Check out what Dana White had to say at the UFC 144 open workouts in Japan…

Main Card (on Fuel TV):
-Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), R3
-Stefan Struve def. Dave Herman by TKO (Strikes) at 3:52, R2
-Ronny Markes def. Aaron Simpson by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28), R3
-Stipe Miocic def. Phil De Fries by TKO (Strikes) at 0:43, R1
-T.J. Dillashaw def. Walel Watson by Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26), R3
-Ivan Menjivar def. John Albert by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 3:45, R1

Preliminary Bouts (on Facebook):
-Jonathan Brookins def. Vagner Rocha by KO (Punches) at 1:32, R1
-Buddy Roberts vs. Sean Loeffler – CANCELED DUE TO INJURY
-Justin Salas def. Anton Kuivanen by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-27), R3
-Tim Means def. Bernardo Magalhaes by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26), R3

Main Card (on Fuel TV):
-Diego Sanchez (23-4) vs. Jake Ellenberger (26-5)
-Stefan Struve (22-5) vs. Dave Herman (21-2)
-Aaron Simpson (11-2) vs. Ronny Markes (12-1)
-Stipe Miocic (7-0) vs. Phil De Fries (8-0)
-T.J. Dillashaw (4-1) vs. Walel Watson (9-3)
-Ivan Menjivar (23-8) vs. John Albert (7-1)

Preliminary Bouts (on Facebook):
-Jonathan Brookins (12-4) vs. Vagner Rocha (7-2)
-Buddy Roberts (11-2) vs. Sean Loeffler (25-5)
-Anton Kuivanen (16-4) vs. Justin Salas (9-3)
-Tim Means (16-3-1) vs. Bernardo Magalhaes (11-1)

The UFC on Fox 3main card has now been filled.

The final bout announced for the four fight televised card on May 5 will feature a middleweight showdown between Alan Belcher and submission specialist Rousimar Palhares.

UFC President Dana White announced the match-up via Twitter on Monday.

After nearly losing his fighting career to an eye injury, Alan Belcher came back in a big way in 2011 with a TKO win over veteran fighter Jason MacDonald last September at UFC Fight Night 25.

The win moved Belcher to 3-0 over his last three fights, and he appears on the verge of title contention. He’ll have no easy task ahead of him however when he returns in May.

Leg-lock specialist Rousimar Palhares keeps proving everybody wrong that moves like heel hooks just don’t get pulled off that often in MMA.

Palhares has finished four of his seven opponents in the UFC with the leg buckling submission, and maybe he’ll be looking for number five in May.

Training under legendary Brazilian coach Murilo Bustamante, Palhares may be the most devastating submission fighter in the UFC currently, and he will look to build upon that reputation facing Belcher at UFC on Fox 3.

For the first time since signing the historic TV deal, the UFC on Fox 3 card will feature four televised bouts during the 2-hour broadcast taking place on May 5 from the IZOD Center in New Jersey.

UFC on Fox 3
Date: May 5, 2012
Venue: IZOD Center
Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey

Main Bouts (on Fox):
-Jim Miller (21-3; #5 Lightweight) vs. Nate Diaz (15-7; #10 Lightweight)
-Josh Koscheck (17-5; #5 Welterweight) vs. Johny Hendricks (12-1; #6 Welterweight)
-Pat Barry (7-4) vs. Lavar Johnson (16-5)

Preliminary Bouts (on Fuel TV):
-John Dodson (12-5) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (7-3)
-Tony Ferguson (13-3) vs. Dennis Hallman (51-14-2)
-Pascal Krauss (10-0) vs. John Hathaway (15-1)
-Danny Castillo (13-4) vs. John Cholish (8-1)
-Mike Massenzio (13-6) vs. Karlos Vemola (8-2)
-Louis Gaudinot (5-2) vs. John Lineker (19-5)

UFC on Fox 3 Start Times:
Prelims : TBD
Main Card on Fox: TBD

Former UFC, Pride and K-1 star Gary Goodridgehas a new battle on his hands, but just like his fights in the cage or ring, he won’t go down without swinging.

