MMA Universe

Next stop: Asia.

As the UFC continues upon their quest of global domination, at least when it concerns combat sports, it was announced at the UFC 118 post-fight press conference that Asia will be the new home to UFC offices. Named as the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of this new operation was former NBA China Executive Mark Fischer.

Mark Fischer at the UFC 118 post-fight press conference:

"It's great to be here back in my hometown. I'm delighted and honored to work with UFC president Dana White and the Fertitta brothers to build the Ultimate Fighting Championship and our other businesses in Asia. It's a fantastic market. I think we're just scratching the surface. A lot martial arts began their tradition there. We're very respectful of that... I was with the NBA in Asia for 12 years. Five or six of those were building the NBA in China. I think as successful as the NBA was there, what we were able to do with that, I think we can just as much with the UFC and more."

A couple quick notes on this move. One, Mr. Fischer appears to be extremely qualified to take on this role. He served as essentially the lead man for NBA China the last few years and has worked in Asia for the NBA for a dozen years. The NBA has undoubtedly enjoyed the most success in terms of global expansion when it comes to the big four sports in America, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL, and their conquest of Asia has been a big part of that.

And two, the sheer size of the Asian market will assuredly lead to an increased fan base. Asia is the world's most populous continent consisting of more than 4 billion people. To compare, North America is home to around 530 million people. 

Big business likely awaits.

So, with offices now in the United Kingdom, Canada, and now Asia to go along with their headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, what part of the globe will the UFC post up at next? Let's hear from our Maniac geography buffs.

UFC 118: Live Chat

Props: Heavy.com (Click the link to check out the complete gallery)

To check out the official UFC 118: "Edgar vs Penn 2" weigh in results click here.

The August 2010 Women’s Independent World MMA Rankings have been released. These rankings are independent of any single MMA media outlet or sanctioning body, and are published on multiple MMA web sites, as well as www.IndependentWorldMMARankings.com. The members of the voting panel for the Women’s Independent World MMA Rankings are, in alphabetical order: Nicholas Bailey [...]

Saturday night, the MMAHQ team is proud to present live play-by-play of UFC 118, which takes place live from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Log on to mmahq.com at 9 P.M sharp as we discuss the preliminary card live on spike followed by the main card airing on pay-per-view.

Anyone share the confidence of "Godzilla?"

Is the UFC taking a big risk with this heavy marketing campaign ... especially if "The Natural" gets his head bashed in?

Fight of the year candidate? Watch and weigh in below.

Check out parts two and three after the jump. It keeps getting better (Sound does not match up exactly with action):

 

Wrestling is seen as one of the most important disciplines in modern mixed martial arts, with all fighters working to defend their wrestling and grappling.

It seems like an ironic twist that NCAA wrestling has seen a decline in attendance even though student athletes can enter MMA as fighters, coaches, and analysts.

This is an important time because NCAA wrestling and MMA both benefit if wrestling is well supported by school districts and colleges. Casual MMA fans may not appreciate the skill and ability of high-level wrestlers, such as Jon Fitch and Gray Maynard, but their grappling abilities allow them to win fights.

Even though D-I wrestling teams are facing problems, amateur U.S. wrestling remains a strong sport, supporters note. Division II, Division III and NAIA schools have seen an increase in athletes, along with continued success for high school wrestling.

“Our vital signs are very strong at every level other than NCAA Division I,” said Mike Moyer, National Wrestling Coaches Association executive director, in an interview with Josh Gross. “That goes back to focused excellence and the down sizing trend at athletic departments across the country at non-enrollment-conscious schools.”

It’s obvious that struggling at the most important level of amateur wrestling, NCAA D-I, isn’t a good thing — but it’s a problem that can be resolved. It’s great to hear DII, DIII, NAIA and high school wrestling are thriving.

A new generation of wrestlers who grew up watching MMA instead of WWE will hopefully help keep younger generations interested in wrestling.

- Texas Two-Step? Like UFC, Strikeforce Considered Cowboys Stadium Show

- Is Paul Heyman on the Verge of Entering the MMA World?

- Strikeforce MMA event Friday may bring more shows to Arizona

- UFC gearing up for Brazilian expansion

- Tom Huggins Talks Not Paying Impact FC Fighters

Texas Two-Step? Like UFC, Strikeforce Considered Cowboys Stadium Show

But according to both sources, the San Jose, California-based promotion did previously discuss the possibility of staging an event at the showcase facility. One of the sources said that at one time, Strikeforce specifically discussed the possibility of an Oct. 16 show, which might have aired on CBS and featured many of the company’s biggest names.

