One loss was all it took for the UFC to hand Mike Ciesnolevicz a.k.a. Mike C his walking papers.

The 29-year-old out of Team Miletich has been let go after a four-month stint with UFC. Ciesnolevicz (17-4) compiled a 1-1 record as a member of the UFC organization.

Ciesnolevicz in February received a call to move up to heavyweight on short notice to fight Neil Grove at UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson in London. Ciesnolevicz submitted Grove in 63 seconds with a heel hook and it appeared the former International Fight League fighter found a new home with the UFC. But his loss in a light heavyweight bout to Tomasz Drwal last Saturday at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale and perhaps his failure to make weight -- he was the only fighter on the card to not make weight -- was apparently enough to bring about his release.

Mike C was the light heavyweight for the Pat Miletich's Quad Cities Silverbacks squad in the IFL from 2006 through 2008.

Former IFL Light Heavyweight Champion Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko will take on fellow UFC veteran Jason "The Punisher" Lambert at "Call to Arms 1" at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California on May 16.

Matyushenko in January had an eight-fight win streak snapped by Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at Affliction: Day of Reckoning in Anaheim, California. Matyushenko was knocked out with a knee in the second round. He had previously only been knocked out once, against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 44 in September 2003. After leaving the UFC on the loss to Arlovski, the Belarusian mixed martial artist made a comeback by tearing through the competition in the IFL as a member of the Tokyo Sabres.

This will be Lambert's first fight outside of the UFC since September 2005. Lambert made his Octagon debut at UFC 58 in March 2006 and fought until UFC 88 in September 2008, splitting eight fights. Lambert holds TKO win over Terry Martin and KO victory over Renato "Babalu" Sobral.

In the other featured bouts, Tiki Ghosn will take on Brian Warren and Daniel Puder will face Jeff Ford.

Former UFC, IFL and WEC middleweight fighter Justin Levens and his wife were found dead on Wednesday afternoon. The bodies of Levens and Sarah McLean-Levens were found in their condominium in Laguna Niguel, California by the woman's mother, who then called authorities, according to Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities said the bodies were found in a bedroom and a gun was also found at the scene.

Amormino said homicide investigators are looking into the case as a possible murder and suicide. There were no signs of a struggle, he said.

Levens fought in several different MMA promotions over the past few years including UFC, IFL and WEC. The former Marco Ruas' Vale Tudo student was scheduled to compete at Affliction: Banned in July of this year, but due to delays at the event, the fight was scrapped at the last minute. He later returned positive results for the painkiller Oxymorphone as part of his pre-fight drug testing. He was fined $1,000 and suspended until January 15, 2009.

Levens (9-8) had a promising career early on, winning his first seven fights and landing himself in the UFC, but he was never able to string together more than two wins from that point on. Levens's career ends on a five-fight losing streak and eight losses out of his last ten fights.

Coincidentally enough, Levens had actually once fought the late Evan Tanner at UFC 59. Tanner also found dead earlier this year due to dehydration in a California desert.

Levens, born in Philadelphia on April 18, 1980, was 28 at the time of his death. His wife, Sarah, was 25.

We also want to send out our sincere apologies to the Levens' family, friends and relatives.

UFC light heavyweight fighter Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch has signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC and is ready to get back to competition.

Boetsch made his big league debut in the International Fight League (IFL) as a late replacement to fight Belarusian MMA veteran Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko. He was given three days to prepare for the match, and fought the future champion to a decision. After this performance, Boetsch made his UFC debut at UFC 81: Breaking Point as a late replacement to fight David Heath. He was given ten days to prepare for the fight, and won by TKO in the first round. Boetsch received particular acclaim and a fan following for the way he threw Heath onto his head at the end of the fight. Boetsch next made his main card debut in the UFC as a replacement to fight Matt Hamill at UFC Fight Night 13 with six weeks to prepare for the fight. Though he opened a large gash on Hammill's lower lip, he found himself winded in the second round, leading to a TKO loss due to stikes from the ground.

Boetsch fought submission specialist Mike Patt at UFC 88: Breakthrough. For the first time in four fights, he did not enter the bout as a replacement for another fighter. he won by TKO in the 1st round.

Boetsch anticipates a March return to competition, though he is unsure of his next opponent. He is currently training at his gym, Triple Threat, in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

"I'm real stoked," said Boetsch. "I'm excited to get back in there, secure my job for another year; that's always a good thing. I'm looking forward to getting in there and showing people the new an improved 'Barbarian'. And just continue to gain that experience and climb up the ladder."

Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki will enter the Shootboxing "S-Cup 2008", the same-night eight-man tournament on November 24 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Horodecki will take on Shoot boxing-trained Hiroki Shishido in the quarterfinals of the biennial tournament, which will also feature PRIDE Bushido veteran Luiz Azeredo -- the first man to beat Anderson Silva -- and 2-time K-1 MAX and 2-time S-Cup Champion Andy Souwer.

Shoot boxing, also referred to as standing vale tudo, is similar to kickboxing except that throws and standing submissions are allowed.

After this fight, Horodecki -- the Polish-born Canadian mixed martial artist -- will fight against Dan Lauzon on January 24, 2009 at Affliction 2: Day of Reckoning in Anaheim, California.

