Stann-Sakara both watched three-fight winning streaks laid to waste in 2011 and will be coming off defeats when they meet up at the Ericsson Globe Arena.

News of the match-up was first reported by Swedish outlet MMANytt and has since been confirmed by MMAJunkie.

The fight will mark the first for Sakara in more than a year after injuries and illness kept him out for most of last year. His previous fight took place in March at UFC Live 3 where he was outpointed by Chris Weidman. Prior to the stumble the 15-8 Italian had beaten Joe Vedepo, Thales Leites, and James Irvin in consecutive clashes.

As many fans may recall, Stann was on the cusp of contendership after wins over Jorge Santiago, Mike Massenzio, and Chris Leben but ran into Chael Sonnen at UFC 136 where he suffered a second-round submission loss. Stann holds an overall record of 11-4 with eight TKOs.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

However, though Sakara is sidelined, “El Conquistador” will still see action in Philadelphia as the UFC has revealed 7-2 Constantinos Philippou agreed to fill the vacancy created by the American Top Team product’s absence. Philippou lost in his Octagon debut earlier this year but compiled five finishes in seven wins prior to the bout.

Rivera hasn’t fought since falling in a grudge match against Michael Bisping this past February. The long-time UFC veteran had won four of five entering their semi-controversial scrap including strike-based stoppages against Kendall Grove and Nate Quarry.

UFC 133 has seen a record number of changes to the card with the main event even undergoing a facelift when injured light heavyweight Phil Davis was replaced by divisional icon Tito Ortiz against Ultimate Fighter 2 winner Rashad Evans.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the re-scheduled scrap was announced on the UFC’s website where it was mentioned both fighters had verbally agreed to the match-up and would likely see each other at UFC 133 in August. No location for the event was mentioned but numerous media outlets have referred to Philadelphia as the card’s likely location.

Both men are coming off memorable defeats with a bloody but spirited Sakara falling on the scorecards to Chris Weidman last month at UFC Live 3 and Rivera gutting it out against Michael Bisping in February after absorbing an intentional illegal knee in the opening round of their grudge match at UFC 127. However, each had also emerged victorious in a trio of consecutive bouts entering those fights and should provide fireworks when things go down in late summer given their propensity for separating opponents from consciousness. Thirteen of Rivera’s nineteen total wins have come as the result of a TKO with his ATT-trained adversary earning three-quarters of his victories by means of striking.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Intheguard.tv was the first to report the match-up based upon statements made by Leites directly to the website.

Leites was awarded a shot at Silva’s middleweight crown after winning five straight fights following a loss in his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann. Leites who is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and possesses some of the best submission skills in all of MMA was a heavy underdog going into his UFC 97 bout with Silva. For the majority of the fight Leites flopped onto his back in an attempt to bring Silva down to the canvas so that he could try and submit him. Leites’ stand-up leaves a lot to be desired especially against an elite striker like Silva. The crowd booed the lack of activity and UFC President Dana White admitted he was embarrassed by the lackluster main event.

Sakara’s ride in the UFC has been a rocky up and down journey that saw him debut as a light heavyweight only to drop down to middleweight. He is currently 4-4 in the octagon and was victorious in his most recent bout against Joe Vedepo at UFC Fight Night 15 back in September of 2008. He landed a head kick that sent Vedepo crashing to the canvas. While his stand-up skills are good his ground skills leave a lot to be desired and if Leites is able to get him down it will only be a matter of time before he is submitted.

The two share one common opponent in Drew McFedries. Sakara lost via first round TKO to McFedries at UFC 65 in November of 2006 while Leites submitted McFedries with a rear naked choke just 1:18 in to their bout at UFC 90 last October.

UFC 101 is scheduled for August 8th and will be held at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although the bout has yet to be announced B.J. Penn will be defending his lightweight championship against Kenny Florian in the main event. In the night’s co-main event former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin will face UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in the Spider’s second bout at 205lbs.

MMAWeekly has been able to confirm the match-up today from sources close to both fighters.

