Alistair Overeem's return to the octagon has been shifted from UFC 164 to the promotion's debut event on FOX Sports 1.

Mutiple sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com(www.mmajunkie.com) that Overeem (36-12 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is set to meet fellow standout heavyweight Travis Browne (14-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) at UFC on FOX Sports 1 1, which takes place Aug. 17 at TD Garden in Boston.

Although the fight will be part of the night's main card and a major attraction, it won't even be the main event, UFC President Dana White subsequently told MMAjunkie.com. That assures at least one other significant bout will be added to the card.

Overeem originally was targeted to appear at UFC 164, which takes place Aug. 31 at Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Recently, the ex-Strikeforce champ tweeted, "Training hard and looking forward to aug 31!"

Overeem previously was scheduled to fight Junior dos Santos this weekend at UFC 160, but he was forced to withdraw from the event with an injury.

In his most recent performance at UFC 156, he suffered a knockout loss to underdog Antonio Silva, who is set to meet champ Cain Velasquez in UFC 160's headliner this weekend. That followed another setback when he tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone prior to a scheduled fight with dos Santos at UFC 146, which effectively barred him from competition for nine months.

Browne most recently fought at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, where he earned a first-round knockout win over onetime heavyweight title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga. Afterward, Gonzaga appealed the bout's official result, claiming the fight should be changed to a no-contest due to illegal strikes thrown by Browne. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission denied his request.

The win put Browne back in the winner's column after a first-round TKO loss to Silva at UFC on FX 6, which came after he tore his hamstring early in the fight.

Heavyweight Josh Barnett (32-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is an Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor once more.

USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com(www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed with promotion officials that former UFC heavyweight champion Barnett has signed a new multi-fight deal with the promotion and is expected to make his return to the octagon later this year. An official announcement is expected soon.

Barnett is currently ranked No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com rankings and was considered the world's most-talented free-agent heavyweight. His return date and opponent have yet to be determined.

Barnett has been fighting professionally since 1997 and made his promotional debut in 2000 with a TKO victory over Gan McGee at UFC 28. He would suffer a knockout loss to Pedro Rizzo in his next appearance before rattling off victories over Semmy Schilt, Bobby Hoffman and UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture. The win over Couture scored Barnett the UFC's heavyweight title, though he was later stripped of the belt in 2002 after failing the evening's post-fight drug test.

Barnett spent much of the next six years fighting in Japan, where in 2006 he made it to the finals of that year's PRIDE open weight grand prix before losing to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

In 2008, Barnett returned to the U.S., where he earned victories over Gilbert Yvel in Rizzo under the Affliction banner before that promotion folded up shop. He would later sign with Strikeforce, where he advanced to the promotion's heavyweight grand prix final before falling short against undefeated contender Daniel Cormier. Barnett bounced back with a January win over Nandor Guelmino in Strikeforce's final event.

Earlier this year, Barnett and the UFC appeared close to signing a deal, but the talks stagnated and talks briefly dissolved. However, the two parties have now reached an agreement, and "The Warmaster" is now set for an octagon return.

 The Summer Series continues for Bellator MMA as the promotion returns to Albuquerque Wednesday, July 31^st as the Santa Ana Star Center will play host to reigning Bellator Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren defending his title against Russian phenom Andrey Koreshkov live on Spike TV. The night will also feature the long awaited conclusion to the Bellator Welterweight Tournament Finals as Douglas Lima takes faces Ben Saunders in a second epic battle, while featherweights collide as Patricio Pitbull returns to battle Rob Emerson.

Askren comes to Albuquerque sporting a spotless 11-0 record and is regarded as one of the best welterweights in the world. The former US Olympian has continued to impress during his illustrious career with Bellator, and will be looking to add another title defense to his resume with a huge victory on July 31 from the Santa Ana Star Center.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back into that cage and putting on a show,” Askren said. “I feel like I’ve continued to mature and get better in every one of my fights, and July 31^st should be no different. I don’t think Andrey has any ability to stop my wrestling and ground attack, so this will be another successful title defense.”

