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This is a friendly reminder about the dojo schedule. Like every year we are closed during the holidays. If you still want to train, let us know and we can set up a time with other fighters to open the doors for open mat.

We will be starting up again with most of the schedule again January 2nd. The kids classes will start up January 9th at 5pm.

Happy new year everybody. If you want some info about what's going on in the dojo, follow the news here or @gazzemma on twitter and here on Facebook.

Forca e Honra - Master Gazze Junior

Tel: 714.588.5554 Email: hbbjj@hotmail.com

Here are the directions from the Gazze Academy dojo:

Tel: 714.588.5554 Email: hbbjj@hotmail.com

Here are the directions from the Gazze Academy dojo:

Rogerio Nogueira needs a win on his return to UFC, on December, against the former champion Tito Ortiz, after two consecutive losses. As an incentive, the guy who fights out of Bahia will have his twin brother, Rodrigo Nogueira, on the same card, against Frank Mir. Training hard for 140, Rogerio analyzed the trainings, the bout against Ortiz, commented on the rematch between his brother and Mir and also talked about the duel between Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida, comparing the styles of Jones and Anderson Silva. Check it:

How are the trainings for Tito Ortiz at UFC 140?

The trainings are great, I’m a lot confident. I guess this night will bring us a big day and a knockout. I’ll try to put on a good fight because I didn’t do my best last time I fought, but this time I’ll be much better trained. I know all about the game Tito Ortiz plays, I was supposed to fight him before, so I’ve been studying his game for almost a year now.

Exactly. You were supposed to fight him, but then it changed. You already studied his game, so now is it just train for him?

Yeah, it really changed. After I was supposed to fight Tito I went to fight Phil Davis, so it changed a little, then came Rich Franklin and other guys, but I kept looking at Tito Ortiz’s fights because I knew he was a possible opponent to get on the line. He’s experienced, he has being fighting in high level for a while and he’s strong. But, honestly, I guess I’m better than him both on stand-up and on the floor. At Boxing I believe I know best how to measure the distance, ‘im a little more aggressive and I have more punch power at striking.

He wasn’t doing great, but then submitted Ryan Bader on the first round, but loss to Rashad Evans next. How do you see his phase I UFC?

Well, it happens. I guess it’s normal in this weight division and fighting in such a high level. He’s been doing a good campaign, he has great guillotine chokes. He got that win by chance, because he punched Bader and it caught him, he fell and then he went for it. He’s a great champion, so he knows how to finish a fight. If he has a chances, he’ll do it. That’s what a champion does. That’s what happened on that bout of Gray Maynard, that he couldn’t finish the fight, and when Frankie Edgar could see the KO coming, he went for it and finished him. That’s a characteristic of an experience fighter, who knows how to do it. But, when Tito fought Rashad Evans, Rashad proved he was prepared, because he was supposed to fight for the title for a while now, so he proved he’s much sharpen than him. So, when he made a mistake, Rashad finished the fight.

You’re not getting lucky on the match-ups, because you were supposed to fight Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin, two strikers, who then got injured, forcing the organization to replace them and you end up fighting many wrestlers in a row. Now you’re fighting another wrestler, Tito Ortiz. How do you see it?

Yeah, they are really matching me up against wrestlers, and that’s a good thing, it ain’t a bad thing because I’ve been improving my takedown defenses and I guess you can tell I’m getting better, because it’s been harder on guys to put me against the fence. In UFC we used to fight on the center of the cage, but it ain’t no excuses. The level is really high now and I’m getting better and better to figure among the tops.

You brother’s fighting on the same night against Frank Mir. What are your expectations for this rematch of his?

Rodrigo is a lot motivates, he’s coming from a great win. Frank Mir is much experienced, he’s a lefty, he’s a lot heavy. He’s coming from great wins by submission and KO, like when he fought Cro Cop. But Rodrigo on a Row after this win and coming for it, after spending much time without fighting, I believe he’ll prove why he’s considered to be one of the best fighter of all times. I believe Rodrigo is better both on stand-up and ground game than Mir.

What lessons did you learn from their first bout?

I guess Rodrigo was a little desperate, he went for it, trying to finish the fight quickly on the first round. He was supposed to scratch a little more, find the right distance to punch him, not try to define it on the beginning. I believe he’s better than Mir technically. Frank was an opportunist. When he punched, he defended and counterattacked and defined the fight. So, that’s the lesson. If Mir punches he, Rodrigo gotta take his time and not try to go for it desperately. Rodrigo will be ready for it now.

