Word of the fight was first brought to light by Sherdog who confirmed the information with someone attached to the show’s production.

A veteran of more than a hundred professional bouts, Horn has won seven of his last eight in-ring encounters including six straight at one point with victories over Jason Guida, Brian Warren, and Sean Salmon. “Gumby” has been on hiatus since December when he notched the 58th overall submission of his career in the form of a Guillotine Choke over Lee McKibbin.

Though Leites may lack Horn’s experience he has also excelled since parting ways with the UFC and is no stranger to finishing things on the ground. The 29-year old Brazilian has tapped twelve of the eighteen opponents he’s beaten and won four of the five times he’s fought since a Split Decision defeat to Alessio Sakara at UFC 101. Also similar to Horn, Leites will be looking to kick of his 2011 campaign on a winning streak as he is coming off a submission victory of his own in the latter stages of last year.

The entirety of Superior Challenge 7 has yet to be revealed though it is believed Reza Madadi will take on Rich Clementi based on a recent online statement from the 10-2 Stockholm native with other appearances on the card expected from UFC veterans Hector Ramirez and David Bielkheden.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Clay Guida Talks About Visiting Amsterdam (MiddleEasy.com)

Mike Brown Wants One Last Bout in WEC (Versus.com)

Urijah Faber Talks About Fighting in the Octagon (MMAFighting.com)

“The Korean Zombie” Moving Away from Undead Style (MMAConvert.com)

Joseph Benavidez Speaks About his Past, Present, and Future (Heavy.com)

Ever Wanted to Check Out Antonio McKee’s Crib? (MMAScraps.com)

Thales Leites Back on the Winning Track (FIGHT! Magazine)

You Saw What Fighters Dressed Up Like for Halloween…Now It’s Time for MMA-Themed Costumes (WatchKalibRun.com)

MMA in New York Takes a Blow (CagePotato.com)

Perhaps most notably, former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia officially measured in at 274 pounds. The number is actually thirty pounds down from his weight in his last bout, against Mariusz Pudzianowski at Moosin last May, and only twelve pounds heavier than he was in his final Octagon appearance against Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in February 2008.

“War on the Mainland” features Sylvia and Paul Buentello locking horns over the PWP Heavyweight Championship, as well as UFC veteran Jason Lambert fighting late replacement Tony Lopez for the light heavyweight belt and former IFL 185-pound champ Matt Horwich facing submission-specialist Thales Leites for the middleweight title.

Additionally, former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens “Little Evil” Pulver and hard-hitting journeyman Terry Martin are slated for action at the show. Pulver measured in at 155.4 pounds, meaning his recent run at featherweight appears to be over, while Martin came in at an even 170 pounds in preparation for his bout against 16-6-1 Jorge Ortiz.

The official results of the weigh-ins are as follows:

A.J. Matthews (168.8 lbs) vs. Sean Choice (169.4 lbs)
Todd Willingham (154.8 lbs) vs. Cleber Luciano (153.8 lbs)
Joao Silva (153.4 lbs) vs. Erin Beach (154.4 lbs)
Jorge Ortiz (169 lbs) vs. Terry Martin (170 lbs)
Gustavo Machado (185.8 lbs) vs. Rick Reeves (183 lbs)
Jens Pulver (155.4 lbs) vs. Diego Garijo (153.8 lbs)
Matt Horwich (185.4 lbs) vs. Thales Leites (184.6 lbs)
Jason Lambert (203.8 lbs) vs. Tony Lopez (204.6 lbs)
Tim Sylvia (274.4 lbs) vs. Paul Buentello (251.6 lbs)*

* – Bout is being contested with 275-pound maximum rather than the standard 265-pound limit for heavyweights

Earlier this week both Tamdan McCrory and Thales Leites were notified that they had been released from their UFC obligations following mutual razor-thin decision losses at UFC 101.

Apparently UFC President Dana White had no idea they had been cut, and he has recently notified Kevin Iole from Yahoo! Sports that both men will not be released by the promotion after all.

McCrory is a rangy 6’4″ welterweight with plans to move up to middlewieght in the future. He currently boast an extremely respectable Octagon record of 3-3.

Leites is a dangerous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt that recently challenged for the middleweight championship. He currently holds a UFC record of 5-3.

The news of Leites being cut first came in a report from AOL Fanhouse.

