St-Pierre, known by his fans as GSP, will be featured in imagery displayed in Sporting Goods stores across North America, outfitted in Under Armour’s ColdGear, performance apparel designed to protect athletes in cold temperatures. Beginning in spring 2010, St-Pierre will become the face of Under Armour’s long-time top-selling BoxerJock and BoxerBrief Underwear and will serve as one of the primary faces for Under Armour’s Recharge suit, a suit designed to re-energize your body, promote muscle repair and reduce swelling following a workout.

“It is quite an honor for me to represent Under Armour. I have always appreciated the quality of their products, and to be partners with them is a dream come true,” said St-Pierre.

“Not only is Georges one of the biggest stars in one of the fastest growing sports in the world, but his dedication to training and making himself the best at what he does aligns perfectly with our Brand’s mission to make all athletes better,” said Steve Battista, Under Armour Senior Vice President, Brand. “When we found out that he was a fan of ours, we jumped on the opportunity to bring him into the Under Armour family.”

“Georges St-Pierre’s continued success in MMA, his character and integrity, and his wide-reaching fan base make him a terrific brand ambassador for Under Armour, which, much like GSP, has become one of the foremost brands in sports in a short period of time,” said Howard Nuchow, Co-Head, CAA Sports, which represents St-Pierre in conjunction with Shari L. Spencer, President of GSP Enterprises. “Pairing GSP with Under Armour is a testament to the explosive growth of MMA, and the popularity and cultural relevance of its top fighter, among consumers worldwide.”

New for spring 2010, Under Armour has joined forces with Coretection Products Ltd. to bring state-of-the-art patented technology to athletes for all sports around the globe. St-Pierre will be prominently featured in in-store imagery highlighting the new Coreshort compression product. The Coreshort product works to stabilize the core without obstructing movement. The unique technology creates efficient movement through the core, activating stronger motion and more explosive propulsion. Available in two styles; the Coreshort product will retail for $44.99 and the Coreshort Pro product will retail for $59.99.

Under Armour, the originators of performance apparel, has transitioned athletes into moisture-wicking apparel since 1996. Under Armour products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe.

St-Pierre rounds out an impressive roster of NFL, MLB, NBA and Olympic stars, including Super Bowl Champions Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens) and Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants); one of the world’s most accomplished downhill skiers, Lindsey Vonn; in addition to Devin Hester (Chicago Bears), Santana Moss (Washington Redskins), Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals), Nick Markakis (Baltimore Orioles), Alfonso Soriano (Chicago Cubs), lacrosse superstar Paul Rabil, and U.S. Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis.

The special 90-minute edition of “Inside MMA” will provide a first look at the undisputed #1 heavyweight in the world — Fedor Emelianenko, as he hits the scale the night before his network television debut on CBS.

In addition to Fedor, many of the top mixed martial artists in the world including Brett Rogers, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Jake Shields, and Gegard Mousasi will step onto the scale and then step into Kruck’s Korner during the LIVE broadcast.

Heavyweight sensation Bobby Lashley, “King” Mo Lawal, and MMA legend Frank Shamrock are expected to join Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten to break down the card and to witness the excitement of weigh-in Friday.

“Friday weigh-ins are closely watched by MMA insiders because they often reveal who is ready to fight … and who isn’t,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “Then, on Saturday’s CBS broadcast, we will debut a new commercial that will drive home the message that true MMA fans have to have HDNet.”

This episode of “Inside MMA” is the only place to see highlights of some of Fedor’s most recent, explosive victories including Fedor v. Hong Man Choi, Fedor v. Arlovski, Fedor v. Tim Sylvia and Fedor’s exhibitions with Gegard Mousasi and Shinya Aoki.