The event, which likely would have included former Dallas Cowboys’ star running back Herschel Walker as a local drawing card, would also have served to help launch the upcoming EA Sports MMA video game, which will be released on Oct. 19 and has a heavy Strikeforce presence.  (MMAFighting)

Note: Read this MMAPayout Perspective for more info about the big plans Strikeforce had and still has for October.  These talks were on going for months and Herschel Walker was a big part along with CBS.  Also, the goal would have been to break the MMA North American attendance and gate records and use the event as a break out party for Strikeforce.  It would have also served as a channel to promote the EA Sports MMA game which is set to release on October 19.

Is Paul Heyman on the Verge of Entering the MMA World?

After leaving World Wrestling Entertainment in 2006, he got together with a group of investors and former K-1/PRIDE producers in attempt to purchase Strikeforce. That deal never materialized because, as Heyman said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, he felt Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker wasn’t getting a fair deal.  (MMAFighting)

Strikeforce MMA event Friday may bring more shows to Arizona

“Strikeforce wasn’t sure how the market was here,” Sarria said. “But this market just hasn’t been tested with a high level promotion. It will work here with Strikeforce and with the UFC. . . . The ultimate goal with this event is to bring the big Strikeforce events here.”

Said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, “I think they’re in the works. We’ve identified Phoenix as a viable market.”  (AZCentral)

***

Note: During the WEC event last night, they announced that the promotion will be headed to Phoenix, Arizona in December.  The event was chosen by the fans during an Amp Energy Drink contest where fans voted for the WEC to come to their hometown.  The event is expected to be headlined by the local product and WEC champ Ben Henderson most likely against Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.  Another fighter who trains and lives in Arizona is former WEC LW champ Jamie Varner, who fights Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at WEC 51 in September and who will most likely push to fight in his home state.

UFC gearing up for Brazilian expansion

But despite the Brazilians’ success in the UFC, the organization hasn’t hosted a show in their home country in nearly 12 years.

But according to UFC president Dana White, that soon could change.

“We’re spending money in Brazil right now,” White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “We’re spending marketing money, PR money, and we’ve got people down there working for us.” (MMAJunkie)

Tom Huggins Talks Not Paying Impact FC Fighters

“We are using a pool of lawyers from the United States, Australia and Brazil. What bothers me most is that [McManus] isn’t paying because he doesn’t have the money, as do some events here, he is very rich, but mainly because I believe that if the show fails, the damage has to be shared with fighters.  We can not accept this nonsense in any way, because if they did, we would be setting precedents for other promoters in bad faith to act the same way worldwide, “concluded Tom. (PortalDoVT – Translated from Portuguese)

PICTURE OF THE DAY

QUICK HITS

• WEC 50 ratings result in average audience of 316,000 viewers (MMAJunkie)
• UFC Fight Night 22 lineup in flux again; Matt Wiman likely out (MMAJunkie)
• After WEC 50, Jorgensen likely for next shot at Cruz; challenger likes his chances (MMAJunkie)
• Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Reljic targeted for UFC 122 in Germany (MMAJunkie)
• Lashley Aims to Debut Standup at Saturday’s Strikeforce (Sherdog)
• Tachi Palace Fights Signs Top Flyweight ‘Formiga’ (Sherdog)
• No Hard Feelings at Strikeforce Presser (MMAFighting)
• Kennedy Learned a Lot From Afghanistan Gunfight (MMAFighting)
• Grabowski, Konrad Advance in Bellator Heavyweight Tournament (MMAFighting)
• CHARLES OLIVEIRA REPLACES MATT WIMAN AT FIGHT NIGHT (MMAWeekly)
• FANS SAY WEC HEADED TO PHOENIX IN DECEMBER (MMAWeekly)
• Strikeforce: Houston Pre-Fight Press Conference Quotes & Photos (Heavy)

