Author: MMAjunkie.com Staff [mmajunkie-staff]

Seven of the eight slots in Bellator Fighting Championship’s season-two
eight-man featherweight tournament are now filled with the
organization’s signing of former IFL fighter and NCAA Division III
national wrestling champion Shad Lierley.

Lierley (5-2), who’s undefeated (5-0) at featherweight, makes his second appearance for Bellator.

The 29-year-old most recently competed at Bellator IX in May 2009, when
he defeated Nathan Murdock via unanimous decision in a non-tournament
fight.

MMAjunkie.com Radio today welcomes to the show former UFC fighter and MMA veteran Josh Neer, who’s been tapped to fight Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight title-holder Eddie Alvarez in a May non-title fight.

Also joining us in studio is Rob Hewitt, Fighters Only managing director, who talks about the magazine’s international expansion and the success of the World MMA Awards. Additionally, Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu trainer Marc Laimon returns as a guest host.

MMAjunkie.com Radio begins at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. Listen to
and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

Anyone familiar with the fight game knows Chris Lytle’s initially pedestrian-looking 27-17-5 career record doesn’t tell the whole story.

Neither does his 6-9 mark in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Lytle long has been one of the welterweight division’s most exciting fighters; he’s won six of the UFC’s lucrative fight-night bonuses in his past nine fights, and as he heads into Saturday’s UFC 110 event, he’s never been knocked out or submitted by an opponent.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is not going down without a fight when it comes to getting MMA regulated in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Amid a pre-fight public-relations blitz for Saturday’s UFC 110 event in Sydney, Australia, the promotion on Wednesday evening issued a swift response to recent comments by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty that the idea of legalizing mixed martial arts in province to create jobs and tax revenue is “just not a priority.”

“We are working very closely with the various levels of Canadian government, including the Province of Ontario, to ensure the highest levels of safety for all of (MMA) participants,” the UFC’s Marc Ratner stated.

Just days before DREAM and World Victory Road held their co-promoted
“Dynamite!! 2009” event on New Year’s Eve, officials announced a late
addition to the card: Gegard Mousasi (27-2-1) vs. Gary Goodridge
(23-19-1).

Although long rumored for the card, the bout was made official on Dec.
28, just three days before the event took place at the Saitama Super
Arena in Saitama, Japan.

In this week’s edition of HDNet Fights Video Vault, we take a look at
the matchup, which many fans argued was a no-win proposition for
Mousasi, Strikeforce’s surging light-heavyweight champion.

Sarah Kaufman’s focus remains on next week’s Strikeforce title fight with Takayo Hashi.

In a perfect world, Kaufman will defeat the Japanese fighter at the organization’s sixth Challengers event, extend her perfect record to 11-0, claim Strikeforce’s first-ever women’s bantamweight title, and then successfully defend her title a few times.

But the Canadian fighter wouldn’t then be opposed to an eventual move to 145 pounds, where Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos reigns supreme.