Pictured: Fedor Emelianenko

“Mixed martial arts is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic and popular sports in the world. The Strikeforce brand already represents the absolute best of this business domestically, and Shine International is thrilled to help them extend their brand internationally,” said Chris Grant, President of Shine International. “Strikeforce attracts the world’s best fighters and their events are superior to any others being offered to international broadcasters today. They are ideal partners for us.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to bring STRIKEFORCE fights to the homes of MMA fans throughout the world,” said STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker. “Shine International is a world renowned leader in the international television business and, with their support, we are confident that we will be able to greatly expand the scope of the STRIKEFORCE brand.”

The STRIKEFORCE library of programming includes 30 episodes of previously recorded fights that have aired on NBC and more than 56 hours of fights that have aired on SHOWTIME®. The deal between STRIKEFORCE and Shine International also encompasses new, upcoming live fights through February 2012 as well as STRIKEFORCE Challengers fights, pitting STRIKEFORCE up-and-comers against each other. STRIKEFORCE recently announced its first broadcast on CBS to air live fights on the U.S. network, further increasing the leagues exposure, with the first event slated for November 7, 2009 at Chicago’s Sears Centre Arena.

STRIKEFORCE has experienced significant growth since it launched its MMA series with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event that played host to a capacity crowd of 18,265 at San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion on March 10, 2006. After signing a landmark deal to air live events on SHOWTIME earlier this year, STRIKEFORCE earned the premium network its highest MMA rating ever on August 15, 2009 with “Carano vs. Cyborg.” Shortly before the live telecast, the main event principals—Gina Carano and Cris “Cyborg” Santos—were the most searched terms on Yahoo! and Google, while the fight was the most discussed subject on Twitter.

Chou comes to STRIKEFORCE with 10 years of experience in the MMA business. During his tenure in the sport, he has functioned in the same capacity with two other organizations and worn a number of other hats including that of competitor and referee.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to work for a top organization like STRIKEFORCE,” said Chou, who will be responsible for creating matchups between fighters for STRIKEFORCE’s monthly events that air live on SHOWTIME as well as for the promotion’s live debut on CBS on Saturday, November 7. Before the acquisition of Chou, STRIKEFORCE had relied on a committee, headed by CEO Scott Coker, to create its matchups.

“STRIKEFORCE has done some incredible things over the course of the last few years to emerge as one of the world’s premiere MMA promotions. They have a deep roster of world class talent so it’s going to be very exciting and a lot of fun to be able to put together highly compelling matchups for their events.”

The 30-year-old Chou graduated from Pepperdine University in 2001 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Business Administration. During his college years, he began training in the fighting discipline of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Shortly after commencement, Chou relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii with the intention of becoming a professional mixed martial artist. He went on to compete in numerous grappling tournaments as well as in one professional MMA fight and referee over 100 MMA bouts in Hawaii.

In 2004, Chou was hired by promoter J.D. Penn, the brother of MMA superstar B.J. Penn, to assist with the growth of J.D’s “Rumble on the Rock” series of MMA events and to spearhead all matchmaking efforts for the promotion. Chou played a similar role with EliteXC between 2007 and 2008.

Chou will relocate from Honolulu, Hawaii to STRIKEFORCE’s headquarters in San Jose, California to assume his new position.

STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network. Last week, STRIKEFORCE announced that it would make its live, primetime debut on CBS with its “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it will co-promote with M-1 Global on Saturday, November 7.

Barnett’s June 25 drug test came back positive for 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic steroid. CSAC learned of the results July 21 and immediately denied a license for Barnett. CSAC also informed the promoter of Barnett’s August 1 bout against Fedor Emelianenko that the bout would not be approved.

“The license of Josh Barnett was denied pursuant to rule 303 of Title IV of the California Code of Regulations,” said CSAC Interim Executive Officer Dave Thornton. “That rule prohibits the use of certain substances, including anabolic agents, by any boxer or MMA fighter.”

Barnett’s test was observed in the presence of a CSAC representative and the sample was sent to the World Anti-doping Agency test facility at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on June 25 for processing. CSAC was notified of the results yesterday.

Barnett has the right to appeal the denial of his license.

“Our primary concern is for the health and safety of fighters,” said Thornton. “Anabolic agents and other banned substances put the users of those agents at risk, as well as their opponents. The commission simply will not tolerate their use.”