Jon Jones, the champion of your division, will fight on the same night you will against Lyoto. What do you think about this match-up?

It was really quick, right? Jon Jones just defended his title and will do it again now, so it proves he’s on a row and he liked fighting (laughs). For Lyoto is a great chance. There’s no one better than Lyoto to fight him. He’s coming from a great KO. He has lost his belt, but he kept fighting with the tops, so I guess he’s a good challenger for Jon Jones. He know how to use the distance in his favor, it’ll be a different game for Jon Jones. Let’s get him tested. It’ll be a great fight and I’m guessing it’ll be a huge fight.

Many people compare Jon Jones with Anderson Silva. What do you think about that?

I guess he likes playing like Anderson. He likes doing like the bests. Anderson is the best, so he’s trying to do something similar. I guess he’s always trying to bring something new, like Anderson does, so you never know what he’s up to, a kick or a punch… he’s being great. Since he’s already done many different things I guess he was easier to predict on this last bout he did. I believe Anderson is more creative than him.

Send a message to the fans who’ll root for you, Rodrigo and Lyoto in UFC…

On December 10th there’ll be three Brazilians fighting in UFC, at UFC 140. Me, my brother and Lyoto Machida, who’s fighting for the light heavyweight title. So I’m asking you to cheer for Brazil, because I believe we’ll bring three beautiful wins back home.

Cheick Kongo knows Saturday's UFC 137 co-main-event win over Matt Mitrione wasn't a signature or highlight-reel win that dazzled fans, but it served its purpose.

It got him one step closer to a rematch with champ Cain Velasquez, whom Kongo said was "lucky" in their first meeting.

Kongo (17-6-2 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) earned a unanimous-decision victory over the previously unbeaten Mitrione (5-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in the pay-per-view co-headliner of UFC 137, which took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. An action-light first round was showered in boos, though Kongo picked up the pace for an effective third round that led to the victory.

"Most of the time, when I win a fight, I can say it was exciting," Kongo said after the event. "But I was kind of slow.

"I was expecting to exchange more than I did tonight. I wanted to see what he would do specifically. The last round, I just decided to go for it."

The chiseled Frenchman finds himself in a peculiar situation. As one of the elder statesmen of the UFC's heavyweight division, Kongo has logged more than five years and 15 fights with the world's top MMA promotion. He previously faltered in big fights, but he's now on a 3-0-1 run, and he's determined not to fill the dreaded "gatekeeper" role – one that gets you high-profile fights but no real shot at the title.

After all, Kongo is confident he can take out current champ and heavyweight kingpin Cain Velasquez. He nearly did it two-and-a-half years ago at UFC 99, when Kongo twice buckled Velasquez only to be squelched by his limited ground game.

Kongo, though, said he wasn't 100 percent for the fight, which contributed to Velasquez's "lucky" win.

"Of course I would like to get this opportunity to fight for the belt and face Cain Velasquez," said Kongo, who's made strides in his ground game. "To get just three weeks to train and get hurt during the few weeks during the preparation [for that fight], I can say, it made me sad.

"I just want to ... have the chance to prepare for the next time, six months or whatever, to face him. I had no legs last time. Now I've come back. I've got all my skills ready to do that. ...  It's been a long time now – maybe five years in the UFC. I got a chance to improve myself here with my skills. I think I didn't show everything (against Mitrione). I would like to face [Velasquez] again and get my chance to fight for the title."

Against Mitrione, a hard-hitting NFL vet who's quickly adapted to the MMA game, Kongo probably didn't move up the contenders' list too much. But a loss could have moved him down quickly. That knowledge admittedly influenced his performance, for better or worse.

"People say, 'You're good. You did a good job before, and now is the time to come back and get your opportunity to fight for the belt – to try to be the next contender,'" Kongo said. "I just tried to save my position. 'Don't push too much but just end the fight.' That's what I did.

"He tried to hurt me, but honestly, I was confident. He's a good puncher, but he didn't hurt me. I was completely OK during the bout. I wanted to see if he could do more. That's why I was a little bit shy about the exchanges in the first two rounds."

This weekend's UFC 137 event features a key clash in the welterweight division, but it will not determine the next challenger for Georges St-Pierre's championship belt.

While some fans and pundits have speculated that impressive Nick Diaz win over B.J. Penn could catapult the controversial former Strikeforce champ back into a matchup with St-Pierre, UFC president Dana White today said that's simply not the case.

