Credit: IGN

With an exclusive multi-year, multi-product partnership, the UFC and EA Sports plan on releasing a video game about the MMA promotion in the next 12 months, Xbox officials announced on Tuesday.

EA Sports Executive Vice President Andrew Wilson said during the Xbox Reveal broadcast that the new game will be one of four sports games released on the new Xbox gaming system called Xbox One.

The game will be the fourth installment in the UFC video game series, which was preceded by UFC Undisputed 2009, UFC Undisputed 2010 and UFC Undisputed 3.

The Xbox Reveal broadcast included video of the soon-to-be-released game, as well as gameplay footage featuring UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis, which offered a look into the game’s realism (watch video below).

The game, like all EA Sports games on the Xbox One, will be powered by the EA Sports Ignite engine, which will offer revolutionary movement and a gaming experience beyond what players have seen in previous releases, according to Wilson.

The UFC EA Sports game is also expected to be out on the Sony PlayStation.

Jon Fitch (pictured) was one of 16 fighters on Tuesday’s UFC cut list. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images.

Former No. 1 UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch has signed with World Series of Fighting, GracieMag.com learned on Thursday evening.

WSF officials confirmed that Fitch will fight another former UFC fighter, Gerald Harris, on June 14 in Las Vegas. Harris also posted info on the fight on his personal Twitter account.

Fitch (24-5-1, 1 N.C.) made headlines two weeks ago when he and 15 other fighters were released from the UFC. The fighter is coming off a loss to Demian Maia, and many thought that his release from the organization was unjust as the Maia fight was only his second loss in four years.

UFC President Dana White responded to criticism of the release, saying that Jon Fitch is expensive, among other things.

Harris (21-5) last fought in the UFC in 2010 when he lost to Maiquel Falcao at UFC 123. He was subsequently released from the UFC, which, much like Fitch, garnered a lot of criticism because the loss was his only one in the organization, compared to three wins.

MMAFighting.com first reported news of the Fitch-Harris match-up.

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Matthew Riddle weighs in during the UFC weigh-in on Feb. 15 at Wembley Arena in London. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Following the release of welterweight Matt Riddle for a second failed drug test for marijuana, the UFC on Wednesday afternoon issued an official statement regarding their actions.

The company said that the positive test for marijuana metabolites was a breach of contract and violation of their conduct policy. For these reasons, Riddle was terminated.

“The UFC organization is exercising its right to terminate Riddle for breach of his obligations under his Promotional Agreement as well as the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy,”  the UFC posted on their website.

“The UFC organization has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents. The outcome of the bout against Che Mills was changed to a no-contest and the results of the positive test will be reported to the official Association of Boxing Commissions MMA record-keeper.”

As GRACIEMAG.com reported Wednesday morning, Riddle tested positive for marijuana after his UFC on Fuel TV 7 fight with Che Mills. The failed test was his second, the first one coming after his UFC 149 fight with Chris Clements.

Both fights have been turned to no-contests.

Matt Riddle (right) was released from the UFC following a positive drug test for marijuana. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Following a second positive test for marijuana, welterweight Matt Riddle has been cut by the UFC, according to reports on Tuesday evening.

Riddle failed his drug test following his UFC on Fuel TV 7 fight with Che Mills in London, where he won a split decision over the homecountry fighter.

Typically, the local governing body, or athletic commission, oversees the drug testing for UFC events. England, however, has no such commission, so the UFC supervised the drug testing for the Fuel event where he subsequently failed his test.

Riddle first tested positive for marijuana following UFC 149 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The second failure in London, apparently, was enough for UFC brass to handle and Riddle was let go from the company.

Riddle’s name is added to the growing list of former UFC fighters that have been cut from the promotion. Last week, news broke that 16 fighters, including top-10 ranked Jon Fitch, were let go from the promotion. Riddle’s opponent last opponent, Mills, was included on that cut list.

UFC president Dana White went on to say that Fitch’s cut made sense for a number of reasons, including being too expensive.

News of Riddle’s release was first reported by MMAjunkie.com.

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Jon Fitch (pictured) was one of 16 fighters on Tuesday’s UFC cut list. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images.

Former No. 1 welterweight contender Jon Fitch was one of 16 fighters released from the UFC on Tuesday, according to a report.