CSAC has among the toughest drug testing standards of any Athletic Commission in the country. It is the only commission that requires drug tests to be observed and in the presence of a commission representative prior to a bout.

Starting this summer, Grupo Televisa will launch Televisa Deportes Network (TDN), a new national sports network fully distributed to all cable and satellite households in Mexico and in countries in Latin America. TDN will begin telecasts with a UFC partnership already in place, becoming the first television network in Mexico to air UFC live events and flagship programming.

In celebration of TDN’s historic launch, Grupo Televisa is embracing its UFC partnership with a nationwide broadcast of the UFC 100 mega-event on Saturday, July 11. UFC 100 will air on Channel 9, one of its free television networks in Mexico, starting at 10pm Central Time.

“I’ve said for years that we would love to bring the UFC to Mexico, some of the greatest fighters in history are from Mexico, and the fans there are among the most passionate and loyal in all of sports,” said Dana White, UFC President. “We are honored that Grupo Televisa will launch TDN with UFC live events and programs, and that UFC will now be available to our fans in Mexico, starting with Channel 9’s free broadcast of UFC 100 on July 11.”

“The primary objective is to satisfy the demand of the viewers who are always critical and demanding and always looking for new sports content. That is why we are celebrating the exclusive UFC 100 transmission in Mexico – UFC has positioned itself as the worldwide leader in Mixed Martial Arts,” said Ricardo Perez Teuffer, Vice President of Sports and Special Events, Televisa.

TDN’s UFC schedule will consist of live UFC Fight Night events, UFC Countdown shows, one-hour feature programs that take an in-depth and exclusive look at UFC fighters preparing for an upcoming fight, and the weekly series Guerreros del UFC, a Spanish-language compilation show that features the greatest bouts throughout the UFC’s 15-year history.

This is the first major television deal for UFC live events in Mexico, but only the first of many future ventures for the brand in Latin America.

Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., is the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world and a major player in the international entertainment business.

UFC television programming can be seen in over 100 countries and territories worldwide in 17 different languages. UFC is the largest pay-per-view content provider in the world and is the fastest growing sports organization in history.

Holly Madison joins the lovely posse of Octagon Girls known to their UFC fans as Arianny Celeste, Edith Labelle and Logan Stanton. “It’s been a dream of mine since becoming a fan of the UFC and watching the incredible athleticism of the fighters, to do the honors of being an Octagon Girl for a night,” said Madison.

“UFC 100 marks the biggest event in the history of our company, so it’s the perfect time to bring in the Ultimate Octagon Girl, Holly Madison. Not only is Holly one of the world’s most beautiful women, but she is a huge fan and supporter of the UFC, and we’re looking forward to having her with us on July 11th,” said Dana White, the president of the UFC.

UFC 100 takes place this Saturday, July 11 live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The sold out event is available live on Pay-Per-View starting at 10pm ET/7pm PT. Fans may also see Holly LIVE on www.UFC.com/BK

While family and friends celebrate the Fourth of July at home in America, USA West held a celebration of its own in Seoul after recording its second 5-0 shutout of the season by sweeping Imperial. The statement victory allowed the Americans to finish the regular season with an unblemished 3-0 challenge record and a remarkable 13-2 record in individual fights.

During the dominating performance, both David Jansen and Shane Del Rosario of USA West preserved their undefeated records in professional MMA. Jansen, a product of Matt Lindland’s Team Quest, moved to 11-0 following a guillotine submission victory via submission just 22 seconds into his encounter against Imperial’s Amirkhan Mazikov.

Del Rosario, an EliteXC veteran, bested Jansen’s time by one second following his TKO at 0:21 over Maksim Grishin. The heavyweight improved to 7-0 with all seven fights having ended inside the distance and six of them ending in round 1.

Team South Korea also competed on its home turf for the second time in two years on Saturday. Facing Group B rival Brazil Naja in a best-of-five series televised live on SBS, the Koreans fell one victory short of sending its countrymen and women home happy.

