The Calgary Sun first reported the Nogueira-Kongo bout, and though not official the claim was given some substance after being Re-Tweeted by the UFC’s Canadian branch.

Nogueira (33-7-1) was defeated by Frank Mir this past December, refusing to tap to a nasty Kimura and suffering a snapped limb for his bravado. The iconic Brazilian has since had surgery, complete with a plate and several screws being inserted into the arm, and has been training in Brazil for some time.

Comparably, Kongo (17-7-2) was handed his first career loss via TKO by Mark Hunt at UFC 144. The defeat ended Kongo’s hopes of putting together a three-fight winning streak, beating Pat Barry and Matt Mitrione.

Though Nogueira-Kongo is certainly an attractive bout, UFC 149 still lacks an official main event as featherweight champion Jose Aldo was recently removed from the card and placed in the lineup for UFC 147.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Kongo is 2-0-1 in his last three fights, working past a two-fight losing streak to current UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and former UFC title-holder Frank Mir. The 36-year-old is currently training with Quinton Jackson at the Wolfslair MMA Academy in England.

While “Meathead” presents another great challenge, having won all five of his MMA fights since his stint on The Ultimate Fighter 10, Kongo is planning on not letting Mitrione further make a name for himself this weekend.

“Everyone gets a chance to face someone famous. It’s a good thing for him. Matt is a likable guy and has done well so far; I respect him as a fighter and expect for him to give a good fight,” said Kongo, in a recent interview with UFC’s website. “Ultimately, he’s going to be ready for the bout. I’ve fought for so many years and been so careful. I learn a lot from my last mistakes and I will do my best.”

Kongo seemed to be well on his way to possibly fighting for the UFC title before Velasquez earned a decision victory over him in 2009. The Mir loss came later that year but Kongo has gotten himself back on track since by defeating Paul Buentello and Pat Barry.

“If I get the chance to fight (for the title), I would be happy,” Kongo said. “I know the line is very long, but hopefully, yes, I would like to fight for the belt as soon as possible.”

“Rampage” Jackson, who is working alongside Kongo, it excited for the fight, saying, “Matt brings it and Kongo ain’t scared to bring it.”

On the subject of coming into every fight with the goal of finishing a foe, Kongo is approaching Mitrione in the same way, making a bold prediction on the outcome of this weekend’s offering.

“I came here to win and I will win. I’m going to knock him out,” Kongo concluded on the match-up with Mitrione.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the bout was first reported by ESPN and has since been confirmed by UFC officials.

A former NFL player, Mitrione has found a home in MMA, posting five UFC victories and finishing four of them by (T)KO. He was recently victorious against Christian Morecraft, knocking him out late in the second round. “Meathead” rose to fame on The Ultimate Fighter 10, fighting on the show with no prior pro experience. Despite being portrayed as “a reality star,” he fell in love with the sport and has quickly improved under the guidance of Duke Roufus.

Kongo will be Mitrione’s toughest test to date though. The French heavyweight has been competing in the octagon since 2006 and has fought top heavyweights like Frank Mir and current UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Kongo is coming off a stunning victory over Pat Barry, Mitrione’s teammate, where he was nearly finished in the fight but suddenly knocked out Barry with a short right uppercut. The knockout has already earned Kongo “knockout of the year” consideration.

UFC 137 is scheduled for October 29 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show will be headlined by welterweight king Georges St. Pierre defending his belt against the always tough Nick Diaz. Also on the card is another heavyweight bout between Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson in a “do or die” fight for both men.

*PHOTO CREDIT – UFC*

News of the pugilistic pairing was first brought to light by MMAWeekly.

Kongo is at a crossroads in his career after only notching a single victory in his last four outings including a less-than aesthetically pleasing draw against Travis Browne at UFC 120 in October. The Frenchman is 15-6-2 in his career with nine TKO wins to his credit.

Considered to be one of the division’s better kickboxers, Kongo should have his skills put to the test against 6-2 Barry who also excels at stand-up and is known for some of the most devastating kicks in MMA. The affable 31-year old has stopped five of the six opponents he’s beaten by way of strikes including UFC performances against Dan Evensen and Antoni Hardonk.

No other fights are currently attached to UFC Live 4.

The anticipated bout has been agreed to but nothing has been signed as of right now according to a recent report on MMAWeekly.com.

UFC 107 will take place on December 12 from Memphis, Tennessee.

