Chris Leben Set To Return Vs. Karlos Vemola At UFC 155

Chris Leben will return to action this December, a month after his suspension ends.

Leben was suspended last November for failing a drug test. He will face Karlos Vemola at UFC 155, UFC officials announced on Wednesday.

Leben (22-8) has posted a 12-7 record inside the Octagon, but is coming off a loss to Mark Munoz. The drug test came after the Munoz defeat, and he was given a year-long suspension.

Vemola (9-3) is also coming off a defeat, as he was topped by Francis Carmont. Vemola is 2-3 with the UFC.

 

UFC On FUEL TV: Munoz Vs. Weidman Weigh-In Results

The UFC continues its hectic week of action with UFC on FUEL TV: Munoz vs. Weidman from San Jose, California Wednesday evening. But, before we can get to that, we had to have the official weigh-ins, which went down earlier today.

In the main event, middleweights Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman will collide in an important showdown. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva remains without a next challenger, and both Munoz and Weidman believe they can become that man.

In other main card action, James Te-Huna take on an returning Joey Beltran, Aaron Simpson debuts at welterweight against Kenny Robertson, Karlos Vemola faces Francis Carmont, T.J. Dillashaw meets Vaughan Lee, and Rafael dos Anjos battles Anthony Njokuani.

UFC ON FUEL TV: MUNOZ VS. WEIDMAN WEIGH-IN RESULTS

Main Card (FUEL TV)

Mark Munoz (186 lbs.) vs. Chris Weidman (186 lbs.)

James Te Huna (205 lbs.) vs. Joey Beltran (205 lbs.)

Aaron Simpson (171 lbs.) vs. Kenny Robertson (170 lbs.)

Karlos Vemola (186 lbs.) vs. Francis Carmont (186 lbs.)

T.J. Dillashaw (136 lbs.) vs. Vaughan Lee (135 lbs.)

Rafael dos Anjos (156 lbs.) vs. Anthony Njokuani (156 lbs.)

Prelim Card (Facebook)

Damacio Page (136 lbs.) vs. Alex Caceres (136 lbs.)

Chris Cariaso (125 lbs.) vs. Josh Ferguson (125 lbs.)

Rafael Natal (186 lbs.) vs. Andrew Craig (185 lbs.)

Marcelo Guimaraes (171 lbs.) vs. Dan Stittgen (170 lbs.)

Raphael Assuncao (136 lbs.) vs. Issei Tamura (135 lbs.)

 

UFC on FOX 3 Results & Recap

UFC on FOX 3 takes place later tonight at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The event airs live on FOX at 8pm ET/7pm CT. The prelims will precede the FOX broadcast at 4pm ET on Facebook and 5pm ET on FX.

In the main event, lightweights Jim Miller and Nate Diaz clash in a potential title eliminator bout.

In another potential title eliminator, fast-rising welterweight Johny Hendricks takes on Josh Koscheck.

Rousimar Palhares looks to collect another limb as he faces the always tenacious Alan Belcher.

And opening the night, heavy handed heavyweights Lavar Johnson and Pat Barry look to send each other astral traveling.

Results and recap after the jump.

 

UFC on FOX 3 Preview – The Preliminary Card

Been away on a sort of vacation for the last week, but I had enough time to throw together my picks for tonight’s UFC on FOX 3 card. The preliminary card goes down at 4pm ET on Facebook, and 5pm ET on FX.

-Karlos Vemola vs. Mike Massenzio

Opening the night’s precedings is this awkward middleweight bout between two good, but perhaps not quite UFC calibre fighters. Massenzio has never backed away from a tough fight, and his heart and determination is impressive. I mean, who steps in as a late replacement against Palhares in Brazil? His opponent, Karlos Vemola, beat Seth Petruzelli into the mat, but he didn’t fare so well afterwards. Vemola should win this fight, by all means, but the fact that he’s making a big weight cut, and has as much gas in his tank as a hoverround, I have to pick Massenzio.

-Roland Delorme vs. Nick Denis

I love Nick Denis. Not only is he from my hometown, he also has the best nickname ever, and is a bad, bad man. Delorme, aka the Ferguson Family killer, made his way to the UFC after beating Josh Ferguson at the TUF 14 finale. This fight to me ends one way, with violence. Nick Denis will win, and he’ll do it impressively.

-Pablo Garza vs. Dennis Bermudez

Pablo Garza was on the rise before he ran into the wrecking ball known as Dustin Poirier. With innovative striking and really fantastic submission skills, “The Scarecrow” is likely here to stay in the UFC. His opponent, Dennis Bermudez, ran into a wrecking ball of his own, named Diego Brandao. Bermudez looks for his first official win at featherweight. Despite losing three straight, I like Bermudez here. Garza hasn’t impressed me nearly as much as he has others, and the holes in his game are glaringly obvious, and Bermudez is the kind of fighter who will exploit them.

