In a sign of ultimate stupidity, a pair of websites with the names watchufc111.com and watchufc111free.com, have been sued by ZUFFA, LLC. for promoting “unauthorized broadcasts of UFC fights.”

The Las Vegas Sun broke the story about the latest lawsuit in Zuffa’s continuing crusade to rid the Internet from Pay-Per-View piracy of its events.

According to the suit, the websites have been linking to other websites and promoting avenues for people to stream “UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy” illegally online.

The UFC hopes that they will receive a court order to have the two website domains transferred into their possession.

With the first ever WEC Pay-Per-View on tap for April 24th, expect Zuffa to ramp up its efforts against other pirates who are willing to sell the events for fractions of the actual cost of $44.95 (or $55.95 for HD).

Many expect UFC 111 to do well in Pay-Per-View buys because of the star-power that the event possesses with arguably the most stacked card since UFC 100.

THQ has just released the third trailer for their much-hyped “UFC Undisputed 2010″ video game due out May 25th. The latest promotional clip features UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn running down his extensive resume while fans get treated to never-before-seen game play.

Please take a look at the Hawaiian in action by clicking the media player below:

After seven arduous months of negotiations, MMA fans can finally rest at ease knowing the Versus Network is officially back on DirecTV.

“We’re excited that we were able to come to a fair agreement that puts Versus back in millions of homes with DirecTV in time for our busy spring programming schedule,” Versus president Jamie Davis stated. “We look forward to super-serving these fans with NHL regular-season and playoff coverage, our first live UFC event and much more.

“Versus will return to the same DirecTV programming packages it was in at the end of August 2009.”

The edgy network made the announcement Monday afternoon, however their 18 million subscribers could also have turned to channel 603 to see they can once again enjoy Versus programming.

CagePotato.com previously reported that Versus and DirecTV had mended fences, however it would be made available on a special sports tier that would now require customers to PAY a premium for the network’s content.

Thankfully, that’s not the case and all is good in the world of DirecTV and Versus.

“We are pleased that both sides were able to work out a satisfactory deal to bring this programming back to our customers,” DirecTV executive Derek Chang stated.

Unfortunately for WEC brass and fans, the deal wasn’t sealed in time for “WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz” on March 6th. Although the card was action-packed, it was the lowest television numbers the tandem had earned in nearly two years.

Thankfully, Octagon fans can now watch the UFC’s Versus debut, “UFC on Versus: Vera vs. Jones,” on March 21st.

Including this WEC 47, DirecTV customers missed out on a total of five WEC mixed martial arts events.

As expected, Bellator Fighting Championships has just announced that former UFC superstar Roger Huerta will join the startup organization and compete in their eight-man lightweight tournament at Bellator XIII on April 8th.

The company confirmed the news during a press conference today, however MMAJunkie.com had reported over the weekend that Huerta had been granted his formal release from the UFC last week and was headed for Bellator.

Huerta is the seventh 155-pounder added to BFC’s highly anticipated second season. He owns an impressive 20-3-1 professional record, however has lost two consecutive Octagon bouts. “El Matador” was last seen dropping a split decision to Gray Maynard at “UFC Fight Night 19.”

Bellator’s twelve-week season broadcasts live on FOX Sports Net on Thursday nights, with highlights of the most recent show airing on NBC and Telemundo over the immediate weekend.

This year’s participants compete in featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight tournaments for the right to face the season one champions.

As for Huerta and his lightweight counterparts, they can earn $100,000 over three fights in three months. Should Huerta take the eight-man tourney, he’ll get the opportunity to face current Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.

Other fighters confirmed for the lightweight tournament include season-one runner-up Toby Imada, Chad Hinton, Janne Tulirinta, Ferrid Kheder, Mike Ricci and Cary Vanier.  The 1stRound of Bellator’s 155-pound tournament kicks off April 8th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

On last week’s edition of Inside MMA, it was reported that former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis will become the newest member of HDNet’s MMA broadcast team.

“Maria is an amazing talent with a devoted fan base and we are excited to have her as part of our MMA broadcast team,” said Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights. “Maria loves MMA and is a superstar on LIVE television – the MMA community will welcome the passion she will bring to covering the sport.”

Kanellis will debut as the backstage correspondent on HDNet’s LIVE broadcast of “Mark Burnett Presents: King of the Cage: Legacy” on March 26 from the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, Nevada.