Leites fell under heavy criticism following his extremely lackluster performance in his title shot with Anderson Silva before recently losing another decision to Allesio Sakara at UFC 101 in unimpressive fashion. Although the bout with Sakara was much closer than the bout with Silva, it was the second that drew a chorus of boos for Thales.

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with a UFC record of 5-3, Leites would make a fantastic addition to any interested fight promotion in the market for top level middleweights.

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

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

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

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

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

The twenty nine-year old Denver, Colorado native was recently rumored to be under serious consideration to become one of the coaches of the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter before Dan Henderson was announced to fill the spot, and it’s not very hard to see why Marquardt would be given that type of consideration. He has long been respected as one of the sports most well rounded and battle tested athletes.

“I had discussed possibly becoming one of the coaches for the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter but they didn’t choose me this time,” explained Marquardt in an exclusive interview with FiveOuncesOfPain.com.

Although the stars didn’t align right for Marquardt to make his television coaching debut this time around, he’s not counting it out for the future. As a matter of fact, the idea is one that he welcomes.

“I’m sure that it’s a possibility for the future because it’s definitely something that I would want to do,” Marquardt went on to say.

In 2009, being considered one of the best will no longer be enough for the freakishly powerful 185 pounder. This is the year that Marquardt aims to take over the middleweight division and assert himself as the most dominant predator in a division filled with carnivores.

In order to obtain that goal, Marquardt absolutely requires success in an impressive fashion this Saturday night against another of the division’s most dangerous combatants, American Top Team trained, Wilson Gouveia. The two will face off at UFC 95 from London in a bout where the winner will be undoubtedly sky rocketed in the consideration of who should get the next crack at the middleweight championship.

Marquardt has never had an easy time of it since his arrival in the UFC. He has consistently been matched up with some of the best the promotion has had to offer. Marquardt’s impending battle with the vicious Gouveia will be just another day at the office for the formidable octagon veteran.

“Wilson is a tough guy,” admits Marquardt. ”He’s just as tough as anyone that I have faced. At this level of fighting you’re not going to get an easy opponent.”

There is no denying that Gouveia, is as hazardous as they come in the UFC, whether it be on the ground or on the feet, the crafty Brazilian has the capability to end any contest at the drop of a dime. Marquardt’s a realist though. He knows his opponent is a threat, but a threat that Marquardt assures that he will be able to handle come fight time.

“He’s good on his feet and he’s good on the ground,” Marquardt assessed. ”I think that it just boils down to, I’m better.”

Never one to question his ability or training before a fight, the Greg Jackson trained fighter possesses an abundance of confidence heading into his bout with Gouveia this Saturday night and leaves no question as to what his intentions will be once the cage door is slammed shut.

“I feel really good about this fight,” Marquardt said. ”I just want to go out there and put on a really good performance and hopefully finish him. I definitely want to finish him.”

Being focused on a finish in his fight with Gouveia is a good place to be, mentally, for Marquardt. Outside of his pending date with Gouveia, he only has one thing on his mind, and it’s redemption.

Redemption for coming up so short and under performing to his full abilities when it mattered most. Marquardt wants another chance at current middleweight king, Anderson Silva, and a convincing win over someone of Gouveia’s caliber could be the final push that Marquardt needs to go in that direction.

“I really feel that a win over Gouveia would put me in line to have another shot at Anderson Silva,” contends Marquardt. ”As long as I put on a really good performance I think that a rematch with Silva would be a good possibility.”

Regardless of how impressive Marquardt is in this Saturday’s bout with Gouveia, he knows that he will have to wait his turn, as an extremely familiar face has the next shot at the seemingly unstoppable Silva.

At UFC 85, Marquardt put on one of his most impressive performances in a losing effort against scheduled Silva challenger, Thales Leites. Nate was dominant in the bout, repeatedly pummeling Leites throughout, but was penalized points on two separate occasions. One of the points deducted was for striking to the back of the head and was seen as highly questionable by most of the MMA community. It was that point that cost Marquardt the bout in a contest that he had visibly won.

Is he bothered by the fact that Leites is getting the next crack at Anderson? Not at all according to Marquardt, just as long as he doesn’t win.

“If he’s able to use his game plan to get Anderson to the ground, he could put Anderson in a lot of trouble,” theorized Marquardt. ”Thales is a world class fighter on the ground and Silva is definitely not a world class fighter on the ground.”

