News of Horodecki’s appearance and opponent were first reported by Sherdog and have since been confirmed by Five Ounces of Pain with a source close to the situation.

The 17-3 youngster first made a name for himself in the IFL with an impressive string of consecutive wins including victories over Ed West and Bart Palaszewski and was recently seen in WEC where he compiled a 2-2 record with success against Ed Ratcliff and Danny Downes. Horodecki last fought in April for a Canadian promotion where he added an opening round submission to his record, the third of his career.

While Saunders may not be a household name yet, the 25-year old prospect has gone 9-1 since turning pro two years ago and is currently on a seven-fight winning streak. He is also coming off back-to-back knockout performances meaning fans could be in for a treat given Horodecki’s general willingness to strike.

As previously mentioned, Bellator 47 will play host to the “Summer Series” semi-finals with 18-2 Marlon Sandro seeing action against submission specialist Nazareno Malegarie and sensational Brit Ronnie Mann mixing it up with former lightweight tournament winner Pat Curran.

WEC 53, already announced as featuring a pair of title bouts, has added a quartet of lightweight contenders to its line-up in what will be a final audition for viewers prior to the group merging with the UFC’s star-studded 155-pound division in 2011.

According to the WEC itself, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Jamie Varner will be fighting on the card…but not against each other. Cerrone will face 23-year old Chris Horodecki at the Glendale event, while Arizona’s own Varner has been paired up with Shane Roller.

Cerrone is coming off a victory over the afore-mentioned Varner, while Horodecki has won back-to-back bouts and is 4-1 in his last five. Both are known for being fairly fearless strikers and should keep fans on their feet from start to finish as a result.

Not as fortunate in their previous outings, Varner and Roller will both be looking to right their proverbial ships when they mix it up in earlier main-card action. Roller lost via submission in the final seconds of his match-up with contender Anthony Pettis at WEC 50, while former WEC lightweight champ Varner hasn’t notched a win since barely out-pointing “The Cowboy” in a controversial result almost two years ago at WEC 38. Since then, in addition to Cerrone, he has fallen to current 155-pound title-holder Ben Henderson and drawn against Kamal Shalorus.

On top of the previously mentioned scraps, WEC 53 – set for December 16th – will also feature Henderson defending his belt against Pettis, as well as bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz putting his strap on the line against Scott Jorgensen.

Dana White Discusses his Initial Meeting with Fedor Emelianenko (Versus.com)

UFC and THQ Extend Partnership for “Undisputed” Title (MMAConvert.com)

Martin Kampmann is Ready to Expose Jake Shields in the Ring (Heavy.com)

Claude Patrick Not Happy with UFC 120 Win (FIGHT! Magazine)

Joe Rogan Does His Best Mauro Renallo Impersonation (MMAScraps.com)

Mike Pyle Talks About Handing John Hatahway his First Career Loss (WatchKalibRun.com)

Chris Horodecki Could Be Fighting Donald Cerrone at WEC 53 (CagePotato.com)

Josh Barnett has a Message for Fabricio Werdum (MiddleEasy.com)

Tito Ortiz Talks Health, No Longer Drinking (MMAFighting.com)

Next Tim Sylvia said he was fighting an unnamed opponent for an organization he could not reveal sometime in August.

Now MMAJunkie.com is reporting based on sources close to the event that Chris Horodecki will take on Dan Lauzon at Affliction III in August.

It is safe to assume that Affliction will be holding their third event in August.

Horodecki and Lauzon were scheduled to face off at Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning” in January but Horodecki was unable to receive medical clearance due to a neck injury.

Lauzon, the younger brother of UFC lightweight contender Joe Lauzon, has made quite a name for himself fighting predominately for World Championship Fighting in Massachusetts. To this day he is still the youngest fighter to participate in a UFC event. He was just 18 years old when he took on Spencer Fisher at UFC 64. Fisher was victorious in that bout via first round TKO. Lauzon was last seen submitting Bobby Green who was tapped as a replacement for Horodecki at Affliction II. Lauzon holds an impressive 12-2 record.

Horodecki will be fighting William Sriyapai at “Fight Force: Ultimate Chaos” on June 27. The event which will feature a main event between Bobby Lashley and Bob Sapp, will also see Afflcition VP Tom Atencio fighting in his second MMA bout.

Affliction III is expected for for August 1 and will emanate from the Honda Center in Anaheim California.

Sources close to Horodecki have revealed that the former IFL veteran is slated to compete against King of the Cage veteran William Sriyapai at the event.

