“Thanks to [expletive] B.A. Baracus, I couldn’t [expletive] pull it off,” White said. “B.A. [expletive] me. The collateral damage that was done by him doing this thing was unbelievable.”

“You have no idea how much collateral damage was done by [Jackson] pulling out of this thing. It literally screwed up the rest of our year. We’ve got B.J. Penn fighting in Memphis, you know what I mean?”

“What happens is, [Jackson] calls up and says he’s doing this movie. I said, ‘No, you’re not. You’re going to fight Rashad in December. You do whatever you want to do after this fight. You want to retire and become an actor? You want to join the monastery? I don’t care what you do after this fight, but ‘Rampage,’ you’re going to fight this fight.’

“He said, ‘OK.’ Then he had his manager fly in from England and met me at the hangar before I was leaving to go out of town to tell me that he wasn’t going to (fight Evans). [Rampage] and I haven’t talked since.”

White and Jackson will hopefully settle their differences, and we will get to see Jackson and Evans inside the Octagon in the near future. However, the ripple effect caused by one man pulling out of a fight shows how fragile the plans for a major MMA promotion can be.

• The MMAFrenzy.com rumors section has been completely updated. [MMAFrenzy.com/rumors]
• UFC fighters Rousimar Palhares and Thiago Tavares are likely to return in the fall from injuries. [MMAjunkie]
• With just one fight remaining on his current contract, Rich Franklin is ready to renegotiate with the UFC before his next fight. [MMAjunkie]
• Roger Gracie will make his Strikeforce debut against an opponent to-be-named at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg on August 15.
• Featherweight contender Wagnney Fabiano will fight at WEC 43 on September 2 in Youngstown, Ohio. An opponent has not yet been set. [MMAjunkie]
• Bobby Lashley will next fight in September. [MMA Fanhouse]
• Gilbert Yvel vs. Paul Buentello has officially been added to the fight card for Affliction: Trilogy.
• Heavyweight veteran Jeff Monson has signed with Ohio-based NAAFS and will debut against Tony Sylvester at Rock N Rumble III at the Nautica Pavilion in Cleveland.
• A timetable for UFC heavyweight Heath Herring’s return has not yet been set. [MMAjunkie]
• Middleweight Rob Kimmons has signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC. [MMAjunkie]
• Mark Hominick vs. Deividas Taurosevicius and LC Davis vs. Javier Vazquez have been booked for the HDNet-televised “Affliction: Trilogy” preliminary card
• Weigh-ins for UFC 100 will take place on Friday, July 10 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, the same venue which will host the July 11 pay-per-view event. (Note: MMAFrenzy.com will be providing a live stream of the weigh-ins)
• WEC lightweight contender and former champion Rob McCullough is likely to return in the “late fall” [MMAjunkie]
• Diego Sanchez will get the next lightweight title shot against the winner of the August 8 matchup between BJ Penn and Kenny Florian. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Ticket sales for UFC 101 on August 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia have surpassed 14,000 for a Pennsylviania record-breaking $3+ million live gate. [MMAjunkie]
• Strikeforce will hold a press conference for the promotion’s August 15 matchup between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos on July 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
• Luiz Cane wants to fight Rich Franklin. [MMAjunkie]
• UFC heavyweight Antoni Hardonk thwarts a robbery in LA. [Yahoo! Sports]

[Pictured: Rich Franklin]

Note: Items without bracketed-links ([]) have either been officially announced or confirmed by MMAFrenzy.com

“I don’t know anything, they are saying that, but there’s nothing right yet. I’m waiting the confirmation to see who we will fight.

Now I have to see if he’ll get down to middleweight. Who defines this isn’t him. I fight at 185lbs. If they want to do this fight at 185lbs, it’s done, otherwise I see no option to go up, even because he isn’t a challenge, a man with much name. To go up, I don’t see him as a challenge. I want to fight with him in the weight he was champion (at Dream), then I think its worth”

– Vitor Belfort speaks to Tatame on his rumored bout against Gegard Mousasi at Affliction 3.

[Pictured: Vitor Belfort]

Gabriel Gonzaga

Heavyweight up-and-comer Chris Tuchscherer will reportedly make his UFC debut at UFC 102 on August 29th in Portland, Oregon against Gabriel Gonzaga.

UFC 102 is headlined by Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and is also expected to feature Demian Maia vs. Nate Marquardt, Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva, and Matt Hamill vs. Brandon Vera.

