“Leaving Bismarck, ND right now,” wrote UFC President Dana White on Twitter. “Brock had minor surgery and is feeling better. Not 100% sure he is out of the woods, but feeling better.”

In his latest video blog, White says Lesnar has been released from the hospital and has returned home to recover for several days before undergoing a complete medical checkup in the coming days.

Lesnar, who was also suffering from mono, was scheduled to defend his title against Shane Carwin this Saturday at UFC 106, but the matchup was pushed back to January only to again be postponed as Lesnar remained sidelined.

With Lesnar out indefinitely, White told the LA Times on Tuesday that the UFC will schedule an interim heavyweight title fight, with Carwin and fellow contender Cain Velasquez expected to square off early next year.

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According to White, Lesnar, who is also suffering from mono, has been hospitalized since collapsing during a trip to Canada last week. He will reportedly be transferred to the Mayo Clinic, where he’d undergo surgery for a “intestinal disorder”.

While the TMZ report is in line with earlier rumors that the illness could be career threatening, MMA Weekly, citing a source from Lesnar’s camp, reported yesterday that the illness was “nothing life threatening” and was simply complications that could be treated with antibiotics.

Lesnar had been scheduled to fight Shane Carwin this Saturday at UFC 106, but withdrew from the bout late last month before being targeted for a January return that again fell through.

If Lesnar does require surgery and remains out for the foreseeable future, an interim heavyweight title matchup between Carwin and Cain Velasquez is likely to take place in February or March.

For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Heavyweight contenders Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez were to meet in the card’s main event, which was announced just last week, but Nogueira was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a severe staph infection in his left elbow, the same injury suffered prior to his matchup with Frank Mir at UFC 92 last December.

Following initial treatment in his native Brazil, Nogueria is currently receiving medical care in San Diego and will require treatment for at least three weeks.

With Nogueira sidelined, Velasquez is not expected to fight at UFC 108 and may instead take on Shane Carwin in February or March with an interim title potentially on the line as title-holder Brock Lesnar is out indefinitely with an undisclosed illness.

For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Pictured: Rashad Evans

At Saturday’s post-UFC 105 press conference, UFC President Dana White issued an update on Lesnar while also announcing Nogueira’s withdrawal from the January 2 card.

According to White, Lesnar, who is currently hospitalized in North Dakota after collapsing during a trip to Canada, is in “bad shape” as a result of mononucleosis and a second undisclosed illness and is “not getting well anytime soon.”

Nougiera, meanwhile, is likely to be hospitalized in the coming days to recover from a severe staph infection that has entered his blood and forced him out of the January fight.

While Carwin would have been a logical replacement to fight Velasquez at UFC 108, the heavyweight challenger will be out of action until February while rehabbing a knee injury.

For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Pictured: Brock Lesnar

The UFC also confirmed that Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva will co-headline the pay-per-view event.

“Nogueira vs. Velasquez is a great matchup between the present and the future of the heavyweight division,” said UFC President Dana White in a press release announcing the card. “Nogueira showed in the Couture fight that he still has plenty left to offer at the top level of the game, and Velasquez was devastating in his win over Ben Rothwell, so with both guys in top form, we’re definitely going to see a number one contender emerge from this fight to take on the winner of the Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin title fight.”

Tickets for the event, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, are priced between $50 and $600 and go on sale to the general public this Saturday, November 14 through Ticketmaster.com.

For the latest UFC 108 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.

Velasquez (7-0) improved his UFC record to 5-0 with a second-round knockout of Ben Rothwell last month at UFC 104.

Nogueira (32-5-1), who had been expected to fight the winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin before the fight was postponed from UFC 106 to early next year, rebounded from a disappointing loss to Frank Mir with an impressive decision win over Randy Couture in August.

The winner of Velasquez-Nogueira is likely to challenge the Lesnar-Carwin winner for the heavyweight title in mid-2010.

UFC 108 also includes Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva, Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga, and Carlos Condit vs. Paul Daley, but the traditional blockbuster event is unlikely to feature a championship main event.

For the latest UFC 108 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.

Pictured: Cain Velasquez

Machida earned an event-high $200,000 for his controversial main event win over Rua, while “Shogun” received $155,000 for his efforts.

Other top earners included Joe Stevenson ($94,000), Cain Velasquez ($70,000), and Chael Sonnen ($54,000).

14,892 fans attended the card at the Staples Center, generating a $1,762,549 live gate.

The disclosed fighter salaries for UFC 104 were:

• Lyoto Machida ($200,000 – no win bonus) def. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua ($155,000)
• Cain Velasquez ($70,000 – includes $35,000 win bonus) def. Ben Rothwell ($50,000)
• Gleison Tibau ($38,000 – $19,000 win bonus) def. Josh Neer ($14,000)
• Joe Stevenson ($94,000 – $47,000 win bonus) def. Spencer Fisher ($26,000)
• Anthony Johnson ($27,000 – $15,000 win bonus) def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida ($15,000)*
• Ryan Bader ($30,000 – $15,000 win bonus) def. Eric Schafer ($13,000)
• Pat Barry ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Antoni Hardonk ($16,000)
• Chael Sonnen ($54,000 – $27,000 win bonus) def. Yushin Okami ($18,000)
• Jorge Rivera ($36,000 – $18,000 win bonus) def. Rob Kimmons ($9,000)
• Kyle Kingsbury ($16,000 – $8,000 win bonus) def. Razak Al-Hassan ($3,000)
• Stefan Struve ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Chase Gormley ($10,000)

Remember, the salaries listed above are simply those reported by the UFC to the athletic commission and do not represent a fighter’s actual earnings.