Goodridge recently visited a top neuro-physician in Canada where he was diagnosed with early onset CTE/pugilistic dementia.

CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) by definition is brain damage caused by repeated head trauma, resulting in degeneration of brain tissue. It’s commonly found in boxers, football players, ice hockey players and other athletes who have suffered repeated traumatic shock to the head.

When Goodridge first got the news from his doctors, it shocked him like it would any other athlete, and it wasn’t easy to swallow.

“You get the news you just have to deal with it, live with it,” Goodridge told MMAWeekly.com on Monday. “There’s no treatment that goes along with it. There’s pills to make it slow down the process, but it’s inevitable.”

Goodridge, who just released his autobiography titled ‘Gatekeeper: The Fighting Life of Big Daddy Gary Goodridge‘, says that he would like to get the word out about the dangers of repeated concussions to other athletes.

He most specifically points to his kickboxing career that took off in 1999 and lasted until early the end of 2010.

“I would like to share with people, but I think most of my damage came from K-1. MMA really wasn’t an issue because there’s hardly any shots to the head,” said Goodridge. “90-percent of my injuries came from K-1, where there’s nothing but head trauma, head injuries over and over again.”

While some would feel bad for Goodridge going through the debilitating disease where there is no cure, he doesn’t want anyone’s pity because if he had his choice he’d do it all again.

Goodridge isn’t a man who lives with regret. Even on Monday when he was playing the new UFC Undisputed 3 with his daughter, watching her compete with his character on the game, he loves every minute of life he has and never looks back on anything with regret.

“I have no regrets,” said Goodridge. “I love the way I live my life, I mean I would like to make little changes, but no, I have no regrets. I loved the way my life was, I lived a good life, and I’m happy with what I did.”

Don’t expect Goodridge to slow down however. With his new book in release, Goodridge is also keeping very busy teaching seminars all over the world.

In April, Goodridge will travel to Australia to do a seminar and he’s always looking to share his secrets of kickboxing, ground and pound and everything he learned for the last two decades with the next crop of young fighters out there.

Gary Goodridge truly led a fighting life and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

For more information on his seminars or to speak to Gary Goodridge follow him on Twitter @BigDaddyFight

(September 14, 1902 – October 7, 1994) was the first Gracie to learn Judo from Otávio Mitsuyo Maeda. Based on this judo training, Carlos founded the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit fighter salaries were released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday.

The main event at Saturday’s event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas featured Carlos Condit winning a unanimous decision victory over Nick Diaz, capturing the interim UFC welterweight championship in the process.

The following figures are based on the fighter salary information that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic commissions, including the winners’ bonuses.

Although mixed martial arts fighters do not have collective bargaining or a union, the fighters’ salaries are still public record, just as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included in the figures below.

UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit Fighter Salaries

Carlos Condit: $110,000 (includes $55,000 win bonus)
def. Nick Diaz: $200,000 (flat rate, no win bonus contracted)

Fabricio Werdum: $100,000 (flat rate, no win bonus contracted)
def. Roy Nelson: $20,000

Josh Koscheck: $146,000 (includes $73,000 win bonus)
def. Mike Pierce: $20,000

Renan Barão: $22,000 (includes $11,000 win bonus)
def. Scott Jorgensen: $20,500

Ed Herman: $62,000 (includes $31,000 win bonus)
def. Clifford Starks: $8,000

Dustin Poirier: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Max Hollaway: $6,000

Edwin Figueroa: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Alex Caceres: $8,000

Matt Brown: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Chris Cope: $8,000

Matt Riddle: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
def. Henry Martinez: $6,000

Rafael “Sapo” Natal: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
def. Michael Kuiper: $6,000

Stephen Thompson: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Dan Stittgen: $6,000

Always expect the unexpected, or so the saying goes.

Just when it appeared that Carlos Condit was willing to sit out for several months and wait for Georges St-Pierre to get healthy… well, that’s not going to happen.

Condit instead has agreed to an immediate rematch with Nick Diaz, according to tweets by UFC president Dana White on Tuesday evening.

