Cerrone (17-4) will be attempting to get back on track after Nate Diaz halted his six-fight win streak, and ended his chances at a title-shot, in December at UFC 141. Among the numerous apt adversaries in Cerrone’s win column are Dennis Siver and Charles Oliveira.

With sixty fights under his belt, Edwards is one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC. The 35-year old holds a 4-2 mark in his last six Octagon fights but is coming off a loss to Tony Ferguson.

Other match-ups set for the still-developing card include Tom Lawlor vs. Jason MacDonald and Thiago Silva vs. Igor Pokrajac.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Diaz, who has won just two of his last four fights, will be trying to slow down the freight-train that is the “Cowboy.” Cerrone is on a current six-fight win streak that includes three submission wins and a TKO.

As far as Diaz, a student under Cesar Gracie who trains with his talented brother, Nick Diaz, and former champion Jake Shields, none of that matters.

“I feel like I’m better than all the guys in my division (155 pounds),” said the younger Diaz in a UFC interview promoting the upcoming event. “He is definitely a guy that likes to fight, but I think I’m better than him everywhere, honestly.”

Diaz has been involved in four “Fight of the Nights” during his time in the UFC, while Cerrone has one under the UFC banner and five while competing in the WEC. Diaz won his last bout over Takanori Gomi in his return to lightweight after competing as a welterweight for several years.

The main event of UFC 141 will feature Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar in a five-round war to become the #1 contender in the UFC’s heavyweight ranks.

Watch Diaz/Cerrone talk about their bout in the UFC 141 Preview starting about six minutes into the video:

The show is set for Friday, December 30 rather than on Saturday due to New Year’s Eve and will emanate from Las Vegas. Adding even more intrigue to the headliner, the winner will earn a title shot against UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos in 2012 after the affable Brazilian recovers from knee surgery.

“This is my home. The UFC is Brock Lesnar. I don’t care how many fights he’s had or where his career has been. This is my time. This is my house,” explained a motivated Lesnar in a recently released extended preview for the event.

Along with Lesnar-Overeem, fearless lightweights Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone will meet in the co-main event.

Watch all four fighters talk about their upcoming match-ups in the UFC 141 Preview below:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Cerrone, who will meet Nate Diaz in the co-main event of UFC 141 on December 30 from Las Vegas, Nevada, has continued to catch the eye of former training partner and ex-UFC light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans.

Evans was formerly with Greg Jackson’s MMA training center in New Mexico before leaving for his new team in Florida. However, “Suga” has maintained a watchful eye on the up-and-coming “Cowboy.”

“I definitely think Cerrone can win the title. I love to watch the way he’s grown in the sport,” said Evans in a recent interview with ESPN. “To watch his growth is ridiculous. I sit and watch how good he’s got and I get chills. He’d practice all day long. He’d practice, eat, take a nap, then practice some more.”

Cerrone has stopped four opponents inside the Octagon since joining the UFC earlier this year after the promotion brought in members of the WEC. Among his victims include submission wins over Dennis Siver, Paul Kelly, and Chris Horodecki.

From Evans’ standpoint, he remembers how little knowledge Cerrone has when it came to MMA after arriving at Jackson’s, saying, “He had virtually no wrestling at all – zero wrestling. And this ground was so-so. He was all stand-up. The work he puts in is paying off.”

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

According to the UFC, Nate Diaz will look to build on his opening round finish of Takanori Gomi at UFC 135 when he faces streaking scrapper Donald Cerrone in co-headlining action at the New Year’s Eve Weekend event.

Diaz’s September success snapped a two-fight skid as a welterweight prompting his return to 155 pounds where he holds past victories over Kurt Pellegrino and Melvin Guillard. The 26-year old holds an overall record of 14-7 with thirteen finishes while only having himself been stopped a single time.

“Cowboy” should be ready to put that statistic to the test when they link up in Las Vegas with his ongoing six fight winning streak featuring three submissions and a TKO. Cerrone is coming off a Rear-Naked Choke of former contender Dennis Siver this past weekend. Equally impressive, Cerrone has already fought four times in 2011 meaning a win over Diaz would mark his fifth of the year.

UFC 141 is headlined by Brock Lesnar locking horns with K-1/Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem and will also feature Ross Pearson vs. Junior Assuncao, Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson, and Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Cerrone will try to continue his current hot streak bext weekend when he meets Dennis Siver at UFC 137. Cerrone volunteered himself as a replacement fighter immediately following his last win Charles Oliveira, and the UFC was quick to tab him in place of Siver’s original opponent, Sam Stout.

Since a submission loss to Ben Henderson in early 2010, Cerrone has won five straight fights, including three in the UFC. He is 16-3 overall for his professional MMA career.

