Bellator continues their shopping spree as they sign Steve Carl.

Carl, 25, a U.S. Army sergeant who served in the Iraq War, took up MMA about five years ago while stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and has since compiled a professional record of 10-1. His rear naked choke submission of the previously undefeated Ivan Ivanoff at the M-1 Challenge in Bulgaria earlier this year won him international acclaim and drew the attention of matchmakers from all of the top MMA promotions.

“I was getting offers from the UFC and others, but Bellator was just a better opportunity for me,” Carl said. “I’m really excited about the exposure that Bellator’s TV deal will bring me and the chance to fight against some awesome competition.”

Carl, an Iowa native and recent college graduate, joins fellow top MMA talents Dan Hornbuckle, Jacob McClintock, “Judo” Jim Wallhead and former NCAA wrestling champion and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren in what was recently described by Yahoo! Sports as “a kick-butt welterweight tournament” that offers “good balance of experienced fighters . and up-and-comers with unlimited potential.”

“Steve Carl is yet another tremendous addition to our welterweight tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “In addition to being a talented fighter, he also has an inspirational life story that will make it tough not to root for him once our second season begins April 8th. I’m proud to welcome him to our organization.”

Carl’s signing with Bellator marks the culmination of a harrowing three-year journey that, at one time, put his promising MMA career in jeopardy. In December 2006, he was involved in a horrific car crash on an icy eastern Iowa road that shattered his right leg and left doctors questioning whether he would ever walk again without the use of a cane. His career in fighting, they said, was almost certainly over.

Carl, though, was undeterred, and began a rigorous conditioning and physical therapy regimen that put him back in the cage in roughly 18 months. During his first few bouts after his return, he fought with a titanium rod implanted in his leg.

“After the accident, everyone wanted me to move on from MMA,” Carl said. “But I knew it in my heart beforehand that I had a chance to make it to the top and I didn’t want to give that up. Now I’ve got the chance to show what I can do in front of the whole country on national TV.”

Each of Bellator’s 24 fights during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m.

DaMarques Johnson is tired of waiting. He just wants to fight already.

Coming off a loss to James Wilks this past summer at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, DaMarques Johnson is looking to step it up and win impressively this weekend at UFC 107.

The 27-year-old has recently begun training with famed boxing coach, Matt Peña to sharpen up his stand up.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with Matt Peña,” said Johnson. “He’s Spencer Fisher’s boxing coach. He’s helped out Rich [Franklin] a lot. He’s definitely refined and polished up some of my skills.”

Though he wouldn’t divuldge too much of his game plan, DaMarques did explain that he feels like this will be an exciting fight.

Both Garcia and Johnson are stand up fighters that like to give the audience a show and know how to keep the momentum up. Nearly 40 percent of Johnson’s wins are via (T)KO, and all but one of those was in the first round.

“I think it’s going to be a good fight,” Johnson said. “I think me and Edgar, our styles and personalities, definitely could lead to a Fight of the Night.”

Johnson continued to shed some light on his game plan, that’s really to not have a game plan.

“I think everybody gets caught up in the details,” he said. “I’ve feel victim to this myself, just almost over thinking everything and then you end up doing nothing, which is just as bad as anything else. So I’m just going to go out there and fight and whatever happens in the fight happens.”

The non-chalauntness of Johnson’s attitude is nothing new, he’s always very laid back and relaxed. However, he’s been in training camp for close to three months — almost twice the length of a normal training camp.

Johnson was originally slated to face Peter Sobotta at UFC 105, but due to a commitment with his military status, Sobotta had to pull out of that fight.

After the cancellation Johnson was paired against Edgar Garcia for UFC 107, four weeks after the Sobotta fight was supposed to take place. Instead of taking a break from training Johnson kept his two-a-day routine and focused on gaining more muscle to help him over-power his new opponent.

“You have this big emotional dump because you don’t have a fight and you’re ready to go,” Johnson said of his time waiting for his next opponent to be determined. “Now it’s just kind of turned into ‘Let’s just go. I’m over waiting.’ It’s like the bully telling you you’re going to get beat up at the beginning of the day and you have to wait ‘til the end of the day- the anticipation sucks ass.”

For the man without a plan, the long wait is almost over.

Blue Chip prospect Ben Askren signs with Bellator Fighting Championship.

Askren is a U.S. Olympian who competed in the 2008 Beijing Games in freestyle wrestling. While wrestling at the collegiate level at the University of Missouri, Askren won two NCAA Division I titles. Since announcing his plans to cross over into professional mixed martial arts after the conclusion of the Beijing Games, Askren has been one of the most sought-after free agents in the sport.

Known for his unorthodox fighting style and world class credentials, Askren, 25, is slated to compete in Bellator’s welterweight (170 lbs.) division tournament. The promotion will kick off its second season on April 8, 2010 and will conduct eight-man tournaments in the featherweight (145 lbs.), lightweight (155 lbs.), welterweight (170 lbs.), and middleweight (185 lbs.) divisions to determine the No. 1 ranked challengers to face Bellator’s current champions.