TV LISTINGS

• Bellator 25: Hornbuckle vs Blackburn on FSN (08/19/10)
• HDNet Fights Vault: DREAM at 8:00 PM ET on HDNet (08/20/10)
• Fighting Words with Mike Straka (Jon “Bones” Jones) at 8:30 PM ET on HDNet (08/20/10)
• Inside MMA (Forrest Griffin, Antonio McKee, Mark Pavelich) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (08/20/10)
• HDNet Fights: The Voice vs Tito Ortiz at 10 PM ET on HDNet (08/20/10)
• Strikeforce: King Mo vs Rafael Feijao at 10 PM ET/PT on Showtime (08/21/10)

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Strikeforce: King Mo vs Rafael Feijao at 10 PM ET/PT on Showtime (08/21/10)
• Bellator 26 on FSN (08/26/10)
• HDNet Fights: Sengoku Raiden Championships 14 on HDNet (08/27/10)
• UFC 118: Edgar vs Penn 2 at 10 PM ET on PPV (08/28/10)
• Bellator 26 on FSN (09/2/10)
• UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Belcher at 9 PM ET on SPIKE TV (09/15/10)
• UFC 119 : Minotauro Nogueira vs Frank Mir 2 at 10 PM ET on PPV (09/25/10)

The Arizona State Boxing Commission has released fighter payouts for Strikeforce Challenger 10. Miesha Tate ($18,000) and Joe Riggs ($15,000) were the top earners of the event. In total, Strikeforce paid out $53,250 in disclosed payouts.

Note: that the money reported below is only the money required to be reported by the commission.

Courtesy of MMAJunkie.com:

Main Event

Joe Riggs: $15,000 def. Louis Taylor: $2,000

Main Card:

Miesha Tate: $18,000* def. Hitomi Akano: $4,900#
Ryan Couture: $3,000 def. Lucas Stark: $1,000
Hitomi Akano: (see above) def. Carina Damm: $2,100
Miesha Tate: (see above) def. Maiju Kujala: $1,750
Liz Carmouche: $2,000 (includes $1,000 win bonus) def. Colleen Schneider: $1,000

Under Card:

Chris Gruetzemacher: $2,000 (includes $1,000 win bonus) def. Ryan Diaz: $500
Jason Richey def. Edmund Xehili^
Joel Champion def. Sean Scott^
Rob Anderson def. Alonzo Fears^
Andres Acuna def. Edwin Louis^
Frankie Saenz def. Jace Crawford^

+ – $8,000 ($4,000 to show/$4,000 win bonus) for semis and $10,000 ($5,000/$5,000) for finale
# – $2,800 for semis ($1,400/$1,400) and $2,100 for finale
^ – Amateur bout

MMAJunkie also reports that Strikeforce Challengers 10 ratings peaked with 280,000 Showtime viewers.  Overall, the show averaged 237,000 viewers and remarkably, the peak audience was recorded during the Colleen Schneider vs Liz Carmouche reserve bout, though it most likely received a bump in viewership due to those tuning in to see the main event and the tournament finale bout.

These numbers are good enough to fall behind Strikeforce Challengers 7 (316,000 viewers due to the free preview weekend) and Strikeforce Challengers 8 (249,000 viewers).  These Challenger events continue to do well for Strikeforce as they continue to land around or above the 200,000 viewership number, which was something unheard of for Challenger events when they started airing the events on Showtime last year.

WEC 50: "Cruz vs. Benavidez" is all set for this Wednesday night (Aug. 18, 2010) from "The Pearl" at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The five-fight main card will air live on the cable channel Versus, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

WEC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz will defend his title for the first time ever in the night's featured main event against Team Alpha Male product Joseph Benavidez, which marks a rematch of a barn-burner of a fight from WEC 42 last summer.

Shane Roller, Anthony Pettis, Scott Jorgensen, Bart Palaszewski, Cub Swanson and several other WEC stars will be in action on the card, too.

To help get you better prepared for the festivities I've given some analysis and predictions for the main card below. Check it out:

Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph Benavidez(135-pound division limit)

The primary reason Cruz won the first match up between these two is because he surprised Benavidez with two things: His speed and his takedowns.

Benavidez was used to coming into fights being the quicker and more athletic guy, but when Cruz was beating him to the punch on nearly every exchange, he didn't know how to deal with it.

Then on top of that, he was supposed to be the better wrestler, but Cruz kept taking him down. It was an eye-opening fight for the Team Alpha Male trainee for sure, but since then he's done nothing but improve and look more impressive than ever with dominating wins over Rani Yahya and former division kingpin Miguel Torres.