Only 22, Koreshkov had a 2012 to remember as the Russian knockout artist was 5-0 over the year, including a tournament run that featured victories over Jordan Smith, Marius Zaromskis and Lyman Good.

"I'll be 110% ready for this fight,” Koreshkov said. “I'll make sure that Askren's tactics to put everybody in the audience to sleep won't work this time. Instead, I'll keep everybody entertained by putting him to sleep."

After two devastating knockout victories on his way to the Bellator Welterweight Tournament Finals, Douglas Lima is ready to collect his second Tournament Championship with a victory over Ben “Killa B” Saunders July 31^st. Originally schedule for March of 2013, Lima suffered a fractured hand that delayed the fight, but is fully healed and ready to capture his $100,000 prize and shot at the Bellator Welterweight Championship.

“It’s an honor to fight a fighter like Ben again,” Lima said. “With the time off I’ve been able to fully heal to 100% and like always, will be looking to finish the fight early.”

For Saunders, the South Florida native is looking to avenge his 2011 Tournament Finals loss to Lima with a signature finish and finally achieve the title shot that has since evaded him.

“Quite simply, it’s about damn time Douglas and I get back into the cage,” Saunders said. “July 31^st can’t get here soon enough. Can’t wait.”

The night will also feature the return of fan favorite and top featherweight Patrico Pitbull, as the Brazilian striker will battle California native Rob “The Saint” Emerson. After suffering just the second loss in his dominating career to the hands of reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran, Pitbull is eager to get back to his winning ways.

"I'm very motivated to get back in the cage, and I feel that I still haven't left totally removed myself from my fight with Curran, a lot of me is still in the fight,” Pitbull said. “But it's gone now and I have a tough opponent ahead, I'll be going stronger for this next challenge and doesn't matter how tough my opponents will be I will be stronger than I was! It's great to know I'm back."

“Our first event in Albuquerque was a huge success,” Rebney said. “With a Welterweight Title fight, the conclusion of our Welterweight Tournament, and a stacked fight card top to bottom, we’re looking at another huge night of fights July 31^st live on Spike.”

UFC interim champ Renan Barao is injured and out of next month's UFC 161 event. With little time to find a suitable replacement, the night's co-feature betweenRashad Evans (17-3-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) and Dan Henderson (29-9 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has been promoted to headlining status.

UFC officials today made the change. Evans vs. Henderson remains a three-round bout.

UFC 161 takes place June 15 at MTS Centre in the Canadian city of Winnipeg. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Evans, who had won four straight fights after losing his title to Lyoto Machida in 2009, looks to end a two-fight losing streak after dropping back-to-back decisions to current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

The 33-year-old had flirted with the idea of a potential move down to middleweight in recent months but instead will face Henderson, who dropped a close split decision to Lyoto Machida this past month at UFC 157. The loss, which snapped a four-fight win streak and came after a 15-month injury layoff, likely cost the 42-year-old a title shot.

Barao looked to defend his interim title for a second time as champion Dominick Cruz recovers from a knee injury. Barao, who's won 30 straight fights (and five straight in the UFC), defended his interim belt for the first in February with a submission win over Michael McDonald.

His original opponent, Eddie Wineland, a former WEC champion, recently fought his way back into title contention with back-to-back wins over veterans Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett. Wineland's next move has yet to be announced.

With the loss of the Barao vs. Wineland contest, the UFC 161 main card has room for one more fight. It's currently unknown if UFC officials will secure a new opponent for Wineland or promote another contest from the evening's preliminary card.

Mark Hunt's short national nightmare apparently is over.

The heavyweight, slated for the co-main event this Saturday at UFC 160 in Las Vegas, had been stuck in Australia due to a visa issue, threatening his trip to the States to compete in what amounts to the biggest fight of his MMA career.

But on Sunday, Hunt posted on hisTwitter account that he has obtained his visa, clearing the way for him to head to the other side of the world for Saturday's fight. Hunt also this past Friday received his license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for the bout.

Hunt (9-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) will fight former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos (15-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in what is expected to be a title eliminator, with the winner very likely moving on to meet the winner of the night's main event current champ Cain Velasquez and top contender Antonio Silva.