“That rematch can happen later on in the future. No one’s afraid of Nick, but we have to do what’s best for his career and in my opinion and the people around me and the advice that we’ve been taking, the best fight and the only fight is Georges St-Pierre,” Condit’s manager, Malki Kawa told MMAWeekly.com earlier in the day on Tuesday.

But a lot changed from the time Kawa spoke with MMAWeekly.com and Tuesday evening. Not least of which was an apparent sweetening of the pot for Condit to put his newly earned interim UFC welterweight title back on the block against Diaz.

No details of the rematch or the agreement to make it happen have surfaced, but the promotion on Tuesday did reveal that UFC on Fox 4 is slated for Aug. 4 in Los Angeles. That event is going to need some star power, so it isn’t out of the realm that Condit vs. Diaz II might be tapped for that event. There are also a number of other pay-per-view events on tap from May to August that could utilize the bout as a headliner.

But for now, it’s unclear when and where the fight will land, although White and Kawa both tweeted that Kawa and Condit will be in Las Vegas on Friday for an announcement.

“I didn’t feel like it was all that close. I felt like I dominated almost every round,” said Condit following Saturday night’s initial meeting. Now we’ll get to see if he can do it again.

Location: Saitama, Japan
Venue: Saitama Super Arena
Broadcast: Pay-per-view

Main Card:

Frankie Edgar (14-1) vs. Ben Henderson (15-2) [LW Title]

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-9) vs. Ryan Bader (13-2)

Cheick Kongo (17-6-2) vs. Mark Hunt (7-7)

Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-4, 2 NC) vs. Jake Shields (26-6-1)

Joe Lauzon (21-6) vs. Anthony Pettis (14-2)

More SBN coverage of UFC 144

Preliminary Card:

Tim Boetsch (14-4) vs. Yushin Okami (26-6)

Hatsu Hioki (25-4-2) vs. Bart Palaszewski (36-14)

Takeya Mizugaki (15-6-2) vs. Chris Cariaso (12-3)

Vaughan Lee (11-7-1) vs. Norifumi Yamamoto (18-5, 1 NC)

Steve Cantwell (7-5) vs. Riki Fukuda (17-5)

Takanori Gomi (32-8, 1 NC) vs. George Sotiropoulos (14-4)

Leonard Garcia (15-8-1) vs. Tiequan Zhang (15-2)

Côté (right) with BTT Canada Head Coach Fabio Holanda. Photo by Andy Cotterill

By Andy Cotterill (andy@mm-eh.ca)

Quebec City’s Patrick “The Predator” Côté (16-7) continues his return journey toward the Ultimate Fighting Championship, signing on to fight Gustavo “Ximu” Machado (22-8-1) at the second outing of the Brazilian based Amazon Forest Combat (AFC) on March 31.

The UFC has long had a policy of welcoming back fighters who they’ve released after they’ve put together some good wins in other organizations, and Côté knows that he’s close to getting that call home.

Since being released just over a year ago after his loss to Tom Lawlor at UFC 121, Côté has done just that, winning all three of his fights against Kalib Starnes and Todd Brown at Ringside MMA, and most recently Crafton Wallace at Instinct MMA last October.

“A lot of guys didn’t want to fight me.”   The heavy-handed Côté told MM-eh.  ”Machado came along, and he’s only lost once in his last eleven fights and is really well known in Brazil, so I think it’s a good fight for me, and with a win I’ll be closer to reach my goal to get back into the big show.”

This will be Côté’s first time fighting in Brazil, but with Coach Fabio Holanda, a Brazilian native and founder of Brazilian Top Team (BTT) Canada at his side, it’s not as daunting a prospect as it might be for other fighters competing against Brazilians in Brazil.

Côté thinks that although a BJJ black belt, Machado is a great match for him.

“He likes to stay on his feet, he likes to to exchange, he likes to strike — so I’m looking forward to that and think it’s going to be a really good fight.”

This is a one-fight deal with AFC, which is something that Côté had tried to get with previous offers from organizations in Quebec, as well as Hawaii and Asia; one that will allow him to accept that coveted UFC offer when it comes.

But first, he has to get past Machado.