His counter punching attack has improved by leaps and bounds, and he's displayed some devastating power his last two times out. Plus, now that the element of surprise is taken out of the equation, he can come into the rematch with a much more winnable gameplan.

It's a five round fight, so there will be plenty of time to set things up, but Benavidez is not going to let Cruz dot him up from the outside and then shoot in two or three times a round and put him on his back like he did last time.

In fact, you can bet Benavidez is going to want to be the one on top if the fight goes to the ground this time around. He's the better wrestler and he knows how important the takedowns were in the first fight.

I expect Benavidez to fight a much smarter fight, with a much better answer for Cruz's aggression. Benavidez is not completely out-gunned on his feet, but Cruz is still bigger, faster, a lot harder to hit, and probably the more attractive stand up fighter in the eyes of the judges.

Cruz has to respect Benavidez's power, but he still has an edge on his feet with his speed and reach advantages. Still, I think Benavidez is hungrier and much more motivated for this fight. And like I said before, I expect a much smarter gameplan.

Takedowns will be the difference again, but this time for the challenger. Plus, he has a much better chance a scoring a knockout or submission than the champ because of his power and strength. I like Benavidez.

Final prediction: Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision

Anthony Pettis vs. Shane Roller(155-pound limit)

I got Shane Roller in this fight. Pettis is an exciting fighter with a lot of promise, but this is a bad match up for him.

The two opponents (Sherron Leggett and Bart Palaszewski) he's faced so far in his career that have given him the most trouble were both solid wrestlers. And neither one of those guys is as good as Shane Roller in that department.

Roller is a monster for the lightweight division and he's even stronger than his physically imposing frame suggests. He's going to put pressure on Pettis and negate his striking abilities with clinching and takedowns. When they lock up, Roller is going to be too strong.

I don't think Pettis is going to be able to defend the takedowns, and from there Roller should get this thing done by some type of choke in either the first or second round.

Final prediction: Shane Roller via submission

Zach Micklewright vs. Bart Palaszewski (155-pound limit)

The most important thing to know here is that "Bartimus" has 40 more fights worth of experience than the young Micklewright.

Micklewright has the advantage in the stand up, but he hasn't had to face anyone with the experience or ground skills of Palaszewski ... yet. There's no reason to believe that Palaszewski won't take this kid to school with takedowns and ground control en route to some type of submission.

"Bartimus" is experienced enough to know that it would be stupid for him to take his chances on his feet in this type of fight. Instead, he'll take the youngster out of his comfort zone and win this one on the ground like he's done a bunch of times before.

Final prediction: Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski via submission

Scott Jorgensen vs. Brad Pickett (155-pound limit)

I like Jorgensen in this fight.

Pickett has an impressive record and a nice winning streak, but he hasn't really faced all that tough of competition. Even in the WEC, both of his fights have been against relative newcomers.

Jorgensen, on the other hand, has been in the WEC cage against guys like Damacio Page, Antonio Baneulos, Kenji Osawa and Takaya Mizugaki, among others.

And he's done very well ... especially lately.

He's quick on his feet. He can take you down. He has good ground and pound. His submissions are tight. And he has a ton of confidence built up after beating the division's former number one contender (Mizugaki) and avenging a previous loss to Banuelos with a one-sided decision.

I think Pickett is going to get taken down and eventually submitted in this fight by an aggressive Scott Jorgensen.

Final prediction: Scott Jorgensen via submission

Chad Mendes vs. Cub Swanson (145-pound limit)

Swanson had some early bad luck in his two WEC losses against Jens Pulver and Jose Aldo, but other than that he's been stellar during his time with the promotion with three submission wins and two others by unanimous decision.

He trains with the Greg Jackson camp in New Mexico, which means he's always going to come into his fights in great shape and with a great gameplan.

Mendes is undefeated in seven fights, including two under the WEC banner. He's a hard-nosed wrestler with excellent strength and solid ground and pound. I expect him to look for takedowns and a lot of top control in this fight.

Swanson has a good guillotine, though, so that could come into play. He is also the better striker, meaning he'll probably try to keep the fight upright. If he gets put on his back, he may be in for a long night.

This one will probably come down to whoever executes their gameplan better. In that case, I'll go with the Greg Jackson guy, although I think Mendes has a great chance.

Final prediction: Cub Swanson via unanimous decision

That's a wrap. Sound off with your predictions in the comments section below.