The UFC 160 main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

With Hunt still stuck in Australia this past week, he participated in a conference call with media members and said he was hopeful the situation would be sorted out. And UFC officials said a team was working on the problem and was confident Hunt would be in the United States by week's end.

That timetable won't quite prove to be accurate, but at the very least Hunt should be in Las Vegas by the UFC's standard fight week time table, which typically has fighters arriving on Tuesday for a Saturday event.

That may not be exactly ideal for Hunt, who has said that a previous fight in Las Vegas that had him in town just four days ahead of the fight had him feeling sluggish.

"I'm just running out of time to get over there and acclimatize," Hunt said on this past Tuesday's media call.

Hunt said the problem leading to his visa issue arose from "a stupid misunderstanding" and "something that happened a long time ago," apparently a past legal issue that was holding up the process.

But with the visa hurdle cleared, the former PRIDE fighter and standout kickboxer now is set for his fight with Dos Santos – with the knowledge that UFC President Dana White has said a dominant performance could earn Hunt a shot at the belt. The New Zealand native, who now lives in Australia, has won four straight, including a "Knockout of the Night" win over Stefan Struve in March.

Hunt stepped in for Alistair Overeem, who was scheduled to fight Dos Santos, but pulled out with an injury.

The UFC next returns to Brazil next month for UFC on FUEL TV 10. But in August, a return to Rio de Janerio has been confirmed.

The UFC 163 pay-per-view, as expected, will take place Aug. 3 at HSBC Arena. The card will be headlined by a featherweight title fight between champ Jose Aldo(22-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and Anthony Pettis (16-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who drops down from lightweight, where he was the top contender.

In addition, a welterweight bout between Demian Maia (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) and Josh Koscheck (17-7 MMA, 15-7 UFC) also is official for the card.

UFC officials made the announcement at the post-event news conference for UFC on FX 8, whichMMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) attended. UFC on FX 8 took place at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Though HSBC Arena has long been expected to host the event in Rio, as previously reported, final contracts had not yet been finalized. But that hurdle has been cleared, paving the way for the UFC's fourth trip to the city in the past two years.

Aldo will come into the fight on a 15-bout win streak. He hasn't lost since 2005. In February, he beat former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision in his first fight in more than a year.

Pettis beat Donald Cerrone in January and was named the top contender for Benson Henderson's lightweight title, riding a three-fight win streak. But he asked for a chance to move down and challenge Aldo and received it.

Koscheck has lost back-toback fights for the first time in his career. He dropped a split decision toJohny Hendricks at UFC on FOX 3, then was knocked out by Robbie Lawler this past February at UFC 157. He'll fight in Brazil for the first time.

Maia has won three straight since dropping down to welterweight, including a dominant performance over former title challenger Jon Fitch at UFC 156 in February.

Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo Souza, Lucas Martins and Jeremy Larsen each earned $50,000 bonuses for their performances at Saturday's UFC on FX 8 event.

Belfort earned the "Knockout of the Night," Souza won "Submission of the Night" and Martins and Larsen picked up "Fight of the Night" honors.

UFC officials announced the winners following Saturday's card.

UFC on FX 8 took place at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The main card aired on FX following prelims on FUEL TV and Facebook.

In the main event, Belfort (23-10 MMA, 12-6 UFC) turned in one of the best knockouts in recent memory when he drilled Luke Rockhold (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a spinning back kick flush on the chin. Rockhold, the final Strikeforce middleweight champion, dropped immediately and Belfort finished him on the ground. It was the second straight head kick knockout win in Brazil for Belfort after losing a light heavyweight title fight to Jon Jones this past September.

Souza (18-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made an impressive UFC debut by submitting Chris Camozzi (19-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) with a first-round arm-triangle choke. The former Strikeforce middleweight champion made easy work of Camozzi, who took the fight on short notice, moving up the card from a fight against Rafael Natal when Constantinos Philppou pulled out of the fight with Souza with an injury.