In addition to their salaries above, Barry earned an extra $120,000, while Hardonk and Stuve each received $60,000 in “fight night” bonuses.

For more UFC 104 coverage check out MMAFrenzy.com’s UFC 104 section.

* Figures reflect Johnson forfeiting $3,000 ( 20% of $15,000 show money) to Yoshida for failing to make weight.

Pictured: Lyoto Machida

In a decision that was met with boos from the live crowd and claims of robbery and calls for an immediate rematch from online fans, the judges awarded Machida the victory with 48-47 scores despite Rua winning the bout on nearly every observer’s scorecard.

Rua’s strategy relied on damaging leg and body kicks that left Machida battered after the five-round technical showdown, while Machida connected less frequently with precision strikes. Despite more frequent and damaging blows, the decision was given to the reigning champ, who was defending the title for the first time since winning the belt from Rashad Evans in May.

Machida remains undefeated, improving to 16-0 in the victory with his eight-straight wins inside the Octagon tied for second-best in the promotion’s history, while Rua falls to 18-4 in defeat.

In the UFC 104 co-headliner, Cain Velasquez cemented his status as a top heavyweight contender with a dominating win over Ben Rothwell. After blitzing the IFL veteran for the entirety of the opening round, Velasquez picked up where he left off in the second, taking Rothwell to the ground and quickly finishing him with punches.

Velasquez, now 8-0 on his career with five-straight UFC wins, remains in line for a future title show, while Rothwell falls to 30-7 and will return to the Octagon in search of his first UFC win to get him back on track.

In other main card action, Gleison Tibau used dominant takedowns to pick up a decision over Josh Neer, Joe Stevenson forced Spencer Fisher to tap to a barrage of elbows, and Antony Johnson earned a 41-second knockout of Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

On the preliminary card, The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Ryan Bader earned a unanimous decision over Eric Schafer, Pat Barry kicked off the Spike TV card with an impressive second-round TKO of Antoni Hardonk, Chael Sonnen dominated Yushin Okami en route to a unanimous decision win, and Jorge Rivera, Kyle Kingsbury, and Stefan Struve also earned wins.

The official results for UFC 104 were:

• Lyoto Machida (c) def. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
  UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
• Cain Velasquez def. Ben Rothwell via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 0:58
• Gleison Tibau def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Joe Stevenson def. Spencer Fisher via submission (strikes) — Round 2, 4:03
• Anthony Johnson def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:41
• Ryan Bader def. Eric Schafer via unanimous decison (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Patrick Barry def. Antoni Hardonk via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 2:30
• Chael Sonnen def. Yushin Okami via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jorge Rivera def. Rob Kimmons via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 1:53
• Kyle Kingsbury def. Razak Al-Hassan via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Stefan Struve def. Chase Gormley via submission (triangle choke) — Round 1, 4:04

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Pictured: Lyoto Machida

Light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida (202.5) and challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (204.5) successfully made weight for the UFC 104 main event, as did co-headliners Cain Velasquez (238) and Ben Rothwell (265).

Welterweight knockout artist Anthony Johnson will likely be moving to middleweight for his next bout after weighing in 6 pounds over the division’s 170 pound limit. Johnson will forfeit 20 percent of his purse to opponent Yoshiyuki Yoshida, who weighed in at 170 pounds, but the fight will go on as scheduled.

Lightweights Josh Neer and Gleison Tibau both narrowly missed the division’s 155 pound limit for their matchup, but have agreed that neither will need to shed extra weight, instead meeting at a 157 pound catchweight.

Stop back to MMAFrenzy.com tomorrow night beginning at 7pm ET for live coverage of UFC 104.

The official weigh-in results were:

MAIN CARD

• 205: Lyoto Machida (c) (202.5) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (204.5)
  UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
• 265: Cain Velasquez (238) vs. Ben Rothwell (265)
• 155: Joe Stevenson (155.5) vs. Spencer Fisher (155)
• 170: Anthony Johnson (176) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (170)*
• 155: Josh Neer (156.5) vs. Gleison Tibau (157)**

PRELIMINARY CARD

• 205: Ryan Bader (205) vs. Eric Schafer (205.5)
• 265: Antoni Hardonk (249.5) vs. Patrick Barry (237)
• 185: Yushin Okami (185) vs. Chael Sonnen (185)
• 185: Jorge Rivera (185) vs. Rob Kimmons (185)
• 205: Kyle Kingsbury (205.5) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (204.5)
• 265: Stefan Struve (243.5) vs. Chase Gormley (262)

* Johnson, who weighed in 6 pounds over the welterweight limit, will forfeit 20% of his purse to Yoshida for failing to make weight, but the fight will go on as scheduled.
** Neer and Tibau have agreed to fight at a catchweight of 157-pounds after both weighed in over the lightweight limit.

Pictured: Lyoto Machida