In February 2009, Askren, who is known as “Funky,” made his professional MMA debut and has since compiled an undefeated record of 3-0. MMAJunkie.com has labeled him as “one of the top prospects in all of mixed martial arts,” while BloodyElbow.com called his abilities “mesmerizing.”

“I am very happy to welcome Ben to Bellator,” said Bjorn Rebney, founder and CEO of Bellator Fighting Championships. “Ben’s an exciting fighter with unlimited potential and an unparalleled list of Olympic and collegiate accomplishments. We believe he can become a true force in this sport. As an MMA fan, I can’t wait for Ben’s first fight in our tournament on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo this April.”

As the nation’s top MMA prospect, Askren joins a Bellator roster that includes elite fighters such as Eddie Alvarez (155 lbs. champion), Hector Lombard (185 lbs. champion), Lyman Good (170 lbs. champion), Joe Soto (145 lbs. champion) and many others.

Askren’s signing is the latest in a series of major offseason Bellator announcements that include the promotion’s historic new TV distribution alliance with FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. Bellator Season 2 begins April 8, 2010 and will run for 12 weeks. It will be followed by Bellator Season 3, which is slated to begin on Aug. 12, 2010 and will also run for 12 successive weeks.

Askren said the national TV alliances were a key factor in his decision to sign with Bellator.

“I like that my fights are going to broadcast nationally, I like the tournament-style format and I love the opportunity to be a part of something exciting and new,” he said. “I plan on winning Bellator. My goal, as it always has been, is to be the best in the world.”

Askren, who was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and grew up outside of Milwaukee, Wis., now lives in Phoenix and trains at the renowned Arizona Combat Sports gym.  In addition to the wrestling techniques he honed at the collegiate and Olympic levels, he holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Askren is also engaged to be married on April 9th, one day after Bellator’s Season 2 premiere.

“My fiancé doesn’t really like the whole getting punched in the face thing, but she accepts it and is excited for me to continue to compete in MMA for Bellator.”

Each of Bellator’s 24 fights during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m. Each of the three broadcasts will be aired in high definition.

UFC gives Amir Sadollah his chance to fight in front of his home crowd.

Recently, Amir Sadollah told MMA Madness radio on how he would love the opportunity to fight in front of his hometown fans in Virginia.

“It would be definitely something cool to fight in Virginia,” Sadollah told MMA Madness’ Hector Castro.

Wish granted.

Sadollah (2-1) will fight at Ultimate Fight Night 20 on Jan. 11 in the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va, sources close to the event have confirmed with MMA Madness.

The Newark Examiner reported that Sadollah’s opponent will be Brad Blackburn (15-9-1), and was also confirmed by MMA Madness.

Sadollah was born in Richmond, Va. and the bout will give him a chance to showcase his skills to his home state fans.

“I walk around. I go to 7-11 and wait for someone to recognize me. Nobody does and I get my feelings hurt,” Sadollah joked.  ”[But honestly,] the two places I get recognized is Vegas and my hometown, Richmond.”

Sadollah was the winner of the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” despite never having fought a pro bout prior to joining the show. He reeled off a pair of submission victories against CB Dolloway in both the semifinals and finals to earn the contract.

He had a bit of bad luck suffering a pair of long standing injuries that kept him to the sidelines for more than a year. He returned at UFC 101, where he was finished relatively quickly by Johny Hendricks in a bout that some saw as a quick stoppage.

He came back at UFC 106, where he dissected Phil Baroni with a Muay Thai clinic to earn a unanimous decision victory.

Blackburn is coming off of a victory over Edgar Garcia at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, but Blackburn injured his shoulder and has been out since. This will be Blackburn’s fourth fight in the UFC (3-0).

Roger Bowling ready to test himself in StrikeForce.

Bowling, who has yet to go to a decision or even see the 2nd round in his career, is considered by many to be one of the top welterweight prospects in MMA. Known for his cardio, brutal strikes, and excellent wrestling, he is expected to make his StrikeForce debut in February or March 2010. He holds quality wins over former IFL fighter Seth Baczynski and current StrikeForce fighter Shamar Bailey, and his last fight was a victory over Devon Plaisance via TKO at Big Show’s “Unstoppable” event in July. Bowling was scheduled to fight UFC veteran War Machine in June and then September, but had to pull out due to injuries both times, sparking a verbal feud between the two. With that behind him, Bowling is moving on to bigger and better things.
 
“I have been lucky enough to have one of the most supportive fan and family bases, which has helped me get to where I am today,” stated the young 6-0 fighter. “Without them, I wouldn’t have worked as hard to be able to do what I’ve done so far, and I’m grateful to have this opportunity. I won’t let the fans down; you can count on that.”