Martins (13-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Jeremy Larsen (8-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) battled back and forth for the first two rounds of the night's opening fight, trading big bombs and momentum swings. Although the first 10 minutes were a little short on technical mastery, they were high on excitement. But quickly in the third, Larsen walked right into a Martins punch while landing one of his own, and he was out on the canvas with two Martins follow-up shots for good measure.

Event results for UFC on FX 8, which took place Saturday at the Jaraguá Arena in Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Main Bouts (Live on FX, 9:00 PM ET)

• -Vitor Belfort def. Luke Rockhold via KO (spin-kick, punches), Rd 1, 2:32
• -Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza def. Chris Camozzi via submission (arm-triangle choke), Rd 1, 3:37
• -Rafael dos Anjos def. Evan Dunham via decision (29-28x3)
• -Rafael Natal def. João Zeferino via decision (30-27, 29-28x2)

• Preliminary Bouts (Live on Fuel TV, 6:00 PM ET)

• -Nik Lentz def. Hacran Dias via decision (28-27, 29-28x2)
• -Francisco Trinaldo  def. Mike Rio via submission (arm-triangle choke), Rd 1, 3:08
• -Gleison Tibau def. John Cholish via submission (guillotine-choke), Rd 2, 2:34
• -Paulo Thiago def. Michael Prazeres via decision (29-28x3)
• -Yuri Alcantara def. Illiard Santos via TKO (punches), Rd 1, 2:31
• -Fabio Maldonado def. Roger Hollet via decision (29-27x2, 29-28)

Preliminary Bouts (Live on Facebook, 4:35 PM ET)

• -John Lineker def. Azamat Gashimov via TKO (punches), Rd 2, 1:07
• -Jussier Formiga def. Chris Cariaso via decision (29-28x3)
• -Lucas Martins def. Jeremy Larsen via KO (punches), Rd 3, 0:13

Weigh-in results for UFC on FX 8, which took place Friday at the Jaraguá Arena in Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Main Bouts (Live on FX, 9:00 PM ET)

• -Vitor Belfort (186) vs. Luke Rockhold (186)
• -Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (186) vs. Chris Camozzi (186)
• -Rafael dos Anjos (156) vs. Evan Dunham (156)
• -Rafael Natal (186) vs. João Zeferino (185)

Preliminary Bouts (Live on Fuel TV, 6:00 PM ET)

• -Hacran Dias (146) vs. Nik Lentz (145)
• -Francisco Trinaldo (154) vs Mike Rio (156)
• -Gleison Tibau (156) vs. John Cholish (156.2)*
• -Paulo Thiago (170) vs. Michael Prazeres (171)
• -Yuri Alcantara (134) vs. Illiard Santos (136)
• -Fabio Maldonado (205) vs. Roger Hollet (204)

Preliminary Bouts (Live on Facebook, 4:35 PM ET)

• -John Lineker (126) vs. Azamat Gashimov (126)
• -Jussier Formiga (126) vs. Chris Cariaso (126)
• -Lucas Martins (153) vs. Jeremy Larsen (155)

Event results for MFC 37, which took place Friday at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.

Main card

• Ryan Anthony Birchak def. Ryan Benoit  via decision (30-27, 29-28x2)
• Luke Harris def. Jason Zentgraf via submission (neck crank), Rd 1, 2:21
• Kurt Southern def. Mukai Maromo via submission (north south choke), Rd 1, 2:54
• Sam Alvey def. Jay Silva via technical knockout (strikes), Rd 3, 1:05

Preliminary card

• Peter Neufeld def. Garrett Nybakker via decision (29-28x3)
• Allen Hope def. Paul Grandbois via technical knockout (strikes), Rd 2, 1:54
• Jared McComb def. Marcus Hicks via submission (rear naked choke), Rd 1, 3:09
• Thomas Treadwell def. Mike Treadwell via submission (strikes), Rd 2, 2:22
• Maged Hammo def. Allan Munroe via submission (rear naked choke), Rd 2, 2:53

The long-discussed launch of the all-sports network FOX Sports 1 is 100 days away, and the first day of programming will feature nearly eight hours of UFC programming. Additionally, the next two live events on the channel takes place Aug. 28 and Sept. 4.

