Last night on Fuel TV talk show “UFC Tonight,” the world’s largest MMA promotion confirmed that it would be holding UFC on Fox 4 and UFC on FX 4 in Los Angeles, California and Atlantic City, New Jersey, respectively. Both events scheduled for this summer, UFC on FX 4 will take place June 22 and UFC on Fox 4 will happen shortly after on August 4. Currently, there is no confirmed venue for the Atlantic City show.

While the UFC has been to New Jersey a number of times in the last three years, UFC on FX 4 will mark the first time that the organization will hold an event in Atlantic City since the 2005 defense of Andrei Arlovski’s interim heavyweight title. Since the South Jersey gambling hub is a huge MMA town on the local circuit, a visit from the UFC is expected to make a splash in America’s playground.

The Fox programming deal with the UFC has proven to be a boon for live MMA fans on the east coast. May’s upcoming UFC on Fox 3 and UFC on FX 3, which will be held at New Jersey’s IZOD Center and Fairfax, Virginia, respectively, were only confirmed a few weeks ago. Now, yet another piece of Fox programming will be held in the Garden State.

By the same token, UFC on Fox 4 will mark only the third time the organization has come to Los Angeles. The fact that the Fox name seems to be bringing UFC love to previously ignored venues could be a product of Fox’s business connections or simply a coincidence based on the increased number of total UFC events.

Late Tuesday night, UFC president Dana White confirmed via twitter the potential rematch that has had the MMA world’s attention since the ring of the final bell: Nick Diaz versus Carlos Condit 2. White did not divulge any details on the rematch, save that Condit has already unofficially agreed to the bout and will be signing the paperwork, shortly.

“The rumor is true,” White tweeted. “Carlos did accept the [Diaz] fight today and Carlos is coming on Friday not [Thursday].”

For the first three days after Condit’s win over Diaz, the newly crowned interim welterweight champion and his management have been adamantly against the idea of an immediate rematch. Condit’s manager even went so far as to tell MMA Weekly that injured welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is “the only fight.” Rumors are circulating that a hefty increase in pay changed Condit’s mind on the subject.

For White’s part, he only responded to questions on Condit’s turn around by saying “Carlos wanted it.”

A common practice in boxing for many years, immediate rematches for close decisions have only recently come into vogue with the world’s largest MMA organization. The most notable recent victim of the immediate rematch is UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, whose title victories only seem to count if he can pull them off twice in a row.

Sources close to Nick Diaz’s camp have expressed an interest in an immediate rematch, while Condit’s camp seemed content to wait for a bout with Welterweight Champion, George Saint Pierre until today. Rumors are now spreading that Condit has agreed to a rematch on the terms of a similar pay scale to Diaz. UFC President Dana White also expressed his interest in an immediate rematch due to GSP’s extended absence, even though he scored the fight in Condit’s favor.

[Via The UG]

Condit throwing back elbow at Diaz (Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

On Saturday, February 4, Carlos Condit edged out Nick Diaz for the UFC interim welterweight title in a fantastic and suspenseful matchup that everyone now says they hated because the bout involved some strategy and was close enough to have gone either way. Always true to form, no one made more of a stink about the way the decision fell than Diaz, claiming that the judges scored “little baby kicks” higher than his ability to walk Condit back and ultimately saying he was going to retire because he has no more patience for the game.

Kid Nate of BloodyElbow.com, after careful analysis of the audio stream from the fights, completed a full transcript of what Diaz’s corner said to him during and between the rounds of the fight in an attempt to decipher exactly what was going through Diaz’s head during the bout. While Diaz’s post-fight interview spoke of injustice inherent in the system, part of the conversation between the kid from Stockton and his corner would indicate that they understood how close the fight really was.

In asking his brother Nate Diaz what the score was between rounds, Nick’s cornermen, and possibly Nick himself, were clearly skeptical of the idea that he was ahead:

Before the 5th round
Nate: Hey ref! Ref! Ref! Ref! Ey, they keep wetting him! He’s all slippery because they keep pouring water all over him.
Referee: Alright, alright!
Nate: There’s water…
Somebody says: What do you think. Maybe Nick
Nate: No. No, no, no, no, fuck that, you got every round.
Somebody, maybe Nick (Although it doesn’t sound like him) says: “Don’t lie to me”
Nate: He might have got that last round but that’s it. You got the rest. You’re up three to one, okay? Rinse it out, take a drink. Let’s get a couple of ten second intervals in this one, OK? Whenever you want, whenever you’re ready.