“It doesn’t bother me at all. Actually it’s kind of flattering that he’s getting a title shot but it might bother me a little bit if he beats Silva because I want to be the one to beat him.”

Marquardt has been on an absolute tear through the middleweight division since his loss to Silva at UFC 73. He is convinced that the loss was a positive thing for him. It has helped to focus in on what is the most important thing to him in his established fighting career, being known as the best.

“Technically I have gotten a lot better in so many areas since fighting Anderson,” explained Marquardt. ”I have gotten technically better with my stand up, with my wrestling, my endurance and my strength has gone way up.

“I think that the main thing is that I am a lot stronger mentally and I think that would be a huge factor in a rematch with Anderson. I’m an a lot more dangerous fighter now.”

The news comes courtesy of a report by MMA Weekly, which has indicated that both fighters have signed bout agreements for the fight.

Leites has gone undefeated since losing his UFC debut to Martin Kampmann in November of 2006 during the live finale for the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter. The Nova Uniao fighter is 14-1 overall in his pro MMA career with notable victories over Gustavo Machado, Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons, Pete Sell, and Nathan Marquardt.

The 27-year old’s most recent victory took place in October at UFC 90, where he submitted Drew McFedries with a rear naked choke at 1:18 of round 1.

Silva also competed on the same card, where he successfully defended his title against Patrick Cote after Cote’s knee buckled at 0:39 of round three, forcing referee Herb Dean to declare Silva winner via TKO due to injury. The win over Cote improved Silva’s lifetime record inside of the Octagon to 8-0 and his overall record to 23-4.

As of now, no other additional fights have been announced for UFC 97, however, UFC President Dana White stated during a Q&A session earlier this month prior to “UFC Fight for the Troops” that the long-awaited grudge match between Matt Hughes and Matt Serra is expected to take place in April.

UFC President Dana White revealed the news Tuesday afternoon during a public Q&A session at the Sports USA Bar located on the Fort Bragg military installation.

When asked by a fan in the audience what was next in store for Leites, White indicated that his next fight could come against Silva as early as February. UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva was seated in the audience and conferred while adding that a Silva vs. Leites match has not been finalized and that Leites is instead at the top of a list that includes several candidates.

Leites has gone undefeated since losing his UFC debut to Martin Kampmann in November of 2006 during the live finale for the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The Nova Uniao fighter is 14-1 overall in his pro MMA career with notable victories over Gustavo Machado, Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons, Pete Sell, and Nathan Marquardt.

The 27-year old’s most recent victory took place in October at UFC 90, where he submitted Drew McFedries with a rear naked choke at 1:18 of round 1.

Silva also competed on the same card, where he successfully defended his title against Patrick Cote after Cote’s knee buckled at 0:39 of round three, forcing referee Herb Dean to declare Silva winner via TKO due to injury. The win over Cote improved Silva’s lifetime record inside of the Octagon to 8-0 and his overall record to 23-4.

“I’d accept a fight [vs. Maia], I’m a professional,” Leites is quoted as saying in an interview translated from Portuguese to English. “Demian is a great fighter and has been doing a great job in UFC. It’s possible that they put this fight, because the belt is with a Brazilian guy and we’re growing, so they can put this fight to take one of the Brazilians from the tops.”

Having won four straight fights, Leites is looking for a win to catapult him into the UFC title picture, which currently revolves around another Brazilian middleweight, Anderson Silva.

A win over Maia would certainly make some noise, as his fellow countryman is 9-0 overall and 4-0 since entering the UFC in October of 2007. Maia is also a world renowned grappler who is coming off his greatest level of exposure having submitted Nate Quarry during the undercard of UFC 91, which was headlined by Randy Couture losing the UFC heavyweight title to Brock Lesnar.

Leites’ informal proposal of a bout vs. Maia is one that UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva might give serious consideration to, as Maia is in need of a credible opponent for his next fight. Speculation had centered around Maia possibly serving as a coach opposite Michael Bisping for the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” however, with the U.S. vs. UK concept cemented, there appears to be no room for a Brazilian coaching a team comprised exclusively of American fighters.

In addition to having some marketing appeal, Leites makes the case that it would be an entertaining fight in terms of match quality.

“I believe it’d be a good fight,” Leites is quoted as telling Tatame. “We almost have the same game and it’s kind of different from the American guys, who goes from striking and work on the ground n’ pound. We know each other’s game and it’d be a huge fight. Demian has been doing a good job, but I’d accept this fight.”