"Condit's in," White said. "Condit is sitting and waiting."

Condit, of course, was originally expected to fight in the co-main event of Saturday night's fight card at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center. However, when Diaz missed a pair of pre-event press conferences, he was pulled from a main-event scrap with St-Pierre in favor of former WEC titleholder Condit.

That matchup fell apart when St-Pierre suffered a a pair of training injuries earlier this month.

The UFC welterweight champ recently said he's targeting a February return. White didn't predict a specific date for the Canadian superstar's return to action but did say the injuries did not appear to warrant a lengthy layoff.

"GSP should be six to eight weeks," White said. "He's just got to have some rehab on his knee. Hopefully it doesn't lead to surgery."

Meanwhile, Diaz has thus far attended all fight-week events and was especially jovial at Thursday's pre-fight press conference. Ironically, White revealed Diaz did initially miss his flight to Las Vegas.

"He's been on his best behavior since he's been here," White said. "He missed his first flight at the beginning of the week, but then we got him on the flight that night, and he's literally been great ever since."

And did White push the panic button when Diaz didn't show for that scheduled departure?

"I literally had no thought," White said. "I know he's going to show up for the fight. It's not like I was thinking anything bad was happening."

Cheick Kongo has been fighting MMA since 2001 compiling a career record of 16-6-2 in the sport since. He is hoping that experience will help carry him past Matt Mitrione when the two heavyweights meet in the co-main event of UFC 137 Saturday night from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kongo is 2-0-1 in his last three fights, working past a two-fight losing streak to current UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and former UFC title-holder Frank Mir. The 36-year-old is currently training with Quinton Jackson at the Wolfslair MMA Academy in England.

While “Meathead” presents another great challenge, having won all five of his MMA fights since his stint on The Ultimate Fighter 10, Kongo is planning on not letting Mitrione further make a name for himself this weekend.

“Everyone gets a chance to face someone famous. It’s a good thing for him. Matt is a likable guy and has done well so far; I respect him as a fighter and expect for him to give a good fight,” said Kongo, in a recent interview with UFC’s website. “Ultimately, he’s going to be ready for the bout. I’ve fought for so many years and been so careful. I learn a lot from my last mistakes and I will do my best.”

Kongo seemed to be well on his way to possibly fighting for the UFC title before Velasquez earned a decision victory over him in 2009. The Mir loss came later that year but Kongo has gotten himself back on track since by defeating Paul Buentello and Pat Barry.

“If I get the chance to fight (for the title), I would be happy,” Kongo said. “I know the line is very long, but hopefully, yes, I would like to fight for the belt as soon as possible.”

“Rampage” Jackson, who is working alongside Kongo, it excited for the fight, saying, “Matt brings it and Kongo ain’t scared to bring it.”

On the subject of coming into every fight with the goal of finishing a foe, Kongo is approaching Mitrione in the same way, making a bold prediction on the outcome of this weekend’s offering.

“I came here to win and I will win. I’m going to knock him out,” Kongo concluded on the match-up with Mitrione.

Cheick Kongo is geared up for his UFC 137 showdown with Matt Mitrione alongside Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the rarefied air of Denver.

Talking one-on-one with MMAWeekly.com’s Conner Cordova, Kongo said that while he’s wary of Mitrione’s ever-improving striking game, he is more concerned with the fight hitting the ground.

How does his ground game stack up against Mitrione’s? Watch the interview to find out what Kongo thinks.

And just so you know, if you didn't already, no he didn't tap.

Now that I have successfully offended our readers, let's go to the video tape.

The words "roller coaster" have been used frequently over the last couple of days to describe the UFC 137 fight card and, more specifically, Carlos Condit's place on it.

The Natural Born Killer originally expected to face BJ Penn on the card, but was promoted to the main event to take on UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre when Nick Diaz was booted from that fight for skipping out on media obligations. Now, just over a week before the fight, Condit has learned that St-Pierre has been forced off of the card with an injured knee and that he'll have to take to the sidelines while the champion recovers.

Condit spoke with FOX Sports shortly after learning of this newest change of plans, explaining that, while he is obviously upset, his restlessness to face the champ will be abated by the fact that he is keeping his spot as the top contender while St-Pierre embarks on what is forecast to be a fairly quick recovery.

"I was ready to fight and I'm disappointed that I'm not going to be fighting next weekend. But, taking another fight when I have this opportunity to fight for the title, and taking another fight in between now and when Georges is healthy just doesn't make any sense on a lot of different levels," Condit asserted. "At this point, I'm just going to have to be patient."