Previously rumored for UFC 105 in Manchester, England, it’s likely the bout was shifted to the latter event due to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson pulling out of his expected match-up with Rashad Evans in order to play B.A. Baracus in the upcoming A-Team remake.

Mir will be looking to bounce back from his recent defeat at the oversized hands of Brock Lesnar after putting together three consecutive wins in the Octagon while Kongo is in the same boat, having recently suffered a loss to Cain Velasquez following three straight wins with the UFC.

According to MMA Fanhouse Herring will not be able to face off against Cain Velasquez next month at UFC 99 in Germany due to an illness he has been suffering from for weeks which has left him unable to train.

The UFC has announced on their website today that Cheick Kongo will replace Herring and take on Velasquez at UFC 99. Kongo who is riding a three fight winning streak was last seen at UFC 97 in April where he defeated Antoni Hardonk by second round TKO. There has been some speculation that Kongo would receive a title shot sometime in the near future and a win over Velasquez will only add fuel to those flames.

Herring who hasn’t fought since being dismantled by current UFC champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 87 last August was to be Velasquez’s toughest opponent to date.

The young up and coming All-American wrestler from Arizona State is seen as the future of the UFC heavyweight division and a bout with Herring was surely going to show everyone what he is really made of. In his last bout against Denis Stojnic at UFC Fight Night in February Velasquez imposed his will and earned knockout of the night honors with a second round TKO.

The news was first reported by the web site for the U.K.-based MMA magazine Fighters Only.

Kongo, 13-4-1, is currently on a two fight win streak with consecutive victories over Dan Evensen at UFC 87 and Mustapha al Turk at UFC 92. A veteran of eight UFC fights, Kongo is 6-2 and is considered a contender for the UFC heavyweight title that’s currently held by Brock Lesnar.

Hardonk, 8-4, has won his last three fights in the Octagon including wins over Colin Robinson at UFC 80, Eddie Sanchez at UFC 85, and Mike Wessel at UFC 92. After beginning his UFC career1-2, Hardonk has improved to 4-2 and a win over Kongo would likely move him into the title contender picture.

UFC 97 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 18 and will emanate from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. In addition to Kongo vs. Hardonk, the card is set to be headlined by Anderson Silva defending his UFC middleweight title vs. Thales Leites. Additionally, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell will return to action against former PRIDE star Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Other reported matchups for UFC 97 include David Loiseau vs. Ed Herman, Brian Stann vs. Krzysztof Soszynski, Luiz Cane vs. Steve Cantwell, Mark Bocek vs. David Bielkheden, T.J. Grant vs. Ryo Chonan, Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry, Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Denis Kang, and Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman.

“We got word from Joe Silva that Velazquez has pulled out due to injury and will be undergoing knee surgery to fix it. It’s a shame as we had a strategy in place and we were all set to go,” Al-Turk’s manager and coach, Alexis Demetriades is quoted as telling MMA Weekly.

Stepping in to replace Velasqeuz will be UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo. Kongo, who recently made a switch from being trained by Juanito Ibarra, has recently aligned himself with the Wolfslair training camp in England. He joins other notable UFC fighters Quinton Jackson and Michael Bisping.

“We were offered Kongo by Joe and we accepted the fight. We were just waiting for Kongo to get his signed bout agreement back before we could confirm it,” Demetriades also told MMA Weekly.

Kongo is coming off a knockout victory over Dan Evensen at UFC 87 in Minneapolis. Before his loss to Heath Herring at UFC 82 in March it looked as if Kongo was on the fast track to a title shot but it now appears that he’ll have to work his way back up the ladder to put himself in that kind of position again.

The report also goes on to say that the fight will be on the main card portion of the December 27 card and that the bout will be shown on pay-per-view. UFC 92 is set to include a heavyweight interim title fight between Antonio Rodrigio Nogueira and Frank Mir as well as a possible light heavyweight title bout between Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans.

According to a report in Thursday’s edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Lesnar was informed by the UFC earlier this week that they would like to add him to their November show.

The UFC has not officially commented on the story and the report in the Pioneer Press does not point to a source. The report also does not address whether Lesnar has agreed to fight on the show.

If he does give his consent, it is believed that Lesnar’s next opponent could be French kickboxing standout Cheick Kongo. Both Kongo and Lesnar won their respective fights during UFC’s recent UFC 87 event held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. The former NCAA and WWE heavyweight champion recorded a unanimous decision victory over Heath Herring while Kongo TKO’d Dan Evensen at 4:55 of round 1.

