Three matches have been officially announced for UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 which will take place on Dec. 27, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Two titles will be on the line as Forrest Griffin defends the light heavyweight title against Rashad Evans while interim heavyweight champion Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira puts his title on the line against Frank Mir.  Plus, Wanderlei Silva goes head to head with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

That is one heck of a way to end out the year.  While the two titles matches could be good, the most exciting match is the fight between Silva and Jackson.  The two have faced off twice before while in PRIDE with "The Axe Murderer" winning both times with vicious knockouts.  Since then, Jackson has upped his game and gone on to win the UFC light heavyweight title.

 
Tickets for the show go on sale this Saturday morning and are available on Ticketmaster.com.

 
Josh Gross of SI.com has posted this on the story:

�??Less than two years following the formation of ProElite, Inc., the group notified employees and fighters Monday it was shutting its doors effective immediately�?�. ProElite was an entertainment and media company founded in partnership with Showtime Networks and spearheaded by the mixed martial arts promotional brand EliteXC. Representatives for ProElite, EliteXC and Showtime did not return calls for comment.�??

Simply bad news for the MMA world as more promotions means more exposure and more good fights.  Unfortunately, the company did not spend wisely and was in debt to the tune of more than $60 million which they built in under two years.  No one can withstand those losses.

That is when the November edition of Playboy magazine hits the stands which will feature a 10-page layout on UFC All Access girl Rachelle Leah.

The cover of the magazine is already out as is a behind-the-scenes video of her Playboy shoot.  Click the jump to see both.  Trust me - you won't be disappointed.

Luckily, the UFC was able to find a great replacement as Josh Koscheck has accepted the fight on short notice and will face Alves on Oct. 25.

You can make a case that this will be a better fight as Koscheck is a world-class wrestler and a bigger welterweight than Sanchez against the huge Alves.  There is some belief that the winner of this fight will be next in line to face Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title.

Even though he accepted this fight, Koscheck is still scheduled to face Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC Fight Night 16: Fight for the Troops which is scheduled for Dec. 10 which would be a very quick turnaround.

Now, he is speaking out about the promotion's choice and decided to throw Petruzelli under the bus in an interview with Sherdog.com:

�??I think it was a mistake to not let me fight [Kimbo Slice]. When I realized we would have to cancel the show, I said, �??Look, I�??ll fight the guy�??. You know, it�??s a great story �?? little brother steps into the spot, comes out of the booth. It�??s very compelling, but we need a fight to happen that�??s compelling. That went around for hours. Then I put my shirt on and went to work. No one committed to it, so I just kept talking. Kimbo is great - great for ratings. But Kimbo fighting a star, a superstar, somebody who�??s going to elevate him or knock him down in a good way, that�??s what we needed that night. We didn�??t need a nobody to beat Kimbo. Everybody knows that Kimbo is not very good. He hasn�??t had time to mature. He�??s a new guy.�??

Thanks to MMAMania.com for this find.

Ortiz has written a letter which was posted on ProElite.com where he updated his surgery and and his future.

�??On October 6th 2008 my extensive back surgery was performed in Las Vegas by Dr. Smith. It lasted 3 hours, due to the doctors careful hand and my densely muscled core that had to be separated in order to get to my spine. My doctor was impressed with my quick recovery, and an hour after surgery I was on my feet and walking to the car. This is now the beginning of a new era. There will never be a question again about where my heart lies �?� and that is with my fans. I am focused on a quick recovery, and I will be back in the cage with a renewed outlook on fighting. I am a new Tito Ortiz �?� one with a bright fight future �?� one ready to power through the light heavyweight class and get the belt around my waist again. Mark my words �?� the best is yet to come.�??

The hype of Kimbo Slice, this wild beast that was the creation of a marketing wizard against the MMA legend who was looking for one more time in the spotlight to capture glory.

Later on in the day, when it was announced that Seth Petruzelli would face Kimbo, here is what I texted to friends: "Seth will win - EXC is ruined".

That is exactly what happened.

That is what happens when you put all of your hopes on a street fighter rather than an MMA fighter.

Petruzelli is not the best fighter in the world by any stretch.  The guy is only 2-2 in his last four fights which have been scattered since 2004.  He even took a year off to start a Smoothie King business.

Ken Shamrock is a legend in mixed martial arts.  He is one of the best known names in the sport and a bonafide Hall of Famer.

But there are plenty of people out there who question the 44-year-old Shamrock for continuing to fight.  While he has racked up a career record of 27-13-2, he only has one win in his last eight fights.  His latest loss in March was a particularly bad performance as he was knocked out in the first round by journeyman Robert �??Buzz�?? Berry.

Now, Shamrock wants to put quiet all those critics and prove that he can still be a good fighter.  He�??ll get his chance again tonight when he faces Kimbo Slice in the main event of the EliteXC event which will air from 9-11p.m. ET on CBS.

�??I�??ve had some rough times, says Shamrock.  �??My last couple of fights where is just seems that no matter what I did I couldn�??t get myself ready because of some injuries that I had. I�??ve had good luck over the years and there was a stretch of time there over four-five years where I couldn�??t get away from injuries.  It seems like finally �?? maybe �?? I might have some good times coming my way.�??