FOX officials today announced plans for the Aug. 17 launch date of the new channel, and episodes of "UFC Ultimate Insider," "UFC Unleashed" and "UFC Tonight" in addition to both preliminary and main-card bouts from the previously announced UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 event (which the channel is internally labeling "FOX UFC Saturday") will feature during the launch.

"We've been working for months now, but a lot has come together in the time since we officially unveiled our plans for the launch of FOX Sports 1 in March," FOX Sports exec Eric Shanks stated. "The programming schedule has been solidified, and we really come out of the gate incredibly strong from Day 1."

FOX Sports 1 officially launches at 8 a.m. ET on Aug. 17 and opens with NASCAR coverage until 3:30 p.m. ET, when the coverage switches to UFC-related items for the next seven-and-a-half hours.

As previously reported, UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 takes place Aug. 17 at Boston's TD Garden. The promotion has yet to officially announce any bouts for the card. A two-hour "FOX UFC Saturday Prelims" special airs at 6 p.m. ET, and a three-hour main-card broadcast of "FOX UFC Saturday" follows at 8 p.m. ET.

Locations and details have yet to be announced for the Aug. 28 and Set. 4 events. However, FOX officials revealed the Sept. 4 event will serve as the lead-in for "The Ultimate Fighter 18," which debuts at 10 p.m. ET. UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Cat Zingano serve as coaches.

FOX Sports 1, which was previously known as Speed. With the re-brand, the channel will serve as the new cable home of the UFC.

Source: mmajunkie.com

ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC), presented by Casino Filipino and in association with Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC), announced today three undercard bouts for ONE FC: RISE TO POWER. Up and coming Lowen Tynanes will battle the seasoned Felipe Enomoto while MMA veteran Tim Sylvia is back in action against Tony Johnson and fan favorite Ryan Diaz will take on Russian ace Yusup Saadulaev. All the action takes place live on 31 May from the MOA Arena in Manila, Philippines.

As a young MMA fighter, Lowen Tynanes has already made a big impression by winning fights against top opponents in the Philippines, Japan and Malaysia. The high school wrestling champion silenced the home-crowd in Manila by incapacitating crowd-favorite Eduard Folayang with a vicious elbow which caused the doctor to instantly stop the fight. In his last outing at ONE FC, Tynanes also defeated Hong Kong-based South African fighter Vuyisile Colossa via rear naked choke. A proud American, he loves nothing better than to travel to Asia to take on the best local fighters in their own back yards. Tynanes is once again looking forward to showcasing his skills when he takes on Swiss-Japanese fighter Felipe Enomoto.

Each time Felipe Enomoto has entered into the ONE FC cage, he has been the underdog. This time, it is no different. Having established a reputation as being one of the toughest and most durable fighters in Asia who always leaves it all in the cage, Enomoto will undoubtedly be looking to silence the crowd with a decisive victory in the early rounds. Any fight which involves Enomoto is going to be a treat for MMA fans because this fighter never backs down no matter who the opponent is or which round he’s in.

One of the most frightening figures the MMA world has ever witnessed in combat sports action is Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia. Towering at over two meters tall, this brute of a man poses a serious threat to every heavyweight fighter in the world. Sylvia has fought over 30 times, won numerous championships and knocked out countless opponents. Sylvia’s unusual combination of size and quickness has ushered in a new era of monstrous, weight cutting heavyweights who seek total domination of their smaller counterparts. Sylvia is looking for a spectacular KO when he squares off against Tony Johnson on May 31.

Tony Johnson is an imposing heavyweight fighter. Considered a top prospect in the heavyweight division, Johnson is famed for being one of the fastest strikers in the division and is currently on a two fight win streak. At ONE FC: RISE TO POWER, he will be looking to make an impressive debut in the famed ONE FC cage.

Ryan Diaz has been training in MMA for over ten years and already has thirteen professional wins to his name. Over a long career, Diaz continues to perfect his background in BJJ, Muay Thai and boxing. He possesses incredible power and strength. Diaz is much more experienced of the two fighters and will be looking to use his strength to overpower his Russian opponent and return to the USA victorious. After 2 outings in the ONE FC cage, Russian wrestler Saadulaev is still searching for his first ONE FC victory and will enter the cage for the third time with the determination to prevent a Diaz win at all costs.