Tuchscherer (17-1-1), a two-time NCAA Division II All-American, suffered his only career loss to Travis Wiuff last April in the finals of the disaster that was YAMMA. He’s since reeled of three-straight victories, winning the Max Fights and SNMAA heavyweight championships with wins over Tony Mendoza and Branden Lee Hinkle respectively, and most recently TKO’d Jamie Klair in the opening round of their April bout.

Gonzaga (10-4) challenged then-heavyweight champion Randy Couture for the title in 2007 following his head kick knockout of Mirko Cro Cop, but suffered a third-round TKO loss in the championship bout. After suffering another loss to Fabricio Werdum, “Napao” rebounded with back-to-back victories over Justin McCully and Josh Hendricks. In a bout against fellow contender Shane Carwin in March, Gonzaga was stopped with strikes just over one minute into the first round.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest UFC 102 news.

Tickets for the UFC 100 viewing party are $50 and go on sale today at 12 Noon PT Friday, May 1. Tickets are available through any Mandalay Bay box office and 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 the Mandalay Bay box office at (702) 632-7580 or Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at UFC.com, www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

The party starts at 6:45 p.m. PT. Limited tickets are available – so act now to be a part of history.

“I started hearing about UFC 100 around UFC 90. I am blown away by how excited fans were for this event,” said UFC President Dana White. “So I made sure to stack this card with the greatest fights and greatest fighters in the world, and keep ticket prices consistent with our other big events. Once again, our fans responded with a record sellout. This is another great milestone for the UFC, and July 11 is going to be an amazing event.”

In the UFC 100 main event, the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship will be decided when reigning titleholder Brock Lesnar faces interim champion Frank Mir in one of the most highly anticipated rematches in heavyweight history.

The co-featured bout of the evening will see UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre put his title on the line against feared striker Thiago “Pitbull” Alves, a man many believe has the style and size to dethrone the seemingly unbeatable champion.

And rounding out the trio of superfights is a pivotal middleweight matchup pitting the coaches of the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter, Dan Henderson and Michael “The Count” Bisping, against each other in a bout that will push the winner even closer to a 185-pound title shot.

Mandalay Bay Beach, an 11-acre tropical pool environment, features real California sand, a wave pool and the only climate-controlled, poolside gaming in the city. Mandalay Bay will be the hottest place on the Strip for UFC action when it hosts UFC 100, the closed-circuit viewing party and the two-day UFC Fan Expo..

Gleison Tibau

Mere hours after it was learned that Thiago Taveres had been forced out of his Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale matchup against Melvin Guillard due to an elbow injury, Gleison Tibau has been tapped to square off with Guillard in a lightweight contest on June 20th in Las Vegas.

MMAjunkie first reported the replacement earlier this afternoon.

After losing back-to-back UFC bouts to Tyson Griffin and Joe Stevenson, Tibau (16-6) has bounced back in 2009 with victories over Rich Clementi and Jeremy Stephens.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale news.

The 12-bout event will get underway at 7:30pm ET with a 7-fight unaired preliminary card followed by 5 televised bouts, including Silva-Leites and Liddell-Rua.

Join MMAFrenzy.com beginning at 7:30pm ET for live results and main card play-by-play.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Anderson Silva (c) def. Thales Leites via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-46)
  UFC Middleweight Championship
• Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Mauricio “Shogun” Rua def. Chuck Liddell via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:28
• Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann via submission (kimura) — Round 1, 3:53
• Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 2:29
• Luis Cane def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Denis Kang def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:27
• Ed Herman def. David Loiseau via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
• Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 4:57
• TJ Grant def. Ryo Chonan via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
• Eliot Marshall def. Vinicius Magalhaes via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

PLAY-BY-PLAY

Joe Lauzon

PRESS RELEASE — More than five weeks after knee surgery, UFC lightweight prospect Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon (18-4, 5 KOs, 13 submissions) is rehabilitating his leg, and recovery is ahead of schedule.

Lauzon had ACL surgery and his meniscus repaired on his right knee March 6. “Everything went as scheduled,” he reported. “My meniscus was repaired and the ACL cadaver grafting was successful. My doctor was very happy and optimistic that my knee will be strong. Right now, I’m walking around like a normal person; no training but I’m doing some light jogging, leg presses and squats. I’m going to lose muscle in the leg. Range of motion is the key right now. I can completely straighten my leg. I can bend it 135 degrees and 150 is normal.”

