Nightmare of Battle has a three-part article on FEG’s plan to defeat the UFC and take over the combat sports world.  Above you can clearly see the plan of attack for Japan’s most powerful fight promotion with the end-result being a “World Cup” of mixed martial arts and kickboxing, something that should send warms waves of awesome through devoted fans of both sports.

Can FEG/Asia dominate this area of the sporting world, and more importantly, still bring us the best fighters on the planet together under one roof?  Let’s be real here, the UFC has the majority of the world’s best talent, and part of the reason so many people watch the UFC is because of the high-calibef fighters that fill their roster.

FEG is going to need a shit-load of cash to get this done, how much who knows, but it’s going to be their biggest endeavor to date that will either see them succeed and rise to the top of the sport dominated by the UFC, or get blown to pieces by the Americans after their initial assault merely adds fuel to the fire?  Or, will Dana White just sit back and smile, waiting for FEG to blow its wad and eventually give in like everyone else has?

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And feel free to stop by the forums, where you can discuss this topic, or not, and just hang out at Mirko’s Fishing Hole.

Former Strikeforce middleweight champion and recent UFC signee Jake Shields confirms via his Twitter account that he will be formally welcomed to the UFC by none other than top-ranked UFC welterweight Martin Kampmann at UFC 121 in October.  The event takes place in Shields home state of California, which should give him some extra motivation to come out and perform at his best in front of his family and friends in MMA’s biggest organization.  He’s got a very tough test in Kampmann, but considering his impressive victories over Dan Henderson and Robbie Lawler (which took place at a heavier weight), I expect Shields to actually win his UFC debut (Yeah Carlos Condit, I’m looking at you bro!).

So, who are you taking? The Gracie submission fighter with some of the best grappling in the sport, or the Danish striker who also possesses a sick ground arsenal?

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The rumored fight card for UFC 121, which features a main event heavyweight title fight between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez, can be seen after the jump.

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Props: Gracie Fighter

“Jake Shields will be debuting at the 170lbs weight division in the UFC. After careful consideration and consulting with UFC representatives it was determined Jake would be finally going back to his original fighting weight. [His] opponent is one of the UFC’s top contenders and will be announced shortly.”

About fucking time this becomes official! A great addition to an already stacked weight class, I think most of us expect Shields to make some immediate waves at 170lbs, hopefully finding better success in his UFC debut than Carlos Condit did when he came over from the WEC.  Rumor floating around the forums is that Jake’s first opponent will be the same guy who welcomed Condit to the UFC, Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann.  No idea when he’s going to first step into the octagon, but I’m looking forward to seeing what he does when put up against the best welterweights in the sport.

There still hasn’t been an official confirmation from the UFC on this signing though, but considering that Strikeforce has already scheduled a vacant middleweight title fight between Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo Souza, we can only expect it’s a matter of time before the UFC brass makes an official statement.

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Props: MMAJunkie

Korean Top Team middleweight Dong Yi Yang (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will soon make his debut for the UFC.

The world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion today announced that Yang is the newest member of its roster, and an announcement regarding the 27-year-old’s debut first fight in the octagon will be announced at a later date.

Haven’t heard too much about Yang before, but as a huge fan of Asian fighters, I’m pumped to see another Korean under the Zuffa banner.  If he bring the same warrior mentality that the “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung brings, fans are going to be in love!

After the jump you can see a highlight of Yang’s fight against PRIDE veteran Pawel Nastula, that took place at Sengoku 4 on August 28th, 2008.  The fights nothing pretty, but it will give first timers a brief insight into what’s coming to the UFC.

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