“My mantra is ‘passion is my motivation’ and I am definitely passionate about MMA!” said Kanellis. “I am excited for the opportunity to be part of the HDNet family. I love their commitment to the sport.”

Kanellis began her career in 2004 as a WWE Diva and appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine in April 2008. Her television credits include appearances on “Family Feud,” “Project Runway,” ” VH1’s Top 20 Video Countdown,” “The Insider,” “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” “Red Eye,” and “The Today Show.”

She is featured as a contestant on this season’s “The Celebrity Apprentice,” which premiered on March 14 on NBC. Her debut album “Seven Sins” will be available on iTunes on April 13.

There has been talk about the possibility, but now a person involved with “Strikeforce: Nashville” on April 17th has told MMAFighting that they don’t really believe the UFC would counter program their CBS card.

“I think the UFC is messing with us,” the source told MMAFighting’s Michael David Smith.

Since it had leaked the UFC was going to counter program “Strikeforce: Nashville” with a last-minute show of their own, there have been a plethora of “probable” bouts reported for the potential card.

First, it was reported the UFC was considering having Mike Swick and Matt Serra co-headline the event, but with Swick injured, that bout was quickly discarded by the media.

The next theory had the UFC considering a James Toney vs. Kimbo Slice bout, but the promotion recently confirmed that Kimbo will be fighting Matt Mitrione at “UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2″ instead.

On Saturday, UFC president Dana White refuted a report by both Fighter’s Only and MMAWeekly about a potential Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin scrap by saying that Randy Couture would be taking on Franklin.

White never announced what card the fight would be on, leading to speculation that it could headline the last-minute April 17th card or take place at UFC 115.

Most are starting to believe that Dana’s pulling all of our collective chains. Obviously, if anyone could put together an event on a whim, it would be the UFC.

Although, it seems odd that White would respond to a report/rumor (from two very reliable sources) on his Twitter account if there wasn’t some truth to the reports.

It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities the UFC just threw out a bunch of popular names just to take interest away from what is an extremely solid “Strikeforce: Nashivlle” card. Either way, we’ll probably learn about the UFC’s plans for April 17th in the coming week since it’s only a month away.

While most MMA enthusiasts aren’t sold on Dan Hardy presenting much resistance against welterweight king Georges St-Pierre at UFC 111, the champ claims he’s preparing for the toughest test of his illustrious career.

It’s a tune GSP has sung many times before and Hardy isn’t fooled.

“I think he’s a smart champion, you know the reason he’s got the belt is because he takes people very seriously and he trains hard for all his fights,” Hardy told TopMMANews.com. “I don’t think he’s saying that because he doesn’t believe it. I’m sure obviously he thinks he’s within his ability to win the fight comfortably and I think partly the reason why he’s saying that is to kind of cover his own back a little.”

The Brit owns an impressive 23-6 pro record and will be riding a seven-fight winning streak into the March 27th title bout. While challenging the planet’s nastiest 170-pounder for his strap is an opportunity of a lifetime, Hardy believes all of the pressure is on the Gatorade and Under Armour endorsed golden boy.

“It’s a bigger fight for him than it is for me, oddly enough,” Hardy said of his nothing-to-lose mentality. “He’s in a situation where he has to win the fight. If he loses to me that alters the direction that his career is going.”

Right now, GSP’s quickly going down a path towards becoming the welterweight division’s G.O.A.T. Along his journey, he’s become one of MMA’s most coveted pitchmen and a loss would be devastating for not only his legacy, but his finances as well.

“Georges St-Pierre is in a position where he beat everybody there is to beat and now he’s fighting guys who offer a lot greater risk than there is a gain in the fight – he’s risking a hell of a lot stepping into the Octagon with me,” stated Hardy. “I’m in a situation where not only can I shock the MMA world, but I can shock everybody, even people within my team.

“This is the Muhammad Ali in the Thrilla in Manila, the fight he was never supposed to win.”

St-Pierre is an 8-to-1 favorite to retain his crown inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

UFC middleweight Mark Munoz successfully hosted the grand opening of Reign Training Center this Saturday in Lake Forrest, California. More than 2,000 MMA and fitness fanatics attended the star-studded event, making the launch a runaway hit.

“It’s awesome. I can’t even convey in words how much this means,” an emotional Munoz told 5thRound.com. “I was wanting to be a coach at the end of my college career [at Oklahoma State University].

“I coached for nearly 10 years after I was done wrestling. That was my passion, that was my love. I woke up every morning wanting to coach somebody and teach them something. I got into the world of mixed martial arts and now I opened up this gym, now I’m able to coach and train at the same time.”