And Remember that MMAmania.com will provide live blow-by-blow commentary of the main card beginning with the Versus telecast at 9 p.m. ET on fight night. Check in early and often.

The sport of mixed martial arts will be legalized in Ontario, Canada, the Ministry of Consumer Services announced on its website.

The Ontario athletic commission is expected to adopt the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts — currently used for all sanctioned professional fights in North America — to regulate and sanction MMA in Ontario.

Sanctioned events are expected to begin in 2011, with events expected to be announced by several different organizations.

Politicians said sanctioning MMA wasn’t a priority, and the matter would be addressed in due time.

Ontario is expected to host 10-15 live MMA events each year, with the UFC expected to flock to the areas as quickly as possible. The UFC already has plans for a March 2011 event in Toronto — though it’s unknown if it will be hosted at the 20,000-seat Air Canada Centre, or 60,000-seat Rogers Centre. I’d rather see an event in the Air Canada building, but the UFC may think it can sell out with a GSP main event at the Rogers Center.

I think it’s great the UFC and other MMA organizations will finally be able to host events in Toronto and the rest of Ontario. Zuffa-owned UFC first tested the Canadian waters with a show in Montreal in April 2008, and has seen success ever since. WEC also has hosted events in Edmonton and Vancouver with good success.

There is some debate as to whether or not the UFC should delay the Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck welterweight title fight until March 2011 — and I think that delaying the fight would be an absolutely horrible idea. I think GSP and Koscheck should fight, and then the title holder will face the winner between Martin Kampmann and Jake Shields.

Former number one UFC heavyweight contender, Shane Carwin, was named -- along with six athletes -- as a customer who purchased steroids from a Mobile, Ala., pharmacist who was sentenced Friday to a four-year prison term for participating in a nationwide conspiracy to sell the anabolic agent, according to AlabamaLive.com.

The "other" athletes include (Links via CageWriter.com):

Kurt Angle, a former Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler and professional wrestler.

Bob Howard, a pro wrestler from Mobile who performed under the name "Hardcore" Bob Holly.

Toney Freeman, a professional bodybuilder nicknamed "The X-Man."

Quincy Taylor, a professional bodybuilder.

Dennis Newman, a professional bodybuilder.

Troy Zuccolotto, a professional bodybuilder.

More on this breaking news very shortly.

Strikeforce Challengers X has come to a close from the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona and there is a new number one contender in the 135-pound female division.

Her name is Miesha Tate.

But first things first. In the headliner, Joe Riggs and knockout artist Louis Taylor locked up in a 182 pound catchweight bout, and the veteran Riggs surprisingly had a hard time settling in against the up-and-coming prospect.

Both men were tentative to exchange early on, but Taylor was successful in other areas, using timely takedowns to clearly win the second round and possibly even the first. However, Riggs turned up the pressure in the third frame and stunned "Handgunz" with a perfectly placed counter left hook.

That was the beginning of the end for Taylor as he never fully recovered from the punch. "Diesel" took him right to the mat where he was able to secure a crucifix position and pound him into submission.

It was a slow start for the UFC veteran, but Riggs did what he needed to do to get the victory. Afterward he was asked about who he'd like to face next, and he wasted no time calling out champion Nick Diaz, saying, "I already beat his ass once and I'll do it again."

Now, on to Tate and how she made her way through the four-women, single elimination, number one contender eliminator tournament for the women's welterweight division.

She kicked off the Showtime telecast by grinding out a two-round unanimous decision win over Finnish striker Maiju Kujala in the first semifinal bout. She used her trademark takedowns to secure the victory over "Maki," who proved to be a very game opponent.

Miesha appeared to expend a lot of energy in the fight because Kujala's takedown defense was pretty solid and they spent a lot of time in the clinch. It certainly wasn't a pretty win, but she earned her spot in the final nonetheless.

Her opponent in that final was decided when Japanese judo specialist and grappling wizard Hitomi Akano overcame a slow start and an aggressive Carina Damm to score a submission win midway through the second round of the other semifinal fight.

The "Girlfight Monster" proved once again that she can absorb punishment and still remain competitive in a fight. Akano wasn't mistaking Damm for "Cyborg" Santos or anything, but the Brazilian was definitely in control of the fight early on after landing several punches and kicks, including at least one brutal spinning backfist.

Akano's ground skills were super impressive, though, and in the end she handed Damm, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, the third submission loss of her career.