“I’m going to train very hard because I respect him a lot, but I’m not going there for a decision, I’m going there to fight and knock him out.”

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Main Card (on Pay-Per-View):
-Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit def. Nick Diaz by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
-Fabricio Werdum def. Roy Nelson by unanimous decision (30-27, 3027, 30-27)
-Josh Koscheck def. Mike Pierce by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
-Renan Barao def. Scott Jorgensen by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Ed Herman def. Clifford Starks by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:43, R2

Preliminary Bouts (on FX):
-Dustin Poirier def. Max Hollaway by submission (triangle choke/arm bar) at 3:23, R1
-Matt Riddle def. Henry Martinez by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
-Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa def. Alex Caceres by split dec. (28-27, 27-28, 28-27)
-Matt Brown def. Chris Cope by KO at 1:19 , R2

Preliminary Bouts (on Facebook):
-Rafael ‘Sapo’ Natal def. Michael Kuiper by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
-Stephen Thompson def. Dan Stittgen by KO at 4:13, R1

The UFC 143weigh-ins went down in Las Vegas on Friday with both Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit coming in on weight, to make their main event bout official for Saturday night.

Both Condit and Diaz weighed in at 169 pounds, one pound under the 170-pound limit for a welterweight title fight.

“Nick Diaz is the toughest guy I’ve ever fought,” said Condit. “I’m as prepared as I’ve ever been. I cannot wait to get out there and do this thing.”

A stoic Nick Diaz stared Condit down, but kept his distance at the weigh-ins unlike his last fight in the UFC against B.J. Penn. His words afterwards were short as well.

“I”m here to represent Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu or I’m ready to take my ass whooping. It’s whatever,” Diaz said.

Former Ultimate Fighter winner Roy Nelson came in at 246 pounds, down another 6 pounds from his last fight at UFC 137. He faces former Strikeforce Grand Prix participant Fabricio Werdum in his first fight back in the UFC in a few years.

The most intense moment at the weigh ins happened when Mike Pierce donned a blonde wig, mocking his opponent Josh Koscheck’s golden locks. The two came nose to nose and a few words were exchanged before UFC president Dana White stepped in to separate the fighters.

FULL WEIGH IN RESULTS FOR UFC 143: DIAZ VS. CONDIT

MAIN EVENT:
Carlos Condit (169) vs. Nick Diaz (169)

MAIN CARD PAY-PER-VIEW:
Roy Nelson (246) vs. Fabricio Werdum (246)
Josh Koscheck (170) vs. Mike Pierce (170)
Renan Barao (136) vs. Scott Jorgensen (135)
Ed Herman (185) vs. Clifford Starks (185)

FX PRELIMS:
Dustin Poirier (146) vs. Max Holloway (144)
Alex Caceres (136) vs. Edwin Figueroa (135)
Matt Brown (171) vs. Chris Cope (171)
Matt Riddle (170) vs. Henry Martinez (169)

FACEBOOK PRELIMS:
Rafael ‘Sapo’ Natal (186) vs. Michael Kuiper (183)
Dan Stittgen (170) vs. Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson (171)

As Carlos Condit rises in the morning there are only a few things on his mind.

He wants to get his son Owen up and dressed, feed him breakfast, as he himself gets his first fuel of the day as well. He’ll kiss his wife and get dressed then he heads off to the gym for another grueling day of practice as he readies himself for the biggest fight of his nearly decade long fight career.

What’s different about this particular morning is Condit is waking up with a camera in his face.

As Condit is preparing for his UFC 143 showdown with Nick Diaz, he’s also being followed virtually 24 hours a day by the UFC Primetime crew that documents his every move for the special series airing on FX.

Going into the show, everyone wondered how Nick Diaz would react to the cameras? Would he even participate in the show?

Truth be told, Condit has always been just as private about his life as Diaz has ever been, and having cameras following him around non-stop leading up to this bout wasn’t his ideal scenario either, but for the chance to win UFC gold, it’s worth it.

“It’s probably about my least favorite thing to do,” Condit told MMAWeekly Radio when talking about the reality series. “I really don’t like it, but it’s part of the job. I’m just kind bearing it and getting through it. Hopefully, not only will it promote the fight and sell the fight, but maybe get me some opportunities in the future.”

