Author: John Morgan [kingofabuelos]

Yoshihiro Akiyama is in limbo for at least another week.
 
The Japanese star was due to take on Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110 on Feb.
21 before the promotion replaced him with Michael Bisping with
assurances he would eventually face the winner of the Australian card’s
co-main event.
 
In an email interview with MMAjunkie.com, Akiyama
said through an interpreter that he was disappointed by the shake-up
and still wants to face Silva (and get the middleweight title while
he’s at it). According to sources within his camp, he may instead face
either Silva or Bisping at UFC 115 in Vancouver if this weekend’s winner remains healthy.

With Demian Maia stepping in to save the main event of the UFC’s first
foray into the Middle East, the promotion can now focus on filling the
remainder of the card.

Today, the UFC added two more bouts to the “UFC 112: Invincible” card,
as Kendall Grove (11-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) takes on Mark Munoz (7-1 MMA, 2-1
UFC), while Nick Osipczak (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) meets Rick Story (9-3 MMA,
2-1 UFC).

Both bouts were previously reported by MMAjunkie.com.

“UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun II” continues to take shape, and two more
bouts were today made official for the UFC’s third trip to Montreal in
three years.

Paul Daley (23-8-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs. Josh Koscheck (14-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC)
and Tim Credeur (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC)
were officially added to the UFC 113 schedule.

Both fights were previously reported by MMAjunkie.com.

Despite the romantic nature of Valentine’s Day weekend, many mixed
martial arts fans didn’t seem to have much love for the UFC’s decision
to utilize Demian Maia at UFC 112 in place of an injured Vitor Belfort.

The biggest story of the past few days, feedback on Belfort’s injury and Maia’s
upcoming bout with Anderson Silva received the bulk of the entries in
this week’s edition of The Sunday Junkie.

And while there were some concerns about whether Maia deserved the
title shot, this week’s winner, Ryan Mahon, argued that the grappling
ace is the best available option for now, and it’s time for Silva to
defend his title for the first time in nearly one year.

Jose Aldo (16-1 MMA, 6-0 WEC) is a mix of tradition and rebellion.
 
The WEC featherweight champion’s parents did not want him to move to
Rio de Janeiro to learn fighting. They thought he was crazy; he should
get a regular job and blend in. But at 16 years old, Aldo had already
made up his mind. He wanted to be a world champion in jiu-jitsu.

Instead, Aldo became a mixed martial arts superstar – a champion who has earned tears of joy from his father but whose mom refuses to watch compete.

While Spike TV will not be broadcasting any preliminary bouts from the
upcoming UFC 110 event in Australia, MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the fight promotion that the cable
channel’s “UFC Prelim” program will return for UFC 111.

The one-hour broadcast of preliminary card contest from “UFC 111:
St-Pierre vs. Hardy,” which takes place March 27 in Newark, N.J., marks
the third of 10 scheduled “UFC Prelim” programs in 2010.

While the complete card for UFC 111 has been made official, Spike TV
and the UFC have not yet announced which two contests will be
guaranteed for the pre-pay-per-view teaser.