Horodecki, 12-1, signed a multi-fight agreement with Affliction late last year and had been slated to debut for the promotion against Dan Lauzon during “Day of Reckoning” on Jan. 24. However, Horodecki was unable to get licensed the week of the event after a physician working on behalf of the California State Athletic Commission determined that he had a neck injury.

Lauzon went on to submit last-minute replacement Bobby Green while Horodecki sat on the sidelines. His June fight vs. Sriyapai will be the first time he has competed since recording a unanimous decision victory over Nate Lamotte during the IFL’s April of 2008 event in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Nicknamed “The Bull,” Sriyapai last competed for the Gladiator Challenge promotion in February. Facing William Koogle, he needed just one minute and 13 seconds into the fight to record a TKO victory. The win brought Sriyapai’s overall record to 11-4 and allowed him to also improve to 8-1 in his last nine fights.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was in Anaheim, Calif. this past weekend for “Day of Reckoning” and we were able to interview Horodecki soon after the completion of the event in order to get an update on his current condition. The video of the interview is now available below.

Horodecki’s next appearance will be at Affliction: “Day of Reckoning” when he takes on Dan Lauzon, the little brother of UFC lightweight prospect Joe Lauzon. It will be Horodecki’s first fight since the IFL shut its doors. Schultz on the other hand has chosen to go the path of fighting overseas for the Sengoku promotion. He lost his first fight in the lightweight grand prix but hopes to bounce back in his next scheduled bout for the Japanese promotion.

Be sure to check out the HDNet Fights Video Vault for more MMA action!

The 20-year old Horodecki began competing in MMA as a teenager and currently holds a professional record of 12-1. He began his career in the Canadian-based TKO promotion but made his U.S. debut in June of 2006 after signing with the International Fight League.

While with the IFL, Horodecki compiled an 8-1 record with notable victories over Ryan Schultz, Bart Palaszewski, and Shad Lierley. His only career loss took place during the promotion’s lightweight Grand Prix in December of 2007, when he was TKO’d by Schultz in upset fashion at 2:51 of round 1. He rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over Nate Lamotte during the IFL’s New Jersey event this past April.

Lauzon, recently featured on the VERSUS reality television show “TapouT,” became the youngest competitor in the history of the UFC when he debuted at the age of 18 years, five months, and 14 days at UFC 64 in October of 2006.

Facing experienced Miletich Fighting Systems product Spencer Fisher, Lauzon was TKO’d at 4:38 of round 1. He was not brought back by the UFC for a second fight following the loss. His next fight took place for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships in 2007, where he suffered a submission loss to Deividias Taurosevicius.

Since experiencing the back-to-back losses, Lauzon, the younger brother of UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon, has won six consecutive fights and now holds a professional record of 10-2.

“Day of Reckoning” will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas and will be headlined by a encounter featuring former UFC heavyweight champions Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett to determine the number one contender to Fedor Emelianenko’s WAMMA heavyweight title.

Other bouts set to take place include former IFL light heavyweight champion Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira; Matt Lindland vs. former BodogFIGHT middleweight champion Trevor Prangley; Ben Rothwell vs. Pedro Rizzo; Paul Buentello vs. former IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson; Mike Pyle vs. Jason High; Albert Rios vs. Antonio Duarte; and Jay White vs. Chase Gormley. Talks for a fight between former IFL welterweight champion Jay Hieron and Drew Fickett are also ongoing.

The PPV telecast will also feature a live performance from heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne.

(Pictured: Chris Horodecki)

FiveOuncesOfPain.com confirmed the news earlier this afternoon with one of his agents, Matt Stansell of North County Fight Club. According to Stansell, Horodecki has inked a three-fight deal.

MMAjunkie.com is also reporting that Horodecki will debut for the promotion during its next card on Oct. 11 in Las Vegas. An opponent has yet to be named.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of this development after contacting Horodecki’s co-manager, Matt Stansell of North Couty Fight Club. Stansell indicated that Horodecki had yet to formally sign a contract with Affliction but that a contract is expected to be signed soon.

While Stansell would not comment as to whether Horodecki would debut during the promotion’s Oct. 11 fight card in Las Vegas, he would seem like a logical fit for the show considering his local tie to the city by training out of Xtreme Couture.