It’s a frustrating job for Condit because for most of his adult life his only occupation has been fighting. Because of the UFC Primetime filming, Condit is now also one part actor. It’s not something he necessarily embraces, but it’s all for the greater good.

“If they miss something and they want you to redo it, it’s like how would you like me to re-crack that egg? It’s kind of tedious sometimes,” Condit admitted.

“They’re there filming me training for the most part. They were filming me doing what I would be doing anyways. Other than it kind of being a pain in the ass, it didn’t take away from my training at all.”

Condit’s main focus is the training because on Feb. 4 he will face possibly the toughest opponent of his entire career.

Nick Diaz is an enigma in and out of the cage. He’s hard to describe if you don’t know him, but those around him would consider him an extremely hard worker who will do anything for his teammates. A veteran of more than 30 pro fights, Diaz has faced some of the stiffest competition throughout his career and he never backs down from a challenge.

Funny enough, that almost perfectly describes Carlos Condit as well.

“I’ve been watching him for a long time. I like his style, I like how exciting he is, and I myself like to put on good shows and good fights as well, so I always thought a fight against him would be pretty spectacular,” Condit said about Diaz.

Leading up to this bout, both Condit and Diaz have been respectful of each other. Diaz and his trainer, Cesar Gracie, have complimented Condit in many ways, going as far as calling him superior to current UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

Respect or not, Condit is not a fighter that gets rattled in the cage. Even in the past with opponents like Dan Hardy and Brock Larson that tried to get under Condit’s skin to elicit a certain reaction, he stared back at them with the same steely gaze as any other opponent.

Of course Condit managed to submit Larson and knockout Hardy, both in the first round, but that’s not necessarily because he liked them any more or less than he does Nick Diaz.

Condit can flip the switch and unleash the animal inside once the fight starts, and when it does, he’s got one job to do: annihilate the man standing in front of him.

“That is a part of me, but I save that for competition,” Condit said about his demeanor inside the Octagon. “I save that intensity for when the cage door closes.”

And when the door closes on Saturday night and Condit is locked in the cage with Nick Diaz, it really does become kill or be killed and the better man will walk out with the interim UFC welterweight title.

Carlos Condit is more than confident that he will be the last man standing at UFC 143.

“I think styles make fights and I don’t think he’s unbeatable,” Condit said about Diaz.

“I’ve walked a long road. I’ve been fighting professionally for like nine years now, fought some of the best guys in the world, and if I beat Nick, I definitely deserve that belt because he is one of the best.”

Georges St-Pierre can’t stand Nick Diaz.

He can’t stand the way that Diaz disrespects him. He can’t stand the way that Diaz makes him feel like he has to be ready to fight at the drop of a hat, even when stepping off the elevator in Las Vegas. He can’t stand that he is actually rooting for Diaz to beat St-Pierre’s teammate Carlos Condit at UFC 143 on Saturday night.

Although they don’t train with one another, St-Pierre and Condit share many of the same training partners because of their association with coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.

“I respect Carlos Condit, but I want Diaz to win. I want this fight with Diaz so badly, as badly as I wanted the title shot when I got down on my knees,” said St-Pierre. “He needs to hold up his part and beat Carlos Condit on Saturday to make this fight happen.”

St-Pierre was originally slated to fight Diaz at UFC 137 last October, but a slew of events derailed that fight. Initially, Diaz was pulled from the bout by UFC president Dana White for missing promotional obligations and several flights.

Condit, who was scheduled to fight B.J. Penn, was then put into the challenger’s role against St-Pierre, and Diaz demoted to co-main event status against Penn.

An injury to St-Pierre, however, put his fight off altogether, pushing Diaz vs. Penn into the headlining role.

Following some promotional politics, St-Pierre vs. Diaz was then slated for UFC 143 this weekend… until St-Pierre’s knee injury hit the point of no return, forcing him out again.

With St-Pierre having last fought in April 2011, and initially expected to be out until sometime around November, the UFC decided not only to put Condit in against Diaz, but also to make the fight for the interim UFC welterweight championship.

