irony in the fact that Saturday’s UFC 125 may be a stacked program in search of a main event.
Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is undeniably talented, especially considering his slight build and successive victories over B.J. Penn. But he’s struggling to make an impression in fans who consider his style aggressive reluctance -- he’s a point fighter, which is crowd death in a sport that promises violence. Matching him against Gray Maynard, a more physical but equally unemotional athlete, demands some kind of structural support. (The UFC nearly had it when they placed Jose Aldo in the co-main event slot; unfortunately, Aldo was injured.)
Maynard and Edgar have worked very hard to reach rare air in MMA, and one might be only an “Ultimate Fighter” coaching job away from getting the audience emotionally caught up in their career.Continue Reading » Primer: UFC 125
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