The 20-year old standout kickboxer is 12-1 lifetime in MMA and compiled an 8-1 record in the IFL with notable wins over Ryan Schultz, Bart Palaszewski, and Shad Lierly. His lone career loss came at the hands of Schultz during their second-ever meeting while competing this past December in the finals of the IFL’s lightweight Grand Prix.

Known for a youthful appearance and an exciting fighting style, Horodecki is considered one of the top free agents in all of MMA and has attracted interest from multiple promotions since receiving a release from his IFL contract.

A light heavyweight bout featuring Jaime Fletcher (8-3) taking on former Team Punishment member Aaron Rosa (10-1) has been added to the televised portion of Friday’s ShoXC card on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET), ProElite.com (SamCaplan.ProElite.com) has learned.

The event will emanate from the Chumash Hotel & Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif.

The 205 pound clash was added as a late replacement for a female MMA match that was to have seen Chute Boxe Academy fighter Cris Cyborg squad off against Jen Case.

The Cyborg vs. Case bout was canceled in part because Cyborg had visa issues and wasn’t expected to be able to gain entry into the United States in time for the show. She could be added to a ShoXC event scheduled for the near future.

Cyborg, who is an unblemished 4-0, is the wife of Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

The card is subject to change but right now it’s looking like the main event that was leaked on the Underground forum between Javier Vazquez vs. J.C. Pennington will indeed be happening.

Undercard matches on Showtime are expected to include the return of Aaron Rosa, who made a strong impression during the first ShoXC when he took out the more heralded Jefferson Silva. Rosa, with a perfect 9-0 record, will be taking on another undefeated fighter, 8-0 Jared Hamman.

Showing even more of a commitment to women’s MMA, Showtime will be televising a female match not involving Gina Carano. Shayna Baszler, who defeated Jan Finney during the non-televised portion of the first ShoXC, will be taking on Jennifer Tate. A win by Baszler could put her a step closer to a match with Carano.

Muhsin Corbbrey, who won his ShoXC debut via decision over the rugged Lee Gibson at the first ShoXC, will also be back on the card in a match against Bobby McMasters.

Kaleo Kwan is also slated to fight Malaipet.

If you were looking for a no-frills, meat and potatoes MMA show then I don’t see how you could have an issue with last night’s telecast of ShoXC.

I was thoroughly impressed with last night’s show from top to bottom. Pro Elite did a great job of booking new talent and making strong matchups for them so that they could show their skills. I don’t think there was a bad match on the card.

I thought that the announcing was top notch. It was the first time that Mauro Ranallo and Stephen Quadros had ever worked together but you wouldn’t know it by listening to them. It sounded like they were old friends that had been broadcasting shows together for years. For my money, they are the best announce team out there even after only doing one show. I’m looking forward to them working together more in the future.

I also couldn’t help but notice that Gary Shaw didn’t come into the cage after any of the matches. Not even after the main event, which featured two EliteXC fighters. I applaud him for taking a step back and letting the fighters have their moment.

Here are my thoughts, match-by-match…

Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Lee Gibson - Solid match. It seemed to pick up steam as time went on. The two wanted to feel each other out (Corbbrey more so than Gibson) and perhaps that’s because these guys have been flying under the radar and there simply isn’t much footage out there. Corbbrey is a cerebral  fighter and it appeared that he didn’t like facing a guy he didn’t know much about. It also looked like he was getting frustrated when he couldn’t find a glaring weakness to exploit.

I like Corbbrey’s athleticism and his hand speed. It also looked like he was tough to hit from an extended distance. His boxing was top notch and he was quick enough to use a lot of head fakes and shoulder movement without setting himself to be caught with a kick or a knee. Not everyone can incorporate basic fundamental boxing into their MMA game like that.

Gibson just seemed like a dude that was tough as nails. It was obvious to me early in the fight that Corbbrey wasn’t going to be able to finish him.

I’d love to see both of them brought back for future shows.

Jefferson Silva vs. Aaron Rosa - Wow, did I really call Silva a prospect? It was a good stoppage, as he took some nasty elbows. But even before he ate those elbows it seemed as though Rosa broke his will. Those grimaces when he was getting hit in bottom position were ridiculous. You really can’t show that type of pain to an opponent or a referee.

Rosa was the most impressive fighter of the night, in my eyes. I wasn’t sure about his perfect record because he hasn’t fought any top guys. But he’s a rugged guy who enjoys fighting and at only 24 years of age, I think he has a bright future. EliteXC should sign him to a deal if they haven’t already.