Check out Condit's entire interview with FOX Sports below.

Former Bamberg-Ehrhardt High athlete and UFC fighter Rodney Wallace will take on former TUF coach Lew Polley Nov. 5 in Concord, NC.

Rodney Wallace has proven himself to be one of the toughest and most exciting light heavyweight fighters in the world.

He has thrown highlight reel kicks in the MFC and, on the same card as Georges St. Pierre, won "Fight of the Night" after pushing the pace in a loss to Jared Hamman at UFC 111. But despite putting on exciting fights and having never been finished in the UFC, Wallace, a former star athlete at Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, went 0-3 at mixed martial arts highest level. Along the way, the 5-9 fighter has consistently received one piece of advice - move down to 185.

"If I had a nickel for every time I have heard that, I probably wouldn't even need to fight," Wallace said laughing. "It is always you should be at 185, 185, 185 ... if I had me a nickel for every time I have heard that statement."

Wallace (11-4) finally took the advice, sort of, and was headed down. It is just that, on the road to 185, a weight class where he will be better matched up height and reach wise against opponents, good fight opportunities keep popping up at light heavyweight. First, there was a bout against former TUF contestant Cale Yarbrough in April. Wallace won that fight by unanimous decision and again headed toward 185. But, along the way, another to good to pass up fight was offered at light heavyweight.

On Nov. 5 in Concord, N.C., Wallace will take on Lew Polley at Imperial Fighting II at The Cabarrus Arena and Events Center.

"I got something in me that I can't just turn down a fight," Wallace said. "I don't know. I have been searching for that 185 spot. Any guy that wants to take a shot at me at 185, I'm searching. But, the guys at 205 are the guys that want to take a shot at me."

Polley enters the fight with just one win in his last four bouts. He has lost his last two, the latest being a split decision loss to Anthony Gomez in June of 2010. But Polley enters with a degree of fame after serving as a coach for Junior Dos Santos' team on TUF 13. During the season, Polley was painted as a villain on television and, eventually, asked to leave by Dos Santos.

"I think people know him from being that guy on the show," Wallace said. "I think people hate that dude. So, I think he might be selling more tickets than I'm selling. People want me to beat his (butt) from what they know about him. A lot of people that like MMA and fighting are coming to see him in person and say, ‘That is what you get for all that talking.'

"I know he is a wrestler. He is going to try to wrestle me for sure. As far as his credentials and what I've seen, he is not so impressive. The guys he fought were not so impressive. He is coming off two losses. His last fight was a year and a half ago and the one before that was a year before that. He doesn't stay busy, and I find it hard to believe that someone that doesn't stay busy is going to be training like they are supposed to. But I do believe he will come in there passionate."

Wallace's layoff, since April, has not been nearly as long as Polley's. But for the fighter known as "Sho Nuff the Master," that layoff has been long enough.

"I'm real eager," Wallace said. "I'm real eager. I feel like I'm turning a page in my career. Every time I go out there I try to be a better fighter. As far as winning, I try to win and entertain at the same time. I'm not ‘Greg Jackson' camping it. I want to be out there trying to get it. It's a spectator sport. So I'm real anxious and driving at that to see how I do with this one and how much better I have gotten."

George and Weezie aren't the only ones movin' on up.

Hard-hitting heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione have been promoted to the co-main event of UFC 137: "Penn vs. Diaz," now that welterweight fighters B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz are headlining the pay-per-view event on Oct. 29, 2011, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In case you haven't heard, or just refuse to accept it, Georges St. Pierre blew out his knee and was forced to withdraw from his "Sin City" title fight against Carlos Condit, who will take a seat and ride this thing out.

Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.

The last time Kongo was in action, he was involved in one of the craziest and most memorable comebacks in Octagon history at UFC on Versus 4. After getting repeatedly rocked by Pat Barry, the French sensation landed a big right hand that stunned "HD" and finished the job with a monster uppercut.

Now, once again, he's got a perfect style match-up that could lead to consecutive memorable performances.

Mitrione also competed the last time UFC invaded the Versus cable network channel and had his way with over-matched heavyweight brawler Christian Morecraft.

In fact, if not for the Kongo comeback, "Meathead" likely would have won himself "Knockout of the Night" honors for his walkaway kayo in the second round.

If he wants to settle that up with the Wolfslair kickboxer, now's his chance.