St-Pierre’s timeline has since been revised, however, leaving him chomping at the bit to get back in the Octagon.

“I am ahead of schedule. I can already train and even kick, but I am remaining calm and not rushing. I won’t train properly until July,” St-Pierre said of his rehab, which would put him in line for a late summer return instead of having to wait until the initial fall/winter timeline.

His time out of the Octagon and the interim designation aren’t taken lightly by St-Pierre, who now says he doesn’t even consider himself the UFC champion, although he’s not ready to secede the title to Saturday night’s winner, either.

“The way I see it, I am not the champion anymore on Saturday night. You have to put the belt on the line in order to call yourself champion, the best in the world. Right now, I am not the best in the world; I am injured,” he explained.

“The winner of this fight on Saturday will be more than just the new No.1 contender, but he won’t be the new champion either. The winner of this fight will have to beat me to become the true world champion and I will have to beat the winner of this fight in order to call myself the best in the world again. We have to beat each other to be the undisputed champion.”

UFC heavyweight and No. 1 contender Alistair Overeem has been charged with misdemeanor battery stemming from an incident over New Year’s weekend in Las Vegas.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Overeem was cited by the Las Vegas Police Department for allegedly shoving a woman in the face at the Wynn Las Vegas on Jan. 2 at 3 a.m.

Overeem has obtained criminal defense attorney David Chesnoff to handle the case.

“There are two sides to every story,” Chesnoff told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “and we intend on vigorously defending this. Alistair maintains his innocence.”

The report also states Overeem is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 21 at 8 a.m., but the Clark County Office of the District Attorney tells MMAWeekly.com they have no record of such a hearing. Clark County court records also show no scheduled date.

MMAWeekly.com attempted contacting Chesnoff, but he was unavailable for comment at the time of this publication.

The last MMA and UFC fans saw of Overeem was in his Octagon debut at UFC 141, the same weekend of the alleged incident, where he TKO’d former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in the first round of their main event bout.

Prior to the Lesnar fight, Overeem made waves in combat sports by collecting heavyweight titles in Strikeforce and Dream, as well as winning the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix.

Next on Overeem’s list of gold belts he’d like to own is the UFC heavyweight championship currently held by Junior dos Santos. The two are destined to meet sometime later this year at a yet-to-be-announced date and venue.

The updated MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings were released on Wednesday, Feb. 1. This system ranks the Top 10 MMA fightersfrom across the world in each of the seven most widely accepted men’s weight classes and the Top 10 pound-for-pound women fighters.

Taken into consideration are a fighter’s performance in addition to win-loss record, head-to-head and common opponents, difficulty of opponents, and numerous other factors in what is the most comprehensive rankings system in the sport.

Fighters who are currently serving drug-related suspensions are not eligible for Top 10 consideration until they have fought one time after the completion of their suspension.

Fighters must also have competed within the past 12 months in order to be eligible for Top 10 consideration unless they have a bout scheduled within a reasonable time frame.

(Fighter’s previous ranking is in parenthesis.)

Below are the current MMAWeekly.com World MMA Rankings:

WOMEN’S POUND-FOR-POUND (all weight classes)
1. Megumi Fujii (1)
2. Sarah Kaufman (2)
3. Miesha Tate (3)
4. Marloes Coenen (4)
5. Zoila Gurgel (5)
6. Tara LaRosa (6)
7. Rosi Sexton (7)
8. Alexis Davis (8)
9. Ronda Rousey (9)
10. Hiroko Yamanaka (10)

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (over 205 pounds)
1. Junior Dos Santos (1)
2. Alistair Overeem (2)
3. Cain Velasquez (3)
4. Josh Barnett (4)
5. Frank Mir (5)
6. Fabricio Werdum (6)
7. Shane Carwin (7)
8. Daniel Cormier (8)
9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (9)
10. Travis Browne (10)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)
1. Jon Jones (1)
2. Rashad Evans (2)
3. Dan Henderson (3)
4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (4)
5. Quinton Jackson (5)
6. Lyoto Machida (6)
7. Phil Davis (7)
8. Gegard Mousasi (8)
9. Alexander Gustafsson (9)
10. Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (10)

