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Critics of Strikeforce and CBS’ pre-fight build-up to the Nov. 7 event,
“Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers,” have questioned aloud why the network
hasn’t heavily utilized its NFL programming as a platform for advertisement.

That concern will be addressed on Sunday.

MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the
organization that main-event fighters Fedor Emelianenko and Brett
Rogers are set to appear at Sunday’s Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns
game at Soldier Field in Chicago. The pair will also be interviewed on
the CBS Football Halftime Show.

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MMAJunkie is reporting that Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson will be fighting Houston Alexander at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 Finale on December 5th in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to a source close to the situation, the fight will be at a catchweight of 215lbs.

It had been previously rumored that Slice would take on Alexander on the UFC 107 undercard, but Alexander recently applied for a license to fight in Las Vegas which only further confirmed the change of venue.

“The Assassin” last competed for Adrenaline MMA where he TKO’d Sherman Pendergarst, earning his first victory in his last four fights.

Kimbo hasn’t fought in an official MMA bout since losing to Seth Petruzelli at “EliteXC: Heat” over a year ago.

The scheduling of the bout also confirms that Kimbo Slice did not make it to the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter” this season after being eliminated from the competition by former IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson.

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DREAM welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis may soon be fighting in
the U.S. as “The Whitemare” has signed a multi-fight agreement with
Strikeforce.

Promotion officials announced the intriguing addition to the Strikeforce roster on Saturday afternoon.

While Strikeforce and DREAM have forged an official partnership in an
effort to cross-promote, Strikeforce Director of Communications Mike
Afromowitz told MMAjunkie.com that Zaromskis’
contract will operate independently of that deal.

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The UFC’s busy week of fight shuffling is nearing an end, and two
competitors that were recently left without an opponent have been
matched up with each other.

MMAjunkie.com has learned that welterweights Jon Fitch (19-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC) and Mike Pierce (10-1 MMA,
1-0 UFC) have verbally agreed to meet at “UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez,”
and bout agreements are expected to be signed shortly.

Featuring a lightweight title fight between current champ B.J. Penn and
challenger Diego Sanchez, UFC 107 is scheduled for Dec. 12 in Memphis,
Tenn. The main card airs live on pay per view.

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The pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together.

A long-rumored contest between UFC sluggers Houston Alexander (9-4 MMA,
2-3 UFC) and Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (3-1 MMA, 0-0 WEC) will take
place at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas.

That explains why Alexander is applying for a license to fight with the
Nevada State Athletic Commission, but what about the weight difference
between “The Assassin” at 205 pounds and Slice as a heavyweight? The
Times of Northwest Indiana has the answer.

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The quickly filling card for “WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff” today received another addition.

MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the
event that undefeated WEC newcomer Zach Micklewright (6-0 MMA, 0-0 WEC)
has verbally agreed to meet lightweight Muhsin Corbbrey (7-4 MMA, 0-1
WEC) at the event.

Featuring a main event between lightweight contenders Donald Cerrone
and Ed Ratcliff, WEC 45 takes place Dec. 19 at The Pearl at The Palms
Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The main card airs live on VERSUS.

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Undefeated featherweight Erik Koch (7-0 MMA, 0-0 WEC) will indeed make
his WEC debut in December, but it won’t be against Mackens Semerzier.

While Semerzier had been targeted as Koch’s first WEC foe,
MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the
event that the newcomer will instead face Jameel Massouh (21-6 MMA, 0-2
WEC).

Bout agreements for the contest are expected to be finalized shortly.

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UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida has his sights firmly set on rematch with recent challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

It just might not happen quite as soon as Machida, Rua and UFC president Dana White might like.

MMAjunkie.com today spoke with Machida’s manager,
Ed Soares, who confirmed “The Dragon” went under the knife on Friday
and will be limited in training until mid-January.

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It appears that Anderson Silva’s surgically repaired elbow will keep him on the sidelines longer than expected as his manager, Ed Soares, states his client will not be available to participate at UFC 108 against Vitor Belfort.

“The latest is he’s not fighting January 2nd,” Soares told MMAJunkie. “That’s not going to happen. He won’t be ready.”

“The Spider” went under the knife earlier this month to have bone spurs removed from his right elbow. Although the procedure went well, the rehab will require more time than anticipated and he won’t be able to defend his middleweight strap inside the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vagas.

As to when MMA fans can expect to see Silva back inside the Octagon, Soares wouldn’t commit to a specific timeline, as much of his return will depend on how well his elbow continues to respond to the rehabilitation process.

“We have to wait and see,” Soares told the site. “Anderson went back to Brazil, and he’s continuing his physical therapy there. But there’s no set date yet.

“Anderson’s recovery is going really, really well. He’s coming back, and his recovery is doing really good. His physical therapy is going really well. He’s getting better range of motion. He’ll be back 100 percent for sure.”

Silva is currently riding an 11-fight winning streak and was last seen slapping Forrest Griffin upside his melon at UFC 101. Before Belfort’s arrival, Silva has had a tough time finding 185-pound competition that would keep him motivated and hungry.

Speaking of motivated, Belfort, a former UFC light heavyweight champ himself, must have had a shot of adrenaline injected into his system after he was informed by UFC president Dana White that he had earned himself a shot at Silva’s strap following his impressive 1stRound knockout of Rich Franklin at UFC 102.

Soares doesn’t know if the UFC will postpone the matchup until Silva is good to go, as White seems hellbent on making this scrap happen, or if they’ll find a different opponent for Belfort.  Soares is confident that the Brazilian battle will still go down, even though he reiterated that Belfort isn’t deserving.

“At the end of the day, it’s going to be a great fight,” Soares said. “Like I said before, I don’t think [Belfort] deserves a title shot, but that’s over with now. It is what it is.

“Whoever the UFC puts in front of us, we’ll fight. We’ve never picked our opponents. I think it’s going to be Vitor when Anderson comes back. That’s what I’m assuming.”

Here are the fighters rumored to be fighting in the pay-per-view broadcast:

Preliminary Bouts:

Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon
Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout
Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen
Martin Kampmann vs. Rory Markham

Main Bouts:

Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller
Carlos Condit vs. Paul Daley
Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabe Gonzaga
Thiago Silva vs. Rashad Evans
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Lyoto Machida (UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
Shane Carwin vs. Brock Lesnar (UFC Heavyweight Champion)

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While the recovery from a recent elbow surgery is going just fine for UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, Jan. 2 will simply be too soon for him to return to action.

MMAjunkie.com today spoke with Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, who issued the update on “The Spider.”

“The latest is he’s not fighting Jan. 2,” Soares said. “That’s not going to happen. He won’t be ready.”

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