With Kongo vs. Mitrione moving up in the order, the empty pay-per-view slot will be filled by middleweight mash-up between Brad Tavares and Dustin Jacoby.

Pedro Rizzo has sustained a left tricep injury and is pulling out of his November 5th matchup with former UFC champion Tim Sylvia at Pro Elite 2.

Rizzo (19-9) made the announcement on twitter, leaving many questions regarding if a replacement would be made for the main event against Sylvia (29-7).

Pro Elite 2 is scheduled to take place at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois and will also feature a co-main event of Andrei Arlovski (16-9) vs. Travis Fulton (247-48-10) and will introduce additional combatants for an 8-fighter heavyweight tournament.

The 37 year old "Rock" Rizzo  is on a three fight winning streak that has seen him beat Ken Shamrock, Gary Goodridge, and Jeff Monson. In his storied career, Rizzo fought for the UFC heavyweight title three times, losing twice to Randy Couture and once to Kevin Randleman.

He also holds notable victories over Tank Abbott, Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Andrei Arlovski, Ricco Rodriguez, and Josh Barnett.

CARLOS CONDIT DISAPPOINTED, BUT HOPEFUL SHOT @ GSP COULD STILL HAPPEN SOON.

Such was the question posed to Carlos Condit on Tuesday when UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre had to back out of their UFC 137 title showdown due to a knee injury. UFC president Dana White announced St-Pierre’s withdrawal via his official Twitter account.

Rashad Evans opted to wait for his shot at then-light heavyweight titleholder Mauricio “Shogun” Rua when Rua fell out due to injury. That decision produced disastrous results. After waiting for several months, Evans fell out of the bout due to injury. His life then took numerous twists and turns when then-teammate Jon Jones took his place, winning the belt and dissolving their friendship. He vowed never to wait again, and didn’t when Jones fell out of a proposed fight between the two at UFC 133. Evans went on to defeat Tito Ortiz on that card.

Junior dos Santos immediately took a different road when UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was sidelined. The Brazilian slotted in as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter and then fought Shane Carwin to maintain his No. 1 contender status while Velasquez rehabbed his injury. Velasquez and dos Santos now will fight as the main event of the first UFC on Fox event.

For better or for worse, Condit is opting to wait for his title shot. Obviously, it could go the way of the Evans vs. Shogun match-up, a constant slide away from the belt, or he could be waiting for just a few months, get his title shot, and possibly walk off with the gold around his waist.

Always at the ready, fellow Top 10 welterweight Josh Koscheck offered to step in for GSP on only one-and-a-half weeks notice. Appreciative of the offer, White tweeted, “We will sit Carlos to wait for GSP. It’s looking so far like he could be ready in a couple months. Still early to tell though.”

Given that timeframe, it is difficult to faulting Condit for waiting. Title shots don’t fall into your lap every day.

“I’m super disappointed,” Condit told MMAWeekly.com, “Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the sport. I’m going to continue training and hopefully Georges and I can fight before the end of the year.”

The end of the year may be a difficult call depending on the seriousness of St-Pierre’s injury, but White’s statement seems to back the belief that GSP isn’t expected to be out for an extended period of time.

It’s an unfortunate loss for the fans that were looking forward to a card topped with St-Pierre vs. Condit and BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz. UFC 137, according to White, will now feature Penn vs. Diaz in a three-round non-title affair as the main event.

UFC welterweight contender Carlos Condit may hold an overall record of 27-5 with 26 stoppages but even he admits current champion Georges St. Pierre poses a challenge unlike any he’s seen so far in his career.

St. Pierre, considered to be one of MMA’s pound-for-pound greats, is one of the few competitors who blend every aspect of the sport together seamlessly. A tremendous grappler with diverse stand-up and never-ending cardio, GSP hasn’t been beaten in more than four-and-a-half years while picking up wins over a number of highly-respected peers like B.J. Penn, Matt Hughes, Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and most recently Jake Shields.

Condit understands the significant task at hand, a point he drove home in a recent interview with the UFC relating to his October 29 headliner against the popular French-Canadian at UFC 137.

“Georges is very hard to gameplan against. He’s as dynamic and well-rounded as they come. He’s a very, very tough puzzle to solve,” Condit explained before making it clear he’s no slouch either. “I’m hard to fight. No matter what position we’re in I make you very uncomfortable. I try to not only beat you down physically but break you mentally.”