Joining “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” at yesterday’s opening was former WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber, his protege and red-hot bantamweight Joseph Benavidez, the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, former UFC fighter Renato “Babalu” Sobral, and Strikeforce’s Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal.

The 7,000 square-foot facility is designed for professional and amateur athletes, as well as those who wish to lose weight, build muscle, and increase their athletic abilities. In addition, the state-of-the-art gym offers specialized self-defense classes in wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and boxing.

The RTC is outfitted with kickboxing bags, large mat space, a boxing ring, a mixed martial arts cage, as well as top of the line treadmills, stairmasters, elliptical machines, and a spacious weight room to help athletes achieve the highest levels of success.

Although the facility is a one-stop-shop for fitness freaks, Munoz’ ultimate goal is to develop an elite mixed martial arts team and turn the sport upside down. It shouldn’t be an issue for the wrestler to attract talent as he also trains at Team Black House, the superior MMA squad that houses UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva, light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida, and both Nogueira brothers.

Munoz also maintains close ties with Faber’s Team Alpha Male camp as he formerly practiced with the Northern California-based team before Reign came into play.

Now that RTC has officially launched, Munoz can focus his full attention on Kendall Grove, his UFC 112 foe on April 10th. Munoz holds a 7-1 professional record and was last seen submitting Ryan Jensen at UFC 108 via strikes.

For more information on how to make it Reign, please visit www.Train2Reign.com or call 949-916-9898. (Please see the Reign Training Center photo gallery for more images)

With a plethora of welterweight fights coming up for the UFC, the picture at the top of the division should clear up pretty soon. It starts on March 27th at UFC 111 with current champion Georges St-Pierre facing Dan Hardy.

Many forget there’s another big welterweight scrap on that same card as former 170-pound top contenders Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves will square off for the second time.

At “UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2,” we’ll see a bout between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley which should be extremely interesting after all the trash-talking that has gone on between the two since the fight’s announcement.

The last big welterweight scrap on the horizon will be the recently reported tango between Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampman at UFC 115 in June.

In looking at the list of potential title contenders, St-Pierre already owns wins over half the fighters (Fitch, Alves and Koscheck).

If St-Pierre were to successfully defend his title inside the Prudential Center in New Jersey, he very well could fight someone he’s already trounced.

If that were to happen, would it be safe to say that GSP has cleaned out his entire weight class?

UFC president Dana White has said in the past that St-Pierre must take out all comers before moving up to 185-pounds. A win might force White’s hand, especially if the French-Canadian demolishes Hardy like oddsmakers have him pegged to do.

Are we potentially looking at the end of an era in the welterweight division? St-Pierre has said in the past that if he ever did move to up to middleweight, it would be for good.

While every MMA fan can’t stop talking about the highly anticipated “UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy” event on March 27th, don’t forget there’s a pretty solid freebie card opening up for them on Versus.

“UFC on Versus: Vera vs. Jones” takes place March 21st inside the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado and marks the UFC’s debut on the Versus Network.

A light heavyweight bout between Brandon Vera and the up-and-coming Jon Jones will headline the show, with the victor taking a ginormous leap towards becoming a legit contender in the UFC’s most prized division.

Vera, who was slated to meet Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 109 before Little Nog pulled out with an injury, was last seen dropping a controversial unanimous decision to UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture at UFC 105 in Manchester, England.

Fortunately for Vera, Jones is more than a formidable opponent. The 22-year-old has taken the UFC world by storm since making his debut against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87 in August 2008. He was perfect through his first nine pro scraps entering his last contest against Matt Hamill at “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale,” however was DQ’d after he landed a couple illegal north-south elbow strikes to Hamill’s grill.

A pair of important heavyweight scraps will open for them as former top contender Gabriel Gonzaga will meet one of the division’s faster rising stars in Junior dos Santos, and Cheick Kongo will face MMA journeyman Paul Buentello as well.

Here are the fighters slated for the free Versus broadcast:

Preliminary Bouts

Darren Elkins vs. Duane Ludwig
Mike Pierce vs. Julio Paulino
Jason Brilz vs. Eric Schafer
Chase Gormley vs. Brendan Schaub
John Howard vs. Daniel Roberts
Eliot Marshall vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Clay Guida vs. Shannon Gugerty

Main Bouts:

James Irvin vs Alessio Sakara
Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Junior dos Santos
Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera