Jardine recently revealed both nuggets of information through his personal blog where he explained nutrition guru Mike Dolce will assist in the process.

The 35-year old fan-favorite was last seen going the distance against Gegard Mousasi in April where he fought to a draw with the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ despite taking the fight on short notice. Prior to the performance Jardine had strung together a pair of wins including a first frame TKO over Aron Lofton a month earlier.

Jardine is 17-9-2 in his career with notable wins over Brandon Vera, Chuck Liddell, and Forrest Griffin. Eight of his victories have been the result of strike-based stoppages.

The organization officially announced the change during Friday night’s telecast of Strikeforce Challengers 15.

Despite wins over former UFC 205-pound champs Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin Jardine was released by the UFC in June 210 following a four fight losing streak. Jardine lost his fifth straight to Trevor Prangley in September 210 before rattling off two victories on the local scene, including a TKO victory just under a month ago against Aron Lofton. The bout will mark Jardine’s debut under the Strikeforce banner.

Mousasi is making his return to Strikeforce after losing the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Title last year to Muhammed Lawal. During his time away he won the DREAM Light Heavyweight Grand Prix with victories over Jake O’Brien and Tastuya Mizuno.

The April 9 offering will take place at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California and be headlined by a welterweight fight between champion Nick Diaz and heavy-handed Brit Paul Daley. In the co-main event, lightweight title-holder Gilbert Melendez defends his title against Tatsuya Kawajiri.

PHOTO CREDIT – ESTHER LIN / STRIKEFORCE

Brock Lesnar Talks TUF 13 (MMAFighting.com)

Catch Up with “The Dean of Mean” (CagePotato.com)

Eleven Fights Make the Cut for UFC’s Next Appearance on Versus (Versus.com)

More than 40,000 Tickets Expected for UFC 129 (HeavyMMA.com)

FIGHT! Magazine Profiles Cain Velasquez (FIGHT! Magazine)

Pat Barry Discusses his Fight Night 23 Win (MMAScraps.com)

Join Tim Sylvia on a Ride Along (MMAConvert.com)

Mike Guymon Retires from MMA (MiddleEasy.com)

Jardine, who won his headlining bout over Francisco France by decision, recently spoke to the United States Secret Service in hopes of helping resolve the issue who in turn are said to be investigating the matter. Though nothing can replace the time spent or blood and sweat spilled in relation to the card, “The Dean of Mean” is still hopeful some sort of good can come out of the situation even if it doesn’t mean federal involvement.

“Our ultimate goal at this point is to obtain the hard drive and the rights to the Nemesis fight footage,” explained Jardine in a press release under the premise the video could possibly be sold to help recoup some of the losses. “Despite the unfavorable circumstances, all twenty-four fighters on the card honored their commitment. They fought their hearts out and put on one hell of a show. There were some really amazing fights on this card. If we are able to obtain the fight footage, we plan to air the show via internet PPV in an effort to compensate the fighters that were taken advantage of.”

Other shockingly unprofessional factors stated as being present at the event include a First Aid Kid serving as essentially the “ringside physician”, a lack of posters in the arena promoting the line-up, and no backstage staff assisting with the show’s production. Fighters’ room keys were also deactivated the following day leaving a number of them left to find accommodations on their own dime.

Jardine found himself on the wrong side of a split-decision to opponent Trevor Prangley at the event after being dropped early with strikes, then battling back in the bout’s closing moments with a late flurry leaving Prangley somewhat stunned but ultimately unfinished. As a result of the outcome, the 15-9-1 Greg Jackson staple has now notched losses in five consecutive bouts and in seven of his last nine in-ring appearances.

His opponent, Prangley, improved his record to 23-6-1 with the performance and is now 6-1-1 in his previous eight bouts.

Like Jardine, fellow light heavyweight Houston Alexander found himself in trouble during his respective bout’s opening frame but was more successful at overcoming the damage sustained. Alexander appeared to be fighting on fumes after absorbing a few clean shots from Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou early in the fight. However, the tables quickly turned in the second round, as Alexander put Sokoudjou on the canvas with a series of punches against the cage and eventually pounded him out for the TKO win.

The victory brought Alexander’s record to 11-6 while Sokoudjou is now 9-7 in his career.