Palhares, who trains with the the Brazilian Top Team, is coming off a resounding victory over Jeremy Horn at UFC 93 in January. Although he was unable to finish the famed Miletich fighter he controlled the pace of the fight and the outcome was never in doubt. Palhares made quite a splash in the UFC when he submitted and retired Ivan Salaverry at UFC 84. He then went on to face Dan Henderson at UFC 88 and lost a unanimous decision but he certainly had nothing to be ashamed of as he was very competitive against the former two division champion.

Sakara who began his career as a boxer in Italy and trains with American Top Team has been somewhat of an enigma throughout his time in the UFC. While he is 4-4-1 during his time in the octagon he has shown flashes of becoming a complete fighter only to take two steps backwards and lose fights in convincing fashion. He recently dropped down to middleweight and in his first fight at 185, he lost by first round TKO to Chris Leben. He then came back and won his next fight via head kick at UFC Fight Night 15 in September of 2008. It is that on again, off again mentality that has hindered him during his time in the UFC.

UFC 99 will feature a catchweight bout at 195 lbs between former Pride FC 205 lb champion Wanderlei Silva and former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin. While Franklin has decided to fight at a more natural 205 lbs, Silva has decided to try his hand at 185 but will first give 195 a try to see how his body reacts to the weight cut.

UFC 99 will also mark the return of former lightweight title challenger Caol Uno as he faces Spencer Fisher. Also featured on the card will be a welterweight tilt between Mike Swick and up and coming Ben Saunders. In a bout where fireworks are sure to be expected “The Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis will battle Britian’s own Dan Hardy.

Word of the new UFC 99 matchup comes courtesy of a report on MMAWeekly.com.

According to the report, both combatants have verbally agreed to the June 13 fight with bout agreements expected to be signed shortly.

Both Sakara and Belcher are former members of the UFC’s light heavyweight division who have dropped down to the 185 pound weight class in order to become more competitive.

Belcher, a Mississippi native who trains under Rick Roufus, is 14-5 overall in an MMA career that dates back to 2004.

While competing under the UFC banner, he is 5-3 but has won his last two fights inside of the Octagon. Belcher’s two fight win streak began at UFC Fight Night 15 this past September, where he recorded a split decision victory over season three middleweight runner-up of The Ultimate Fighter, Ed Herman.

Belcher’s latest win took place in January at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland, where he upset UFC newcomer Denis Kang via guillotine submission choke when Kang tapped at 4:36 of round 2.

Sakara is a former Italian professional boxer who currently trains out of American Top Team in Florida. The Rome native is 13-7 lifetime in MMA and 4-4 lifetime (with one no contest) in the UFC.

The fight vs. Belcher will mark Sakara’s first fight since UFN 15, where he knocked out Joe Vedepo with a head kick at 1:27 of round 1.

UFC 99 will emanate from the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany and will be headlined by a 195 pound catchweight fight between former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva and former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin.

In addition to Franklin vs. Silva and Sakara vs. Belcher, UFC 99 will also reportedly feature matchups between Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders, Caol Uno vs. Spencer Fisher, Cain Velasquez vs. Heath Herring, and Todd Duffee vs. Mustapha al Turk. Paul Taylor and Stefan Struve could also be added to the card as well, in separate bouts.

Rosholt’s camp is believed to have agreed to the bout with Sakara expected to follow suit once he receives a formal bout agreement.

If the bout is finalized, the fight will mark Rosholt’s debut in the UFC in light of sibling promotion World Extreme Cagefighting disbanding its middleweight and light heavyweight divisions following its WEC 37 event on December 3.

Rosholt graduated from Oklahoma State University, where he won the 184-pound NCAA title in 2003 and the 197-pound title in 2005 and 2006. Additionally, he was a four-time All-American and a Big 12 conference champion in 2004 while attending OSU.

After making his pro MMA debut in 2007, Rosholt quickly amassed a 4-0 record before signing a multi-fight agreement with the WEC. Making his debut at WEC 36 on Nov. 5, Rosholt improved to 5-0 with a second round TKO over the previously undefeated Nissen Osterneck.

