Matt Grice returns to UFC for featherweight bout with Ricardo Lamas at UFC on Versus 4

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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Former UFC lightweight Matt Grice makes his return to the organization in June for the first time since UFC 100.

The organization this week announced that Grice will meet Ricardo Lamas in a featherweight bout at UFC on Versus 4, coming to Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Center on June 26.

Grice went just 1-3 in his first stint in the UFC, getting submitted by Terry Etim and Shannon Gugerty, and losing a TKO to Matt Veach to go along with his lone decision victory over Jason Black. However, Grice has won four straight fights outside of the organization since then, and with the UFC now promoting the featherweight division he'll return at 145 lbs.

Lamas sports a 4-2 mark under the Zuffa banner, all with the WEC. His last appearance inside the WEC didn't go well for him though, as he had a three fight win streak snapped by a knockout loss to Yuri Alcantra at WEC 53.

UFC on Versus 4 will be headlined by an exciting welterweight clash between Nate Marquardt and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9083.shtml

Yasubey Enomoto Mark Epstein Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle

Strikeforce Champ Gilbert Melendez Brutalizes Tatsuya Kawajiri

by Michael David SmithStrikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez made short work of Tatsuya Kawajiri on Saturday night, pummeling him with powerful strikes and finishing him with brutal elbows to the head on the ground to win a first-round technical knockout.

Melendez beat Kawajiri in a close decision in Pride in 2006, but there was nothing close this time around: Melendez dropped Kawajiri with punches in the opening seconds of the first round, blasted him with knees in the Thai clinch, took control on the ground and eventually finished the fight with vicious elbows.

 

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Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2011/04/09/strikeforce-champ-gilbert-melendez-brutalizes-tatsuya-kawajiri/

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Hulk Hogan Responds To Edge Criticism

After getting some criticism for his original comments about Edge, Hogan clarified what he said in some more tweets. “I’m not saying anything bad about Edge but he’s a real wrestler,Stone Cold and Cena had neck surgery and u couldn’t stop em,Or Edge it’s in Edges blood,he lives for this business he’s a real wrestler,he a lifer,he’s one of the real boys,he’s hard to hold down,that’s all. HH” Wrestling News

Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/04/hulk-hogan-responds-to-edge-criticism/

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Emotional Aoki submits Beerbohm at Strikeforce

Japanese fight favorite Shinya Aoki started Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley with a bang on Saturday night in San Diego, submitting Lyle "Fancypants" Beerbohm in less than two minutes.

Despite a low, defensive stance, Aoki was able to take Beerbohm down early. Beerbohm had no takedown defense. Aoki then followed with a rear naked choke, switching it to a neck crank. After throwing a body triangle, he cranked Beerbohm's neck until he tapped at 1:33 in the first round.

Aoki, one of two Japanese fighters on Strikeforce's main card,  was emotional as his name was announced as the winner. Because of the devastating events in Japan and training for his fight, Aoki has still not met his newborn child. He now gets to go home a winner on a four-fight win streak.

Beerbohm has lost his second bout in a row. He dropped a decision to Pat Healy in February and now has a record of 15-2.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Emotional-Aoki-submits-Beerbohm-at-Strikeforce?urn=mma-wp1064

Norifumi Kid Yamamoto Ryushi Yanagisawa Yoshiaki Yatsu Hirotaka Yokoi

A more relaxed Marcus Davis fights in Canada tonight

Riding a two-fight losing streak at 37 years old, Marcus Davis wants everyone to know he's not some broken, down fighter hanging on for a payday. He intends to get back to the UFC and his path is through Canada and the lightweight division.

Marcus Davis is one of several former UFC fighters on the MFC 29 card (HDNet 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT) in Windsor, Ontario. Davis (17-8) takes on Curtis Demarce. He's is glad to see a guy like Demarce in front of him instead of a Jeremy Stephens or Nate Diaz. Davis was cut by the UFC after suffering a knockout loss against Stephens. He admits that the pressure of keeping a job in the UFC, became too much to handle.

"I lost that split decision to Dan Hardy [at UFC 99] and everything just went downhill for me. I got nervous, I started to second-guess everything I was doing, and when you fear and focus on, 'I might get cut,' that's usually what happens," Davis told Blood Elbow. "That's because that's where your focus is and it's not in having fun, performing and doing what you need to do. Because of that, I kind of willed it to happen, I feel. There's a lot of pressure that's off my shoulders right now."

Entering the fight against Demarce, Davis is relaxed. 

"I get to experiment and do some things I've been working on that maybe I wouldn't feel so comfortable experimenting and working on on the stage of the UFC in the Octagon," Davis said. "I will go out there and I'm gonna have fun. I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna experiment."

Demarce is only 10-8, but he looked pretty solid his last time out. He lost a questionable decision against Richie Whitson, but ripped up his face. Davis wasn't impressed.

"[...] couldn't even fight two years ago. Then all of a sudden, the last year-and-a-half, year or whatever it's been, he's really turned it around," Davis said. "He's fought some tough guys, but he hasn't fought me. He hasn't fought anybody, after looking at his record and watching his fights, that can strike like I can and I will be the biggest 155-pound guy he's ever gotten in the ring with."

Demarce did something to piss off Davis, because after dropping a little smack he turned brought out the flame-thrower on Demarce.

"He's not going to get in there and knock me out. He's going to try to grapple because that's what he's going to do. He's going to get beat up, he's going to get hurt. He's going to try to take me down and when he locks up with me, he's going to realize that's not going to happen. He'll be my human punching bag until this fight is over."

The MFC 29 co-main eventsfeature the promotion's light heavyweight champ Ryan Jimmo against Zak Cummings and 170 champ Douglas Lima defending against Terry Martin. Hermes Franca and Pete Spratt are also on the card. Head over to MMAMania for an extensive preview of the card.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/A-more-relaxed-Marcus-Davis-fights-in-Canada-ton?urn=mma-wp1037

Oleg Taktarov Akitoshi Tamura Kiyoshi Tamura Evan Tanner