Here is a complete list of results from Shark Fights 13:

Eric Davila def. Pete Spratt via Submission Round 2 (Guillotine Choke)
Daniel Straus def. Karen Darabedyan via Unanimous Decision
Aaron Rosa def. Devin Cole via Unanimous Decision
Ronnie Mann def. Douglas Evans via Split Decision
Paul Bradley def. Johnny Rees via Submission Round 1(Rear-Naked Choke)
Tarec Saffiedine def. Brock Larson via Unanimous Decision
Danillo Villefort def. Joey Villasenor via Unanimous Decision
Paul Daley def. Jorge Masvidal via Split Decision
Houston Alexander def. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via TKO Round 2
Trevor Prangley def. Keith Jardine via Split Decision

Comparably, Masvidal weighed in at 168.75 pounds and will be looking for a second consecutive win by beating the powerful striker. He is 20-5 in his career and most recently won a split decision over Naoyuki Kotani last April.

The evening’s main event between Keith Jardine and Trevor Prangley had no such stumbling blocks with both fighters actually coming in below the “205″ mark. Jardine registered in at 204.5 pounds, while sometimes-middleweight Prangley came in at 202.75 pounds.

Here is a complete rundown of results from the Shark Fights 13 weigh-in:

Pete Spratt (170.25 lbs) vs. Eric Davila (176.5 lbs)*
Karen Darabedyan (155.75 lbs) vs. Daniel Straus (152.75 lbs)
Devin Cole (233.25 lbs) vs. Aaron Rosa (241.75 lbs)
Paul Bradley (170.5 lbs) vs. John Reese (169.25 lbs)
Douglas Evans (144.25 lbs) vs. Ronnie Mann (144.75 lbs)
Brock Larson (170.75 lbs) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (169.75 lbs)
Joey Villasenor (185.5 lbs) vs. Danillo Villefort (184.5 lbs)
Paul Daley (171.75 lbs) vs. Jorge Masvidal (168.75 lbs)**
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (204.5 lbs) vs. Houston Alexander (202.25 lbs)
Keith Jardine (204.5 lbs) vs. Trevor Prangley (202.75 lbs)

* – Spratt agreed to a catch-weight bout with Davila
** – Daley will forfeit 10% of his “show” pay to Masvidal for the infraction

“Last week I was let go by the UFC. I was sad to get the news but it was expected. I’ve always been proud to be a UFC fighter and they have been real good to me. I can’t help but to feel a bit like I’m losing a family.

As for now, I’m more motivated than ever. I’m going to take a vacation for a week then get back to work. Already, there are a lot of offers for fights coming I’m. Some are exciting. Starting over doesn’t sound so bad to me. Although my career is at a crossroads my story is only half written. I have a lot of fight left in me and I continue to improve with every fight. Anyway, I’m best when the chips are stacked against me and I will make it to the top. Thanks to all of my fans.”

The 34-year old made his Octagon debut in November 2005 and ran up a 5-2 record in his initial seven fights, including a controversial decision loss to Stephan Bonnar and wins over 205-pound champions Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. Jardine’s run of bad luck back preceding his release dates back to UFC 84 and a brutal thirty-six second knockout loss to Wanderlei Silva.

Ryan Bader

UFC 110 is expected to take place on February 21 from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, marking the promotion’s first trip to the land down under.

Bader will be looking to improve on his unblemished career that has included three victories in the Octagon when he faces off with Jardine in February. “Darth” has put together wins over the likes of Vinny Magalhaes, Carmelo Marrero and Eric Schafer in his last three bouts with the UFC.

With monumental victories over the likes of Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell in the Octagon, Jardine just hasn’t been able to string enough wins together at any point in his career to be given serious title consideration. Something he hopes to change coming off of consecutive victories at the hands of Quinton Jackson and Thiago Silva.

Other bouts anticipated for the UFC’s first card in Australia include Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Ben Rothwell.

UFC 102 is slated for August 29 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.

The UFC has confirmed the bout through a recent updated event post.

Silva was previously expected to face Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 before Anderson Silva was tapped to fill the Brazilian’s shoes.

Both men will be looking to rebound from a recent loss. Silva was knocked out by current UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 94 in January , while Jardine most recently found himself on the short end of a decision to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 96 in March.

Yesterday the UFC announced that UFC 102 would be headlined by a heavyweight contest between Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

A full list of the bouts expected for UFC 102 are listed below:

Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia

Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva

James Irvin vs. Wilson Gouveia

Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer

Matt Veach vs. Evan Dunham

The two are expected to meet up at UFC 102 according to recently published report from John Morgan at MMAjunkie.com.

While nothing has been officially announced of UFC 102 by the organization at this point, it is expected to be headlined by a heavyweight showdown between former UFC heavyweight champions Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and to take place on August 29 in Portland, Oregon.