“I’m ready to go whenever I get the call,” said Cerrone, in a recent interview with UFC’s website. “I want to make some good money and put on good fights. If that means being ready at a drop of a hat, then that’s what must be done.”

Some feel may like Cerrone is an conceited person that brings that arrogance into the Octagon with him. As far as the “Cowboy” is concerned, it’s just his persona and not an intentional means of implying he’s better than everyone else inside and outside of the ring.

“I’m not sure I call it swagger. That’s just how I am,” Cerrone said. “Some people like my boy Leonard (Garcia) love the interviews and the press. That’s not me, man, so people think it’s being cocky or arrogant, but I don’t think it’s like that.”

Cerrone has already won “Fight of the Night” and “Knockout of the Night” honors since joining the UFC this year. The Siver bout will be his fourth match since February.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The bout changed has been confirmed by the UFC.

The always exciting and active “Cowboy” is quickly working his way up the lightweight ladder in the UFC. Winner of five straight, Cerrone recently defeated Charles Oliveira at UFC on Versus 5, crumpling the Brazilian lightweight with a body shot before finishing him with a barrage of strikes. The finishing performance pocketed Cerrone an extra $65,000 for “Knockout of the Night.”

The former WEC title challenger will have his hands full against Siver, who is on a four fight win streak, and in the mix for a potential title shot. Siver is coming off a closely contested decision victory over Matt Wiman at UFC 132.

UFC 137: St. Pierre vs. Diaz is scheduled for October 29 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show will be headlined by UFC welterweight king Georges St. Pierre defending his belt against former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz.

*PHOTO CREDIT – UFC*

According to Wisconsin’s Dept. of Safety and Professional Services, Lytle was the show’s top earner after making $200,000 for his career-capping defeat of Dan Hardy in Sunday evening’s main event. Lytle’s base salary for his memorable finish was $35,000 but the sum ultimately received a major boost due to an attached win bonus and dual awards for “Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night” (each worth $65,000).

Meanwhile, Cerrone received $44,000 for his first frame TKO victory against Brazilian youngster Charles Oliveira plus another $65,000 for “Knockout of the Night”.

Other notable payouts include $52,000 for Ed Herman and $43,000 for Joseph Benavidez for their successful showings in Milwaukee.

Read below for a full list of UFC Live 5 salaries minus any undisclosed bonuses or sponsorship money:

Edwin Figueroa: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Jason Reinhardt: $6,000
Jacob Volkmann: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus) def. Danny Castillo: $17,000
Cole Miler: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus) def. T.J. O’Brien: $6,000
Jim Hettes: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus) def. Alex Caceres: $8,000
Ronny Markes: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Karlos Vemola: $10,000
Ed Herman: $52,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus) def. Kyle Noke: $8,000
Joseph Benavidez: $43,000 (includes $21,500 win bonus) def. Eddie Wineland: $10,000
Jared Hamman: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. C.B. Dollaway: $20,000
Duane Ludwig: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus) def. Amir Sadollah: $20,000
Donald Cerrone: $109,000 (includes $22,000 win bonus, $65,000 “Knockout of the Night”) def. Charles Oliveira: $12,000
Ben Henderson: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus) def. Jim Miller: $35,000
Chris Lytle: $200,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus, $65,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus, $65,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus) def. Dan Hardy: $90,000 (includes $65,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus)

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the event-specific awards was announced at the post-show press conference.

Lytle notched “Submission of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” distinctions as a result of going toe-to-toe with the brash Brit for the first two rounds only to end up latching on to a Guillotine Choke with less than a minute remaining in the third after Hardy shot for a takedown despite promising to keep things standing throughout. Lytle exits the sport with an overall record of 31-18-5 including six “Fight of the Night” bonuses in the UFC.

“Knockout of the Night” went to Donald Cerrone after finishing impressive youngster Charles Oliveira with strikes in the opening frame of their fight. Cerrone, who also earned an extra $65,000 for his performance, has now won five straight bouts though the stoppage marked the first TKO of his career.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the change in lineup was announced through the UFC’s website.

The dynamic “Do Bronx” has compiled a 14-1 record since turning pro at eighteen including success in the Octagon over Ultimate Fighter Season 8 winner Efrain Escudero. However, as convincing as his performances have been thus far his last fight ended in controversy after Oliveira delivered an illegal knee to opponent Nik Lentz at UFC Live 4, then subsequently finished him off when the referee decided to allow action to continue rather than stop things to check on Lentz’s condition. The showing, though originally ruled a win, has since been ruled a “No Contest”.

“Cowboy” will be looking to rope in his fifth straight victory at the show with consecutive triumphs against Jamie Varner, Chris Horodecki, Paul Kelly, and most recently Vagner Rocha in June at UFC 131. Cerrone is 15-3 in his career with twelve submissions to his credit.

