Eliot Marshall’s mission to get back to the UFC has paid off. The one time “Ultimate Fighter” competitor has stepped in on short notice to face Luis Cane at UFC 128in New Jersey.

Sources close to the negotiations confirmed the new bout to MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday. Tatame.com initially reported the change.

Marshall went 3-1 during his time with the UFC following his stint on the eighth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” but was released following a loss to Vladdy Matyushenko last March.

At that point, Marshall made it his personal mission to get back to the UFC. He has since gone on a three-fight win streak to prove that, and now he’s back.

“The goal is the UFC. Let’s not beat around the bush, that’s where the best fighters fight,” Marshall said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. “Yeah, there’s this guy that’s here, there’s this guy that’s there, and you’re always going to have this talk like ‘what if (Alistair) Overeem or Fedor or whatever.’ You tell me where the best guys fight? They fight in the UFC.”

The original bout between Cane and Karlos Vemola was set to be a part of the Spike TV prelim broadcast, but there’s been no word if the new bout between Marshall and Cane will stay with the same slot.

Marshall will be joined by two teammates on the card as both Nate Marquardt and Brendan Schaub have bouts at UFC 128 as well.

After years of dealing with nagging shoulder problems and a crisis of confidence, former UFC lightweight Alvin “Kid” Robinson finds himself on the road back, feeling better than ever.

“I feel like I’ve grown everywhere,” he recently toldMMAWeekly.com.

Every aspect of Robinson’s game has benefitted from a change of mindset and hard work with some of the best trainers in the business.

“I’ve always been good at jiu-jitsu, but now I’m believing in my jiu-jitsu and I feel like I’ll tap anybody if it goes to the ground,” said Robinson. “I’ve gone back to my roots of wrestling and I feel like I can out-wrestle anybody. Working with the coaches at Grudge, I feel like I can stand and bang with anybody, and I have confidence in it.

“Over the past year I feel that not only my physical skills, but my mental (skills) have grown, and I’m ready to do work again.”

Not only has confidence bolstered Robinson’s game, but shoulder problems he’s suffered with since high school and once thought would require surgery have been taken care of via a different route, allowing him to focus once again on his wrestling base.

“It definitely was a blessing in disguise,” he commented. “At first I thought I was going to be out for another year with no fights sitting on the sidelines, but sure enough, my strength and conditioning coach was able to fix the problems I was having and now I’m stronger than ever.”

Robinson will have an opportunity to test his newfound strength at Fight to Win’s “Mortal Combat” showon Friday, Feb. 25, in Denver, against former “Ultimate Fighter” alum Cameron Dollar.

“He’s pretty well-rounded and has wins by submission and knockout, and I’m expecting a war,” stated Robinson.

“I want to show everybody that I’m a well-rounded MMA fighter, and wherever the fight takes place that I’m ready. I’m conditioned, I’m strong, and I want to make a run at the UFC and the title.”

As for which title Robinson’s gunning for, with the recent acquisition of the WEC and its weight classes, he now sees himself competing at 145 pounds.

“After I go in there and execute against Cameron, I’ll be knocking on the door in the UFC again and this time I’ll be at my natural 145-pound weight class and I’ll be able to do things there for sure,” said Robinson.

“I feel stronger, I feel faster, and my conditioning is better. I can eat healthy and stay at a weight that I’m comfortable at.”

Mentally and physically Robinson is at his peak, and he’s firmly affixed on achieving a higher level of success than he’s ever had, making him a fighter to watch in 2011.

“I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Grudge Training Center, Kline Bros. Jiu-Jitsu, Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, my wrestling and strength and conditioning coaches, my sponsors for this fight and everybody who has supported me through the ups and downs and my career,” he said in closing.

“Please come check out the fight and support the ‘Kid.’ I feel I can compete with any 145-pounders, and this is where I can showcase my skills and get back in the big show and let it go and have fun out there.”

Glover, who is looking to work his way back to the top, is relying
on his jiu jitsu skills, his dedication and determination and his
teammates at Grudge Training Center to get him there.

Tyrone Glover has fought all over the world against some of the
greatest fighters in the lightweight division. Glover started off
with a bang, defeating some of the very best fighters of the time
including Din Thomas in 2005. Despite quickly garnering a 4-0 re-
cord, Glover decided to put his mixed martial arts career on hold
so that he could pursue his law degree. Glover earned his Juris
Doctorate from the University of Colorado but never took his eye
of mixed martial arts. During his time at the University of Colo-
rado, mixed martial arts grew and so did the lightweight divi-
sion. Glover knew he could still compete so after graduation he
began training to make his return to mixed martial arts. Glover, a
practicing attorney by day, began training at Grudge Training
Center.

Glover made his return to the sport on November 12, 2010 at The
Professionals. Glover overwhelmed his opponent, Nick Busch-
man, and earned a submission victory via armbar 4:20 of the first
round. On February 25th, 2011 at MFC 28: Supremacy, Glover
hopes to continue his winning ways against a very tough opponent
in Robert “The Beast” Washington.

