The following is a listing of the best pound-for-pound mixed martial arts fighters in the world as of March 2010:

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship made an interesting move this week with the signing of boxing great James “Lights Out” Toney, adding the boxing champion to the list of boxers looking to make a statement in the sport of mixed martial arts.

Speculation surrounded the situation between Toney and UFC President Dana White for several months and reached a high point at the beginning of the year when the two discussed a possible deal that would make Toney the most notable boxer to make the move to any mixed martial arts promotion.

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In an interview with MMA Fighting, UFC heavyweight Cain Velasquez talked about his UFC career and a future fight with Brock Lesnar.

on where he fits into the heavyweight rankings:
I’m not sure. I think I’m up there. We’ve got to see what happens with Frank Mir fighting Shane Carwin this month, but I think I’m right up there, and depending on what happens when they fight, I might be next in line for the heavyweight title.

on his readiness for Brock Lesnar:
Yes. I’m ready. I think I’ve been ready for a while. The way this sport works is you’ve just got to prove yourself when you get the chance. I want to fight the best so I can be the best.

on his gameplan in a fight with Brock:
I think I’d have to wear him out for the first two or three rounds, because he’s so big and strong. I’d need to be weary of him at the beginning.

on Mir vs. Carwin:
I think it’s an interesting fight, they’re very well matched. Mir has the better jiu jitsu game, both guys have power on their feet, both guys have good positional wrestling. It’s hard to say who will win but I think Mir always comes out with a great game plan and I think he really has that going for him. What Carwin can do is knock you out and that makes him dangerous, too.

on the popularity of mma vs boxing for hispanics:
Yes, I went down to Mexico and did some media and met with some people, and they’re really getting into it. Not everyone knows about the UFC yet, but the people who do are really excited about it. Just like when the UFC goes anywhere, once people see what we do they get hooked.

Also check out our interview with Velasquez from 2009.

Frank Mir made headlines in an interview with WXDX-FM Mir stated that he wanted Lesnar “to be the first person that dies due to Octagon-related injuries.”

Dana White, UFC President, issued a statement about the incident on UFC.com:
I was disappointed by Frank Mir’s comments… Frank’s been with the UFC a long time, he’s a two-time heavyweight champion and a commentator for the WEC. I think his emotions are running high right now, he has a big fight coming up next month and he’s still upset about his loss to Lesnar. He’s been talked to, he regrets what he said, and he won’t be saying anything like that again.”

The statement included an apology from Mir to Lesnar:
I would like to apologize to Brock Lesnar, his family, the UFC and the UFC fans for my stupid remarks… I respect Brock, all the other fighters, and the sport of mixed martial arts. I’m sorry that I stepped out of line.

After making comments about actually murdering Brock Lesnar in the octagon, Frank Mir is expected to apologize publicly today on UFC.com.

Mir’s wife Jennifer was on Carmichael Dave of CBS radio in Sacramento today and noted:
Frank will be making a statement this afternoon from UFC headquarters. Frank is disturbed by the reaction to his comments regarding Brock Lensar. Frank is a warrior and an ambassador for this sort. After his statement, he will not be speaking about Brock again, and will choose to instead focus on his next opponent Shane Carwin

credit: Wrestling Observer

The main event of UFC 110 was one of the most anticipated heavyweight matches in recent months, with many observers predicting that the clash between young, powerful wrestler Cain Velasquez and the veteran, resilient grappler Antonio Nogueria would produce a scientific battle with Velasquez trying to impose his will on the ground while Nogueria hunted for a submission. Instead, we saw Cain Velasquez dominant the future Hall of Famer in a way that nobody (not even Fedor) has ever managed. While it wasn’t the expected fight of the night it was a remarkable, breakout performance from Cain Velasquez as he finished Nogueria within three minutes after dissecting him in  a fluid, devastating kickboxing performance.

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If you’re buying into the hype of this weekend’s UFC 110 main event (“up-and-coming phenom against one of the best of all-time”), you know already that this has the potential for a great, great fight. Both men (Minotauro Nogueira and Cain Velasquez) possess rare traits that will surely make this fight exciting; Nogueira’s legendary toughness, BJJ savvy and striking prowess against the raw power, wrestling skill and tenacity of Velasquez. At yesterday’s pre-event press conference in Sydney, Australia, UFC president Dana White added more incentive for the participants: the winner would be the man receiving an immediate title shot at Brock Lesnar upon his return.

White said, “[Nogueira and Velasquez], the winner of this fight puts them right in the mix because something could happen to either Shane (Carwin) or (Frank) Mir (who are meeting at UFC 111 in Newark, NJ) in that fight where they couldn’t fight Brock, so the winner of this fight would fight Brock.”

Lesnar has been inactive since this past July’s UFC 100 event, battling a potentially career/life-threatening case of diverticulitis, however, in January announced he would return to fighting this year. An exact date for Lesnar’s return has not yet been established.

With Brock Lesnar’s “miracle” recovery, he is reportedly itching to return to the octagon.

There are talks that he will be fighting on the UFC 113 show in May. UFC 111 will be May 29, 2010 from Las Vegas.

Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

There is not one ounce of doubt that lingers from the days when the MMA community was questioning if Brock Lesnar belonged. Many people loathed the idea of a professional wrestler crossing over and bringing his bag of tricks with him to make a mockery of MMA.

As it turned out, even the most pure of fans were proven wrong as the MMA career of Lesnar began to take shape. What were once questions about his place in the sport – his rapid ascent to the front of the line, his level of talent vs his level of credibility – are now just statements of amazement over what he has accomplished and his potential.

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After months of speculation, Brock Lesnar finally surfaced earlier today (Jan. 20) to make an announcement regarding the status of his career. Lesnar was on the 11 a.m. ET Sportscenter on ESPN alongside UFC President Dana White where Lesnar and White explained that the heavyweight champion would, in fact, be able to return to the sport of mixed martial arts.

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