Fitch along with names like Vladimir Matushenko, Jay Hieron, Jacob Volkmann were among the names granted a release from the company.

The full cut list is as follows:

• Jon Fitch
• Wagner Prado
• Mike Russow
• Jacob Volkmann
• Vladimir Matyushenko
• Che Mills
• Jay Hieron
• Terry Etim
• Paul Sass
• Jorge Santiago
• Mike Stumpf
• Simeon Thoresen
• C.J. Keith
• Motonobu Tezuka
• Josh Grispi
• Ulysses Gomez

Cris “Cyborg” Santos signed with Invicta FC. Photo uncredited.

Following a release from the UFC, Cris “Cyborg” Santos has signed a multi-fight deal with all-women’s MMA promotion Invicta FC and will fight on their April 5 card, the fighter and her manager announced on Friday evening.

Cyborg will face Ediane “India” Gomes, and the fight will take place at 145 pounds. The winner will face Marloes Coenen at Invicta FC 6 on a yet-to-be-determined date.

“I am excited to finally get back in the cage and to have the opportunity to fight for Invicta,” Santos said in a statement. “I will be ready on April 5 for Ediane and I plan to dominate my competition as I’ve done in the past.”

Santos (10-1, 1 N.C.) made headlines a week ago when her manager, Tito Ortiz, announced on Inside MMA that the fighter requested a release from her UFC contract. The Zuffa-owned company responded to this request, granted the release, and now Invicta is where Cyborg will call home.

Invicta president Shannon Knapp touted Cyborg, saying that the fighter paved the way for women in the sport.

“We are thrilled to welcome Cris Cyborg,” Knapp said. “Cris’ incredible performances in front of national TV audiences over the last few years have helped put women’s MMA on the radar of the masses and paved the way for others to establish themselves in the sport.”

Gomes (10-2) has fought for a number of promotions, but her last two outings have been under the Invicta banner. Most recently, she went the distance with Hiroko Yamanaka to earn the unanimous decision last month at Invicta FC 4.

Santos hasn’t competed since overwhelming Yamanaka at a Strikeforce card in December 2011. She originally won the bout by knockout in the first round, but the fight was turned to a no-contest when it was discovered that Santos tested positive to banned substances.

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Cris “Cyborg” has asked for a release from the UFC, according to her manager, Tito Ortiz. Photo by Josh Hedges/Forza LLC/Forza LLC via Getty Images

Cris “Cyborg” Santos has requested a release from the UFC, according to her manager, Tito Ortiz.

Ortiz said on Friday’s edition of “Inside MMA” that the UFC made an offer to Cyborg’s representation, but she turned it down once it was presented her. Instead, the fighter will see what other opportunities there are outside the UFC.

“Right now, we’re waiting for UFC to release her. We asked for them to release her,” Ortiz said. “Dana … talked to me yesterday. They gave an offer, I went to Cyborg, [and] she said she didn’t want to do it. We just asked for a release. Since they’re not having a 145-pound weight class, what else [can] they do? As of now, she’s gotta be released and we’ll go look at somewhere else.”

Once the UFC announced they would maintain a women’s division, fans hankered to see Cyborg take on the meteorically rising Ronda Rousey, but negotiations have hit speed bumps with disagreements of all sorts.

UFC president Dana White has gone on record to say that Cyborg is, from his point of view, ducking Rousey. Cyborg has refuted such claims, explaining that it’s a physical impossibility for her to cut the weight necessary to make the 135-pound limit.

Rousey’s manager, Darin Harvey, said recently that the Cyborg fight is one he and his client want because it’s a “big money fight.” He said, regardless of Cyborg’s doctors refusing to sign off on the weight cut, that he’s confident she can make the weight if she wants.

“I don’t want to see anyone get hurt long-term … but my personal belief is she can lose the weight,” Harvey said. “I believe if she’s not taking drugs 135 pounds will be absolutely no problem.”

The Rousey-Cyborg clash might have happened in Strikeforce before its demise in January, but a suspension from a positive drug test by Cyborg prevented such a match-up from taking place. Cyborg completed her suspension in December 2012, but it appears that the fight is still long from becoming a reality.

The UFC will begin keeping a women’s division with UFC 157, which will be headlined by the UFC’s first-ever female fight between champion Rousey defending her title against Liz Carmouche.

UFC 157 will take place Feb. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

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