Leites had been rumored as scheduled to fight Dean Lister during UFC Fight Night 15 in September, but the match was scuttled after Lister reportedly pulled out of the fight.

Leites could become an eventual number one contender for the UFC middleweight title currently held by Anderson Silva, as he has won four consecutive fights in the UFC.

He has just one blemish on his 13-1 overall MMA record, having lost his UFC debut to Martin Kampmann during the live season finale for the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Since the loss, he has bounced back with wins over Pete Sell, Floyd Sword, Ryan Jensen, and his most recent win, a controversial split decision against Nathan Marquardt at UFC 85 this past June.

Reljic made his UFC debut at UFC 84 this past May as a light heavyweight. He upset Wilson Gouveia with a TKO at 3:15 of round 2 and improved his record to 8-0 in the process. Dropping down to 185 pounds, Reljic is someone who could possibly shake up the division.

UFC 90 will take place just outside of Chicago in Rosemont, Ill. and will emanate from the Allstate Arena. The card will be headlined by a UFC middleweight title defense by Silva, who is set to face challenger Patrick Cote. A welterweight bout between Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves is expected to take place on the card as well.

According to Shnerer, the bout is off the Sept. 17 fight card because of a knee injury sustained by Lister during training.

UFN 15 will emanate from Omaha Civic Center in Omaha, Nebraska and will feature a lightweight main event between Nate Diaz, the winner of the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and Josh Neer.

The event will serve as a lead-in for the season premiere of the eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and will also feature bouts between Houston Alexander vs. Eric Schafer, Clay Guida vs. Mac Danzig, Joe Lauzon vs. Kyle Bradley, Alan Belcher vs. Ed Herman, Jeremy Horn vs. Wilson Gouveia, and Drew McFedries vs. Mike Massenzio.

Jensen is a former UFC fighter, coming off two losses to grappling wizards Thales Leites and Demian Maia respectively but he’s 11-3 overall. He’s about as good a middleweight replacement as you can get on this short notice, so props to Strikeforce and EliteXC for finding an apt replacement in very little time.

The marijuana positive still doesn’t explain the umbrella. I know that was his deal in Pride but it seemed even more out of place in the UFC. Does CSAC test for LSD?

Seriously though, I still think it’s rather silly that some commissions test for marijuana. I don’t smoke it (only because I’m already a paranoid person to begin with and I also hate cottonmouth) but even someone like me who has no use for it believes it should be legal.

Also, it doesn’t look like the results are back yet for the performance enhancers. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Other notes:

- Brazilian website Gazeta De Povo is reporting that Mauricio “Shogun” Rua had ligament damage in his knee leading up to his UFC 76 bout with Forrest Griffin and that it limited his ability to train. According to the report, Shogun will be undergoing surgery this Friday. He doesn’t expect to resume training until late-January or early-February.

So let me see, Forrest Griffin says he won’t be ready for Dec. 29; Rampage has a hand injury that could prevent him from fighting again in ’07; and now Shogun is on the shelf? What does that leave as far as big light heavyweight fights for UFC 79? You could go Chuck Liddell vs. Houston Alexander and Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva? Or, you could go Houston Alexander vs. Keith Jardine II and Wanderlei Silva vs. Chuck Liddell! I’m being serious, I think all these injuries could force the UFC to make a Silva vs. Liddell match for UFC 79.

- UFCDaily.com is reporting that Heath Herring plans to return to UFC action after some time off by early-2008.

- MMAJunkie.com broke the news on Wednesday that Ryan Jensen will be replacing an injured Marvin Eastman against Demian Maia at UFC 77 in Cincinnati on Oct. 20. It’s an Adam Morgan dream match from what I hear and the reason why he’s buying tickets to the show.

Lutter had to withdraw to the fight due to a herniated disk in his neck.

Here’s Lutter’s official announcement:

Saturday July 28th I was training and re-aggravated a old injury. After giving my neck a chance to heal I decided I was not going to be healed in time for the fight. I would like to thank all the people that were helping me prepare for this fight and I look forward to fighting in the near future.

Travis Lutter

Lutter is expected to take on UFC newcomer Ryan Jensen.

You can view the whole report at:

http://ufcmania.com/2007/06/26/ufc-74-travis-lutter-returns-against-ryan-jensen/