It was difficult to tell if the tell tale phrase, “don’t lie to me,” was spoken by Nick or one of his corner. But there, between rounds four and five, was a clear admission that Diaz’s forward moving style might not be winning over the judges as well as Diaz later claimed he thought. As with all close title fights, fan debate will rage on over who “the real champion” is. But, even in a fighter’s corner, the sacrilegious idea that two knowledgeable people could score one or even two very close rounds differently is recognized.

Viewers who saw UFC 143 this weekend had a chance to see the new pay-per-view opening as well. The gladiator has been retired from broadcast, and taking his place is a new video entitled “Evolution,” which features a musical score from the prolific Hans Zimmer.

According to Dana White, the video cost “an obscene amount of money” to produce, and their efforts show. Fans are still on the fence about whether they like it or not, so here is your chance to chime in and give some feedback on this video. I like the new opening, and while it may look a wee bit cheesy, the UFC gladiator was far cheesier – we just got used to him. I do not like the UFC octagon logo however, and would rather see the three letters in place of it, so that is my nitpick. Time for you to tell me yours!

The 2012 Russian Sambo Championship went down this weekend, and who do you think made it to the finals? None other than the former Pride FC heavyweight champ, Fedor Emelianenko, and his little brother who is not so little, Aleksander. The two made it to the end of the tournament leading into this epic match that you see above, which ended in a less than epic way.

Being the younger brother, Aleks allowed himself to be tossed to the floor and armbarred in a matter of seconds, allowing his older brother to claim the title for himself. Consider it good sportsmanship on the side of Aleks to do that and a sign of familial respect, but I know many fans are unhappy with this display of athletics. What is your take on the situation – should the pair have fought for real, or was Aleks right in throwing the bout so Fedor could win?

You can check out another match from this event that is slightly more competitive after the jump!

The Bellator season six lightweight tournament has just a wee snag, as one of their competitors has been forced to withdraw due to some jail time.

The fighter formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver, War Machine will be serving a year in the slammer, but not for new charges. “Seems my year in jail wasnt enough,” War Machine lamented on his twitter. “Just got sentenced to another year in Vegas for some old bullshit. Nevermind Im rehabilitated. Nevermind Ive been out for over 6 months now and doing great and am finally back on my feet. Nevermind all my students that will miss me. Do another year and rot n waste time. Make no money, pay no taxes. Whatever, I just hope my boy @bensaundersMMA wins @BellatorMMA tournament. Fuck the motherfucking system! Fuck the bullshit! Vacation time, back to jail in 2 weeks! Cant stop me, all you can do is delay the inevitable. War Machine will always be back! Oh ya the judge looked and me and said she can tell Im on steroids and that thats prolly why I got in so many fights and am angry..lol Bitch”

The Bellator lightweight tournament will indeed continue without War Machine, and will be a disappointment to many fans who wanted to see him back in the cage and on TV. 2013 will be the comeback of War Machine for sure, so start marking the days off on your calendar.

Via Middle Easy

Bellator Fighting Championships returns to The Lone Star State on Friday, March 23rd for Bellator 62 live from Laredo, Texas at the Laredo Energy Arena. The night features the quarterfinals of Bellator’s $100,000 Season 6 Lightweight Tournament, as well a host of Texas’ top MMA talent.

Coming off an explosive knockout victory over UFC veteran Kurt Pellegrino at Bellator 59, Patricky Pitbull is back and looking to start his ascent toward a title shot with a quarterfinal matchup against fan-favorite Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard. Patricky has produced a number of incredible Bellator “YouTube Moments” and has his sights set on adding another highlight to his collection.