Contractual jiu-jitsu has kept her from the cage for the past 16 months, but when she first came to the U.S., she said she went years without a booking.

"I kept my faith in God and just kept training and hoped for the best, and hoped that the fans would want to see me come back to Strikeforce to fight,"

Still, she entertained the possibility of a move to professional wrestling, and while she said fighting is still a priority, she sees nothing wrong with doing both down the line.

"Basically my priority is to fight for Strikeforce and MMA-type fights," she said. "Everything else will be on the side."

With a new multi-fight contract in place, Santos (10-1 MMA, 4-0 SF) doesn't yet have a need to take other jobs to keep food on the table. On Dec. 17, she looks to defend her women's featherweight championship a third time when she fights Hiroko Yamanaka (12-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) at the Showtime-televised "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal," which takes place at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.

The champ said she's been training consistently during her layoff, and in June, she entered and won a major jiu-jitsu tournament. But, of course, there are questions about ring rust.

"I continued to train at the gym, staying active, so I don't feel that will be a factor," Santos said.

Despite the ailing state of MMA in her native country, Japanese featherweight Yamanaka has fought four times since Santos' most recent appearance, and she's finished all of her opponents. She also owns a win over a previous victim of the champ, Hitomi Akano, which avenged an earlier defeat.

Santos, though, has no intention of giving up her belt.

"I feel happy being a representative of a female champion, and I've always trained seriously to try to be the best champion I can be," she said.

How long she keeps the belt is unclear, and it's not just because of the upcoming fight. The booking resides on one of six remaining events that Strikeforce owes to broadcast partner Showtime, and the premium-cable network has not yet decided whether to renew a broadcast deal that would pave the way for future shows. During Santos' layoff, the landscape for women's MMA was cast into doubt when Strikeforce was purchased by UFC parent company Zuffa, whose executives are not keen on the sport.

"We've always believed in female fights in Strikeforce," Coker said. "I always felt that the women's division deserves a fair shake, and we've always stuck with that. For about a year and a half, Cristiane 'Cyborg' vs. Gina Carano was the highest-rated show on Showtime in the history of MMA programming. One of the Fedor (Emelianenko) fights eeked it out, but it was only by maybe 100,000 households. So it's always delivered well for our partner, and I believe in it. So, to me, it's going to continue."

Ultimately, though, the decision is now out of Coker's hands. Right now, Santos has a belt to defend. But as a professional athlete, she isn't opposed to the possibility of wrestling entertainment.

"I enjoy real fights, but if I had another option to do it, then why not?" she said.

Michael Bisping has made a name for himself by being a brash, outspoken fighter from England. He has two coaching stints on The Ultimate Fighter, and is a product of the reality show himself.

Bisping, who is currently coaching opposite Jason Miller and will meet “Mayhem” in December, believes he is the next man to oppose UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva so long as he takes care of “Mayhem” in convincing fashion.

“The Count” has won his last three fights, including a TKO over Jorge Rivera at UFC 127 in February. He is 7-2 since 2008, with the two defeats coming at the hands of Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva.

“I feel I deserve a shot. I have got to beat Miller, he is tough. I am not looking past him. (But) it’s me, I’m the contender,” said Bisping, in an interview with Fighters Only Magazine recently. “(Vitor) Belfort has just been beat, Yushin Okami has just been beat, (Chael) Sonnen got beat. What are they going to do…keep beating each other up and then have another shot at him? No, I’m the contender.”

Bisping was nearing a title shot before falling to Henderson after the two coached against one another on TUF. The only other defeat of Bisping’s career came to Rashad Evans by Split Decision in 2007, as he is 21-3 with 13 knockouts.

“I feel I match quite well with Anderson believe it or not, I think stylistically I will give him a good match up,” Bisping said. “I will do a better job than everyone has lately. The last fight Anderson had was against Sonnen.”

Since defeating Sonnen with a fifth round submission, “The Spider” has stopped Belfort in the first round with a front kick and Okami in the second by TKO.

“So yeah, if I get my shot…listen, it’s easier said than done,” Bisping said. “You can sit here and say, ‘You’ve got to do this against Anderson,’ – getting in the cane and doing it to him is a completely different kettle of fish. But I feel I have earned the right to have my shot.”

Lyoto Machida will have a big help on his trainings for the title fight against Jon Jones, at UFC 140. On a press conference yesterday in Toronto, Canada, the karate fighter revealed he’ll train with Anderson Silva, middleweight champion of the organization.

