The Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) had posted the statement below on their official website regarding Bobby Lashley rumor:

From XFC president John Prisco:

“It’s come to our attention that a rumor has started circulating that Bobby Lashley will be fighting Marcus Jones at XFC 8: ‘Regional Conflict’ on Saturday, April 25 – a show featuring the fastest-rising young prospects and top emerging superstars from Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina in contender-versus-contender bouts, airing exclusively nationwide on HDNet. That rumor is false, and no such statement was ever issued by the XFC, Bobby Lashley, or Bobby Lashley’s manager.

“It is true that the XFC and Bobby Lashley have had numerous conversations, and both parties hope to find a way to work together in the very near future. Bobby has publicly stated his interest in fighting for the XFC, and we can confirm that the interest is mutual. We look forward to continuing to grow our relationship.

“The XFC hopes Bobby Lashley – and MMA fans nationwide – enjoy XFC 8 ‘Regional Conflict’ on April 25, as it airs live from the 21 thousand-capacity Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, exclusively on HDNet. For more information, please visit www.mmaxfc.com.”

According to a new posting on BJPenn.com, UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn will defend his lightweight title against number one contender Kenny Florian in the headlining bout of UFC 101 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 8. The report states that Florian has already signed the bout agreement, and Penn's own signing was imminent. It will be the first time the UFC Lightweight Title has been contested in 15 months, since Penn defeated Sean Sherk by TKO at UFC 84 last May. Florian has won his last six fights, including five by stoppage, but hasn't competed since his first-round submission of Joe Stevenson at UFC 91 in November.

If the Penn vs. Florian report is accurate, it would mean that two of the UFC's five championship titles could potentially be on the line in the month of August. A middleweight title match between Anderson Silva and Demian Maia may also be added to UFC 102 in Portland, Oregon, on August 29.

King of the Cage and TKO veteran Jacob MacDonald was found dead on Wednesday in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada.

The police are investigating the death of the 28-year-old fighter out of Drury Lane.

MacDonald fought in sixteen professional mixed martial arts fights, compiling a record of 4-12. MacDonald's final fight was a first-round loss to Sean Pierson last October at TKO 35.

MacDonald was a member of Shawn Tompkins' team before leaving to start his own gym.

Hard-hitting UFC middleweight fighter Chris "The Crippler" Leben is seeking an August return to the UFC following a 9-month suspension. Leben's suspension is complete in late July, and he would like to be apart of the rumored UFC 102 event in Portland, Oregon.

Leben is coming off of a decision loss to Michael Bisping at last October's UFC 89 in Birmingham, England. The UFC suspended Leben for nine months after a post-fight drug test revealed the presence of stanozolol, a performance enhancing steroid. He also had to forfeit one third of his fight purse.

Leben was born in Portland, Oregon and he spent much of his professional career in the suburb of Gresham through his affiliation with Team Quest. Leben had this to say about possibly fighting at UFC 102 in his hometown: "It would be a dream come true."

Last Saturday night, former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley was victorious in his second professional mixed martial arts fight, defeating Jason Guida by unanimous decision at the "March Badness" MMA & boxing pay-per-view event. Lashley was a guest on the Pro MMA Radio show last night and told the host, Larry Pepe, that his ultimate goal is to be a player in the UFC.

"I've had dialogue with (the UFC) over the past few days. They know where my mind frame is. I hold the UFC in high regard and I believe the UFC is a place where you have to be at a certain level before you get there. I want to be a serious contender for a title before I go in there. When I get to the UFC, I want people to say 'Bobby is good enough to go for the title'. I would like to be holding a 5-0 or 6-0 record, somewhere around there before going into the UFC. If I can take what I do in practice and put that into a match — then you'll see a whole different Bobby than what you saw the other day," he said.