“Washington is a very tough guy. He has some good wins,” Glover
stated. Washington, with an MMA record of 9-1, trains with the
likes of Matt Hughes and Robbie Lawler at the Hit Squad. He has
shown both excellent striking and solid wrestling with good
ground and pound in his nine victories. “This will be a very tough
fight for me; I expect Washington to bring his best and that is what
I am preparing for,” Glover further indicated.

MFC takes place in Edmonton, Alberta Canada on February 25,
2011, and will be televised on HDNET. Tyrone Glover and Robert
Washington are two of the top lightweight prospects in the world,
and the winner of this fight will certainly put themselves one step
closer to their ultimate goal.

Glover is currently sponsored by Knockout Brands, Full Tilt Poker,
Nogi, Character Restaurant, Inked Out Apparel, Sheppard Law
Firm, Relentless Fight Gear, Easton BJJ, Paragon, Grudge Train-
ing Center and Grudge Sports Management.

To schedule an interview with Tyrone Glover please contact Ricky
Vasquez at ricky@grudgesports.net. For more information re-
lated MFC Supremacy 28 or for ticket information please go to
www.maximumfighting.com.
HEIGHT 5’8”
WEIGHT 155
RECORD 5-0
AGE 31
TRAINS AT Grudge T.C.
OPPONENT Robert
Washington
SPECIALTY Jiu Jitsu

This is What the Hybrid had to say!

“I think guys get so caught up in respecting Mirko so much they don’t approach him with a killer instinct. They don’t look for the finish. If you look at his last few fights he fought some tough guys, Frank Mir and Pat Barry, but they go out there and show him too much respect. I respect the guy just as much as those guys do if not more. It was the same with Gonazaga. I respect these guys so much that I give them the best fight I can on the night. That’s my way of showing respect to these guys – I go in there and try and take their heads off. I put the pressure on them. There’s going to be no high-fiving. There’s going to be no hugging. I can tell you that.”

Is Mirko Filipovic a legend? In the eyes of many the answer to that question is yes. Does that mean he should be given more respect in the cage? That depends on your definition of respect. His opponent at UFC 128,Brendan Schaub, says he plans on showing his by going out there and trying to take the Croatian’s head off. He also takes an oh so subtle jab at Pat Barry by making sure to point out that he won’t be hugging or high-fiving his legendary opponent once they get in the Octagon.

The UFC and Spike TV, in a news release earlier this week, confirmed that UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami would air via same day tape delay on Spike TV at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Not only that, but the release also assured that the winner of the main event between Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami was guaranteed a shot at Anderson Silva’s UFC middleweight championship.

Marquardt (30-9-2) is coming off of a first-round TKO victory against Rousimar Palhares on Sept. 15. With over 40 fights on his resume, Marquardt is one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC, and has notched wins against notable middleweights like Demian Maia and Martin Kampmann. His last four victories have come by way of knockout, setting the stage for fireworks on Nov. 13.

Marquardt was originally slated to fight Vitor Belfort in the main event, but when Chael Sonnen was pulled from a title rematch with Silva due to a positive drug test, Belfort was called upon to face Silva at UFC 126 on Super Bowl weekend. That bout will be Belfort’s first in nearly a year and a half after sitting on the sidelines due to injury.

Okami (25-5) has fought the best middleweights in the world throughout his lengthy career.  Since his debut in the Octagon in August 2006 at UFC 62, he was won nine of 11 bouts in the Octagon, including victories over Alan Belcher, Mike Swick, the late Evan Tanner, and, most recently, Mark Munoz this past August. In January of 2006, he defeated current UFC champ Anderson Silva at B.J. Penn’s Rumble On The Rock promotion in a controversial bout where Silva was disqualified for an illegal kick.  A victory over Marquardt could deliver a rematch with Silva, if the current champion is successful in defending against Belfort.

Both Marquardt and Okami sit high in the current MMA Top 10 rankings, easily making their individual cases for a shot at the UFC middleweight title.

Other UFC 122 bouts scheduled for the televised portion of the event include Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara, Andre Winner vs. Dennis Siver, Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta, and Goran Reljic vs. Krzysztof Soszynski.

Winner, Sadollah, and Soszynski, are all alumnus of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the popular reality series that also airs on Spike TV.

Some say winning isn’t everything, but for Nate Marquardt it is when he faces Yushin Okami in the main event of UFC 122 in Oberhausen, Germany, to crown the No. 1 contender in the UFC 185-pound division.

Marquardt is one win away from earning another shot at the UFC middleweight title. Okami stands in his way with the same title aspirations on the line. Both are ranked among the Top 10 middleweights in MMA.

Marquardt knows game plan and patience will be keys to his success at the König Pilsener Arena on Nov. 13 against his seasoned Japanese opponent.

Assessing his adversary, Marquardt said of Okami, “He’s a very solid opponent. He stays very strong and very composed throughout the fight no matter who he is fighting. He’s good at distance, so he’s very hard to hit. He has good takedown defense, so he’s hard to get on the ground. And I think that’s one of his best things, he’s hard to do anything to.”

