According to the Chicago Sun-Times, former UFC middleweight fighter Terry Martin will make his professional boxing debut tonight.

Martin was let go from his UFC contract after losing two consecutive fights but hopes to return at some point in the future. In the interim, he'll spend some of his time pursuing a career in boxing.

Martin will compete as a 190-pound cruiserweight against Ricardo Upchurch at the Odeum Sports and Expo Center in Villa Park in a scheduled four-round fight.

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com

Zuffa issued the following statement via UFC.com on Friday night in regard to a court decision ruling in their favor over Randy Couture in a preliminary injunction hearing:

In a ruling made early last evening, Las Vegas District Court Judge Jennifer Togliatti

granted the request of Zuffa, LLC, owner of the UFC, for a preliminary injunction preventing Randy Couture and those acting in concert with him from violating Couture’s contractual commitment not to promote competing mixed martial arts events.

Specifically, Judge Togliatti agreed that it appeared Couture had violated his non-compete agreement with Zuffa by promoting the International Fight League’s (IFL) upcoming event to be staged Friday, February 29, 2008.

Judge Togliatti also granted Zuffa’s request to immediately conduct a deposition examination of Couture regarding other claimed violations of his one year non-compete agreement.

Zuffa attorneys, Donald Campbell and Colby Williams, stated they look forward to examining Couture under oath regarding what they termed “Couture’s chronic and brazen violations of his contractual obligations to Zuffa.”

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com

MMAWeekly.com is reporting the following:

Zuffa, LLC – parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship – on Thursday scored its first legal victory against heavyweight champion Randy Couture.

Nevada District Court Judge Jennifer Togliatti granted a motion for a preliminary injunction preventing Couture “from engaging in any promotion or production of events or programming related to unarmed combat during the February 29, 2008 (International Fight League) event” in Las Vegas, according to the court’s minutes of the hearing. The finding also precludes the use of the “name ‘Randy Couture’ and likeness on the IFL website, print materials, banners, and like materials to promote” the event. 

The article goes on to add that on Wednesday, Couture's camp asked the IFL to stop using the name "Xtreme Couture" as it relates to tonights show at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. While no litigation has been brought against the IFL, they still complied with Couture's request and the "Xtreme Couture" team that will be competing tonight has been renamed "Team Tompkins," after its coach, Shawn Tompkins.

Couture will also not be appearing at the event.

It should be noted that the court's initial decision is only preliminary in order to rule on the UFC's request for immediate injunctive relief. A final ruling will be made at a later date. 

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com

Press Release...

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. and Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization today announced a multi-year extension of their closed circuit television/pay per view agreement. The deal maintains Joe Hand Promotions as the exclusive commercial distributor in the United States for the UFC, the premiere brand in the sport of mixed martial arts, through 2009.

“The team at Joe Hand Promotions understands Closed Circuit TV better than anyone else in the business,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Their experience in the closed-circuit industry and their knowledge of the UFC brand has helped grow UFC into the country’s leading pay-per-view provider. I look forward to working with them in coming years and to continuing our success in closed-circuit TV.”

“We are honored to be the exclusive commercial distributor of the UFC – the world’s preeminent brand in the sport of mixed martial arts, with a loyal and ever-increasing fan base,” stated Hand, Jr.

Joe Hand Promotions acquired the UFC commercial distribution rights for the United States in 2001. Joe Hand Promotions and the UFC are excited to continue to provide sports bars, casinos
and restaurants with the premiere brand of mixed martial arts Pay-Per-View programming.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship brand is the world's leading professional mixed martial arts organization, regulated by the most prestigious sports regulatory bodies in the United States. UFC live pay-per-view events take place at preeminent destinations including MGM Grand, MEN Arena, Mandalay Bay and 02 Arena, and consistently draw sell-out crowds with record-breaking gates. Presenting over twelve pay-per-view events per year, the UFC stands as the largest pay-per-view content provider in the United States.

Joe Hand Promotions has provided commercial establishments with sports and entertainment programming for over 37 years, including UFC 71 (Liddell vs. Jackson), Delahoya v. Mayweather, UFC 79 (St-Pierre vs. Hughes), Tyson v. Lewis, Tyson v. Holyfield & UFC 68 (Sylvia vs. Couture).

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com

The UFC and Yahoo! formally announced a partnership on Thursday that will entail Yahoo! serving as the fight promotion's official distributor of pay-per-view events through the Internet.

It may not seem like a big deal now, but with television sets and computers becoming increasingly compatible, there could come a time where everyone's cable TV needs are met through their PC or lap top. 