Sakara, a former light heavyweight competitor who currently trains out of American Top Team, is coming off a first round knockout at UFC Fight Night 15 back in September. Facing Joe Vedeop, Sakara finished the one-time Extreme Challenge fighter just 1:27 into the fight following a head kick.

UFN 17 is scheduled to air on Spike TV between 9-11 p.m. ET and will emanate from the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. Matchups for the show already officially announced include TUF 5 alum Joe Lauzon vs. former UFC lightweight title challenger Hermes Franca; TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer; TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah vs. UFC newcomer Nick Catone, and two-time NCAA All-American Cain Velasquez vs. UFC newcomer Denis “The Menace” Stojnic.

While not yet officially announced by the UFC, FiveOuncesOfPain.com was also the first to report that Gleison Tibau and Rich Clementi will be squaring off in a lightweight encounter.

The amount of the bonuses for the Spike TV event was $30,000 per award with Nate Diaz, Josh Neer, Alessio Sakara, and Wilson Gouveia.

Diaz won a split decision over Neer in the main event of the show but both fighters were winners after their bout was declared the “Fight of the Night” by UFC officials. Neer stated in pre-fight interviews that he planned to test Diaz’s chin but the two went to the ground early where they displayed a fluid series of submission attempts along with a variety of freestyle wrestling and judo takedowns.

Both Sakara and Gouveia competed in non-television undercard bouts. Sakara, who dropped to middleweight at UFC 82 after compiling a 3-3 record as a light heavyweight in the UFC, recorded his first win as a 185 pound fighter when he TKO’d Joe Vedepo at 1:27 of round 1. The fight earned Sakara “Knockout of the Night” honors.

Gouveia earned “Submission of the Night” honors after tapping Ryan Jensen with an armbar at 2:04 of round 2. The fight marked his debut at middleweight following a 4-2 stint as a light heavyweight in the Octagon. A member of American Top Team, Gouveia has solid standup to complement his slick submission game and is a name to watch in the UFC’s 185 pound division.

It is believed that Kennedy will be unable to compete due to a military commitment.

The IFL is expected to announce early this week that Ryan McGivern has been selected as Kennedy’s replacement.

***NOTE: Good news for any concerned… I got word from the IFL this morning that Elias Rivera was fine after his fight with Tim Kennedy and actually drove himself home from the event.

MAIN CARD

• 155 lbs.: Ryan Schultz Def. Chris Horodecki via TKO (strikes) at 2:51 of Rd. 1
• 185 lbs.: Matt Horwich def. Benji Radach via TKO (strikes) at 1:58 of Rd. 2
• 170 lbs.: Jay Hieron def. Delson Heleno via TKO (injury/strikes) at 4:00 of Rd. 1
• 145 lbs.: Wagnney Fabiano def. L.C. Davis via Armbar Submission at 3:38 of Rd. 1
• 265 lbs.: Roy Nelson def. Antoine Jaoude via TKO (strikes) at 0:20 of 2nd

PRELIMINARY CARD

• 185 lbs.: Tim Kennedy def. Elias Rivera via KO at 2:00 of Rd. 1
• 185 lbs.: Marcello Salazar def. Alex Cook via Unanimous Decision
• 170 lbs.: Brett Cooper def. Rory Markham via TKO (strikes) at 1:15 of Rd. 2

Note: 185-pound fighter Elias Rivera left the ring in a stretcher after he suffered the KO loss at the hands of Tim Kennedy. As more news of his condition comes in, we will be sure to relay it to you.

Kennedy is 8-1 in his mixed martial arts career with a decision victory over “Mayhem” Miller back in 2003. In addition to taking this fight with Miller, Kennedy will also be competing in the IFL World Grand Prix two weeks later on December 29th.

This is a tough fight for both guys and Kennedy is a much better opponent for Miller than Salmon would have been. This has the makings of an excellent fight.