The UFC has a big announcement. So this can mean one of two things. It's either not very big (Dana White's big announcement at UFC 82 was that the UFC had signed a sponsorship deal with Budweiser) or it is very big (there are rumors that I'll explain below).

UFC's Big Announcement

I've heard two possibilities. The first is that the UFC could be sold to a German-based international entertainment group. The first time that I heard of this it had already seemed to be a finality, so I'm not sure of what to think of this story.

If this is the "big announcement," then not very much will change. There is a ninety-nine percent chance that Dana White will remain as the UFC President, and not much will change as long as the bald dude is in charge. The only thing that might change is that you won't see Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta in the background of the UFC events anymore.

The other possibility is the announcement that will prove why the UFC is the biggest and best-run org in the world. It has not been announced officially yet, but the UFC is planning an impromptu event on July 19, which is coincidentally the same exact day as the first event from the Affliction org, in which top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko (27-1) will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (24-4) in the main event.

If just the announcement seems big enough, then wait until you hear the rest! Not only will the event be shown for free live on Spike TV, but the headliner of the event is none other than UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (21-4), who will be taking on James Irvin (14-4) in his debut in the 205-pound division, foreshadowing a possible future matchup with either Rampage Jackson or Forrest Griffin for the title (there has also been talk that Silva could face former champion Chuck Liddell at a later juncture). Interestingly enough, Silva will also still be scheduled to fight on the UFC 88 card, which will take place on September 8.

Other fights on the card have been leaking as fast as people who know can reach the media, and those fights include Frank Edgar (8-1) taking on Hermes Franca (18-6), Anthony Johnson (5-1) taking on Kevin Burns (6-1), Brandon Vera (8-2) taking on Reese Andy (7-1), and Jake O'Brien (10-1) taking on Cain Velasquez (3-0). All of these fights have some intrigue. Franca vs. Edgar, originally scheduled for UFC 87 in August, will feature the return of Hermes Franca from a suspension due to a failed drug test last July. Anthony Johnson is trying to build on his shocking 51-second KO over Tommy Speer in April. Brandon Vera will make the transition from heavyweight to light heavyweight to take on former IFL fighter Reese Andy in the co-headliner. And finally Jake O'Brien, who was ousted from the UFC after his loss to Andrei Arlovski in March will make his triumphant return to take on top heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez. The event will take the moniker UFC Fight Night 14.

The UFC is obviously trying to give Affliction a knockout punch before the org can even get off of the ground, and this free live event on the same night with a headliner like Anderson Silva could do just that.

Other News

Chris Leben is out of jail and is putting his life back together - I was really excited for the future of Leben since he has moved to Hawaii, and I was also really disappointed in our legal system at the blunder in Leben's sentence. But Chris is putting all of that behind him. He really wanted to fight Michael Bisping at UFC 85, but his prison time forced him to cede that fight to Jason Day. A fitting end to this story would be to add Leben to the free card on July 19 so that fans can give him the standing ovation that he deserves.

K.J. Noons defended his EliteXC LW title this past weekend - Unfortunately, Noons' (7-2) 48-second destruction of Yves Edwards (34-14-1) was ruined by antics from Nick Diaz, who wants a title rematch against Noons. The first fight was stopped because of a nasty cut that wouldn't allow Diaz to continue, and Nick decided to ruin Noons' time in the spotlight because he is a punk that can't allow anyone else to bask in glory. Trust me, folks. There is a reason why Nick Diaz isn't in the UFC, and it's not because he doesn't have the talent. It's because he doesn't have the head on his shoulders to handle it.

DREAM.4 was this past weekend, and the final four in the MW Grand Prix is set - French kickboxer Melvin Manhoef (22-4-1) defeated Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1), young Brazilian ground expert Ronaldo Souza (9-1) defeated the always-crazy Jason "Mayhem" Miller (21-6) in a fight that had little offense, and Zelg Galesic (9-3) got an easy win over Taiei Kin (3-3) after Kin's elbow was dislocated. The underrated Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) also dominated Japanese judoka Dong Sik Yoon (4-5) to take the last spot in the final four. The matchups for the semifinals of the LW GP were also determined. Shinya Aoki (16-2) will take on Caol Uno (25-10-4) in a dream fight of new era vs. old era in Japan. American Eddie Alvarez (14-1) will take on Japanese striker Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-4-2) in the other semifinal. These fights - as well as the finals of the tournament - will take place at DREAM.5 on July 21.

The UFC will finally come to Atlanta in September, as Rashad Evans is set to take on Chuck Liddell in the main event - This fight was supposed to happen at UFC 85, but the two will finally go toe-to-toe at UFC 88 in less than 3 months at UFC 88. To have a chance in this fight, the wrestler Evans (11-0-1) will have to find a way to take down Liddell (21-5) - who has a legendary sprawl. Middleweight champion Anderson Silva is also tentatively scheduled to defend his title, possibly against Japanese ground and pound fighter Yushin Okami (22-4), who holds a DQ win over Silva from 2006.

The final episode of TUF 7 is tonight - And UFC President Dana White promises the most shocking twist in TUF history...


EliteXC: Unfinished Business is scheduled for July 26 on CBS - The main event will be XC MW champion Robbie Lawler (15-4) taking on Scott Smith (13-4) in a rematch of their title fight from the first XC event on CBS, and Jake Shields (20-4-1) and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (10-1) are also rumored to be on the card. Shields will fight for the newly-created XC 170-pound title, possibly against former UFC fighter and IFL WW champion Jay Hieron (15-4), winner of 12 straight Nick Thompson (36-9-1), or the newly-motivated young Brit Paul Daley (17-6-2). Silva could possibly fight IFL HW champ Roy Nelson (13-2) or 39-year-old journeyman Brit Robert "Buzz" Berry (12-7) for the also newly-formed XC HW title. This card already looks a lot better than the first card on CBS, probably because Kimbo won't be on the card against someone we've never heard of. Kimbo Slice (3-0) vs. Brett Rogers (7-0) is in the works for October on CBS.

That's it for this week, folks. Don't forget to check back in tomorrow or Friday for my preview for the TUF 7 Finale, which takes place on Saturday. Until then, I've been David. Hope you enjoyed...don't forget to comment!