In the opener, Brazilian lightweight Hacran Dias was handed the first defeat of his career after dropping a unanimous decision to Korea’s Nam Yui Chul. With the loss, Dias still maintains an impressive record of 11-1-1 and while Chul is now 9-2.

During the most anticipated bout of the evening, Brazil’s Eduardo Pamplona finished the M-1 Challenge regular season with a perfect 3-0 record after winning a decision over Doh Hyung Kim at 2:59 of round three due to a cut. Soon after both fighters made their respective charismatic entrances, Kim sustained a wound that opened up during the course of the fight.

When medical officials examined Kim in round three and decided to call a premature end to the bout, the outcome of the fight reverted to the scorecards of the judges. The judges ruled that Pamplona, 11-2, won the fight in unanimous fashion. The encounter between the two welterweights lived up to the hype, with both Kim and Pamplona earning unofficial “Fight of the Night” honors.

Following Korean middleweight Jae Young Kim’s two-round majority decision loss against Daniel Acacio, Brazilian light heavyweight Alexander Machado clinched the team victory for Naja after submitting Dool Hee Lee with a rear naked choke at 3:26 of round 2.

Despite losing in front of their home fans, Team South Korea still gave everyone watching live in the arena and at home something to celebrate when Hae Joon Yang recorded the unofficial “Knockout of the Night” after sending Brazilian heavyweight Joaquim “Mamute” Ferreira sprawling to the canvas in a short but highly enthralling brawl. Needing just 14 seconds to take out Ferreira, Yang improved to 3-0 in his professional career with all three victories coming via first round (T)KO.

During the night’s team challenge opener, Finland improved to 2-1 in Group B with an impressive 4-1 victory over Bulgaria. Competing without its top fighter, middleweight Lucio Linhares, Finland kept its playoff hopes alive by dominating the Bulgarians.

With Linhares focused on training for his Affliction and M-1 debut on pay-per-view on Aug. 1, lightweight Niko Puhakka, light heavyweight Marcus Vanttinen, heavyweight Toni Valtonen, and welterweight Janne Tulirinta, who recently received his brown belt from Linhares, all stepped up. With the exception of Linhares’ replacement, Mikko Suvanto, every other Finnish fighter not only won but stopped their respective opponent within the distance.

If Group C leader USA East loses on Aug. 15 in Amsterdam, Finland still has a mathematical chance to supplant the Americans. However, the Fins’ chances of making the playoffs still remain slim, as USA East would not only have to lose but fail to win two bouts during its head-to-head series vs. Team Benelux.

With its sixth edition now in the books, the seventh edition of the ‘09 M-1 Challenge is scheduled to take place during a two-day MMA festival in Amsterdam from Aug. 15-16. In addition to USA East and Benelux, teams from Japan, France, Spain, and England will also all be in action. Additional information concerning the event will be released on www.M-1Global.com later this week.

Official results from today’s event are listed below:

Bulgaria vs. Finland

1. Lightweight (-70 kg/154 lbs.) – Niko Puhakka (FIN) def. Yanko Yanev (BUL) via TKO (strikes) at 2:16 of round 1
2. Welterweight (-76 kg/167.2 lbs.) – Janne Tulirinta (FIN) def. Ivan Ivanov (BUL) via TKO (strikes) at 3:44 of round 1
3. Middleweight (-84 kg/184.8 lbs.) – Rosen Dmitirov (BUL) def. Mikko Suvanto (FIN) via majority decision
4. Light Heavyweight (-93 kg/204.6 lbs.) – Marcus Vanttinen (FIN) vs. Emil Samoilov (BUL) via submission (verbal) at 3:42 of round 3
5. Heavyweight (+93 kg/+ 204.6 lbs.) – Toni Valtonen (FIN) def. Nikola Dipchkov (BUL) via submission (triangle) at 4:49 of round 1