Scott Jorgenson vs. Chris David – David fought with a lot of heart but Jorgenson was just too much for him. Next to Rosa, Jorgenson was the second most impressive fighter. I don’t know what EliteXC has planned for the 135 lbs. division, but whatever plans they have, Jorgenson will obviously need to be a big part of it. He also seems pretty marketable.

Jaime Jara vs. Jeremiah Metcalf - Jara’s standup wasn’t pretty but it was effective. He deserves a lot of credit for taking the fight on such short notice  and cutting weight. He deserves even more credit for agreeing to defend his 185 lbs. title while fighting at 175 lbs.  Middleweight means you fight at 185 lbs. and if I was in his shoes, maybe I would have taken the fight but I would had at least said that if they want the title to be on the line, then Metcalf needs to make my weight in order to compete for my title.  But Jara is 37-years old and I’m sure he realized the value of being about to get exposure as a champion.

It’s really hard to form any kind of solid opinion of Metcalf because the fight didn’t last long. I know he’s a very tactical fighter, so perhaps the fact that he didn’t have time to scout his opponent hurt him. Hopefully we’ll get to see Metcalf vs. Aaron Wetherspoon rescheduled for the next ShoXC in August.

K.J. Noons vs. Edson Berto - I’m not buying all the talk that Berto’s conditioning was off. There’s no way his father would let him get away with that. I think he got hurt in the first round and continued fighting when maybe he shouldn’t have. I think he definitely suffered a concussion early on. Not only was he winded but it looked like he was just out of it in the second and third rounds. He had a hard time focusing on Noons.  He’s just a much better fighter than what he showed.

I got the prediction for the fight wrong (I went 2 out of 5. Man, I suck. I want to stop doing predictions) but I knew Noons was no joke. I had been taking some flak for touting the guy but you saw just how crisp and fluid his boxing and Muay Thai is.

His ground game from a defensive perspective was good, but he needs to learn how to be able to go on the offensive. I think he’s way off base thinking he can train both boxing and MMA and still reach his full potential. Maybe when he’s mastered everything, I might agree with him. However, boxing reinforces a lot of fundamental bad habits when it comes to MMA standup.

I can understand an MMA guy who comes from a ground background trying to train boxing to improve his hand speed, footwork, defensive skills, learn to work angles, and just get used to taking punches. But Noons already has a lot of the standup basics down.

I guess Shaw doesn’t mind it because he’s a boxing and MMA promoter and the moon lighting could pay dividends from a marketing perspective. But do you think Dana White would let a young fighter try and pursue two full-time fighting careers? He doesn’t even want Kurt Angle to wrestle.

Alright, I’m out because I need to head up to North Jersey to see more young MMA fighters who could be breaking big soon. Matt Makowski from Philly MMA and Wilson Reis from Philly MMA/BJJ United are both making their pro debuts for Ed Hsu’s Combat in the Cage/Extreme Challenge show. I’ve trained with both briefly (and I mean I sparred with Matt for a round once last summer and took one of Wilson’s BJJ classes) in the past so I’m looking forward to it.

BTW, I’m going to be going to East Rutherford this Thursday to cover the IFL semifinals for CBS Sportsline. If you’re reading this and will be attending and want to meet up, drop me a line at SCaplan8@comcast.net.

ShoXC is patterned after Showtime’s boxing series ShoBox, which has been a springboard for the career of many young boxers. Showtime is hoping that ShoXC will have the same impact on mixed martial arts.

If nothing else, the show has great timing in the sense that it feels like it’s been months since we’ve had live MMA to watch. While the card doesn’t boast any huge names, there are fighters on the card with a lot of potential. On paper, I also think the matchmakers have done a good job as far as styles are concerned.

The show will also feature the debut of Mauro Ranallo and Stephen Quadros as an announce team. The team garnered strong fan support on an individual basis during their broadcast stints with Pride. However, they had never been on the air at the same time until this show.

Here’s my breakdown of what to watch for:

K.J. Noons vs. Edson Berto – This fight could prove to be a sleeper in the mold of Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher. You have two lighter weight guys with strong striking backgrounds.

In the case of Berto, he also has a strong ground game and is notorious for tapping guys with his heel hook. Berto is a true mixed martial artist and it boggles my mind why more people don’t talk about him. If he was in UFC, people would be drooling.

As for Noons, he’s a hell of a boxer who had a buzz surrounding him heading into his fight against Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett during EliteXC’s debut show on February 10. Bennett caught Noons and dropped him cold and Noons hasn’t fought in an MMA bout since (he competed in a pro boxing match, and won). This is his chance to regain some of the momentum he lost after losing to Bennett.