Thiago Silva is fresh off of a knockout loss courtesy of upcoming light heavyweight championship challenger Lyoto Machida at UFC 94. Prior to that the American Top Team trained fighter had gone undefeated in his professional mixed martial arts career with four consecutive victories in the octagon.

A win over a contender like Jardine is likely to put Silva right back in the mix in the UFC’s 205 pound division.

Jardine always just seems a couple wins away from a title shot in the UFC. After his impressive victory over Forrest Griffin he was brutalized at the hands of Houston Alexander, he rebounded from that loss with a decision victory over Chuck Liddell only to be knocked stiff at the hands of Wanderlei Silva, and most recently Jardine out pointed Brandon Vera but came up on the losing end of a hard fought decision to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 96.

If Jardine can look impressive against Silva at UFC 102 he would certainly be one win away from a long sought after championship bout for the third time in his career.

Our Live Event Chat Room will be providing up to the minute live coverage of tonights 12 fights.  You can enter the room and chat with other FiveOuncesofPain.com readers HERE.

Tonight’s fight card is as follows.

Due to the event having 12 fights tonights start time is  7:30PM  EST.

Main Card Bouts:
Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites via unanimous decision
Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua def. Chuck Liddell via TKO-4:28, Round 1.
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann via submission (kimura) – 3:53, Round 1..
Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk via TKO (strikes) – 2:29, Round 2.
Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision
Undercard Bouts:

Denis Kang def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam via unanimous decision
Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald via TKO (strikes) -2:27, Round 1.
Ed Herman def. David Loiseau via unanimous decision
Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden via submission (RNC) – 4:57, Round 1.
T.J. Grant def. Ryo Chonan via split decision
Eliot Marshall def. Vinicius Magalhaes via unanimous decision

YOU CAN ENTER THE 5oz  Live EVENT Chatroom CLICK HERE!!! for full coverage.

Tonight’s scheduled card from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio is as follows (with final weigh-in results in parenthesis):

MAIN CARD -

• Quinton Jackson def. Keith Jardine via unanimous decision
• Shane Carwin def. Gabriel Gonzaga via KO (punch)~1:09~Round 1 (257.5)
• Matt Brown def. Pete Sell via TKO~1:32~Round 1
• Matt Hamill def. Mark Munoz via knockout ~3:53~Round 1
  
• Gray Maynard def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision

PRELIMINARY CARD -

• Tamdan McCrory def. Ryan Madigan via TKO ~3:35~Round 1 (170)
• Kendall Grove def. Jason Day via TKO ~1:32~Round 1
• Jason Brilz def. Tim Boetsch via unanimous decision
• Brandon Vera def. Michael Patt via TKO~ 1:27~Round 2
• # Shane Nelson def. Aaron Riley via TKO ~ :44~Round 1
  

White was asked to respond to a Yahoo! Sports interview in which Jardine made it clear that he has no intentions of fighting training partner and UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.

Jardine specifically said that he would not fight Evans, who he also referred to as one of his best friend, should he defeat Quinton “Rampage” Jackson this Saturday during the main event of UFC 96. He went on to say he gets asked all the time about a potential matchup between the two but that he has no interest in the fight.

Count White as someone who disagrees with that philosophy.

“This isn’t basketball or football,” the UFC President is quoted. “You’re not part of a team. Do you want to be the champ? If Rashad’s got that belt, what are you going to do – sit your whole career out and wait for Rashad to retire?

“I disagree with that. And I have to their face many times… Their careers are going to cross paths. And when they do, they’re going to have to fight.”"

As of now, the conflict appears to be moot. If Jardine upsets Jackson, Evans is instead expected to defend his title at UFC 100 against Lyoto Machida. Jardine also indicated in the Yahoo! Sports interview that he would have no problem moving back up to heavyweight

Quinton Jackson (29-7) vs. Keith Jardine (14-4-1)

Jardine has played the spoiler well role in the past few years, spoiling potential title shots for Forrest Griffin at UFC 66 and Chuck Liddell at UFC 76.

With each victory, Jardine moved himself into title contender status but proceeded each dramatic upset victory with first round (T)KO losses.

At UFC 71, Jardine was ambushed by then-newcomer Houston Alexander, who gave him a prison-style beatdown and finished him just 48 seconds into the fight. Then, at UFC 84, Jardine was steam rolled by Wanderlei Silva and was knocked out just 36 seconds into the fight.