MMA Big Show Owner/Promoter Jason Appleton, who is also Bowling’s manager, explained “In talking with the guys at StrikeForce, I can say that I’m very excited for Roger to be given the opportunity to compete in their 170 lbs. division. I think it’s time the world sees who Roger is and what he’s capable of.” Appleton also talked about how difficult the transition will be for him personally. “It’s honestly like giving up your child for adoption to better-suited parents, but the Big Show is merely a springboard for talented fighters. When a fighter shines as bright as Roger has in the Big Show, my job is to help them get further in their career, even if it means them being exclusive to someone else.”

Marius Zaromskis looking to continue his championship ways with StrikeForce (photo courtesy of Sherdog.com)

Known for his explosive, highlight reel kicks, the 29-year-old, world-ranked Zaromskis has been his opponents’ worst “Whitemare” the last three years. The 2009 DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix Champion has won five fights in a row and nine of his last 10.

Zaromskis is coming off an utter destruction of Myeon Ho Bae, winning by 0:19, first-round KO on Oct 25. The victory earned Zaromskis the 2009 DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix crown.

Remarkably, it was the third consecutive time Zaromskis won a fight with a head kick in the opening round. On July 20, 2009, he defeated both Jason High (2:22) and heavily favored Hayoto Sakurai (4:03) with head kicks to win DREAM’s 170-pound tournament.

Zaromskis turned pro on Feb. 4, 2000. He fought several times for UK-based Cage Rage before joining DREAM in early 2009.

Josh Koscheck is rumored to be fighting Anthony Johnson at UFC 106.

Josh Koscheck announced through Twitter last night that he would be fighting on the UFC 106 card.

MMA Junkie is reporting that the Koscheck’s opponent will be Anthony Johnson.

Koscheck is no stranger to taking a big name fight on short notice. He replaced Diego Sanchez in a fight against Thiago Alves, which he lost. Koscheck is attempting to work his way back up the welterweight ladder.

Koscheck has gone 2-2 with losses to Paulo Thiago and Alves. He is coming off of a victory against Frank Trigg at UFC 103.

Johnson is coming off of a knockout victory over Yoshiyuki Yoshida, but he missed out on Knockout of the Night bonus because he came in six pounds over the weight limit. Johnson said an injury prevented him from making the complete cut to 170.

A win over Koscheck would move Johnson closer to a potential title shot at UFC welterweight champion Josh Koscheck.

Machida vs. Rua headline the UFC's return to California at UFC 104.

All but three fighters made weight for the UFC 104 card.

The most notable was Anthony Johnson who missed the 170-pound weight limit by six pounds. He was forced to surrender 20 percent of his purse to his opponent Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

The other fighters who missed weight were Gleison Tibau and Josh Neer, who both agreed to fight to fight at the weights they were at at the time of the weigh-in.

In the main event, Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua both came in less than the 205-pound limit.

Full results of the weigh-in below.

MAIN CARD

• UFC light heavyweight title match: Lyoto Machida (202.5) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (204.5)
• Ben Rothwell (265) vs. Cain Velasquez (238)
• Spencer Fisher (155) vs. Joe Stevenson (155.5)
• Anthony Johnson (176) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (170)
• Josh Neer (156.5) vs. Gleison Tibau (157)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

• Ryan Bader (205) vs. Eric Schafer (205.5)
• Patrick Barry (237) vs. Antoni Hardonk (249.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Not televised)

• Yushin Okami (185) vs. Chael Sonnen (185)
• Rob Kimmons (185) vs. Jorge Rivera (185)
• Razak Al-Hassan (204.5) vs. Kyle Kingsbury (205.5)
• Stefan Struve (243.5) vs. Chase Gormley (262)

Fitch will look to go 2-0 against Thiago Alves.

Jon Fitch announced through his Facebook page that a fight that fans wanted to see would be announced soon, when Ricardo Almeida had to pull out due to a knee injury.

He wasn’t kidding.

Sources have confirmed to MMA Junkie that Fitch will take on Thiago Alves at UFC 107. Alves’ original opponent Paulo Thiago will be booked for another bout on the card.

The two originally met at Ultimate Fight Night 5, when both fighters were just starting out in the UFC. Fitch won that night with an upkick, followed up with punches, making Alves just one casualty in Fitch’s 15-fight win streak.

Alves is looking to bounce back from his UFC 100 loss to Georges St. Pierre.

Almeida blew out his knee, and was forced out of his fight with Fitch.

Sources have confirmed to MMA Madness that Ricardo Almeida has to pull out of his UFC 106 bout with Jon Fitch, due to a knee injury.

The fight was supposed to be Almeida’s UFC debut at welterweight. No replacement has been named for Fitch as of the moment.

Almeida was riding a two-bout winning streak, most recently against Kendall Grove at UFC 101.