If Noons gives up boxing and focuses solely on MMA, he could be a star because his boxing is unreal. We didn’t get a chance to see it vs. Bennett but hopefully we’ll get to see it Friday.

My prediction is that Berto will win in the second round via submission.

Jeremiah Metcalf vs. Jaime Jara - This match was originally supposed to be a rematch between Metcalf and Aaron Wetherspoon in a bout that would unify the Gladiator Challenge and King of the Cage welterweight titles. However, Wetherspoon is injured and pulled out of the fight yesterday.

Stepping in for Wetherspoon will be Jara, a 37-year old tough as nails fighter who took the fight on next to no notice. Jara is the Gladiator Challenge middleweight champion and has also held the GC heavyweight and light heavyweight titles in the past. He has to cut to fight at 185 lbs. and now is faced with the task of cutting to an agreed upon match weight of 175 lbs. That dude’s life must have sucked the last few days.

Jara is a good wrestler who has worked hard to improve his boxing. He’s fought Rashad Evans (lost), Carter Williams (won), and Anthony Ruiz (holds three wins over him) so he won’t be feeling any pressure fighting for Showtime.

There’s been some talk that the match could be title vs. title but I don’t see how the state of California would allow a 170 lbs. title be on the line against a fighter weighing in at 175 lbs. We’ll have to see how this plays out.

Metcalf is a 26-year old freestyle fighter who trains with Gene Fields out of Team Voodoo. He’s a very well-rounded fighter who has good Greco-Roman wrestling skills. He’s going to be giving up a lot of size to Jara so who knows if he’ll be able to utilize those wrestling skills.

Metcalf has great cardio so his best bet may be to keep the fight standing and try to wear Jara down since he’s coming into the fight on short notice.

I’m going to pick Metcalf by unanimous decision. If Jara had more time to prepare, the outcome would be different.

Aaron Rosa vs. Jefferson Silva – Watch out for Jefferson Silva! He has a K-1 background and trains with Mario Sperry out of Brazilian Top Team. He’s a rangy Muay Thai striker with some Jiu-Jitsu training that has star potential written all over him. The only thing that is holding him back is his conditioning.

That could be a problem for Silva because Rosa has been a sparring partner for Tito Ortiz for Ortiz’s last two fights. His conditioning is excellent and he has a lot of heart.

Rosa likes to stand up but he’s got some ground skills. If Silva has top position and gets sloppy, Rosa will be a threat to triangle him.

These two will stand and trade early and if Silva doesn’t take Rosa out early, we easily could see an upset. In spite of that possibility, I’m still picking Silva to win the fight and come out of the show with a lot of people talking about him.

Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Lee Gibson – Besides Silva, Corbbrey is the other fighter on this card that people need to watch out for. I’m really impressed with him as he’s a smart guy who is extremely competitive.

Corbbrey is a professional boxer who has competed in professionally in Muay Thai as well. Don’t stereotype him though because he’s not just a striker. He also competes in grappling tournaments and has won events such as NAGA and ISCF. He trained Jiu-Jitsu with Lloyd Irvin and now works on his ground game with UFC fighter Din Thomas.

Gibson is a tough dude who is a former Army Ranger and served 16 months in Iraq as a private security contractor. He splits his time between Kansas City and Las Vegas. He works in KC as a fireman and trains MMA in Vegas with Tony Fryklund.

Gibson just recently fought for Richard Steele’s Steele Cage Promotions on July 7, defeating Talon Hoffman via TKO at 2:25 in the second round. He’s a solid fighter and Corbbrey will have to bring his A-game in order to win.

Finishing Gibson won’t be easy, which is why I am picking Corbbrey to win via unanimous decision.

Chris David vs. Scott Jorgenson - David is trained by UFC fighter David Terrell out of the Nor Cal Fighting Alliance. He has a record of 8-5-1 and is a perfect 3-0 when fighting for the Gladiator Challenge promotion.

David has been training in martial arts since the third grade and wrestled during high school. When he first got involved with MMA he was almost exclusively a wrestler, however, he’s made strides in recent years in all other aspects of MMA.

It’s good that his stand up has improved because that’s where he needs to keep the fight in order to win. Jorgenson has much better wrestling credentials, having been a three-time All-Pac 10 selection as a freestyle wrestler while at Boise State.

I expect Jorgenson to win the fight in the first round via ground and pound.