-John Cholish vs. Danny Castillo

Team Alpha Male standout Danny Castillo returns to the octagon after narrowly defeating Anthony Njokuani. Castillo is an incredibly persistant wrestler, and he’s more than capable of being a headache for anyone. John Cholish is a Renzo Gracie trained grappler. A solid finisher, Cholish has a shot at actually making an impact in the division. Having said that, I have a hard time seeing him win this. While his submission skills will likely keep Castillo guessing, “Last Call” has some stiffling wrestling, and will likely win another decision that will draw the ire of the crowd.

-Louis Gaudinot vs. John Lineker

This could very well be the best fight of the night. Despite his piss poor showing against Johnny Bedford, Louis Gaudinot is still a solid flyweight, who returns to his natural weight class for his second UFC fight. His opponent is a violent, violent man. John Lineker always leaves it all in the cage, and is on a 13 fight win streak right now. I really am a big fan of Gaudinot, but he has to bring his A game, and even then, he’s likely getting finished in a brutal fashion.

-Pascal Krauss vs. John Hathaway

I’m not a big fan of this fight, so I won’t spend much time talking about it. John Hathaway is a solid wrestler, but the more I see of him, the less I am impressed. It’s starting to look like his win over Diego Sanchez was a fluke. Krauss is undefeated, and actually looks more improved every time he steps into the cage. While his gas tank in the later parts of the fight might be questionable, I think he flattens Hathaway.

-John Dodson vs. Timothy Elliott

As a bantamweight, John Dodson was a killer, moving back to flyweight, he should be a beast. Tim Elliott is a good fighter, but he’s facing John Dodson. Technique, power, aggression, all of these things are on Dodson’s side. Dodson beats Elliott handily, and don’t be surprised if he’s fighting for the flyweight title in early 2013.

-Michael Johnson vs. Tony Ferguson

The Blackzilians are not doing so great. With all their recent losses, perhaps Michael Johnson is their last hope? He’s a solid wrestler, who looks improved every time he steps into the cage. I didn’t expect him to beat Shane Roller, but he did. I don’t expect him to beat Tony Ferguson though, and he won’t. Tony is just too good.

 

UFC on Versus 5 Tickets On Sale Next Week, Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle Headlines

UFC on Versus 5 is official.

UFC on Versus 5 is scheduled to take place at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sunday, August 14 and will air live on Versus at 9pm ET/6pm PT.

The card will be headlined by a welterweight fight between sluggers Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle.

“Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle want to stand toe-to-toe until someone falls and that’s a recipe for an outstanding fight,” UFC President Dana White said. “This is the fight both guys wanted, so the fans in Milwaukee are in for a treat. The Miller-Henderson fight should be equally exciting since both guys love to come forward and press the action. We can’t wait to host our first event in Wisconsin this summer.”

Other featured bouts include Ben Henderson vs. Jim Miller, Stephan Bonnar vs. Karlos Vemola and Duane Ludwig vs. Amir Sadollah.

Ticket info below.

  • UFC Fight Club Presale: Thursday, June 9, 10am CT
  • UFC Newsletter Presale: Friday, June 10, 10am CT
  • Public On-Sale Date: Saturday, June 11, 10am CT

Tickets will be priced at $250, $125, $75 and $50. They can be purchased at the Bradley Center Ticket Office, through Ticketmaster.com and Stubhub, all Ticketmaster Outlets, or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

The latest UFC on Versus 5 fight card and event info can be found in our fight cards section.

 

UFC on Versus 5: Hardy vs. Lytle, Miller vs. Henderson, Bonnar vs. Vemola, Castillo vs. Volkmann

Several fights for August 14′s UFC on Versus 5 card were revealed in the past 24 hours.

First up is Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle. After being pinned down by dominant wrestlers for two consecutive fights, Dan Hardy said he wanted to fight someone like Chris Lytle who was willing to play Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em robots with him in the center of the Octagon. He got his wish. According to multiple reports, Hardy and Lytle will throw down on the UFC on Versus 5 main card.

Another big fight confirmed for the UFC’s fifth Versus event is Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson. The UFC announced yesterday that verbal agreements are in place. Many are pointing to Miller who’s riding a 7-fight winning streak as someone who should be in the title picture, but with the lightweight belt on hold, Anthony Pettis (tentatively) on deck and Gilbert Melendez looming in Strikeforce, it looks like Jim Miller is going to have to continue racking up wins before he gets his due.

The UFC also announced yesterday that verbal agreements are in place for Stephan Bonnar vs. Karlos Vemola. Bonnar was once one loss away from likely losing his job in the UFC, but now he’s on a two-fight win streak. Can he make it three?

And last but not least, Obamacare hater Jacob Volkmann will take on WEC veteran Danny Castillo on the card as well. If Volkmann wins, you may want to pick someone else’s post-fight interview to skip out on for your beer and bathroom break. After all the media attention he got for calling out President Obama, Volkmann plans to make Obamacare his thing, which I’m sure will result in a lot of unintentional hilarity.