Maia expects a title shot if he wins convincingly against Jake Shields

Sao Paolo, Brazil – BJJ black belt Demian Maia expects that he will get the winner of George St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks if he beats Jake Shields in an impressive fashion tomorrow at UFC Fight Night 29. Maia is on a tear since dropping to 170 lbs. He won all three of his welterweight bouts against notable oppositions in Dong Hyun Kim, Rick Story and most recently Jon Fitch. After an open training in Barurei Brazil, Meia spoke to the media and says that he is anticipating a title fight if he wins convincingly against Shields.

“I hope I can get the chance after I win,” Maia said. “It will be four wins in a row. I’ve already fought for the title in the middleweight (division), so I’ll be better ranked. The other fighters ranked higher than me already fought for the (welterweight) title.”

Maia and Shields winner likely to land in a “good spot” in welterweight division

The upcoming UFC Fight Night 29 that will be headlined by Demian Maia and Jake Shields has not yet generated any buzz with just one week left prior to its schedule. Both fighters have not been in the main event for a period of time. Maia’s last was his middleweight title shot against Anderson Silva more than 3 years ago while Shield’s last headliner is a first round KO loss to Jake Ellenberger in 2011. However, UFC president Dana White believes that the showdown between the two accomplished grapplers is an important fight in the welterweight division.

Papy Abedi Replaces Rich Attonito at UFC on UFC on FX 4

Papy Abedi replaces an injured Rich Attonito at the upcoming UFC on FX 4 event. He will now face fellow welterweight fighter, Rick Story in the event’s preliminary card. UFC officials made this announcement earlier today.

Martin Kampmann vs Rick Story, Scheduled for UFC 139

A pair of welterweight fighters looking forward to returning in the win column is now set to meet at the upcoming UFC 139.

The promotion’s officials just confirmed that Martin Kampmann has verbally agreed to take on Rick Story at the Nov. 19 event, which is expected to take place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. The evening’s main card, headlining the heavyweight bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, will be airing on pay-per-view; while Kampmann vs Story match-up is possible to appear on PPV broadcast or in Spike TV’s “UFC Prelims” special.

PSAC Postpones Hearing with Nate Marquardt

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission was scheduled to meet Nate Marquardt last week, in relation to the fighter’s suspension due to high levels of testosterone. However, the said meeting was postponed until next week, with a decision likely to be rendered on July 13.

PSAC suspended Nate Marquardt after his pre-fight test revealed high testosterone levels. However, the fighter explained at MMAFighting.com last week that he was undergoing Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) since summer of last year. Moreover, he also applied for a therapeutic care exemption in New Jersey before his UFC 128 match against Dan Miller.

T.J. Grant, Scrapped on UFC on Versus 4 Due to Ilness

UFC confirmed on Wednesday that T.J. Grant, after having an illness, withdrew from his scheduled fight against Charlie Brenneman in UFC on Versus 4. The event that will take place at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Sunday is now off with 11 total fights.

After losing on his previous match against Ricardo Almeida on UFC 124 last year, T.J. Grant was originally scheduled to fight Matt Riddle. Unfortunately, the fight was cancelled due to Matt Riddle’s injury. Then Charlie Brenneman replaced Matt Riddle to fight T.J. Grant. Charlie Brenneman, on the other hand, is hoping to get his second winning streak after his decision victory against Amilcar Alves.

UFC on Versus 4 will feature a welterweight bout pitting Nate Marquardt and Rick Story.

A Quick Look Inside the UFC on Versus 4 Venue

For the first time, The Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh will be hosting a big Ultimate Fighting Championship event this coming Sunday. The UFC on Versus 4, which features the face-off between 170-pound former middleweight champ Nate Marquardt and Rick Story in a 3-round match, will be televised on Versus network at 9 p.m. ET. The event will also air several duels, such as Matt Brown vs. John Howard, Patrick Barry vs. Cheick Kongo, and Christian Morecraft vs. Matt Mitrione.

The Consol Energy Center’s architectural design was created by Populous, the same team who designed the Heinz Field and PNC Park. It was opened last August at a cost of over 321 million dollars. The first event that was held in Consol Energy Center is the Paul McCartney concert on August 18. The venue has 12 escalators, two 360-degree LED rings placed around the seating bowl, 800 high-quality TVs, and a brew pub on the upper concourse.

With a seating capacity of 20,000, The Consol Energy Center is said to be the home to the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Power. And has also been chosen to host the 2013 NCAA Frozen Four.

Rick Story, to Meet Nate Marquardt at UFC on Versus 4

Just five days after winning over Thiago Alves at UFC 130 via unanimous decision, he will step in for Anthony Johnson and will meet Nate Marquardt at UFC on Versus 4. The change was announced by the promotion’s officials last Thursday, and added that the 170-pound match will remain as the event’s featured bout.

Rick Story is carrying a six-fight winning streak, including notable victories over Thiago Alves and Johnny Hendricks. His sole defeat under UFC was a unanimous decision loss from John Hathaway in June 2009. Nate Marquardt, on the other hand, was a former no. 1 contender for the middleweight division. He opted to drop in weight class after his unanimous decision win over Dan Miller at UFC 128. Despite his 2-2 record, Nate Marquardt is still ranked as the no. 5 middleweight fighter by ESPN.com.

UFC on Versus 4 will kick off on June 26, at the Consol Energy Arena in Pittsburgh. Do you have any betting odds for the Rick Story vs Nate Marquardt match? Share it by leaving a comment.

UFC 130 Main Card Preview

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Matt Hamill now takes the UFC 130 main event, with both Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard injured. While this match-up seems likely to impact the pay-per-view buy rate, the odds remain the same for the other bouts in the card.

So before UFC 130: Rampage vs Hamill kicks off later at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, here is Fighting Insider’s main card preview.

UFC 130 Taking Shape

After booking almost all major events through UFC 129, UFC matchmakers, Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, once again set the main card for UFC 130. Set to take action on May 28, UFC 130 will be headlined by a third fight between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

As fans can recall, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard recently greenlit UFC 125, wherein Frankie Edgar tried to defend his lightweight championship belt against Gray Maynard. However, the fight ended with a draw, prompting officials to book the third meeting.