Chris Barnett (7-1) was scheduled to meet Smealinho Rama (6-0) in a heavyweight title bout Friday at "MFC 37: True Grit," however, due to an unfortunate eye injury, the MFC newcomer was forced to withdraw.

Barnett's eye was examined by doctors and they concluded the heavyweight has three holes in his retina.  Dr. Shelby Karpman, Edmonton Combative Sports Commission’s head physician, also determined Barnett would be taking a serious risk by taking part in the bout, to the point that he could be blinded permanently if struck in the eye.

Barnett, who trains primarily at Hardcore Gym, told MMADiehards.com last week he had been preparing with the Blackzilians for his upcoming bout and was looking forward to showing off a new, improved version of himself.  Barnett said he was anxious to get back to competing after a year-long layoff, which is now spoiled.

Nonetheless, Barnett is signed to a three-fight contract with the MFC and will debut in the ring as soon as he is healthy.

Rama, as it is of no fault of his own, will be paid his show purse for the match, but will be removed from the card, as well.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has fined middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva$50,000 for refusing to take part in a planned pre-UFC 162 media event.

Silva (33-4 MMA, 16-0 UFC) was scheduled to talk with a few of Los Angeles' largest media outlets on Tuesday but ultimately skipped the session and instead flew home to his native Brazil.

"We had a full media day set up for him in Los Angeles, and he just decided he didn't want to do it, so he's being fined $50,000," UFC President Dana White told USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie.com(www.mmajunkie.com).

The media session was scheduled to coincide with this week's ticket on-sale date for "UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman," in which Silva looks to defend his belt against Chris Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC). The pay-per-view event takes place July 6 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena. The annual Fourth of July weekend fight card is considered one of the promotion's cornerstone events and comes complete with a two-day UFC Fan Expo and a full slate of fan-driven activities.

"He doesn't like talking to the media, but it's part of his contractual obligation," White said. "Everybody wants more money, more money, more money, but nobody wants to sell the fight or go out and talk to the media. Talking to the media is part of your job, whether you like it or not."

Silva was scheduled to appear on local TV and radio stations, as well as a luncheon with more than a dozen Los Angeles-area newspapers and websites.

Silva is not the first high-profile UFC fighter to skip company-scheduled media appearances. In 2011Nick Diaz missed a pair of pre-UFC 137 press conferences designed to promote a planned bout with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. In a then-unprecedented move, White pulled Diaz from the headlining contest and replaced him with Carlos Condit.

White said he is not currently inclined to take similar action against Silva, and the bout with Weidman is still scheduled to serve as the UFC 162 main event.

"Nick Diaz didn't show up for the press conference," White said. "This was just a smaller media day, but it's still not acceptable, so we're fining him $50,000."

Silva's manager, Ed Soares, declined to comment on the matter.

Costa Philippou has been forced to withdraw from his middleweight bout against Ronald "Jacare" Souza due to a cut suffered above his eye, sources close to the event confirmed with MMAfighting.com on Friday morning.

No word just yet who, if anyone, will fight Souza on a little more than two weeks' notice.

UFC on FX 8, headlined by Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold, will take place May 18 in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The Philippou-Souza tilt was scheduled to be the card's co-main event.

Philippou (12-2, 1 NC) has won his last six fights in a row. He most recently defeated Tim Boetsch via third-round TKO at UFC 155.

Souza (17-3, 1 NC), the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, was scheduled to make his UFC debut. The Brazilian has won his last three in a row.

A bout between Steve Carl (19-3) and Tyson Steele (10-1) will be the new co-main event for World Series of Fighting 3.

Sources close to the promotion on Friday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the welterweights will serve as the co-feature of the promotion's next card, which takes place next month.

Earlier this week, MMAjunkie.com reported that visa issues knocked Tyrone Spong (1-0) from his co-main event slot against Angel DeAnda (11-2). But with a new opponent for DeAnda not yet secured, Carl vs. Steele will get a prominent spot on the main card.