If Internet PPV takes off, it could create a scenario where more fight promotions run PPVs because the costs of distributing them will go down significantly with the middle men (the cable companies) being circumvented. 

Below is a copy of the press release announcing the news to the public:

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization today announced Yahoo! will be the new online distributor for UFC live Pay-Per-View (PPV) events, via Yahoo! Sports. Fans can view the next UFC event, UFC 82: PRIDE OF A CHAMPION, on March 1, 2008 at www.sports.yahoo.com/ufc82.

“This relationship with Yahoo! is an important step for the UFC to build its global distribution platform for live pay-per-view events,” said Dana White, UFC President. “We are looking forward to working with Yahoo! Sports to expand our reach and bring the sport of mixed martial arts to fight fans in every corner of the world in every possible language.”

In 2007, UFC continued to set Pay-Per-View and venue sales records, bolstered by the continuing success of UFC programming on Spike TV and the addition of several PRIDE® Champions to UFC’s increasingly star-studded roster. In Yahoo!’s premiere UFC online event, UFC 82: PRIDE OF A CHAMPION, Dan Henderson, PRIDE Champion, will face off against Anderson Silva, UFC Champion, in a much-anticipated unification title fight to crown the undisputed king of the UFC Middleweight division.

In 2007, Yahoo! and UFC began a relationship that would expand the availability of MMA news, information and entertainment coverage to reflect the explosive growth of the sport and the UFC brand. In October 2007, Yahoo! Sports launched a channel dedicated fully to MMA, offering fans access to live streaming of UFC pay-per-view weigh-ins, press conferences and a wide range of UFC video content. This media-rich channel includes original content from Yahoo! Sports writers Dave Meltzer, Kevin Iole and Dave Doyle, as well as additional contributions from other recognized MMA writers. This partnership is an important component of UFC’s overall global expansion plans.

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com

A heavyweight showdown between Fabricio Werdum and Brandon Vera is planned for UFC 85 in London on June 2 at the O2 Arena, according to Brian Knapp of The Fight Network:

Heavyweight contenders Brandon Vera and Fabricio Werdum are slated to square off at UFC 85 on Saturday, June 7 at the O2 Arena in London, The Fight Network has learned. No agreements have been signed, but the bout has been presented to both men, according to a source within one of their camps.

It had been reported in the past that Werdum was in line for a title shot following his win over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 80 in January. However, if Knapp's report is correct, it appears that there have been a change in plans.

The reported main event for UFC 85 is a light heavyweight match between Chuck Liddell and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. 

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com

According to GracieFighter.com, TUF 6 winner Nate Diaz has been added to the UFC Fight Night 13 undercard that's scheduled for April 2 in Broomfield, Colorado.

The report is somewhat surprising considering that the card for UFN 13 appears to already be filled: 

• Kenny Florian vs. Joe Lauzon
• Tim Boetsch vs. Matt Hamill
• Karo Parisyan vs. Thiago Alves
• James Irvin vs. Houston Alexander
• Frank Edgar vs. Gray Maynard
• Spencer Fisher vs. Marcus Aurelio
• Din Thomas vs. Josh Neer
• Tommy Speer vs. Anthony Johnson
• Clay Guida vs. Samy Schiavo
• George Sotiropoulous vs. Roman Mitichyan

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com

Rumors have flared up recently that a light heavyweight bout between Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva is planned for UFC 82 following some recent TV ads for the event that inexplicably feature Jardine. However, according to Dann Stupp in his latest column for the Dayton Daily News, there is no truth to those rumors:

Despite persistent rumors about the potential light-heavyweight bout, Keith Jardine (13-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) will not fight Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC) at UFC 82. The event takes place March 1 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

Recent TV ads for UFC 82 have included Jardine, which may have prompted speculation that the fight would happen in March.

While the fight won't happen in March, there's apparently a chance it could happen at some point in the not too distant future:

However, that's not to say the fight won't happen at some point. A source close to Jardine confirms the bout could be on the horizon.

To read the remainder of Stupp's article in its entirety, including his thoughts on EliteXC's "Street Certified," just click here.

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com

UFC light heavyweight newcomer Tim Boetsch has been chosen to replace Stephan Bonnar as the opponent for Matt Hamill at UFC Fight Night 13 on April 2, MMAWeekly.com is reporting.

Bonnar was forced to pull out of the bout after tearing a knee ligament last week.

Boetsch made an impressive debut for the UFC when he defeated David Heath via first round TKO (strikes) during UFC 81.

It is unknown if the bout between Hamill and Boetsch will be televised on SpikeTV. 

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com