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"As reported on Fox Sports' Web site March 3, former ECW Champion Bobby Lashley is set to take on former Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock in an MMA fight on March 21 in Pensacola, Fla. The two men will be facing off in one of three MMA bouts at "March Badness," a card with a mix of MMA and boxing matches including the headlining fight of Roy Jones Jr. taking on Omar Sheika. The full article can be read here."

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A planned rematch between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir for UFC 98 on May 23 that would have unified Lesnar’s UFC heavyweight title and Mir’s interim UFC heavyweight has been canceled.

Multiple sources have confirmed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that the UFC was recently informed by Mir’s camp that he has been unable to train recently due to a back injury that could require surgery.

There is no word as to whether Lesnar will remain on the card against a new opponent or if he will be taken off the card entirely.

The UFC had just officially announced Lesnar vs. Mir II via its website earlier this week. The much-anticipated rematch had been anticipated to draw a large buyrate on pay-per-view.

The first meeting at between Lesnar and Mir took place at UFC 81 in February of 2008 and ended at 1:30 of round 1 after Lesnar was caught in a kneebar by Mir. Competing in just his second pro fight, the former NCAA heavyweight champion was forced to tap despite the fact that he had knocked Mir down and was reigning down punches on him just prior to getting trapped in the submission hold.

The two had been slated to fight each again other after both secured wins in the first round of a heavyweight title unification tournament. However, a Lesnar vs. Mir rematch in the finals of the tournament had been considered an improbability going in.

But the odds of a second fight between the two changed greatly after Lesnar won the heavyweight title from defending champion Randy Couture this past November at UFC 91. Couture, fighting for the first time after a 15 month layoff was TKO’d by the former WWE superstar at 3:07 of round 2.

The rematch between Lesnar and Mir became a reality following Mir’s upset victory over defending interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92 this past December. Displaying improved standup, Mir was able to TKO the former PRIDE heavyweight champion at 1:54 of round 2.

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UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans (13-0-1) will defend his crown against undefeated 205-pound division contender Lyoto Machida (14-0) in the main event of UFC 98 from The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 23, 2009 according to SI.com.

UFC 98: “Identity Crisis,” was originally headlined by Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, who were set to collide in a heavyweight title unification bout until Mir was forced to bow out with a knee injury that required minor surgery.

Mir and Lesnar are now scheduled for fisticuffs at UFC 100 on July 11.

The main event was quickly (and awkwardly) changed to Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans during the UFC 96 broadcast on March 8. “Rampage” defeated Evans’ teammate Keith Jardine via unanimous decision and had a nice war of words with “Sugar” following the bout, but appeared lukewarm to the idea of competing just over two months after his scrap with “The Dean of Mean.”

Now it appears nagging injuries and a brutal training camp have left Jackson — who would have competed three times in the span of five months — a little worse for the wear, and he’s now opted to settle for the title of number one contender with a guaranteed shot at the winner of Evans vs. Machida at some point in late 2009.

“The Dragon” has been patiently waiting for a crack at the title, all the while stringing together six straight victories inside the Octagon, including his coming out party at UFC 94 where he floored Thiago Silva in the first round for his first(T)KO finish under the UFC banner.

Like Machida, Evans has taken some heat in the past for his cautious approach. That all but went out the window after a devastating KO over former light heavyweight deity Chuck Liddell and a decisive TKO finish against ex-205 champ Forrest Griffin.

Now pitted against one another, it will be interesting to see if they revert back to the run-and-gun approach or if someone gets the lights shut off in the first round.

Also on the May 23 card, former UFC welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra will settle their eternal grudge match and former number one middleweight contender Yushin Okami will return to the Octagon to challenge the surging 185-pound standout Dan Miller.

Pala!

Mar 9 2009, 10:39 PM

In place of Mir/Lesner we get Rampage Vs. Evans, Light heavyweight Championship. Good replacement.

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The Ohio Athletic Commission (OAC) sent along the fighter pay days following UFC 96: Jackson Vs. Jardine which took place this past weekend in Columbus:

Quinton Jackson - $325,000 ($225,000 to show, $100,000 to win)
Keith Jardine - $55,000
Quinton Jackson defeated Keith Jardine via unanimous decision

Shane Carwin - $32,000 ($16,000 to show, $16,000 to win)
Gabriel Gonzaga - $60,000
Shane Carwin defeated Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO (strikes)


Matt Brown - $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Pete Sell - $12,000
Matt Brown defeated Pete Sell via TKO (strikes)

Matt Hamill - $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)
Mark Munoz - $12,000
Matt Hamill defeated Mark Munoz via KO (head kick)

Gray Maynard - $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Jim Miller - $9,000
Gray Maynard defeated Jim Miller via unanimous decision

Tamdan McCrory - 20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)
Ryan Madigan - $3,000
Tamdan McCrory defeated Ryan Madigan via submission (strikes)

Kendall Grove - $44,000 ($22,000 to show, $22,000 to win)
Jason Day - $5,000
Kendall Grove defeated Jason Day via TKO (strikes)

Jason Brilz - $10,000 ($5,000 to show, $5,000 to win)
Tim Boetsch - $12,000
Jason Brilz defeated Tim Boetsch via unanimous decision

Brandon Vera - $60,000 ($30,000 to show, $30,000 to win)
Michael Patt - $5,000
Brandon Vera defeated Michael Patt via TKO (leg kicks)

Shane Nelson - $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Aaron Riley - $6,000
Shane Nelson defeated Aaron Riley via TKO (strikes)