The two talented 155ers join a group at UFC Live 5 featuring Dan Hardy duking it out with Chris Lytle in the main event, in addition to a bout between top lightweight contenders Ben Henderson and Jim Miller as well as action from Joseph Benavidez, Leonard Garcia, Cole Miller, Amir Sadollah, and a number of other notable fighters.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The lightweights’ future meeting in Milwaukee was first revealed through the UFC’s website.

When the 15-3 “Cowboy” suits up on August 14 he will be looking to build on a four-fight run of success with his most recent performance occurring earlier this month at UFC 131 and resulting in a Unanimous Decision win against Vagner Rocha. The submission savvy Cerrone’s streak also includes victories over Paul Kelly, Chris Horodecki, and Jamie Varner.

While Taylor has not experienced Cerrone’s overall success as of late with a 4-5 in the Octagon, the always entertaining Brit has only been finished a single time since joining the UFC in 2007 and flattened Gabe Ruediger with a second round headkick at UFC 126. The February match-up marked the second for Taylor since dropping down from welterweight to 155-pounds with a Split Decision defeat to Sam Stout in the previous outing.

UFC Live 5 is set to be headlined by Dan Hardy taking on Chris Lytle and will also feature a battle between top lightweight contender Jim Miller and former WEC champ Ben Henderson plus talented 135ers Joseph Benavidez and Eddie Wineland dueling it out in earlier main card action.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the cancellation was first reported by MMAWeekly where specifics were scarce in terms of the exact nature of Danzig’s injury or expected recovery time.

The 20-8-1 Danzig’s current condition means he will have been out of action for more than six months whenever he returns to the Octagon. He was last seen knocking out Joe Stevenson at UFC 124 a little less than two minutes into their bout, the fifth strike-based stoppage of the 31-year old’s career.

UPDATE: Stepping in for the injured Danzig will be Vagner Rocha, a 6-1 BJJ blackbelt making his UFC debut after appearances in Strikeforce and Bellator.

Comparably, “Cowboy” Cerrone is coming off a trio consecutive wins including back-to-back submissions of Chris Horodecki and Paul Kelly in his most recent outings.

Today’s news marks yet another instance of promotional officials having to reshuffle the UFC 131 deck, as the diminished health of scheduled participants has already affected a number of bouts including the previous headliner between Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos, as well as other fights involving Krzysztof Soszynski, Jesse Bongfeldt, and Dustin Poirier.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The 20-8-1 Danzig is coming off a two-minute knockout of fellow Ultimate Fighter champ Joe Stevenson at UFC 124 after losing four of five prior to the crucial victory. His overall experience and grappling prowess should pose an interesting challenge for Cerrone with ten wins by way of submission and only a single knockout loss in nearly thirty professional fights.

His opponent, Cerrone, won his UFC debut last month as the result of a fight-ending Rear-Naked Choke against Paul Kelly. He is 14-3 overall in his career and has emerged with his hands raised the last three times he’s stepped into the cage including a submission of Chris Horodecki and Unanimous Decision over Jamie Varner in WEC.

The other pair of prodigious 155-pounders should join their peers in wowing onlookers as Edwards (40-16-1) and Stout (16-6-1) are both on hot streaks and love to stand. Edwards has won his last three fights including a pair of victories in the Octagon while Stout has found success in three of his previous four outings. Also notable, the 26-year old hasn’t been finished in nearly five years since being submitted by Ken Florian at the Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale.

Other fights on the UFC 131 card include Florian vs. Diego Nunes, Dustin Poirier vs. Rani Yahya, and Mark Munoz vs. Demian Maia.

PHOTO CREDIT – ZUFFA

News of the still-unfolding scenario was reported by MMAWeekly where it was explained sources have indicated negotiations between Spike and the UFC are moving in a positive direction.

If things continue as planned fans will have a chance to see Mendes and Cerrone in two of the biggest tests each has faced thus far in their collective careers. The 9-0 Mendes is set to mix it up with Michihiro Omigawa, a winner of his last five fights with past success in the ring against Nam Phan, Marlon Sandro, Hatsu Hioki, and others. Meanwhile, Cerrone will square off against 26-year old Brit Paul Kelly who possesses a well-rounded attack and five wins in the Octagon.

UFC 126 is headlined by a middleweight championship bout featuring title-holder Anderson Silva putting his belt up for grabs against Vitor Belfort. Other notable match-ups on the card include former champs Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin and Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader.

