Yesterday, the UFC announced it has partnered with Grapplers Quest to host the first ever UFC sponsored grappling tournament.

Held in conjunction with the historic UFC 100 event, the tournament will be held on July 10 and 11 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of the previously announced UFC Fan Expo.

Open to the first 1,500 registered competitors, the announcement stated the UFC expects the event to "be the largest submission, grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in history".

The Grapplers Quest event will award "thousands of dollars in prizes" across multiple divisions that include men, women and children from all skill levels.

Registration is currently open for the event. Entry fees start at $89 to register in one division and include a free two-day pass to the UFC Fan Expo – a $50 value.

The tournament schedule includes all adult, no-gi divisions and superfights on Friday, July 10, while all children, teen and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu divisions will be contested on Saturday, July 11.

Grapplers Quest held its first event in 1997, the first ever submission grappling tournament contested in the US. Current UFC fighters Mark Bocek, Kenny Florian, Matt Hughes, Denis Kang, Eliot Marshall, Mike Massenzio, Kurt Pellegrino, Matt Riddle and Brandon Vera have all competed in previous editions of Grapplers Quest.

The Grapplers Quest tournament is the latest addition to the UFC Fan Expo's growing two-day lineup of events. The organization has also planned meet-and-greets with several current and historic stars of ZUFFA-owned organizations as well as mixed martial arts demonstrations and training sessions.

Registration for the grappling tournament is available at Grapplers Quest's official website, while tickets for the UFC Fan Expo can be purchased the event's official website. Ultimate VIP Packages for the event have already sold out.

UFC 97: Redemption comes to us live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Below are the official results for the event:

• Anderson "The Spider" Silva def. Thales Leite by unanimous decision

• Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell by TKO (strikes) at 4:28 of Round 1

• Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski def. "All American" Brian Stann by submission (arm lock) at 3:53 of Round 1

• Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk by TKO (strikes) at 2:29 of Round 2

• Luis "Banha" Cane def. Steve Cantwell by unanimous decision

• Eliot Marshall def. Vinicius Magalhaes by unanimous decision

• Denis Kang def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam by unanimous decision

• Nate "Rock" Quarry def. Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald by TKO (strikes) at 2:27 of Round 1

• Ed Herman def. David Loiseau by unanimous decision

• Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:57 of Round 1

• TJ Grant def. Ryo Chonan by unanimous decision

• Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout def. Matt Wiman by unanimous decision

The now former DREAM middleweight fighter, Yoshihiro Akiyama, has signed with the UFC. Akiyama may most be known for his "greasing" tactic against Japanese hero Kazushi Sakuraba but should also be known for his impressive record as well.

Akiyama holds a victory over another recent UFC middleweight signee in Denis Kang, before Kang began his current slide.

The signing of Akiyama is a big one in the sense that he could be the guy who ends up truly challenging Anderson Silva for the middleweight title at some point down the road.

UFC President Dana White had this to say about Akiyama on UFC.com, "I can see him making an immediate impact in the middleweight division."

A day after news the Quebec Athletic Commission and the UFC came into agreement for the UFC 97: Redemption to remain in Montreal, the remaining bouts for the April 18 pay-per-view card have been officially confirmed.

UFC 97 is headlined by a middleweight title bout between current champion Anderson Silva and number one contender Thales Leite. The co-main event features a match-up between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell.

It's interesting to note that popular Canadian fighters Jason MacDonald and David Loiseau were left off of the main card leaving Krzysztof Soszynski the sole Canadian representative on the cards main lineup.

Soszynski will fight former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann. The main card also features a critical heavyweight tilt between top contender Cheick Kongo and fast rising heavyweight prospect Antoni Hardonk.

Luis Cane versus Steve Cantwell rounds out the main card in a highly anticipated light heavyweight match up.

Below is the official UFC 97 Fight Card:

Main Card:

• Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leite

• Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

• Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann

• Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk

• Steve Cantwell vs. Luis Cane

Preliminary Card:

• Denis Kang vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam

• Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry

• David Loiseau vs. Ed Herman

• Mark Bocek vs. David Bielkheden

• Ryo Chonan vs. TJ Grant

• Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman

The current DREAM Middleweight Champion Gegard Mousasi is reported that he is considering a move to the heavyweight division.

Mousasi holds impressive wins over the likes of Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.

The Red Devil International team member has trained with current WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko as his next step seems to be the light heavyweight division, but that could be temporary if he's serious about stepping up with the big boys in heavyweight division.