Lentz in for Gamburyan in Santa Catarina

Just days after being medically cleared from a previous injury and agreeing to fight at UFC on FX 8, featherweight Manny Gamburyan has again suffered an injury during training and been forced off of the card. Nik Lentz will now face Hacran Dias at the May 18 event in a showdown between two talented grappling specialists.

Santa Catarina Scores Solid Lighter-Weight Names

updated March 20
Four more bouts for UFC on FX 8 were confirmed at a press conference today in Brazil, all of them featuring prospects from Brazil's talent-rich lighter weight classes.

Lightweight Lucas Martins -- whose only loss came in January when he stepped in on short notice to face fearsome Edson Barboza -- will return to the Octagon May 18, taking on TUF Live alum Jeremy Larsen.

Veteran featherweights Manvel Gamburyan and Rio's 21-1 Hacran Dias have both recovered from injuries sustained in their recent training camps and are now set to face one another at the Santa Catarina event.

Now settled at bantamweight, Yuri Alcantara is a legitimate threat to absolutely anyone, while TUF Brasil alum Marcos Vinicius will be looking to improve his incredible finishing rate.

Finally, Brazil's top flyweight Jussier Formiga takes on 7th-ranked Chris Cariaso in the Octagon inside Arena Jaraguá.

UFC Returns to Brazil for Rockhold vs. Belfort

updated March 6
The Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to Brazil for the second time in 2013 on May 18, as the Jaragua Arena in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, will host UFC on FX 8: Rockhold vs. Belfort. In the main event, MMA legend Vitor Belfort returns to the Octagon after his victory in January at UFC Sao Paulo, where he knocked out Michael Bisping. Belfort faces Luke Rockhold, the outgoing middleweight champion of Strikeforce, who rides a series of nine wins.

In the co-main event, former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo "Jacare" faces Cypriot Constantinos "Costa" Philippou.

Seven other fights have been confirmed for the event, all of them featuring Brazilian stars squaring off against competitors from around the world:

Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira vs. CB Dollaway - middleweight
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Evan Dunham - lightweight
Francisco "Massaranduba" Trinaldo vs Mike Rio - lightweight
Paulo Thiago vs. Lance Benoist - welterweight
John Lineker vs Azamat Gashimov - flyweight
Fabio Maldonado vs. Roger Hollet - light heavyweight
Gleison Tibau vs. John Cholish - lightweight

"This is the fourth Brazilian state that we have the joy of visiting and another great achievement for the UFC," said Grace Tourinho, spokesperson for UFC in Brazil. "Brazilian fans still have many good things to expect from us in 2013, including live events, the next season of The Ultimate Fighter Brasil and the opening of a UFC headquarters in the country."

"Fighting in Brazil is always very good, and I'm honored to fight in the third different state in my country," said Belfort, who will be looking to earn his fourth win in his home country.

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-on-fx-8-fight-card-updates

Tom Big Cat Erickson Martinsh Egle Eric Butterbean Esch Efrain Escudero Rashad Evans