Jardine is a counter fighter who apparently has trouble with fighters who employ a blitzkrieg style. Jackson can be aggressive at times, but he is not reckless and isn’t going to jump on Jardine from the outset.

Jackson looked outstanding in knocking out Silva at 3:21 of round 1 this past December at UFC 92. The former UFC light heavyweight champ not only redeemed himself after two previous TKO losses to Silva, but the win came at a crucial time as he was coming off a title loss to Griffin as well as felony charges this past summer for reckless driving.

While it’s hard to say for certain after just one fight, Jackson certainly appeared to be back on track. Leaving Juanito Ibarra and his LA-based training camps for the Wolfslair Academy in the cold U.K. appears to have done wonders for his career. With his career and life moving forward again, Jackson is just one win away from a title shot against current champion Rashad Evans this July at UFC 100.

However, I question the logic of this matchup. Jackson was impressive enough at UFC 92 to warrant an immediate title shot. He would have gotten that shot had Evans been ready. As bad as the UFC needed a main event for this show, they are risking a great deal of long-term money in favor of a quick fix.

If Jackson loses, the proposed UFC 100 matchup is off and if Jardine wins, he will be caught in a holding pattern, as he will not fight his friend and training partner, Evans.

A loss for Jackson is not out of the question, as both fighters complement each other well. I expect a lot of give and take between the two with several momentum shifts. The biggest concern here has to be Jardine’s trainer, Greg Jackson, who is a master strategist. He will give Jardine a gameplan that will allow him to go out and cause problems for Jackson.

Look for Jardine to use his brutal leg kicks to exploit Jackson’s lack of diversified striking. While Jackson has tremendous power in his hands, he does not have good Muay Thai skills. When it comes to kicks, Jackson does not employ many offensively and is terrible when he comes to defending them.

If the fight goes to a decision, I believe Jardine will once again shock the world. However, I think that so long as Jackson was focused for his training camp leading up to this fight that he will eventually catch Jardine on the chin and knock him out.

Prediction: Jackson by second round knockout.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson:

Keith Jardine:

Instead of Silva, Liddell said he has his sights on a different opponent, one that holds a prior victory over him.

“There’s been a few names,” Liddell is quoted by FightLine.com as responding to Leykis when asked about who he might face in his next fight. “We have (Keith) Jardine listed. We want him in March.”

Jardine cost Liddell a rematch against then-UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson after he upset Liddell by earning a split decision victory against him at UFC 76 in September of 2007.

Since that fight, Jardine has gone 1-1 with a win over Brandon Vera at UFC 89 and a loss to Wanderlei Silva at UFC 84. Meanwhile, Liddell is also 1-1 since UFC 76 with a win over Silva at UFC 79 and a loss to Jardine’s teammate, Rashad Evans at UFC 88.

Despite being an iconic figure in MMA, Liddell has lost three out of his last four fights. A lifelong member of trainer John Hackleman’s “The Pit” near San Luis Obispo, California, Liddell recently has spent time with American Top Team in Florida to help improve his skills.

“My next fight… I don’t know, but I will come out and use all of my skills,” Liddell began to tell Leykis. “Hopefully from here on out this style will be effective.”

As of now, the UFC’s only event slated for March is UFC 96 on March 7 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. While the UFC has yet to formally announce any fights, FiveOuncesOfPain.com was the first to report a heavyweight clash for the card between Gabriel Gonzaga and Shane Carwin.

MMAWeekly is also stating a rumored bout between Brandon Vera and Keith Jardine in the light-heavyweight division is now also confirmed for the event. The bout is much needed for both as Jardine wants to quickly rebound from his beating at the hands of Wanderlei Silva while Vera wants to look impressive coming off of a decision win over Reese Andy last month at Fight Night 14.

UFC 89 will take place on October 18th with a scheduled main event of Michael Bisping vs Chris Leben. In addition to Vera/Jardine, also scheduled are two more light-heavyweight duels between Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva as well as Sokoudjou battling Luis Banha Cane.

Based on the location of the card, the event most likely will be branded as a “ShoXC” event. EliteXC will also be promoting a ShoXC card on August 15.

While bout agreements are not expected to be signed until next week, FiveOuncesOfPain.com has learned that verbal commitments have been made for bouts involving Erik Apple vs. Matt Makowski and Jon Murphy vs. Shane Del Rosario.

Apple, 9-1, has not competed since submitting to a Kimura by Brock Larson at WEC 26 in March of 2007. Prior to the defeat, Apple had won the first nine bouts of his professional career.