Former International Fight League (IFL) Welterweight Champion Jay Hieron has followed in the path of his Xtreme Couture teammates Mike Pyle and Chris Horodecki, announcing his intent to sign a one-year three-fight deal with Affliction MMA promotion.

Hieron last week told that he had offers on the table from EliteXC, UFC and Affliction, but the clothing company turned MMA promotion brought the best deal.

"They came and offered me what I thought I was worth, and I'm happy to be a part of it," he said.

Hieron and his lawyer are currently in due diligence with the contract, ironing out details of pay and exclusivity. He says he would like to test his skills overseas if the opportunity were there.

"I know I could definitely fight overseas, and I'm trying to see what we're doing entails in the States," he said.

The signing ends a two-month period of limbo for Hieron's career following the cancellation of the IFL's August 15 card at the Izod Center in New Jersey. He said he had heard rumors of the company's demise, but didn't take them seriously until the event was cancelled.

"I'm finally going to see where my career's going," he said. "Now I can just put my mind at ease and train and know I have a home. Get back to what I love doing, and that's competing."

Now, the search is on to find the welterweight division a worthy opponent. A quick survey of Affliction's welterweight ranks shows that the company needs to import more talent to keep Hieron busy in the next year. The only other notable fighter in the division is his Xtreme Couture teammate Mike Pyle, and that's not even an option for him.

Hieron said he has already begun training for October 11's event "Day of Reckoning" and should know more about his opponent soon.

Two years ago you'd be harder pressed to find a fighter as much on a roll as Miletich Martial Arts welterweight Rory Markham.

After exploding onto the national scene with a 44 seconds knockout of highly regarded Mike Pyle at the International Fight League's first event in April of 2006, Markham went on to win his next four fights, proving himself one of the league’s first breakout stars.

However, Markham's last fight of the year, a loss to Team Quest standout Chris Wilson, seemingly put him on a rollercoaster ride of injuries and inconsistency that saw him lose his most recent fight to unheralded Brett Cooper this past December.

Back after a hiatus, Markham's looking to shake his bad luck at this coming June 14 Adrenaline show in Chicago, Illinois against Taiwon Howard.

"It's a really big thing for me," he said of getting back on the winning path. "It's the worst thing to end off a year with a loss and then have some time off and not be able to go right back out there and show the fans that you are a lot better than that last fight.

"It's very important for me to win every time, but more so this time."

Even with a sense of urgency creeping up on him, Markham remains optimistic heading into Adrenaline.

"I feel great," he exclaimed. "Training camp went well and I'm starting to see the things I need to see to get my confidence in the right place before the fight."

According to Markham, although he's getting a chance to step out of the IFL and fight for another promotion for the first time in two years, he doesn't intend to change the formula that has helped him gain his recognition.

"It's the same old, same old for me," he said. "I'm going to go out there and oppose my will on my opponent."

"I'm not going to worry about (Taiwon's) game plan too much. I like to know a little bit about what they're about, then I like to go out there and impose my will and get him thinking about what I'm going to do, as opposed to the other way around."

With the fate of IFL looking bleak at this point, he intends to use Adrenaline to showcase what skills he can possibly bring to another promotion if the opportunity is afforded to him.

"I think the biggest thing with me is that every single time I fight there's excitement," stated Markham. "Any time you watch my fights, win or lose, I'm either coming back in a fight and winning it by knockout or putting on a fantastic show."

"I want to make sure that I'm worth the dollar value. I hope promoters keep me in mind because of my entertainment and abilities, and they can always be assured they're always going to get a great show from me."

After missing the first half of this year, he is hoping to finish out the remainder of 2008 strong and set himself up for further success.

"The purpose for me is to obviously get better," said Markham. "With getting better, and getting that belief you can accomplish your goals."

"Like for me, short term is string a few wins together and look for some big fights for myself. I want to see how far I can take this game. I’ve been in it for five years, so it's time."

Firstly Markham must change his luck if he hopes to have fortune smile on him as it did just a couple short years ago, starting with the Adrenaline show in Chicago.

"I'd like to thank Tapout, CytoSport Muscle Milk, Pat Miletich, Monte Cox, John Foyer, Fairtex, Brad Imes, Mike C., Sandy Bowman and the Angus Grill," closed out Markham.

"There's going to be close to 18 fights, so it's going to be a full night loaded with top talent. If they want excitement, someone that's willing to stand, trade and put on first a foremost an entertaining fight, that's me."

After almost signing with UFC earlier this year, it now appears that capoeira and jiu-jitsu expert Andre Gusmao will finally make his debut for the promotion in August at UFC 87.

Currently undefeated in his professional career, Gusmao was prematurely speculated to face David Heath at UFC 81 in February, but it was then discovered that he was still under obligation to the International Fight League (IFL).

During his time with the IFL, Gusmao served as an alternate for Renzo Gracie's Pitbulls, racking up four wins in the promotion.

Gusmao was supposedly signed and ready to fight Heath when his previous contractual obligations were revealed, but now it appears he has fulfilled his time with the IFL and now moves on to the UFC.

