Updated card for UFC 46: Super Natural on Saturday, January 31, 2004 (from UFC officials) is: Contributed By Jason Christian/The Day Newspaper:

Main Event: Randy Couture vs. Vitor Belfort, Light Heavyweight Title

Co-Main Event: Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn, Welterweight Title

Lightweight Fight: Hermes Franca vs. Josh Thomson

Middleweight Fight: Lee Murray (London) vs. Jorge Rivera (Milford, Mass.)

Welterweight Fight: Charutto Verissimo vs. Carlos Newton

Welterweight Fight: Pete Spratt vs. Karo Parisyan

Heaveyweight Fight: Frank Mir vs. Wes Sims

Lightweight Fight: Matt Serra vs. Javier Vasquez

This means Tim Sylvia will be on the April 2 card in Las Vegas, probably against Andre Arlovski. It will be a heavyweight title fight. Tim's suspension ends January 26.

NSAC TO HONOR BARONI'S SUSPENSION
Story from MMAWeekly.com:

It appears that unless attempts by Phil Baroni to appeal are upheld, the Nevada State Athletic Commission will honor the one-year suspension levied by the Department of Athletic Regulations for the Mohegan Sun for punching referee Larry Landless. In a conversation with NSAC Executive Director Marc Ratner, Ratner stated “I have spoken with the Mohegan Sun and as the NSAC wishes other states and governing bodies to honor our rulings, we will honor this one.” What this means is that, if Baroni’s suspension is upheld, he will not be eligible to get a license to fight in the state of Nevada or at any event under the NSAC’s regulations until November of 2004.

When also asked about the situation that transpired after the Cabbage Correira/Tank Abbott fight, Ratner responded, “If suspensions are handed out to any of the cornermen involved, the NSAC will honor those as well.” So it appears that when a ruling (if any) comes down from the Mohegan Sun regarding the post-fight festivities of that bout, those involved will be facing the same situation as Baroni.

The UFC is expected to fully cooperate with any finalized rulings made by either governing body. So not only would any suspended party not be able to participate in any events throughout the next 12 months in Nevada or Connecticut, but would be prevented from participating in events under the auspices of the UFC. These rulings are especially detrimental to Baroni who was hoping to get a rematch with Evan Tanner, as well as stake a claim to the vacant UFC Middleweight Championship.

http://www.ufc.tv/assets/indexImages/fullSize/ufc46.jpg

This card is looking pretty damn good now, just seemed a little lackin before.

I just dont get why pride, UFC, and the others all compete on december 31st...

Everyone will lose viewers to another in some way. Wouldnt the smart thing be for one to step back and do this Jan 1st or maybe even the following weekend?

Will Vitor's hair make a difference? It might...

An all-grown up Vitor vs. the ageless wonder Randy Couture. Should be an epic battle. I can't ****ing wait.

I thought Spratt was out and St. Pierre was in against Parisyan?

Penn vs. Hughes will be more competitive than most people think.

Vasquez vs. Serra...two wizards on the mat. This will be a BJJ clinic here. I think Serra will pull it out, however.

Originally posted by mmafanman


I thought Spratt was out and St. Pierre was in against Parisyan?



Yeah he bailed out on the shooto fight so he could fight in this one

Loking good, hope they can put together a little better production quality!

Originally posted by Curly Howard
Yeah he bailed out on the shooto fight so he could fight in this one

huh? so Spratt is'nt fighting Chris Lytle in Shooto on Jan. 2, 2004? I thought Spratt could'nt fight on this card because he lost to St. Pierre, then last minute, Shooto got Spratt on their card as the main event. is he fighting in both shows? WTF.

Spratt is replacing Parisyan in the Shooto fight at St L. Parisyan dropped out of the Shooto fight to fight in UFC 46 against St. Pierre.
Spratt vs Lytle in Shooto St.L
St. Pierre vs Parisyan at UFC 46

CARLOS NEWTON TO BATTLE RENATO VERISSIMO IN WELTERWEIGHT FEATURE BOUT AT UFC 45: SUPER NATURAL, JAN. 31, IN LAS VEGAS

Hermes Franca To Meet Josh Thomson; Matt Serra To Fight Javier Vasquez In Lightweight Action LIVE On Pay-Per-View From Mandalay Bay

Karo Parisyan, Georges St. Pierre In Welterweight
Match On Super Bowl Saturday Night

TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

LAS VEGAS, NEV., December 11, 2003…Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Champion Carlos Newton will return to the Octagon to meet Brazilian Renato “Charuto” Verissimo in one of the feature fights of UFC 46: Super Natural LIVE on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST, Saturday, January 31, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. UFC 46: Super Natural is presented by Miller Lite beer, its title sponsor.

A second welterweight match will pit judo specialist Karo Parisyan against Canadian newcomer Georges St. Pierre and in two lightweight bouts undefeated Hermes Franca will meet submission specialist Josh Thomson and veteran Matt Serra will take on Brazilian jiu jitsu fighter Javier Vasquez.

In the main event, new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture
(12-5-0 in mixed martial arts) from Portland, Ore., will defend his title for the first time against Brazilian phenom Vitor Belfort (11-3-0) from Rio de Janeiro and in the co-main event, Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes (30-3-0) from Hillsboro, Ill., will defend his belt for the sixth time against top-ranked Hawaiian BJ Penn (6-1-1) from Hilo. The eight-fight card also will feature a heavyweight re-match between Las Vegan Frank Mir (6-1-0) and Wes Sims (6-2-1) from Columbus, Ohio, and a middleweight bout between Lee Murray (8-1-1) from London, England, and Jorge Rivera (7-1-0) from Milford, Mass.



