Author: John Morgan [kingofabuelos]

Light heavyweights Matt Hamill and Keith Jardine are targeted to meet at The Ultimate Fighter 11
Finale, MMAjunkie.com has learned.

Sources close to the situation said at least one fighter has formally
agreed to the fight and is expected to sign a bout agreement shortly.

Although not yet formally announced by the UFC, The Ultimate Fighter 11
Finale is expected to take place June 19 at the Palms Casino Resort in
Las Vegas. The event airs like on Spike TV and features the finalists of
the reality show’s 11th season as they fight for a UFC contract.

Less than 72 hours before his chance at redemption against Jon Fitch,
Brazilian slugger Thiago Alves was told he wouldn’t get the chance to
step inside the cage.

An irregularity in a pre-fight CT scan was the culprit, but Alves’
agent, Malki Kawa of First Round Management, told MMAjunkie.com that his client is aiming for a quick return.

“Thiago is very disappointed,” Kawa said. “But he remains in good
spirits and hopes to get back in the cage very quickly.”

Less than 72 hours before his chance at redemption against Jon Fitch,
Brazilian slugger Thiago Alves was told he wouldn’t get the chance to
step inside the cage.

An irregularity in a pre-fight CT scan was the culprit, but Alves’
agent, Malki Kawa of First Round Management, told MMAjunkie.com that his client is aiming for a quick return.

“Thiago is very disappointed,” Kawa said. “But he remains in good
spirits and hopes to get back in the cage very quickly.”

A long-rumored middleweight fight between Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1 MMA,
3-5 UFC) and Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is set for UFC 116.

Fighters Only magazine confirmed the match-up earlier today, and
MMAjunkie.com subsequently verified the fight is
signed with sources close to the situation.

The fight was originally rumored for UFC 115 on June 12 in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada.

UFC middleweight contender and 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club champion
Demian Maia has worked diligently to improve his standup skills since
making the move to mixed martial arts.

He’s not foolish enough, though, to believe that he can stand with
middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.

“I think (in the preparation for) this fight I paid a little bit more
attention to wrestling,” Maia said recently regarding his fight with
Silva at UFC 112 on April 10. “That’s what I need to do in this fight. I
need to take Anderson down, so I paid more attention to it than the
last fight.”

While the MMA world will undoubtedly be dialed in to the happenings of
UFC 111 on Saturday night, the weekend’s fighting action kicks off on
Friday.

“Strikeforce Challengers VII: Johnson vs. Mahe” airs on Showtime Friday
night, and the premium cable channel is being made available for free to
54.4 million households.

The Showtime All Access Free Preview Weekend begins Thursday, March 25
and runs through Sunday, March 28.