“Anderson called me and said he wants to go to my hometown (Belem), and I’m waiting for him to help me out”, said the former champion, who’s coming from a win over Randy Couture, exactly in Toronto. “I was welcomed by the local fans. I know I fought a legend, Randy Couture, and I want to put on a great show in December”.

The Brazilian bets on his experience to overcome Jones, who’ll be doing his fourth bout in 2011, the third worth the title. “It’s hard to say, but I believe I got a little advantage on the experience matter”, affirmed, aware of the skills of his opponent, who has defeated Shogun and Rampage, only two fighters to ever beat Machida. “I must overcome that with my techniques”.

Rogerio Nogueira needs a win on his return to UFC, on December, against the former champion Tito Ortiz, after two consecutive losses. As an incentive, the guy who fights out of Bahia will have his twin brother, Rodrigo Nogueira, on the same card, against Frank Mir. Training hard for 140, Rogerio analyzed the trainings, the bout against Ortiz, commented on the rematch between his brother and Mir and also talked about the duel between Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida, comparing the styles of Jones and Anderson Silva. Check it:

How are the trainings for Tito Ortiz at UFC 140?

The trainings are great, I’m a lot confident. I guess this night will bring us a big day and a knockout. I’ll try to put on a good fight because I didn’t do my best last time I fought, but this time I’ll be much better trained. I know all about the game Tito Ortiz plays, I was supposed to fight him before, so I’ve been studying his game for almost a year now.

Exactly. You were supposed to fight him, but then it changed. You already studied his game, so now is it just train for him?

Yeah, it really changed. After I was supposed to fight Tito I went to fight Phil Davis, so it changed a little, then came Rich Franklin and other guys, but I kept looking at Tito Ortiz’s fights because I knew he was a possible opponent to get on the line. He’s experienced, he has being fighting in high level for a while and he’s strong. But, honestly, I guess I’m better than him both on stand-up and on the floor. At Boxing I believe I know best how to measure the distance, ‘im a little more aggressive and I have more punch power at striking.

He wasn’t doing great, but then submitted Ryan Bader on the first round, but loss to Rashad Evans next. How do you see his phase I UFC?

Well, it happens. I guess it’s normal in this weight division and fighting in such a high level. He’s been doing a good campaign, he has great guillotine chokes. He got that win by chance, because he punched Bader and it caught him, he fell and then he went for it. He’s a great champion, so he knows how to finish a fight. If he has a chances, he’ll do it. That’s what a champion does. That’s what happened on that bout of Gray Maynard, that he couldn’t finish the fight, and when Frankie Edgar could see the KO coming, he went for it and finished him. That’s a characteristic of an experience fighter, who knows how to do it. But, when Tito fought Rashad Evans, Rashad proved he was prepared, because he was supposed to fight for the title for a while now, so he proved he’s much sharpen than him. So, when he made a mistake, Rashad finished the fight.

You’re not getting lucky on the match-ups, because you were supposed to fight Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin, two strikers, who then got injured, forcing the organization to replace them and you end up fighting many wrestlers in a row. Now you’re fighting another wrestler, Tito Ortiz. How do you see it?

Yeah, they are really matching me up against wrestlers, and that’s a good thing, it ain’t a bad thing because I’ve been improving my takedown defenses and I guess you can tell I’m getting better, because it’s been harder on guys to put me against the fence. In UFC we used to fight on the center of the cage, but it ain’t no excuses. The level is really high now and I’m getting better and better to figure among the tops.

You brother’s fighting on the same night against Frank Mir. What are your expectations for this rematch of his?

Rodrigo is a lot motivates, he’s coming from a great win. Frank Mir is much experienced, he’s a lefty, he’s a lot heavy. He’s coming from great wins by submission and KO, like when he fought Cro Cop. But Rodrigo on a Row after this win and coming for it, after spending much time without fighting, I believe he’ll prove why he’s considered to be one of the best fighter of all times. I believe Rodrigo is better both on stand-up and ground game than Mir.

What lessons did you learn from their first bout?

I guess Rodrigo was a little desperate, he went for it, trying to finish the fight quickly on the first round. He was supposed to scratch a little more, find the right distance to punch him, not try to define it on the beginning. I believe he’s better than Mir technically. Frank was an opportunist. When he punched, he defended and counterattacked and defined the fight. So, that’s the lesson. If Mir punches he, Rodrigo gotta take his time and not try to go for it desperately. Rodrigo will be ready for it now.