At this time no opponent has been named for Gusmao in his debut, but more fights for the Minnesota card are expected soon.

UFC 87 bouts (officially announced):
- Georges St. Pierre vs Jon Fitch
- Kenny Florian vs Roger Huerta
- Brock Lesnar vs Heath Herring

UFC 87 bouts (unannounced yet):
- Frankie Edgar vs Hermes Franca
- Cheick Kongo vs Dan Evensen
- Mac Danzig vs Clay Guida
- Steve Bruno vs Chris Wilson
- Karo Parisyan vs TBA
- Andre Gusmao vs TBA

International Fight League (IFL) on Thursday announced several bouts to round out its May 16 card at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

Pennsylvanian fighter Lamont Lister takes on Team Quest fighter Aaron Stark. Lister comes off a stoppage victory over Oleg Savitsky at YAMMA 1, while Stark submitted Dallas Browning at Sport Fight 21.

Undefeated welterweight prospect Nick Calandrino faces off with Boston native John Howard. Calandrino submitted George Sullivan at Battle Cage Xtreme 4, while Howard knocked out Jose Rodriguez at Ring of Combat 18.

Oregonian fighter Joey Guel takes on former IFL middleweight champion Matt "Suave" Horwich. Guel lost a decision to Falaniko Vitale at X-1: Champions in his last bout. Horwich also lost recently, dropping a decision to Ryan McGivern at an IFL event in Las Vegas.

IFL draft participant Josh Souder takes on lightweight wrestler Zac George. Souder comes off a submission victory over Craig Meagher at Legends of Fighting 8, while George dropped a decision to Mike Joy at Sport Fight 21.

Brazilian submission fighter Fabricio Camoes takes on Ring of Combat lightweight champion Jim Miller. Camoes submitted Joe Camacho at a recent ShoXC event, while Miler scored a decision over Bart Palaszewski at the recent IFL event in New Jersey.

Danillo Villefort, another IFL draft participant, takes on Team Bomb Squad fighter Mike Massenzio. Villefort earned a TKO stoppage victory over Todd Carney at Word Fighting Championships 5. Massenzio enters the bout having submitted Lance Everson at Ring of Combat 17.

Already announced for the card are three championship fights. IFL lightweight champion Ryan Schultz defends his title against New York lightweight Deividas Taurosevicius, middleweight champion Ryan McGivern defends his title against New Jersey middleweight Dan Miller, and heavyweight champion Roy Nelson defends his title against Hammer House fighter Brandon Lee Hinkle.

The International Fight League (IFL) continues its makeover today with the unveiling of a new logo in anticipation of its 2008 season.

IFL descibes its new logo as reflection of the IFL’s exciting style of mixed martial arts action as the league enters its second full season of competition. The design incorporates the traditional gloved fist coming towards the viewer from between forward-slanted IFL initials in front of a silver oval plate, utilizing the league’s new color scheme of deep red, silver and black.

For the 2008 season the IFL is replacing the league-created teams with actual fight camps such as Xtreme Couture, Team Quest, Miletich Fighting Systems, and Ken Shamrock's Lions Den. Under this new format, the old team logos with animal-named teams have been phased out.

There will be four camps competing on each card, with a minimum of three matchups per team. The season opener on Feb. 29 in Las Vegas features Team Quest vs. Ken Shamrock's Lions Den and Xtreme Couture vs. Mario Sperry's World Class Fight Center.

IFL Chief Executive Officer, Jay Larkin, said that their new identity is part of the league's renewed commitment to putting together the best matchups to a wide, burgeoning audience of fans worldwide.

As reported before, International Fight League (IFL) founder, Kurt Otto recently blasted TNA wrestler Kurt Angle in an interview saying that the TNA World Heavyweight Champion who has been hinting at a switch to MMA, got cold feet after watching fights at ringside of an IFL show. The 1996 Atlanta Olympic wrestling gold medalist had been in talks with Otto about joining the promotion and was likely to be matched up with another ex-WWE wrestler, Ken Shamrock before deciding against it after the watching the sport live.

“He got scared and wanted to go back into pro wrestling. That’s okay, Kurt, I still respect you for what you did in the Olympics, but this is MMA. You don’t come in here, say you’re gonna do something, and then you don’t." said Shamrock.

Angle responded that "They tried to force a fight with me and Ken in two and a half months. (It’s) not enough time to take off from TNA and train for a fight."

See also Kurt Angle Got His Feet Cold After Watching IFL.

International Fight League (IFL) founder, Kurt Otto recently blasted TNA wrestler Kurt Angle in an interview saying that the TNA World Heavyweight Champion who has been hinting at a switch to MMA, got cold feet after watching fights at ringside of an IFL show. The 1996 Atlanta Olympic wrestling gold medalist had been in talks with Otto about joining the promotion and was likely to be matched up with another ex-WWE wrestler, Ken Shamrock before deciding against it after the watching the sport live.

“He got scared and wanted to go back into pro wrestling. That’s okay, Kurt, I still respect you for what you did in the Olympics, but this is MMA. You don’t come in here, say you’re gonna do something, and then you don’t." said Shamrock.