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION (185-pound limit)
1. Anderson Silva (1)
2. Chael Sonnen (2)
3. Yushin Okami (3)
4. Vitor Belfort (4)
5. Nathan Marquardt (5)
6. Michael Bisping (6)
7. Mark Munoz (7)
8. Brian Stann (9)
9. Rousimar Palhares (10)
10. Chris Weidman (n/a)

WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION (170-pound limit)
1. Georges St-Pierre (1)
2. Nick Diaz (2)
3. Carlos Condit (3)
4. Jake Ellenberger (4)
5. Josh Koscheck (5)
6. Johny Hendricks (6)
7. Jon Fitch (7)
8. Jake Shields (8)
9. Thiago Alves (9)
10. Diego Sanchez (10)

LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION (155-pound limit)
1. Frankie Edgar (1)
2. Gilbert Melendez (2)
3. Benson Henderson (3)
4. Gray Maynard (4)
5. Jim Miller (5)
6. Shinya Aoki (6)
7. Clay Guida (7)
8. Anthony Pettis (8)
9. Michael Chandler (9)
10. Nate Diaz (10)

FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION (145 pound-limit)
1. Jose Aldo (1)
2. Chad Mendes (2)
3. Hatsu Hioki (3)
4. Dustin Poirier (4)
5. Erik Koch (5)
6. Kenny Florian (6)
7. Pat Curran (7)
8. Diego Nunes (8)
9. Marlon Sandro (9)
10. Chan Sung Jung (10)

BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION (135 pounds or less)
1. Dominick Cruz (1)
2. Urijah Faber (2)
3. Joseph Benavidez (3)
4. Brian Bowles (4)
5. Scott Jorgensen (5)
6. Renan Barao (6)
7. Michael McDonald (7)
8. Demetrious Johnson (8)
9. Bibiano Fernandes (9)
10. Masakatsu Ueda (10)

While the MMA world is abuzz talking about UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s return from an ACL injury that knocked him out of this weekend’s UFC 143main event, the champ says his progress is ahead of schedule, but that he’s still paying close attention to his rehabilitation so he’s not having to start over at square one.

The doctor’s are indicating the July is a likely target for GSP to return to full-on training, but those who are hoping for a late summer showdown between the champ and the winner of Saturday’s fight between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit may want to temper their expectations.

While St-Pierre is more than on track, he says he won’t be ready for a fight this summer.

Check out the video below to hear more from St-Pierre on his injury, his rehab, and when he plans to step back in the Octagon to unify his belt with whomever is crowned the interim UFC welterweight champion this weekend in Las Vegas…

Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit headlines the UFC 143 fight card on Feb. 4, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Georges St-Pierre was scheduled to defend his welterweight title, but was forced out due to a knee injury. In the mean time, Diaz and Condit will battle for the interim belt.

Check out the current lineup below.

Pay-Per-View Bouts – 10 p.m. ET
Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce
Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum
Scott Jorgensen vs. Renan Barao
Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks

FX Preliminary Bouts –
Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway
Matt Riddle vs. Jorge Lopez
Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper
Stephen Thompson vs. Dan Stittgen
Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope

Main Bouts (on Fox at 8 p.m. ET on Fox):
-Rashad Evans def. Phil Davis by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45), R5
-Chael Sonnen def. Michael Bisping by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28), R3
-Chris Weidman def. Demian Maia by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28), R3

Preliminary Bouts (on Fuel TV at 5 p.m. ET on Fuel TV):
-Evan Dunham def. Nick Lentz by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00, R2.
-Mike Russow def. Jon Olav Einemo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
-Cub Swanson def. George Roop by TKO (punches) at 2:22, R2
-Charles Oliveira def. Eric Wisely via submission at 1:43, R1
-Michael Johnson def. Shane Roller by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
-Lavar Johnson def. Joey Beltran by knockout (punches) at 4:24, R1
-Chris Camozzi def. Dustin Jacoby by submission (front choke) at 1:08, R3