“J-Lau” goes for a follow-up exam next Thursday, which will change his rehabilitation process, but he can’t fight until the grafting is fully healed, which probably won’t be until the spring of 2010. The 24-year-old Lauzon is not about to rush his recovery, despite his competitive drive, and desire to be fighting again.

“All that was protecting my knee was muscle and now that’s gone,” he noted. “It‘s going to take time to build-up. I’ll probably be back on the mat in six months, but just doing light stuff, no live action. ACL surgery rehab is notorious for having people rush back too soon, resulting in more ACL surgery, and I’m not risking that.”

Lauzon, star of The Ultimate Fighter 5 television reality show, feels great and has been completely overwhelmed by the responses he’s received from his fans. “It’s been awesome,” Joe described all of the well wishers. “A bunch of people have emailed me and some have had ACL surgery, too. We correspond, week to week, and I’ve received a lot of good advice and pointers about a lot of things like different ways to ice my knee or stretch out. One kid had ACL surgery the same day as me and we compare notes all the time. I’m coming back better than ever.”

For more information about Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon, or to send him get well wishes, go online and visit www.joelauzon.com.

Each episode of “UFC’s Ultimate 100: Greatest Fights” will count down the top 100 with action-packed moments from each contest. The first one-hour installment will premiere Sunday, July 5 at 9:00pm ET/PT, with the next three episodes airing Monday July 6-Wednesday, July 8 at 9:00pm ET/PT. The final episode airs Saturday, July 11 at 9:00pm ET/PT which will conclude a re-broadcast of the entire voted UFC bout.

UFC 100 will air Saturday, July 11 at 10pm live on pay-per-view from the Mandalay Bay Events Center, in Las Vegas, NV. The details of the participants will be announced at a later date.

UFC President Dana White

Even the UFC has decided to make some April Fools Day jokes, announcing today on their official website, UFC.com, several major stories.

First, the UFC announced a “Special Attraction Added to UFC Fan Expo” with announcer Bruce Buffer and commentator Joe Rogan squaring off in a best-of-3 exhibition match:

As the first ever UFC Fan Expo on July 10-11 hits Las Vegas before UFC 100, fans are going to be in for a special treat with today’s announcement that a slew of exhibition matches featuring some of the Octagon’s best, past and present, will take place for viewing by all attending the event.

Particularly interesting will be a special match pitting the Voice of the Octagon, Bruce Buffer, against UFC color commentator Joe Rogan in a best two out of three matchup.

“Really, I don’t think Bruce has any business being in the Octagon with me or anyone else unless he has a mic in his hand,” said Rogan. “I’m younger, faster, stronger, and trust me, after the first match, he won’t want anymore.”

“It’s time…to begin…the beatdown,” said Buffer, a former kickboxer who promises fireworks once he gets his hands (and feet) on Rogan.

“Look,” continued Buffer. “I’m sure Joe’s jiu-jitsu is top notch, and admittedly, that’s my weak point. But when I pull the Buffer 180 on him and crack him on the chin, he’ll be the only one on the mat.”

For this special best of three matchup, the first bout will be a grappling match, the second will be strictly standup, and the third – if necessary – will take place under full mixed martial arts rules.

Of course, neither fighter believes that the series will make it to a third and deciding match.

“Oh hell no,” said Rogan. “I’m gonna put Bruce to sleep in the first one and they’ll have to wake him up for UFC 100 on Saturday night. Hopefully he’ll be well enough to speak in complete sentences by then.”

“Like Joe said, it’s not going past the first one, but the thing is, I will be the one with my hand raised,” said Buffer. “But hey, no hard feelings Joe. We’re all sportsmen here, and we can raise a glass together after UFC 100.”

Seats are still available for what may end up being the fight of the year.

Then the promotion poked fun at top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko’s rumored demands for the UFC to build a stadium in Russia by “greenlighting construction” on the project:

UFC President Dana White today greenlighted work to begin on the construction of a new Zuffa-owned stadium in Russia that will be able to hold a number of different sporting events, including soccer, boxing, and of course, mixed martial arts.

“This is a big moment for the company and I couldn’t have picked a better day to announce this monumental event,” said White. “I can’t wait for this Stadium to be finished and we’re even including the fans in the process by holding a contest on the internet for people to choose the name of it.”

Construction is tentatively scheduled to be done in time for UFC 115 on April 1st, 2010.

“A Project like this Reaches millions In the Largest group of Fans in the sport,” said White. “Out Of all the places in the world to put up a stadium, this was the only place for us, and we’re gonna Love Seeing the UFC here.”