In the final, neither fighter looked to really having any sort of hangover effects from their first fights. Both women actually fought with good energy for the entire three rounds.

Tate basically just did more of what she does best to bring home this decision, too, which means takedowns and ground control. She spent the majority of the second and third rounds latched onto Akano's back on the ground. She was unable to secure the choke, but nobody has ever submitted Akano in an MMA fight, so there's no shame there.

Akano stayed tough and tried to pick her spots for reversals and submission attempts, but Miesha's wrestling and ground control was too good. With the win Tate earned a well deserved spot in a future title fight against the winner between Sarah Kaufman and Marloes Coenen.

In non-tournament action, Ryan Couture, son of UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, made his professional mixed martial arts debut a successful one when he strapped a slick triangle choke on fellow up and comer Lucas Stark just over a minute into the first round.

Ryan has a long way to go to live up to his father's household name, but he's certainly off to a good start. Don't be surprised to see Strikeforce place him on more Challenger cards in the very near future.

That's a wrap from the Dodge Theater in Phoenix. If you missed any of the live action you can get up to speed with out blow-by-blow coverage here.

Next up for Strikeforce is a trip to the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on August 21 for another Showtime televised event. Two of the promotion's world titles will be on the line as light heavyweight champion King Mo Lawal defends his gold against top Brazilian contender Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante in the featured main event while Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza square off for the vacant middleweight strap in the co-headliner.

A lightweight battle between KJ Noons and Jorge Gurgel is also slated for the main card, as well as a heavyweight affair between Bobby Lashley and Chad Griggs.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on Strikeforce: "Houston."

During Bellator 33 on Oct. 21 in Kansas City, Missouri, current Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will meet Roger Huerta during a three-round non-title fight.

Bellator season-two tournament champion Pat Curran is unable to fight due to injury, which forced Bellator to look for new options. Curran actually beat Huerta during the semifinals on his way towards the Bellator tournament championship — an upset that clearly threw a wrench in Bellator’s plans.

The injury to Curran, however, provides Bellator the chance to offer the fight Bellator wanted to arrange in the first place. Alvarez desperately needs a quality opponent he can face, and it looked like Bellator would have needed to look outside the organization for such a fight.

I think Huerta still has legit skills, even though he’s lost three of his last four fights (last victory against Chad Hinton at Bellator 13 in April). However, I think a co-promoted fight between Alvarez and Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez would have been more appropriate.

Meanwhile, Alvarez will head into the fight with a large amount of confidence, as he’s on a five-fight win streak and has a 22 – 2 record.

If Huerta is able to come in re-focused and rack up a couple of wins — especially with his recent heroism by dropping a former University of Texas football player that sucker punched a lady in the street — Huerta could have his hand raised at the end of the night.

More likely, I believe Huerta will be able to eat Alvarez’s punches, but I’m unsure if he’ll be able to stop Alvarez from scoring takedowns — and locking in a submission over 15 minutes.

If it works out that way, I hope Huerta decides to wait and make meaningless movies until after his career is over.

The official weigh in event for Bellator 24, which signals the start of season three for the upstart promotion, today (Aug. 11, 2010) took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

All 14 fighters set to compete on the card, including Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard and perhaps the top pound-for-pound female fighter on the planet, Megumi Fuji, have all been given the green light to throwdown tomorrow night in the "Sunshine State."

Check out the complete (and official) Bellator 24 weigh-in results after the jump:

MAIN CARD:

185 pounds: Hector Lombard (185.5 lbs.) vs. Herbert "Whisper" Goodman (183.5 lbs.)
265 pounds: Eddie Sanchez (244.5 lbs.) vs. Neil Grove (265 lbs.)
115 pounds: Megumi Fujii (115.5 lbs.) vs. Carla Esparza (115.25 lbs.)
115 pounds: Jessica Aguilar (113.5 lbs.) vs. Lynn Alvarez (114.5 lbs.)

UNDERCARD:

155 pounds: Yves Edwards (154.5 lbs.) vs. Luis Palomino (154.5 lbs.)
145 pounds: Eric Luke (154.5 lbs.) vs. Farkhard Sharipov (144 lbs.)
135 pounds: Brian Eckstein (182 lbs.) vs. Tulio Quintanilla (135.5 lbs.)

Bellator 24 will be broadcast live in prime time nationwide on Thursday on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.