Also rumored for UFC 91 is a lightweight bout between Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson.

“The word swirling around the media room was that UFC may try to make a Cheick Kongo-Lesnar fight next,” writes Cofield.

Lesnar evened his UFC record to 1-1 following a three-round unanimous decision over Heath Herring in one of the night’s featured attractions. In an undercard match that was moved to the pay-per-view broadcast on a tape-delay basis, Kongo finished UFC newcomer Dan “The Viking” Evensen off via TKO towards the end of round 1.

Kongo and Herring actually fought each other this past March, with Herring winning their UFC 82 matchup via split decision in a fight where both competitors looked impressive. Despite losing to Herring, Kongo would pose an intriguing test for Lesnar. Kongo is still relatively new to MMA and would be vulnerable on the ground. However, he could possibly dominate the standup portion of the fight.

An accomplished kickboxer, Kongo is a more versatile striker than Herring and his leg kicks could create problems for Lesnar. You also have to take into consideration that on some levels, Kongo would be able to match him athletically. Simply put, Lesnar would not have the same physical skill advantage he had last night vs. Herring.

A more sensible matchup for the emerging mega-star might be former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman, Lesnar’s original opponent for UFC 87 before pulling out with an injury.

From a box office standpoint, Lesnar vs. Coleman has a lot of potential. Lesnar resorted to some pro wrestling tactics last night by trying to embrace the role of a “bad guy” with some of his antics aimed at Herring. The 43-year old Coleman, a professional wrestler in Japan, could easily assume the role of “good guy” as a past-his-prime veteran trying to prove himself one last time against the cocky newcomer. A UFC Hall of Famer, Coleman has strong credentials that can earn him credibility with a novice fanbase if he is marketed properly.

However, it remains to be seen whether it’s a fight Coleman is still even interested in. There have been recent rumblings that Coleman might be looking to cut down to light heavyweight for a possible rematch in December against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. However, Rua was just recently quoted on a video appearing on YouTube that his December opponent could instead of former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Regardless, after last night’s effort, does it make sense for the 43-year old Coleman to try and test himself against Lesnar after he’s already proven himself multi-times over? It would appear that Kongo is as good of an option as any as Lesnar’s next opponent.

Maybe some blame can be assessed to the WEC for not finding a better opponent for Paulo Filho, but if you want to find his equal then you’re going to have to bring in Dan Henderson, Matt Lindland, Rich Franklin, or Anderson Silva. That’s not going to happen and I think Joe Doerksen was a handpicked opponent to allow Filho to look dominant and help build up his name recognition in the States. 

If that was the goal, then mission accomplished. If you had never seen Filho fight before then I don’t know how you couldn’t have been impressed with him after last night’s performance.

I do think some people are getting carried away though as I’ve read some message forum posts proclaiming Filho a good striker now. While his punches looked pretty powerful, his technique was not refined. He works hard on his striking but he still has a long way to go before he can be labeled a good, technical striker. 

I was also disappointed by the quick outcome of the Larson vs. Condit match. I expected a war. But you can’t blame anyone because looking at it from a matchmaker’s perspective, there isn’t a bigger challenge to Condit currently on the roster than Larson. It was a great matchup that just didn’t go according to plan. 

I am thoroughly impressed by Condit each time I see him fight. He’s going to be big time and will definitely be fighting in the UFC within the next two years. The WEC will need to bolster their welterweight division though if they want to make things interesting until then. If he can get past Larson that quickly then there’s no one who will pose much of a threat. 

Jeff Curran vs. Stephen Ledbetter wasn’t anything special in my book but it was just good to see Curran in a televised match. It looks like there is a build towards a WEC featherweight title match between Urijah Faber and Curran. While I think Faber would win that match, it would still be pretty exciting. 

Jamie Varner looked great in a dominant performance over Sherron Leggett. Varner is now 13-2 and should get to fight the winner of WEC lightweight title match next month between Razor Rob and Rich Crunkilton. That’s not anything I’ve heard, just my opinion. 

Random Rants: 

• I’m usually a big fan of Frank Mir’s work as a commentator. I thought he did great during the first live show several months back but I thought his game was off a little last night. It seemed like he couldn’t get his timing down.

