— The curse of UFC 108 will not go away. Steve Cantwell is the latest (and hopefully the last) participant to pull out of the show due to injury. Cantwell was scheduled to face long-time UFC star Vladimir Matyushenko. The UFC is actively seeking a replacement for Cantwell.
Update: Cantwell’s agent says he’s not officially off the card. KO Reps, who also represent Nate Quarry, Anthony Njoukani and Jon Jones, said that they’ve encountered a minor issue but are hopeful it will be resolved on Wednesday morning. Cantwell is still training for the bout.
— Gegard Mousasi will face Gary Goodridge in a heavyweight bout on the stacked Dream New Year’s eve card. [MMA Junkie]
— Former collegiate star Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis will make his UFC debut at UFC 109 on Feb. 6 against Brian Stann. Davis, who assumed the “Mr. Wonderful” moniker as a tribute to childhood pro-wrestling hero Paul Orndorff, was a collegiate standout while wrestling at Penn State and has posted a 4-0 record since entering the world of mixed martial arts.
— Shinya Aoki and Hidehiko Yoshida were officially added to the roster of “EA Sports MMA” today. The pair of Japanese standouts are the first Japanese competitors announced for the game, but they won’t be the last.
— MMA Mania reports that a WEC bantamweight contender’s bout between former champion Miguel Torres and Joseph Benavidez is currently in the words for WEC 47 in March.
— Fighters Only Magazine released a list of attendees for the World MMA Awards, which will stream live on Versus.com on Wednesday night. Among those confirmed for the awards ceremony are Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Wanderlei Silva, Georges St. Pierre and UFC president Dana White. The winners in each category will receive this sweet custom-designed trophy. The UFC has given their complete support to the World MMA Awards, which means they’ll likely be around for a long time to come.