Former U.S. Olympian Judoka Rick Hawn is making the drop to lightweight and meets the dangerous Ricardo Tirloni. Hawn compiled an impressive 11-1 record as a welterweight, but is confident the drop in weight will make him even more dangerous.

“I felt like I was sort of undersized in the last tournament,” Hawn said. “Everyone had a height advantage on me, and while I thought I made a good run in my last welterweight tournament, I think lightweight is going to be a better fit for me and just give me an advantage over everyone else.”

Also making the drop to lightweight is longtime Bellator veteran Brent Weedman. Always looking for a finish, “Weedman Nation” will be on full display as he battles Bellator newcomer J.J. Ambrose.

“I’ve already tested myself with a lightweight weight cut and I felt great,” Weedman said. “Over the last year, I’ve felt a little undersized as a welterweight, so I think lightweight is going to be a great spot for me. I’m excited to show off my new skills, and this tournament is stacked, so we’re going to put on a show this season.”

Rounding out an absolutely loaded tournament class, Rene “The Brazilian Bomber” Nazare will square off with top prospect Thiago Michel. A product of Team Bombsquad, Nazare always has his eye on delivering the knockout, and nothing will change on March 23rd.

MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta got some real talk from Nick Diaz and his dislike of the specter of GSP over his fight.

“Yeah, I think it makes me sick,” he said. “This is Carlos’ time to be here, and to be a part of this main event. This is … half of the show is built up around me fighting Georges St-Pierre. But that’s not [right]. I’m fighting Carlos Condit. So, I don’t like it.”

The boys at Cage Potato scored their own exclusive interview with Strikeforce headliner Miesha “Takedown” Tate.

Is there any added pressure being the main event of a major Strikeforce card?

Yeah, it’s more like excitement though. It’s not like pressure in a bad way where you feel kind of negative stuff from it. I’m just excited to have the opportunity and I think it can do really big things for MMA and women’s MMA in particular.

What were your initial thoughts when Strikeforce offered you Ronda Rousey instead of Sarah Kaufman?

Well, I thought it wasn’t fair. I think we can all agree that Sarah Kaufman was next in line. She was the number one contender. With that being said, I don’t think it was fair but it’s also an entertainment business. It’s not always about the fights and who’s next on paper. Sometimes it’s about the fights that people want to see most. Without the fans we don’t have a sport. We don’t have a mainstream sport anyways. I understand that Strikeforce wanted to put on a fight that they thought would produce the most interest in women’s MMA and right now that is Ronda Rousey versus myself.

Fight Opinion brings you Dr. Margaret Goodman’s challenge to the UFC regarding drug testing standards.

Want a buy the numbers breakdown of tomorrow’s main event? MMA Mania has you covered.

Bleacher Report’s Vince Carry goes over how the UFC’s Fox broadcast is evolving.

With the Gladiator gone, what will the future bring for the UFC PPV introduction? MMA Convert reports.

Five ounces of Pain presents the bravado of Fabricio Werdum, who claims he could strike the whole match against Roy Nelson.

Middle Easy has another interview with Werdum, where the heavyweight says that he likes Nelson except on Saturday night.

View yesterday’s UFC 143 press conference highlights courtesy of Lowkick.

Fightline brings the latest news on the upcoming UFC fan expo.

Mayweather versus Cotto date is set, see the details on MMA Payout

New York’s not quite mixed martial arts MMA promotion company Heavy Hands Productions made a splash today, as a head kick knockout highlight in their last event, CNY Battleground 5, went viral. Based in upstate New York, Heavy Hands has gotten around The Empire State’s ban on MMA by promoting bouts of various rules sets between athletes with MMA experience, all hosted in a cage. This technicality allows Heavy Hands to honestly advertise “MMA fighters, cage fighting” without promoting anything that is specifically the banned sport of mixed martial arts.

Should Heavy Hands get more than flash in the pan notoriety for an entertaining show, it would be a stark reveal at exactly how ridiculous New York’s MMA ban is from both a legal and practical standpoint. Since the New York State Attorney General recently admitted that amateur MMA is not technically banned in the state, promotions like Heavy Hands may soon adopt a standard MMA rules set. Until then, the man of the hour is Robert Reese with the above highlight victory.