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)

Headliners Manny Gamburyan and WEC featherweight champ Jose Aldo measured in without incident. In fact, both men weighed 145-pounds on the dot. Aldo will put his title on the line for the second time in his career during the main event, the first defense being a dominating decision win over Urijah Faber at WEC 48 last April.

While their weigh-in may have gone off without a hitch, the same could not be said for a number of the other match-ups including that featuring former 135-pound champion Miguel Torres. Torres came in slightly heavy for his bout against Charlie Valencia but was eventually able to make the 136 pound limit after stripping down.

Also notable were lightweight rivals Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone for going head-to-head during the proceedings…literally. The two, who came in at 156 and 155.5 pounds respectively, had to be separated by WEC officials after aggressively pressing their foreheads together throughout their pairing’s standard stare-down.

WEC 51 will be broadcast on the Versus Network starting at 9:00 PM EST. In addition to the above fights, the event also features George Roop facing Chan Sung Jung, aka “The Korean Zombie”, and Leonard Garcia testing his stand-up against well-rounded veteran Mark Hominick.

Here is a complete rundown of WEC 51 weigh-in results:

Nick Pace (135 lbs) vs. Demetrious Johnson (135 lbs)
Chad George (135 lbs) vs. Antonio Banuelos (136 lbs)
Diego Nunes (145 lbs) vs. Tyler Toner (145 lbs)
Cole Province (146 lbs) vs. Mike Brown (145 lbs)
Pablo Garza (154 lbs) vs. Tiequan Zhang (154 lbs)
Ed Ratcliff (155 lbs) vs. Chris Horodecki (155 lbs)
Mark Hominick (145 lbs) vs. Leonard Garcia (146 lbs)
George Roop (145 lbs) vs. Chan Sung Jung (146 lbs)
Charlie Valencia (136 lbs) vs. Miguel Torres (136 lbs)
Donald Cerrone (155.5 lbs) vs. Jamie Varner (156 lbs)
Manny Gamburyan (145 lbs) vs. Jose Aldo (145 lbs)

That’s if he was to have things his way. However, according to WEC General Manager Reed Harris, the WEC isn’t Burger King, and you don’t always get to have it your way.

“I believe Donald has his hands full at 155, and I’ve got some plans for him at 155, so we’re going to have to have a long discussion about that,” said Harris during a recent media call to promote WEC 45.

When Donald took the opportunity to ask Harris if it would be alright if he dropped down to 145 pounds following the bout with Ratcliff, the WEC General Manager was as clear as he could possibly be, stating, “No. That was a no for you guys that didn’t get that.”

When Cerrone was further asked if he still had plans of dropping down to featherweight following Reed’s comments, it seemed as if his mind had been made up for him.

“(Laughs) I think you heard it right there,” said Cerrone in reference to the WEC head honcho’s statement.

So it looks like that’s it then. Cerrone will not be dropping down to 145 pounds any time in the near future as Reed Harris and the WEC have big plans in store for the “Cowboy” in the months to come.

If Cerrone has his way, we’ll be seeing a bout between “The Cowboy” and “Little Ong Bak” sometime in the very near future, as Jose Aldo can consider himself a marked man.

“I’m going to call out Jose Aldo and drop down to 145. I’m really looking forward to that,”said Cerrone during a recent conversation with the “The Ground and Pound” radio show.

According to the Greg Jackson trained fighter, he has no intentions of fleeing from the lightweight division, but plans to challenge himself by continuing to compete in both the 155 and 145 pound weight classes.

Before Cerrone can think about beginning what promises to be a strenuous weight cut, the 26 year old Albuquerque resident is going to have to deal with the heavy handed Ed “9mm” Ratcliff on December 19 as the two will clash in the main event of WEC 45.

It appears as though current WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner may be forced to the sidelines indefinitely.

According to a recent report on Vindy.com, WEC founder and general manager Reed Harris said that Varner may never fight again due to the broken foot and hand sustained in his previous bout with Donald Cerrone.

That match-up was cut short when Cerrone struck a downed Varner in the face with an illegal knee in the fifth round. When it was ruled that the defending champion was unable to continue, the fight went to the scorecards where Varner came away with the split decision victory.

It has been reported that the WEC plans to strip Varner of his title shortly.

A previously announced bout between Cerrone and has bee promoted to a title fight to determine the new WEC lightweight champion.

The fight will be the main event at WEC 43 which is set for September 2 in Youngstown, Ohio.

**Reed Harris has recently stated in a report on MMAJunkie.com that his comments were taken out of context in the report by Vindy.com and that Varner would not be stripped unless his injuries prevented him from returning to action. 

“Jamie is not stripped of the title,” Harris was quoted as saying. “We’re all hoping Jamie can come back later this year and defend his title against whoever wins the interim title.”

Cerrone vs. Henderson will be for the interim championship.