He’ll be taking on Makowski, who is 3-0 as a pro and 2-0 while competing under the EliteXC banner. He last fought on May 31 during the Internet portion of CBS’ “Saturday Night Fights.” In that fight, Makowski was declared the winner against Nick Serra after a battered Serra refused to get up from the mat in the second round and was disqualified. This will mark the 21-year old’s first-ever appearance on SHOWTIME.

Murphy also last competed on May 31, taking on Brett Rogers in the first-ever MMA fight televised on primetime network television. Murphy, a former middle linebacker at the Syracuse University, lost to Rogers via first round knockout.

Del Rosario, a Muay Thai standout out of Team Oyama in California, last competed on March 21 during a ShoXC event. He improved his MMA record to 4-0 after TKO’ing Analu Brash at 3:18 of round 1.

EliteXC is slated to return to CBS this Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. While drawing a strong rating in the dead of summer on a Saturday night is not easy, all indications are that the promotion will return to the Tiffany network in September or October, regardless of the ratings.

This Saturday’s show will be headlined by a EliteXC middleweight title rematch between incumbent Robbie Lawler and challenger Scott Smith, but the fall show is expected to have additional star power with the anticipated return of both Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and Gina Carano.

Since defeating James Thompson via TKO in the main event of EliteXC’s inaugural telecast on CBS on May 31, Slice has kept a relatively low profile. However, ProElite chairman Doug DeLuca offered an update on the former Internet street fighting sensation during a conference call last week. He also used the opportunity to defend him against some of his critics.

“He’s training hard,” said DeLuca. “Kimbo is flying back and forth between Miami and California; he’s training with his team. The thing I will say about Kimbo is that I really don’t understand likes to give him a hard time…

“In Kimbo’s case, it was a year or so ago, but he found the sport, he’s committed and he’s a natural, a great fighter, who, unlike other guys you see come up off the streets that don’t have the discipline and the focus, this guy is one of the most disciplined and focused guys I’ve ever seen.

“So, to his credit, after that fight with James Thompson, Kimbo said (at the press conference), ‘I’m a baby in this sport and I know that.’ He said ‘I’m standing up here on this dais with world-class athletes that have been at this much longer than I have been.’ And he said, ‘I know I need to up my game in various places and at various levels and I will do that.’ Kimbo’s been committed and he’s doing that and he’s training real hard. You are going to see Kimbo fight again probably in late September, early to mid-October.”

With Kimbo expected to be added to the fall show, all that’s left is an opponent. Previous reports indicated that a bout between heavyweight rival Brett Rogers was likely, but the rumored bout is far from official.

“I definitely cannot confirm that he will be fighting Brett Rogers because we’re not sure that that’s the next fight for Kimbo,” stated DeLuca.

All indications are that EliteXC has yet to decide on Slice’s next opponent. While Rogers could still be in the mix, there are been recent rumblings that British heavyweight Neil Grove could be next in line following his July 12 second round TKO against Robert “Buzz” Berry at Cage Rage 27.

“I can’t talk too much about it now, but we’re probably going to announce another broadcast deal pretty soon with a cable network that will do similar to what you’re saying — where you’ll see all our brands in action,” DeLuca said in response to a question about the fight’s promotion’s long-term TV plans.

At the time, DeLuca was unwilling to elaborate on who the potential partner would be. However, it now appears that the mystery network has been revealed. During a press conference last week in Anaheim to promote “Affliction: Banned” on pay-per-view as well as the pre-show, “Affliction: LIVE” on Fox Sports Net, FSN Executive Vice President George Greenberg indicated that the basic cable sports provider was about to begin airing EliteXC.

“For us at FSN, we’ve shown UFC; we’ve shown PRIDE; we’ve shown the IFL; we’re about to show ProElite,” Greenberg said during last week’s presser.

Since the press conference was to promote Affliction’s first-ever event this past Saturday, Greenberg didn’t elaborate. However, based on the comments by both DeLuca and Greenberg, it appears something in the works. Exactly what is not for certain. EliteXC could be looking to package old footage of its previous shows and air them in a one-hour format, similar to “UFC Unleashed” on Spike TV. Or, they could try to create a secondary live events package that would make its Cage Rage and ICON Sport brands available on FSN.

FSN’s desire to get involved with EliteXC seems very logical given the circumstances. With its PRIDE contract having expired, the only MMA that FSN is televising right now is the IFL. However, the IFL’s contract with FSN will expire at the end of the Summer and if the UFC is able to complete a purchase of the New York-based fight company, it’s unlikely that an extension of the current deal will be worked out.