, it can easily be said that the best is yet to come.
The UFC is expected to close out 2011 with a plethora of dream matches slated for upcoming blockbuster cards.
One of those bouts was set be UFC champion Georges St-Pierre against Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz at UFC 137, but the bout was scrapped after Diaz missed two scheduled press conferences.
UFC Fight Night Live: Shields versus Ellenberger will be held on September 17 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Highlighting the night's event will be a welterweight matchup between the seasoned veteran and former multiple champion Jake Shields as he faces the hard-hitting up-and-coming prospect Jake Ellenberger.
He's back.
After capturing a "six-figure contract" at the conclusion of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 12 back in December 2010, UFC prospect Jonathan Brookins is returning to the Spike TV airwaves.
But it won't be at lightweight.
"JB" will instead drop down to the featherweight division for a scrap against feisty fight monger Erik Koch at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 25: "Battle on the Bayou" event this Saturday night (Sept. 17) in New Orleans.
Dana White made Jake Shields (top) prove himself when he moved from Strikeforce to UFC. Will others face the same scrutiny?
Dana White used that phrase around 10,000 times as he spoke about the continued operation of Strikeforce during Saturday's surprise announcement that a subsidiary of UFC parent company Zuffa had purchased its mixed martial arts rival.
Two “Ultimate Fighter” alums will meet at the reality show’s 13th season finale, as Matt Brown and Rich Attonito are set to lock horns in a welterweight tilt.
Sherdog.com has confirmed the booking with a source close to one of the fighters. Heavy.com first reported the matchup on Monday.
While not officially announced by the promotion, “The Ultimate Fighter 13” Finale will likely take place June 4 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The evening’s main card will air on Spike TV and is expected to feature a lightweight attraction between former World Extreme Cagefighting 155-pound champion Anthony Pettis and divisional stalwart Clay Guida.
A light heavyweight match-up has been added to for the UFC this June.
Rising contender Kyle Kingsbury will be taking on Brazilian Fabio Maldonado at “The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale”, which takes place on June 4 at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The main-event of the evening will put WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis against perennial contender Clay Guida. The show will serve as the culmination for the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter” which pits former champ Brock Lesnar against top contender Junior dos Santos, coaching a new wave of a talent in the welterweight class.
One thing I've found most curious since this weekend's shocking announcement that the UFC's parent company has purchased Strikeforce is a little nugget Dana White keeps dropping:
He mentioned it during the original breaking news interview with Ariel Helwani and he mentioned it during yesterday's official conference call discussing the acquisition. It's a rather curious statement considering the UFC brass has been attacking its roster with a scythe following numerous recent events. One uninspiring performance ( Gerald Harris ) or one untimely misstep (the very first UFC appearances for Willamy Freire and Antonio McKee ) can see you exiled from the Octagon. It's the weeding out of the roster, something every sports franchise must do from time-to-time.
The UFC's lightweight title picture is currently among the cloudiest of any of the promotion's seven weightclasses.
Sure, we know that current champion Frankie Edgar will face top challenger Gray Maynard at May's UFC 130 event, but after that, who's next?
In our latest MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) poll, we asked our readers to play UFC matchmaker and decide who should get the next crack at the 155-pound title. The response was overwhelmingly one-sided.