Live event tickets, $350, $250, $150, $75 and $35, are now on sale at the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office in Las Vegas, at all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com and www.mandalaybay.com. Tickets also may be purchased by telephone at 1-877-632-7400 or 1-702-474-4000. Purchases are limited to eight per person and are subject to transaction fees. UFC 46: Super Natural will be available on pay-per-view on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Echostar, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada. The suggested retail price is $29.95.

Newton (13-7-0) from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, has been a big fan favorite since his UFC debut in 1998. He became the welterweight champion in May 2001 with a decisive win over legend Pat Miletich but then lost the title in November when Hughes began his remarkable victory streak. Newton’s outstanding submission skills were evident in his last UFC fight when he defeated highly-regarded Pete Spratt with an armlock in just 1:45 of the first round at UFC 40: Vendetta.

Verissimo (4-0-0), who will be making his UFC debut, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu specialist who grew up in Rio de Janeiro but now fights out of Hilo, Hawaii, and trains with Penn. He is known for his ferocious ground game and outstanding stamina. A former water polo player, he started jiu jitsu training 10 years ago and began kickboxing and wrestling when he moved to the U.S. He says it has been his dream to fight in the UFC for some time and he knows Newton is a very experienced, technical fighter. “But, I’m really looking forward to fighting him.”

Parisyan (17-2-0) from North Hollywood, Calif., made a huge impression in his UFC debut in September at UFC 44: Undisputed when he defeated veteran Dave Strasser in just 3:52 of the first round with an arm bar. Renowned for his judo technique (he is a black belt at just 21), he already is a 2004 Olympic qualifier in the sport and is hopeful of making the U.S. team. When he is not training six days a week, Parisyan is a Hollywood stuntman and has appeared in such productions as U-Boat, Ultraviolet and Tucker.


St. Pierre (5-0-0) from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, also is making his UFC debut. He is a strong wrestler with excellent Brazilian jiu jitsu skills with three victories by knockout and two by submission. He is the current TKO Canadian Welterweight Champion and is coming off a decisive submission victory over veteran Spratt. St. Pierre openly admits that one of his biggest heroes is Couture, with whom he will now share the same stage.

The Franca-Thomson fight could be one of the most exciting on the card. Franca (8-0-0) from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and the American Top Team by way of Fortaleza, Brazil, has been unstoppable in the UFC. He won a unanimous decision over talented Rich Crunkilton in April at UFC 42: Sudden Impact, and followed with a powerful knockout in September of Japanese veteran Caol Uno at 2:46 of the second round at UFC 44: Undisputed. Franca is at the top of his game and he can dominate a fight on the ground with his submission skills or standing up with his punching power.

But, in Thomson, “The Punk,” (23-1-0) from San Jose, Calif., Franca will face a mirror image. Known for his speed, fast pace and aggressive style, Thomson also is coming off a huge win at UFC 44 where he knocked out a very good fighter, Gerald Strebendt, in just 2:45 of the first round. “But, Franca had the big knockout of Uno, so I know I will be the underdog again,” he says. You get the feeling that is just the way he likes it.

The Serra-Vasquez fight also pits a wily veteran against a talented first timer. Serra (10-3-0) from Long Island, N.Y., has fought all over the world. He has trained for years with Brazilian martial arts guru Renzo Gracie and was the first American fighter to earn a black belt in Gracie jiu jitsu. Vazquez (8-1-0) from Ontario, Calif., is a well- rounded fighter who also is a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. “Matt has good submissions and is very aggressive. That is just how I fight. This bout will display our ground fighting abilities and will answer the question: Who is the better black belt?,” he says.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., is the world’s premier mixed martial arts sports association. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the UFC programs six live pay-per-view events yearly through cable and satellite providers. In addition to its U.S. distribution on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, Echostar, TVN, Bell ExpressVu and Viewer’s Choice Canada, UFC events are distributed internationally through WOWOW, Inc., in Japan, Globosat in Brazil, Main Event Television in Australia and Sky Network Television in New Zealand. Zuffa, LLC licenses the distribution of UFC video games through Crave Entertainment and TDK Mediactive and its fight show DVDs through Studio Works Entertainment, a Ventura Distribution company.

The UFC’s next live PPV event will be UFC 46: Super Natural at 10 p.m. EST, Saturday, January 31, during Super Bowl weekend from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev. For more information, visit the web site at www.ufc.tv.

Awesome card. I won't be there. But I will be in the comfort of my own home, watching it on my new tv smoking a phat ass blunt. Watching Vitor bomb on Randy, and B.J. shock the world by subbing Hughes.

Karo has been on this card since day one.

From: HOOKnSHOOT
To: Carl Click Global MMA
Subject: SHOOTO ADDS LYTLE vs. SPRATT!

The original main event of CHRIS LYTLE vs. KARO PARISIAN was off due to Karo accepting a UFC fight less than 4 weeks ouch which is a "no-no" for both Shooto and UFC.

Jeremy told me a couple months ago that Karo told him he was training to fight Spratt at UFC 46....oh well, doesn't matter.

Where is Rich franklin??? nothing wrong with all the lightweight and middleweight fights but whos up next for Couture when he beats Vitor???? I like to see the cahmps fight every month that UFC puts on a show... How come UFC dose not put on an event every month like Pride??? Whats going on in Pride?:)

Looks like an awesome card! Our boy Joe Doerksen was promised to participate in UFC 45, then UFC 46, and now it's "sometime this year". He's actually happy about - just gives him more room to train even harder-and beat the crap outta us even longer.lol

It's all a matter of finding a suitable opponent I guess. Gives us more time to save up some cashola to go support him too.

I'm a little worried about the Matt Hughes fight...don't want him to lose to Penn. It'll be the fight of the night I'm sure.