• To piggyback on a point made by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer several months back, having Frank Mir do the post-fight interviews is just a bad idea. Mir towers over everyone and makes them look like midgets. Why not just pay some local Vegas sports reporter $2,000 per show to come in and do the interviews?

• Because of quick results to a lot of the fights they were able to show a lot of fighters in attendance. It makes the WEC seem a lot bigger. I also liked the interviews with Jens Pulver and Rob McCullough and how they promoted the next show. They did a much better job of future promotion this time than last but that’s likely because when they did the first Versus live show, there weren’t a lot of definitive details about the second show.

• Speaking of Pulver, if Mir is ever in a position where he can’t do a show because he’s training for a fight, Pulver would be an excellent substitute. He’s already done some broadcast work for the UFC and the IFL. If ESPN ever hired their own analysts for their coverage of MMA on ESPNews, Pulver would be a perfect for such a role.

• They should do an even better job with future promotion. Why is it that Joe Riggs is telling The Fight Network he’s fighting Jason Miller in October? Why do so many promotions get scooped on their own news? Maybe there wasn’t enough time, but it would have been cool if the report was addressed in some fashion.

• I am real curious to know the duration of the WEC’s contract with Versus. I just feel the product deserves a better distribution outlet. They have a lot of potential superstars in Condit, Filho, Larson, Urijah Faber, Jason Miller, Carlos Condit, “Razor” Rob McCullough, and Rich Crunkilton but I just don’t think Versus gives them enough exposure. I know a lot of people who still don’t get Versus and on systems that do carry it, it’s usually buried. I have DirecTV and it’s in between a tier of premium sports channels on channel 608. The non-premium sports channels (ESPN, ESPNews, NFL Network, etc.) are all in the 200’s. You can run all the promos of the fighters you want on Versus but what good is it if the only time people watch Versus is for the WEC? People really don’t even watch the NHL on Versus. Hell, there are already rumblings that the NHL could be going back to ESPN once their Versus deal is up.

• Prime channel positioning is important. My in-laws don’t even like MMA yet they knew exactly what the IFL was when they found out I was going to cover the show this past Thursday. They know what the IFL is because they watch it every Monday in spite of the fact they don’t like MMA. Why do they watch it? Probably because there is nothing but reruns of sitcoms or first run versions of scrub reality shows on network TV right now and the IFL is on channel 17 here in the Philly area. If you’re a channel flipper, you’re going to be passing the IFL. If you’re a channel flipper, odds are you aren’t going to find the WEC.

• If they aren’t looking into it already, Zuffa should be exploring other future television options for the WEC. I know it’s easier said than done, but I think the USA network would be great. The clearance is strong and the channel has prominent positioning on most cable systems. And of course, ESPN would be even better. You would think ESPN would have room for the WEC on ESPN II with WrekCage every Tuesday or Wednesday night along with a live monthly show.

• They should also do some kind of deal with YouTube that would put all the WrekCage shows on the Internet for free. They have a product that is very appealing to hardcores and it’s time to let everyone see it and get them all talking.

• The WEC champions are as follows: Chase Beebe at bantamweight (135 lbs.); Urijah Faber at featherweight (145 lbs.); “Razor” Rob McCullough at lightweight (155 lbs.); Carlos Condit at welterweight (170 lbs.); Paulo Filho at middleweight (185 lbs.); and Doug Marshall at light heavyweight (205 lbs.). That’s a pretty impressive lineup of champions. It could be a long time until McCullough, Faber, Condit, and Filho lose (if they ever lose in the WEC).

• Right now the only fighter currently on the WEC roster who poses even a small threat to Filho is Jason “Mayhem” Miller. If Filho gets past Miller, he’ll have smooth sailing until an inevitable debut in the UFC.

• There’s still a lot of talk that more additions will be made to the WEC roster consisting of a lot of the Japanese fighters from Pride. I still haven’t heard any names though. A non-Japanese fighter from Pride that I’d love to see is Zelg Galesic. Pride signed Galesic from Cage Rage and he debuted at Pride 34 and lost. However, the guy has a ton of potential and has earned the nickname of “Mini-Cro Cop.” He’s a prospect and would fit perfectly on the WEC roster.

• The WEC should have shown highlights of fights that took place on the preliminary portion of the card. Antonio Banuelos fought earlier on the show and has increased name recognition after being featured on TapouT. He could be a future title contender at 135 lbs. but there’s no promotion behind him coming from the WEC.