WSOF 3 takes place June 14 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The main card airs on NBC Sports Network. The main event is a welterweight bout between former UFC title challenger Jon Fitch and fellow UFC vet Josh Burkman.

Carl this past November won his WSOF debut in the promotion's first event when he stopped Ramico Blackmon with a first-round rear-naked choke. That win was his fifth straight after a 1-2 stretch that saw him drop Bellator fights to Dan Hornbuckle and Douglas Lima.

Steele also won his WSOF debut in November when he stopped Gregor Gracie with a first-round TKO. That win gave the Canadian four straight victories. Nine of his 10 career wins have been by stoppage.

ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) has formed an exclusive agreement with Yahoo! Philippines, the number one news site in the Philippines. Yahoo! Philippines will feature exclusive content on its website all year long, including exclusive interviews with fighters, behind the scenes footage and feature highlight stories.  Yahoo! readers will also stand a chance to win a trip to future ONE FC events.

ONE FC CEO Victor Cui stated, “On behalf of ONE FC, I will like to welcome Yahoo! Philippines on board. Yahoo! is an internationally recognizable brand and the number one news site in the Philippines and we are beyond excited to have Yahoo! Philippines as an official media partner. The partnership will present unique opportunities for both parties and is testament to the phenomenal growth that ONE FC has made. “

Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has 11,500 employees in 25 countries, provinces, and territories. Yahoo! Philippines is the number one web news portal in the country.

Event results for UFC 159, which takes place Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Jon Jones def. Chael Sonnen via TKO (strikes), Rd 1, 4:33  - to retain light-heavyweight title
• Michael Bisping def. Alan Belcher  via technical decision (30-27x2, 29-28)
• Roy Nelson def. Cheick Kongo via KO (punch), Rd 1, 2:03
• Phil Davis def. Vinny Magalhaes via decision (30-27x2, 29-28)
• Pat Healy def. Jim Miller via submission (rare-naked choke), Rd 3, 4:02

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 8 p.m. ET)

• Rustam Khabilov def. Yancy Medeiros via TKO (thumb injury), Rd 1, 2:32
• Ovince St. Preux def. Gian Villante via majority-technical decision (30-28,30-29x2)
• Sara McMann def. Sheila Gaff  via TKO (ground and pound) Rd 1, 4:06
• Bryan Caraway def. Johnny Bedford via submission (guillotine-choke), Rd 3, 4:44

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 6:30 p.m. ET)

• Cody McKenzie def. Leonard Garcia via decision (30-27x2, 29-28)
• Steven Siler  def. Kurt Holobaugh via decision (29-28x3)

A welterweight matchup between Nick Catone (9-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) and James Head (9-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is a late scratch from tonight's UFC 159 lineup.

According to the UFC, Catone was pulled from the card "following a trip to the hospital for dehydration."

The event, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., will go on with 11 bouts.

Catone failed to make weight at Friday's official fighter weigh-ins. After tipping the scale at 173 pounds, he was fined 20 percent of his purse. Initially, the fight was scheduled to go on as planned, though officials later canceled it today.

Catone vs. Head was slated for the Facebook-streamed preliminary card. The stream, which precedes FX prelims and the pay-per-view main card, now boasts just two fights. The start time of the event has changed from 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT) to 7 p.m. ET.

Catone, who was slated to fight in his home state, was in need of a win after suffering consecutive losses to T.J. Waldburger and Chris Camozzi. The most recent defeat, which took place this past December, was the former middleweight's first appearance at 170 pounds.

Johnny Bedford took to twitter to announce a change at this weekends UFC 159: Jones Vs Sonnen card in Newark, New Jersey. Bryan Caraway, who will be looking to rebound from his loss to Takeya Mizugaki in March, will step in for the now injured Erik Perez on a weeks notice.

Bedford Tweeted:

Well time to break the news!! Erik Perez is out so now I’m fighting Bryan Caraway this Saturday @ufc #ufc159 different opponent same outcome

UFC 159: Jones Vs Sonnen will be headlined by a light heavyweight championship fight between defending champion Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen. The card takes place on April 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.