Finland defeats Bulgaria 4-1

USA West vs. Russia Imperial

6. Lightweight (-70 kg/154 lbs.) – Dave Jansen (USA) def. Amirkhan Mazikhov (RUS) via submission (guillotine) at 0:22 of round 1
7. Welterweight (-76 kg/167.2 lbs.) – Fabio “Negao” Nascimento (USA) def. Marat Ilaev (RUS) via submission (armbar) at 2:13 of round 2
8. Middleweight (-84 kg/184.8 lbs.) – Giva Santana (USA) def. Radmir Gabdulin (RUS) via submission (arm triangle) at 3:47 of round 1
9. Light Heavyweight (-93 kg/204.6 lbs.) – Tony Lopez (USA) def. Viktor Nemkov (RUS) via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:06 of round 2
10. Heavyweight (+93 kg/+ 204.6 lbs.) – Shane Del Rosario (USA) def. Maksim Grishin (RUS) via TKO (strikes) at 0:21 of round 1

USA West defeats Russia Imperial 5-0

South Korea vs. Brazil

11. Lightweight (-70 kg/154 lbs.) – Nam Yui Chul (KOR) def. Hacran Dias (BRA) via three round unanimous decision
12. Welterweight (-76 kg/167.2 lbs.) – Eduardo Pamplona (BRA) def. Do Hyung Kim (KOR) via unanimous decision
13. Middleweight (-84 kg/184.8 lbs.) – Daniel Acacio (BRA) def. Jae Young Kim (KOR) via two-round majority decision
14. Light Heavyweight (-93 kg/204.6 lbs.) – Alexander Machado (BRA) def. Dool Hee Lee (KOR) via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:26 of round 2
15. Heavyweight (+93 kg/+ 204.6 lbs.) – Hae Joon Yang def. Joaquim “Mamute” Ferreira (BRA ) def. via knockout at 0:14 of round 1

Brazil defeats South Korea 3-2

[Pictured: USA West's Dave Jansen celebrates his M-1 Challenge victory]

“Obviously China is a huge market and the Chinese understand the martial arts probably better than anyone else in the world. It’s a no brainer that UFC programming will be appreciated in China, and will become a big hit for the NMTV network,” said Dana White, UFC President.

Inner Mongolia Television, known as NMTV, is a network broadcast station available in 60 million households, with the potential to reach 240 million viewers throughout all the provinces of China. Starting this month, NMTV will air up to 16 hours of UFC programming per month, including the trademark shows The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed and UFC All Access, with an option to air recent UFC pay-per-view event telecasts.

With this deal, NMTV will air between one to four hours of UFC programming each week on Saturday and Sundays between 1:30 – 5:30pm local time, broadcast in languages specific to each province.

UFC television programming can be seen in over 100 countries and territories worldwide in 17 different languages. UFC is the largest pay-per-view content provider in the world and is the fastest growing sports organization in history.

“Music is one of the things that make the UFC experience so exciting, and I’ve always been a big fan of Limp Bizkit, so we are excited to have the group perform at UFC 100 event weekend,” said Dana White, UFC President.

“We are proud that our first show in the USA with the original line-up in eight years will be in Las Vegas at UFC 100. The ultimate fighting music has finally found its home with the Ultimate Fighting Championship,” said Fred Durst.

Tickets for Limp Bizkit, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Friday, May 29 at 10 a.m. at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com, or www.ticketmaster.com.

Doors will open at 7pm, BoneyB will perform at 8 p.m. and Limp Bizkit will go live at 9 p.m. The concert also will be streamed live on UFC.com.

As part of UFC Fan Expo, Limp Bizkit will appear and sign autographs on the main stage Friday July 10th from 2pm – 3pm, just hours before their U.S. concert premiere. Fred Durst, Wes Borland, Sam Rivers, John Otto, and DJ Lethal are gearing up to record their first new studio album with the original line-up since 2000’s Worldwide 12x-platinum Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water. Flip/Interscope Records will announce more details and a release date in the coming months. The band’s first three albums have sold more than 20 million copies in the U.S. alone, and another 13 million in the rest of the world.