Losing isn’t an option for Marquardt, and he plans to be calculating and methodical in his approach. He’s not concerned with the aesthetics of his game plan. The outcome is all that matters.

“He’s a very hard guy to attack, so unless I can get him to come out of his shell and kind of attack me more, it could be a chess match until I find that opening and who knows how long that will take because this is for a title shot and I’m not going to go in there and try to put on the most exciting fight and lose the fight,” Marquardt told MMAWeekly.com content partner TapouT Radio.

“Definitely I want to be exciting, but the main thing is I want to win this fight. Obviously if I get the chance I’m going to knock him out or submit him, but the number one thing for me is to win this fight, and for me, I have to follow the game plan.

“The game plan going into this fight is going to be a big thing for me. If I can follow my game plan and find my shots and find the openings to attack him, that’s where I’m going to be able to win the fight,” added Marquardt.

“He’s very strong. He has good basics, good stand-up, and good takedowns and takedown defense. He’s solid on the ground. He’s not super dangerous like the last guy I fought. Palhares, he’s one of the most dangerous jiu-jitsu guys. Okami’s not dangerous in that respect, but he’s patient and really a tough guy to game plan against, so I have to look at these little opportunities that I have in the fight and take advantage of them.”

Marquardt and Okami share at least one thing, every opponent they’ve faced remarks about how strong and powerful they were in the fight. Marquardt believes he’ll match Okami in the strength department if not overpower him, but is prepared in the event that Okami is the stronger of the two at UFC 122.

“He is strong, but I train with super strong guys and it’s nothing. I’m going to be able to handle that if not put some strength on him and throw him around a little bit. I think I’m going to be just as strong if not stronger,” stated the 31-year-old athlete. “Let’s say he was stronger than me. I’ll be able to make up any of that strength difference with technique, so I’m not really worried about the strength.

“I feel very comfortable. We’ve worked on some specific things that I think are going to be money in this fight,” said Marquardt. “I feel very confident.”

The layoff for Shane Carwin is almost over.

After a near miss in his last fight that saw him almost take the UFC heavyweight title from Brock Lesnar, the Colorado fighter is ready to return to the Octagon, and he’s targeting a New Year’s Day fight at UFC 125.

Carwin made the announcement via his personal Twitter page on Tuesday, saying that he had no opponent yet, but a report from Showdown.ca states that “Ultimate Fighter Season 10” winner Roy Nelson may be tapped to face him on the UFC 125 card on New Year’s Day.

Nelson has been recovering from knee surgery following his last fight, a loss to Junior Dos Santos in August. There has been no confirmation that the Las Vegas based fighter would indeed be ready by a Jan. 1 date.

Since his last fight, Carwin has undergone medical evaluations to pinpoint the issues he dealt with in the Lesnar bout, which saw the mammoth heavyweight’s power and cardio zapped as the first round closed. Carwin, appearing on MMAWeekly Radio after the fight, explained a condition called “lactic acidosis” that caused his problems against Lesnar and noted that it was something he wanted to fix before returning to the Octagon.

“I have been spending a lot of time with (trainer) John Chamberg and have committed to following his crazy strength and conditioning routines,” Carwin wrote on his website on Tuesday. “I can barely walk when we are done working out so I guess that is a good sign.”

Now healthy and back in the gym, Carwin is ready to make another run at the heavyweight title and it appears that will start on the first day of 2011.XX

Fresh off a UFC Fight Night 22 victory over Rousimar Palhares, Nate Marquardt (30-9-2 MMA, 9-3 UFC) has replaced Vitor Belfort (19-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and now meets Yushin Okami (25-5 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in the headliner of November’s UFC 122 event.

UFC president Dana White today announced the change via Twitter.

As UFC executives officially announced earlier this week, UFC 122 takes place Nov. 13 at Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany, and airs via same-day delay on Spike TV.

Although initially reported as injured, Belfort, in fact, is healthy, as White confirmed via Twitter. And as MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported, Belfort is now slated to get a title shot with middleweight champ Anderson Silva in early 2011, possibly at UFC 125.

Officials announced Belfort vs. Okami would serve as a title eliminator and determine a No. 1 contender. And given Marquardt’s standing in the division, the bout is likely to keep that designation.

Marquardt’s victory over Palhares, which came after the Brazilian slipped on an attempted leg lock and left himself open to punches, was his fourth win in five fights. It also moved him to 5-2 since he fell short to champ Anderson Silva in his first title shot.

Okami, who long has flirted with title contention, most recently earned a split-decision win over Mark Munoz at UFC on Versus 2. It was his his fifth win in his past six fights, which included additional victories over Lucio Linhares, Dean Lister, Evan Tanner and Jason MacDonald. The lone loss came to Chael Sonnen, who had been promised an immediate rematch but now is dealing with the aftermath of a failed drug test following a loss to Silva at UFC 117.

For more on UFC 122, including the latest rumored fight card, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.