Jon Jones, the champion of your division, will fight on the same night you will against Lyoto. What do you think about this match-up?

It was really quick, right? Jon Jones just defended his title and will do it again now, so it proves he’s on a row and he liked fighting (laughs). For Lyoto is a great chance. There’s no one better than Lyoto to fight him. He’s coming from a great KO. He has lost his belt, but he kept fighting with the tops, so I guess he’s a good challenger for Jon Jones. He know how to use the distance in his favor, it’ll be a different game for Jon Jones. Let’s get him tested. It’ll be a great fight and I’m guessing it’ll be a huge fight.

Many people compare Jon Jones with Anderson Silva. What do you think about that?

I guess he likes playing like Anderson. He likes doing like the bests. Anderson is the best, so he’s trying to do something similar. I guess he’s always trying to bring something new, like Anderson does, so you never know what he’s up to, a kick or a punch… he’s being great. Since he’s already done many different things I guess he was easier to predict on this last bout he did. I believe Anderson is more creative than him.

Send a message to the fans who’ll root for you, Rodrigo and Lyoto in UFC…

On December 10th there’ll be three Brazilians fighting in UFC, at UFC 140. Me, my brother and Lyoto Machida, who’s fighting for the light heavyweight title. So I’m asking you to cheer for Brazil, because I believe we’ll bring three beautiful wins back home.

With Jon Jones set to defend the UFC light heavyweight title against former champion Loyoto Machida (not Rashad Evans) in the main event of UFC 140, the five-fight pay-per-view main card is now complete for the December 10 event in Toronto, according to MMAjunkie.

The UFC 140 main card also features a rematch former heavyweight champions Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, light heavyweights Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, welterweights Rory MacDonald vs. Brian Ebersole, and featherweights Mark Hominick vs. “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.

Here’s how the current UFC 140 fight card is shaping up:

MAIN CARD

Jon Jones (c) vs. Lyoto Machida - UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir
Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Rory MacDonald vs. Brian Ebersole
Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung

PRELIMINARY CARD

Dennis Hallman vs. John Makdessi
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Igor Pokrajac
Rich Attonito vs. Claude Patrick
Mark Bocek vs. Nik Lentz
John Cholish vs. Mitch Clarke

However, following Johnson's first-round destruction of Charlie Brenneman at Saturday's UFC on Versus 6 event, both Johnson and UFC president Dana White downplayed the supposedly controversial stoppage.

Johnson (10-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Brenneman (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) met in a main-card bout at Washington, D.C.'s Verizon Center. The Versus-televised bout proved a lopsided affair; Johnson stuffed an early takedown and then punished a kneeling Brenneman with punches and knees. By the time Brenneman got back to his feet, he was wobbly, and he grabbed the fence to keep his balance. But that's also when Johnson blasted him with a shin to the face.

The dazed fighter tumbled to the mat, and referee Mario Yamasaki halted the action.

But while Brenneman was clearly on shaky legs before the kick, he hit the mat and actually looked quite alert. Did the head kick actually snap him out of the daze?

Regardless, Johnson downplayed it.

"Yamasaki is a good ref, so whatever he decided to do didn't bother me," Johnson shrugged.

White, though, was quick to his defense. After all, the night saw another questionable stoppage. Preliminary-card fighter Shane Roller prompted the ref's intervention when he grunted – even though opponent T.J. Grant hadn't even fully extended an armbar and Roller hadn't tapped out. There's no doubt that was the wrong call.

The same, though, can't be said about Johnson's win, according to White.

"I agree 100 percent with that stoppage," he said. "He was on crazy legs before the kick to the head happened. And again, there's a fine line between stopped too early and stopped too late, and I'll takes stopped too early every time. I thought he was hurt before the kick to the face.

"And that was a kick to the face."

Johnson, who's one of the more physically gifted fighters at 170 pounds, long has flirted with title contention. But with his latest win, he's now 4-1 over his past five fights. Additionally, he has the added benefit of being a fighter St-Pierre hasn't already defeated once before, so he presents a potentially marketable matchup.

Additionally, while Johnson has sometimes ballooned up in weight between fights, White said there's no reason to force him to middleweight.

Cries for that move used to be deafening. But Johnson has made weight for three straight fights and showed no ill effects from his latest weight cut.

"If we can keep him from being injured and keep him at 170 and making the 170-pound weight limit, yeah, I think [he'll be fine at welterweight]," White said. "I like when he makes weight."

"I like when I make weigh too," Johnson joked.